March was a challenging month, so I didn’t read as many books as I usually do. My favorite was “The Priory of the Orange Tree.”
#BookSky📚💙

The romances carried November, particularly Carley Fortune. I also enjoyed the nature nonfictions this month, and I’m still reading a memoir written by a “Moonie” who now lives in Nice.
#BookSky📚💙

On the other hand, it’s safe to say I completely missed my “Twilight” era—I probably would have liked it more when I was in high school—but I’m finishing the series because that’s how I roll.

But I also really enjoyed Annabel Monaghan’s writing style and settings. Kate Pearsall’s mysteries incorporated rural Appalachian mythical creatures, which was interesting, and the T. Kingfisher was a retelling of Snow White with a twisting plot and strong, frank voice.

October was a whopper reading month, filled with all new-to-me authors.
My favorite book overall was “Every Summer After” by Carley Fortune; her characters were instantly engaging.
#BookSky📚💙

Superb reading this September. It’s difficult to choose, but I think “The Island of Missing Trees” by Elif Shafak is my favorite.
#BookSky📚💙

Everything I read in August was enjoyable, but the most memorable has to be “Parable of the Sower” by Octavia E. Butler.
#BookSky📚💙

My favorite book from July was Fredrik Backman’s, My Friends.
In a rare occurrence, I chose to stop reading one of these books. Can you guess which one?
#BookSky📚💙

5🌟 Fredrik Backman can tell a story like no one else. I love the repeated phrases that become inside jokes, the depth of the characters and their love for each other, and the themes of art, childhood, friendship, and loyalty. If you've never read one of his books, start with this one.
#BookSky📚💙

My favorite book from this month is “Atmosphere” by Taylor Jenkins Reid. It’s a love story and then some, featuring astronauts, the inner workings of NASA, women in science and leadership, family dynamics, and boundary-pushing in general.
#BookSky📚💙

Reading wrap up for May:
My favorites were the Aristotle and Dante duology.
#BookSky 📚💙

Book cover of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. A red pickup truck at lower left underneath a starry sky. Silver foil title and symbols.

Ari lives in the shadows of his own emotional walls. He's a good kid, but a loner, struggling through the final years of high school. Everything changes when he meets Dante, whose love for life bubbles forth with the confidence of being a cherished only child of loving, stable parents.
#BookSky 📚💙

Great reading month for me. My favorite was “Beneath a Scarlet Sky” by Mark Sullivan. The book is based on a real man, Pino Lella, and his activities during the last years of WW2 in Italy as an undercover informant.
#BookSky📚💙

Two wicker baskets and one black bucket of lemons.

First lemon harvest of the year. All this from one tree!

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker.
Two intriguing characters from religious mythology try to blend in to tenement life in turn of the century NYC. A beautiful story of figuring out what it means to be human, as well as how monstrous humans can be.
#BookSky📚💙

No. It's enough to have just a general idea of Huck Finn. James stands on its own.

Beautiful hike today to Notre-Dame d'Afrique.

“The Water Dancer” by Ta-Nehisi Coats
Hiram Walker has an infallible memory, with one exception: his mother. She was sold away from their home in Virginia when Hi was still young. But stories are powerful, and Hiram learns to use the power of Conduction to liberate Tasked people.
#BookSky📚💙

My favorite read for January 2025 was Starling House by Alix E. Harrow.
#BookSky💙📚

Book cover of The Wild Huntress by Emily Lloyd-Jones. A forest green background with irregular leaf patterns, and a large, gold colored dagger with animal carvings. The book title overlays all this in white text.

Having successfully avoided the news today, it's time to make progress on my current read, The Wild Huntress by Emily Lloyd-Jones.
#BookSky💙📚

Cover of Starling House book by Alix E. Harrow. Night sky background with white title centered. Several starling birds fly with purple and blue wings, some holding gold skeleton keys and one holding an orange flower.

5 books into 2025 and I have my first 5☆
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
Gothic vibe, orphans, found family, dreams/nightmares.
Between work and parenting her brother, Opal dreams of a house she’s never seen and beasts with too many limbs and oddly angled joints. Starling House calls.
#BookSky📚💙

New year. Time to meet that insurance deductible again.