2025 Slow Reads

 This year I am reading two huge novels as year-long slow reads, led by Simon Haisell via his Footnotes and Tangents Substack. 

1. War and Peace (my first read)
2. Wolf Hall (a reread for me)

I'm enjoying both of these and the slow pace is keeping it from becoming a chore. The discussion with other readers also adds to the experience.

Checked Out

 Here's what I have checked out from our public library this week:

1. The Library by Bella Osborne
2. The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn by E.W. Ives
3. And the Birds Rained Down by Jocelyne Saucier (ebook)
4. Inheritance by Nora Roberts (My current read)
5. Last House (Or the Age of Oil) by Jessica Shattuck
6. The Trouble With You by Ellen Feldman
7. Denison Avenue by Christina Wong
8. Frankie by Graham Norton (This is the only book that has holds on it at the moment and there are 16 people waiting for it.)

My 2025 HF Reads

 Here's my ongoing list of completed Historical Fiction for 2025:

1. The Comet Seekers by Helen Sedgwick
2. The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
3. The Queen's Favourite by Laura Dowers

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

 I am a big sucker for reading challenges and since Historical Fiction is my favourite genre I'm going to join the Historical Fiction Challenge over at The Intrepid Reader and Baker. I'm still deciding which level I will be trying to reach!

Any sub-genre of historical fiction is accepted (Historical Romance, Historical Mystery, Historical Fantasy, Young Adult, History/Non-Fiction, etc.)

During the following 12 months you can choose one of the different reading levels:

20th Century Reader - 2 books
Victorian Reader - 5 books
Renaissance Reader - 10 books
Medieval - 15 books
Ancient History - 25 books
Prehistoric - 50+ books

Dirty Martini Spritz

 Dirty Martini Spritz 🍷

(Just leaving this here because Martinis and Spritzes are my idea of the perfect drinks.)

Ingredients

• 1 ounce gin

• 1 ounce dry vermouth

• 1/2 ounce olive brine

• 1 dash orange bitters

• 3 ounces club soda

• Olives, for garnish

• Lemon peel, for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Combine gin, vermouth, olive brine, and bitters in a large wine glass filled with ice. Stir gently to combine, about 10 seconds.

2. Top with club soda and garnish with olives and lemon peel, if desired. Serve immediately.

3. Source: https://www.foodandwine.com/dirty-martini-spritz-recipe

Love Your Library ~ My Starting Point ~ Jan 18/25

This should be done on the last Monday of the month but I wanted to have a starting point!

Here's what I've read from our public library this month:

1. The Reading List
2. The Comet Seekers
3. The Red Chesterfield

What I'm currently reading from the library:

1. Inheritance
2. And the Birds Rained Down

Checked out (To Be Read):

1. The Library
2. The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn
3. And the Birds Rained Down
4. Inheritance
5. Last House
6. The Trouble With You
7. Denison Avenue
8. Frankie

Here's what I have on hold at our public library this week:

1.  Goth Girls of Banff - in transit
2.  The White Princess - in transit
3.  Long Island - in transit
4.  Captain Solitude - 1/4 (1st in line/4 copies)
5.  Crosses in the Sky - 1/2
6.  Jane Austen at Home - 1/1
7.  Isola: A Novel - 2/3 - on order
8.  Cardinal: A Novel of Love and Power - 3/3 - on order
9.  The Stone Witch of Florence - 3/3
10.  Fisherman's Gift - 4/2 - on order
11.  Impossible City - 4/2
12.  How to Take Smart Notes 5/2 - on order
13.  The In-Between Bookstore - 5/2
14.  Solenoid - 5/1
15.  Eleanore of Avignon - 6/2
16.  The Sunflower House - 6/2
17.  Hope: The Autobiography - 7/5 - on order
18.  The Champagne Letters - 8/2
19.  How to Read a Book: A Book - 8/3
20.  Value(s) - 8/7
21.  Slewfoot - 9/3
22.  The Stolen Queen - 9/4
23. The Book Swap - 10/3
24.  Consent: A Memoir - 10/3
25.  Library of Lost Dollhouses - 10/3 - on order
26.  The Pull of the Stars - 11/12
27.  Etta and Otto and Russell and James - 12/9
28.  Still Life - 16/5
29.  Becoming a Matriarch - 19/4
30.  Girl Runner - 19/4
31. What's the Point? - 19/6
32. The Collected Regrets of Clover - 20/4
33. Witchcraft for Wayward Girls - 32/11
34.  Death By a Thousand Cuts - 35/4
35.  The Things We Do For Love - 51/5
36.  The Mirror - 65/18

#LoveYourLibrary

@bookishbeck

Let's READ!

 Oh my gosh I have completely forgotten about this blog for several years. As I was sitting here this afternoon thinking about book blogs that I used to read and enjoy I thought I would check and see if anyone was still writing about books and I saw that, in fact, some still were. Last year I set a goal of 52 books and by June I was so far behind that I was honestly about to just give up. But then I started watching TikTok and I followed lots of BookTokkers. One in particular caught my attention and I subscribed to her TT (as did lots of other readers), and I quickly caught up to my goal and then I surpassed it! By the end of December '24 I had read just over 70 books and I impressed myself. For 2025 I thought "ok I once read 102 books in a year so I bet I could do 104 this year". However I thought about it and wondered why I even wanted to do that. So then I adjusted my goal back to a very achievable 52 books. As of today Jan. 18th, I've read 11 books! Now winter in Canada is honestly a time to basically stay indoors under a cozy blanket and read all the books. So here I am again, with a pile of books beside me and several shelves of unread books just waiting for me to open them up and enjoy the stories inside. Let's READ!