Happy New Year 2026

Wishing all my friends in the bookish world a fun year of reading, blogging, and learning. I hope you have the best year yet! My blog turns four today and I can't believe it. Thank you to everyone who has commented on or read it over the years. And thank you to all the fellow bloggers who are so helpful and give me great new ideas! 

No more reviews this week as I'll be reading, relaxing, and getting ready for new January posts. Happy reading y'all!

New Years Eve 2025 Post....my year in books

 

I love looking back on my reading goals on New Years Eve. Thanks to Goodreads that is easy to do! I am excited to be ending another great year in the bookish community and starting year five on my blog tomorrow. I can't believe it! I hope everyone has a great day today ringing in 2026. Here are my stats from 2025....it's been a great journey in the book world. 

Favorite Book: My re-read of The Land Beyond the Sea

Favorite Author: Sharon Kay Penman

Most read genres: History, Historical Fiction, Historical Mysteries, Fiction

Have you read any of these books? And what were your favorite books/authors this year?

The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie (Read Christie 2025 December Selection)

 

Publication Date:

1931

Genre: 

Cozy Mystery/Historical Mystery

Length:  

288 pages

Series:

None

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

The Sittaford Mystery is Dame Agatha at her most intriguing, as a séance in a snowbound house predicts a particularly grisly murder. 

In a remote house in the middle of Dartmoor, six shadowy figures huddle around a table for a seance. Tension rises as the spirits spell out a chilling message: "Captain Trevelyan . . . dead . . . murder."

Is this black magic or simply a macabre joke? The only way to be certain is to locate Captain Trevelyan. Unfortunately, his home is six miles away and, with snowdrifts blocking the roads, someone will have to make the journey on foot.

My Thoughts

This story is a stand alone, no Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot this time. It was also published under another name in America, The Murder At Hazelmoor. It seems like back in the day the general public was obsessed with seances and boards and the supernatural even more than today. So this story being written in 1931 it's no surprise that it is a feature. When Captain Trevelyan's friends participate in one, declaring him dead, they want to check on him to be sure it's harmless. Major Burnaby makes the long, snowy trek and finds out it isn't all fun and games. 

Trevelyan's nephew's fiance Emily Trefusis quickly becomes the main character in that she spends most of the novel trying to find out who would want Captain Trevelyn dead and why. Her fiance, James has been arrested for the murder and she wants to get to the truth. A newspaper journalist, Charles helps her along with Inspector Narracott. 

I can't say this was my favorite novel, although I liked Emily and Charles and was rooting for them. There was a lot of well played misdirection as usual and it got pretty complicated for awhile with many new characters. I found myself getting a little bored halfway through though and had to really focus hard to finish. I think I just had this sense that we were getting a lot of useless clues and the ending proved me correct in that I don't think the culprit or murder plot took up much time to explain. It didn't involve most of the people mentioned and was not super detailed. At least that was my impression the last few pages. 

This was a good winter read for setting in that it was cold and snowy and definitely felt like a December or January book. It probably isn't on of hers I'd re-read though.

Stacking the Shelves #80

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. It's a place to showcase any books I have purchased, borrowed, or been lucky enough to have been given an advance copy of. 

Hope you find something that looks interesting to you or that makes you remember a favorite book you need to finish. Happy reading y'all!

The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog by Elizabeth Peters (Amelia Peabody Book 7)

Libby borrow: Free

I am up to book seven in this series and decided January is the time to get back to it. In this adventure, Amelia has to rescue her beloved Emerson who has lost his memory. Knowing the couple's interactions this should be an interesting and probably hilarious read, while having fun experiencing their romp through ancient excavations too. 

The Royal Bastards of Twelfth Century England: Power and Blood by James Turner

Free with Kindle points

I have way too many books about the wild and crazy Plantagenets and their dysfunctional children but I don't care. They are always a source of fascination and family dynamics for me. This book covers drama in the reigns of Henry I through Henry II. I may not learn a whole lot of new information but I never get tired of the stories. 

The King's Daughter by Christie Dickason

Free with Kindle points

I know nothing about Elizabeth Stuart, James I 's daughter but her story looks fascinating. This novel covers her relationship with her father, brother, and the court and then her marriage to Frederick of Bohemia, who I also know nothing about. I always love learning about royals from countries that aren't often featured and, of course, anything about the Stuarts. 

The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot Book #37)

Publication Date:

October 24, 1960

Genre: 

Cozy Mystery/Historical Mystery

Length:  

65 pages

Series:

Hercule Poirot

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

In Agatha Christie’s short story, “The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding,” Poirot is asked to attend a Christmas celebration in order to apprehend a jewel-thief who has taken advantage of an unwary eastern prince. Full of English holiday tradition and plenty of intrigue, this holiday tale first appeared in the December 12, 1923 issue of The Sketch magazine.

My Thoughts

Halfway through this short story I realized I knew it sounded familiar! I'd seen the TV episode on Prime on Poirot. It was a nice quick read for Christmas week and I hadn't intended to do so but it was free with my Kindle points. 

Poirot is his usual confident self as he tries to figure out what has happened to a large ruby lost by a Prince eager to show off to a pretty girl. Staying at the country house where the thief is suspected to be proves to be a fun holiday time for him via the hospitality of the hosts, oblivious as to why he's really there. 

I enjoyed reading it rather than watching it this time but also was impressed at how the show really stuck to the book's details. It's not creepy or scary in any way, light hearted but with a "murder" occurring halfway through that he has to solve. The ruby mystery is all linked as Christie always does well. The characters involve a lot of younger people who are vying to be cool and hip and jokesters. They can't get anything over on Poirot though. 

Descriptions of the Christmas festivities and food, especially the plum pudding really sets the tone for an authentic English Christmas and being American I was loving reading about the little presents in the pudding. A wonderful addition to read right before the big day. 

Merry Christmas everyone!!!