Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Goals for 2025

 

First off.....I am wondering if I can get one of my three cats to pose like this? Lol....but seriously I love this Top Ten Tuesday post each year. Looking back I don't necessarily do well with these goals but I try! 

So here again in January are my bookish goals I hope to accomplish this year and I am excited to see how many I have in common with my fellow readers and bloggers. They are in no particular ranking order, just my thoughts. Thanks to Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl for hosting this each week. Happy reading ya'll!

1. Read more history- I say this every year....I used to be such a straight up reader of history books. But darn if my fellow bloggers didn't get me hooked on historical fiction and now there are so many wonderful books out there I'm finding it impossible to read a dry history book.

2. DNF books after page 50- If I have devoted this much time and energy I need to stop. I'm 50 years old and have only so much time in life left to read...lol.

3. Stop starting so many series- This will be sooooo difficult for me. I love series books but I have to be choosy because I can't possibly read all the books in every series I come across.

4. Spend more time reading and commenting on others' blogs- I absolutely love reading book blogs but often get absorbed in them and forget to comment too. I need to work on this!

5. Whittle down my TBR pile- I know we all have this goal. Enough said. Pick a book and finish it each month is a good start!

6. Give a chance to some new authors- Another goal I always have. I truly want to do this but it's hard when I need a good book from a trusted author I know won't disappoint me and waste my time.

7. Finish my actual paper books- I don't have many as at my age and with my eyesight getting worse each year I'm an avid Kindle user. But I have some great paper books you can't get on Kindle so I want to try to start them this year.

8. Post more consistently- I do post weekly and often more than once. But I don't want just reviews. There are so many fun weekly post ideas and challenges I want to get more involved with. It is just lack of time that causes me to have whole weeks where I don't post with intention.

9. Devote more time in my week to actually reading- This is another goal I'm sure I share with my fellow bloggers and readers.....spending a lot of time looking at new books but not enough time actually reading them. It's just so relaxing to scroll and dream :) 

10. Work on collections- Lately I've been wanting to scour more bookstores for books that are worth keeping in physical form. I'd love to own all of Jean Plaidy's works as they are hard to find and many other authors I've grown up loving. Just for fun. Just because. 

Pirates and Patriots: A Tudor Naval Adventure by David Field (The New World Nautical Saga Book 1)

 

Publication Date:

June 2, 2023

Genre:

Historical Fiction

Series:

The New World Nautical Saga Book 1

Length: 

246 pages

Book description (goodreads):

The world is Drake’s oyster…

England, 1554

Fifteen-year-old Francis Drake is realising his dream of sailing on the open seas. After training with his cousins William and John Hawkins in their naval business, he takes his first commission upon the Bonaventure.

But when disaster strikes the ship and Francis saves the men with his quick-thinking, he makes an enemy of the captain, who threatens to charge Francis with mutiny.

Francis must seek a new path to make his fortune and he joins with the Hawkins brothers to search for glory in foreign lands.

But trading on the world stage is already being dominated by Spanish and Portuguese explorers and so Francis must act quickly if he wishes to make his mark.

And as one Tudor queen makes way for another, and Spanish relations grow ever tenser, Francis Drake may soon be needed to help save his country from the threat of war...

My Thoughts:

I have read most of Field's Medieval series and was not interested in this one at first. So glad I changed my mind because I absolutely loved this book and can't wait to read the next two in the three part series. 

Francis Drake is such a fascinating person and even though I know some of the story was crafted by the author, the basic facts as to how he rose through the ranks to defeat the Spanish Armada are solid. The love story between him and his wife Mary seemed plausible and her needing him to validate her as a wife and being distraught at how long he'd be away on his voyages felt very realistic. 

I loved the way he was portrayed as having a sense of humor about life too and wondered if this were something the author felt he had to add because it was something written in historical documents. His interactions with his cousins, Queen Elizabeth, and his crew members made the history come alive. I actually found myself wanting more detail as to how he handled his work life during the times he wasn't at sea.

Not needing or wanting books with detailed accounts of battles, this one was again a great balance of recreating the voyages to the West Indies and Americas, the navigating of the later named Drake's Passage, and the fateful day defeating Spain's formidable navy without so much detail one gets bored. Field's books don't feel like military books but they include enough to do justice to the important parts you have to learn. 

I will definitely be continuing with this series and all of his books. This is the way to learn history!

Can't Wait Wednesday: Two Weddings and a Murder by Alyssa Maxwell (A Lady and Lady's Maid Mystery) Book 9

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, Two Weddings and a Murder, by Alyssa Maxwell. Her Gilded Age series is very popular and I've read the first three. I have not read any from the Lady's Maid series but thought I'd feature it for those who have enjoyed them. Set in the 1920's it follows the goings on of lady's maid Eva Huntford.

Historical Cozy Mysteries

February 25, 2025

Book Description courtesy of Amazon:

As Lady Phoebe and her betrothed say their vows of holy matrimony, a killer has vowed unholy vengeance on the town’s chief inspector . . .

June 1922: The blessed day has finally arrived. Phoebe Renshaw and Owen Seabright are to be wed, and lady’s maid Eva Huntford could not be more delighted for her lady’s happiness. But she is disturbed by one notable absence from the ceremony—her beau, Police Constable Miles Brannock. When Miles finally does appear, breathlessly running into the reception at Foxwood Hall, he brings grim news: he’s found Chief Inspector Isaac Perkins murdered, shot in his home in his favorite parlor chair with his own gun.

A policeman naturally makes enemies, especially those of questionable character. In charge of finding his former boss’s killer, Miles reviews the details of the crime scene. The murder weapon has been wiped clean and left on the table next to the remnants of the chief inspector’s breakfast: sausage pasty and coffee reeking of a bit of whiskey. No sign of forced entry. A seemingly peaceful scene—other than the bullet hole in the victim.

Before Miles can make much progress in his investigation, a Scotland Yard detective arrives in Little Barlow to take over the case—and promptly focuses his suspicions on the constable himself, who he reasons had motive and opportunity. Coming to their maid’s defense, Phoebe and Owen postpone their honeymoon to join Eva in clearing her beau’s good name and unmasking the identity of the true killer . . .

Stacking the Shelves #44

 

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. Enjoy your reading this week!

Bought on Kindle for $0.99

The title on this book really caught my eye. I had not heard of these mysteries before either and it just looked interesting. The price was great too. I love stories set in places llike Key West also so that appealed to me. It features a married detective duo and I love that. Tommy and Tuppence are a favorite with Agatha Christie so I thought I'd give this series a try. It's called The Pat and Jean Abbott Mysteries.They are set in WWII England. 

Bought on Kindle for $2.99

I am fascinated with Katherine of Valois's story. This is one I hadn't heard of yet but I just had to get it. It is probably more a romance than I'd normally read but I'm willing to try it. Historical accuracy is a must for me so hopefully this author doesn't embellish her and Owen Tudor's story too much. 

Bought on Kindle for $1.99

Set during the Napoleonic Wars, this is part one of a series fittingly titled Napoleonic Wars. There are three novels total. I am always looking for ways to learn more about this time period and its significance. Sometimes these kinds of books have too much detail about the battles and not enough history. Hoping this one is a good blend of both. 

First Review of 2025! Hourly History: The Crusades, The Hundred Years War, and British Raj

Publication Date:

February 15, 2016

Genre:

History/Medieval History

Series:

Hourly History

Length: 61 pages

Book Description (Amazon):

The Crusades are the prototype and epitome of the Holy War. The fight to take control of the city of Jerusalem, believed to be the most sacred Holy City to two distinct religions of Christianity and Islam, has lasted far longer than the two centuries of the Crusades and its reach has extended far further than Europe and the Middle East. Over the course of nine organized campaigns and many more unorganized ones, the Christian west militarized in the name of God to push back the threat of Islam advancing from the east. Understanding the Crusades is key in understanding the religious divides that still threaten the order of the world.

Publication Date:

October 6, 2019

Genre:

History/Medieval History

Series:

Hourly History

Length: 47 pages

Book Description (Amazon):

The Hundred Years’ War was a series of conflicts waged between England and France between 1337 and 1453. The war involved several generations of kings on both sides and was fought over a single issue: whether the English had the right to rule the kingdom of France. The origins of the war can be traced back to the invasion of England in 1066 by William the Conqueror, the duke of Normandy. William became king of England, but he also retained control over his lands in Normandy. From that time on, English kings ruled not just over their own country but also over areas of western France. What is now France was at the time of the Norman conquest not a single country but rather a group of semi-independent principalities. By the early 1300s, the kingdom of France was consolidating and emerging as an important European power, and it was almost inevitable that there would be a conflict between France and England over the English lands in western France.

The Hundred Years’ War marked important changes in the very nature of warfare. When it began, the principal weapons on both sides were heavily armored knights who generally followed an agreed code of conduct. By the time the war ended, the Age of Chivalry had been superseded by the appearance of gunpowder weapons which rendered these knights and their notions of chivalrous combat obsolete. The Hundred Years’ War was an important element in the creation of modern Europe and in the definition of the national characters of both England and France. This book tells the story of this long, complex, and fascinating conflict.

Publication Date:

March 13, 2023

Genre:

History/History of India

Series:

Hourly History

Length: 45 pages

Book Description (Amazon):

The British Raj refers to the time from 1858 to 1947 when the British Crown directly ruled the Indian subcontinent. During those 90 years, India saw enormous social, political, and cultural upheaval. New systems of education were introduced, and increasing industrialization brought societal change. The British administration also united large numbers of indigenous people, though they were often united mainly by their opposition to the British and their desire for independence.

The growing independence movement saw the emergence of one of the most influential and charismatic political leaders ever: Mahatma Gandhi. His policy of non-violent opposition inspired people across the world and helped to guide India to independence. However, with independence came partition as the British divided the region according to religious and ethnic lines. Instead of a single independent nation, the Indian subcontinent became two and then three separate nation-states, something that led to violence and conflicts that persist today.

This is the story of how the British Raj inadvertently created the modern nations of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

My Thoughts:

I have made a list of things I want to work on for my blog and personal reading goals this year. One is to read and review more history books. These hourly history ones  are a great way to learn basic historical facts and major themes quickly while still getting accurate information. I already knew a lot about The Crusades and next to nothing about The Hundred Years War or British India. The Crusades book followed everything I knew in a timeline covering all the major Crusades and historical figures from 1096 to the late 1200's. I came away with some gaps filled in my knowledge as well. The books on the other two were great in that I learned about all the major points like Agincourt and  Ghandi's movement without being given too much detail that might make me feel confused being newly exposed to the topic. 

If you love history and biographies you will love these books. It is going to be difficult to choose which ones to read first because there are so many. With Kindle Unlimited you can read most of them for nothing. Also, if you sign up for their newsletter at HourlyHistory.com you get free e-books each Friday!