not necessarily in this order

I’m excited to share a 2025 reading trends post  (I’m enjoying catching up on my holds while LM is in rehearsal during my week off, haha, so they’re still piling up!) and some reading goals in the next few weeks.  In the meantime, here are a few thoughts on what I’ve read lately: Midnight at Malabar House by Vaseem Khan: 4⭐️/5 beyond the mystery, which is deep and dense, this look into India entering 1950 and the social, religious, and political tensions through the eyes of a woman navigating being an unwanted pioneer in the police service and familial pressures is just a great read. Even if you’re unfamiliar with Partition and how British rule ended in India, the book brings you into the moment with the right amount of context.  Little Mysteries: Nine Miniature Puzzles to Confuse, Enthrall, and Delight   by Sara Gran: 3.75⭐️/5 I thought this might be a “for fans only” as the stars of some of the puzzles come from Gran’s Claire DeWitt series and other writing. But, i...

As I mentioned at the beginning of November, I found myself dangerously close to having read 100 books this year with 2 months to go. Now, I love an arbitrary, no stakes goal and have been steadily working my way through my library holds to see if I can make it. I was slowed down by a couple behemoth entries in a series I feel I must complete, so I find myself this December 1 with 15 books to go. With 2 recital weekends being balanced off by a handful of vacation days (and school vacation), it really is going to be a race to the finish! Note, I accidentally posted these in the reverse order that I read them and will rectify that in future Recent Reads !   The Vanishing Box  by Elly Griffiths:  4 /5  ⭐  I really enjoyed this entry to  The Magic Men  series. Set around the holidays, the mystery itself was the right amount of twisty and it was great to see the main characters grow and evolve. I may have rated this a little high based on how I feel like t...

This is a new thing I’m trying to take things less seriously. One minute to jot down an idea, an intention, a smile in this space - nothing more and nothing less.  If I had more than a minute to write this, I’d talk about how personal goals have fallen by the wayside of caretaking and estate management and personal time functional freeze in these last few years or so. Or, about my relationship to reading and how it makes me feel like me even when I haven’t read as much in my life. Or about how much I am grateful to have books and the library and reading back in my life in this moment.   But I don’t. So, I won’t, haha!   What I will say is that I found myself at the end of October dangerously close to having read 100 books this year with 76 done. (Don’t ask me how many DNFs. Oof. So many recently, too. SIGH!)   Now, I don’t usually read to a number. Honestly, I just feel lucky to be finding pockets of time for myself to read at all vs. just freezing or doomscrolling o...

Some more quick takes on some recent reads! Bleeding Heart Yard By Elly Griffiths  4⭐️ This is what I’ve been wanting from this series! Harbinder focused, a dense and twisty mystery, and really great pacing. From class and political divides to so much Brit slang and lit jokes to longing for life and love across characters and experiences… What a great read! Kissed a Sad Goodbye By Deborah Crombie  3.75⭐️ I loved the mystery itself - jumping through time, the WWII setting, how it all fed the current mystery. Families and tea and heartbreak and lies. But, I was not as enthralled by the main character development. I’ve always appreciated where Kincaid has been messy and human. But, his handling of Kit did not ring true to who he has been portrayed as. And, Gemma. Gemma? Her musical (and more) exploration just felt like a plot device. Not my favorite, but still am all in on the series.  The Secret Service of Tea and Treason By India Holton  3.5⭐️ Not my favorite of the s...