Friday Reads 1.3.25

Happy New Year! Let's Get To Reading...

Happy New Year, all! Welcome to all of the new folks who signed up over the holidays, and warmest New Year’s greetings to my friends who’ve been here all along! May 2025 be a year of great peace and joy for everyone!

There's nothing like thinking the first Friday in January is really Thursday and happily settling in to start your Friday Reads post only to find that A, it is really Friday, and you’re hopelessly late, and B, your account has somehow been flagged, and you’re not allowed onto Notes. A rough start to my Substack year, for sure.

But here I am, with some book recommendations, awaiting a note from the Substack powers-that-be about what’s happening. Interestingly, I can access Notes on the app, just not on my desktop. Nope, no idea what’s happening, so I’m going to roll with it. The only real issue is… I’m on a social media sabbatical and kept Substack Notes as my one allowed scroll. Sigh. Good deeds punished and roads to hell, all of that.

I know I am not the only one who’s feeling the weird what day is it? sensation. Middle of the week holidays always throw us, and to have two in a row, plus having Christmas and Hannukah at the same time? The universe is a saucy minx and loves the trickery. Because really, who are we to try and apply the concept of “time” and “holidays” to a millennia of sunrises and sunsets? It’s just to stress ourselves out.

I read a couple of great books over the holidays. One, Rebecca Yarros’s VARIATION, was a most of the way hit for me. I loved the ballet, loved the romance, loved the characters. I have a problem when there’s more than one first-person point of view—and the two main characters, male and female, were both first person, so that detracted a smidgeon from the story. Nothing that anyone but me would take issue with, though. A solid romance that I couldn’t gobble quickly enough.

I also read and enjoyed Tessa Bailey’s Amazon Original short MERRY EVER AFTER. On a plane. Next to a stranger. Who was, and I swear to you I’m not making this up, reading a religious text. I was utterly blushing and mouth agape, holding my hand up to the screen so my seatmate wasn’t scandalized. It has sexy times, people. Like… reaaaaaalllllly intense sexy times. With all the naughty words and everything. 🫢 Made for a fabulous holiday story.

I just finished my first (and last) blurb book of the year, a wonderful new entry from Rachel Howzell Hall, FOG AND FURY. It’s not coming out until May, but I enjoyed it. Rachel has a wonderfully unique voice and always finds a new plot to play with. Very refreshing.

I read a small short story by Madeline Miller called GALATEA about a statue sculpted by a talented artist who manages to breathe life into her stone and marry her, and the lengths she’ll go to for freedom. Fascinating.

Gifted holiday books included WRITING DOWN THE BONES by Natalie Goldberg and THE NOTEBOOK: A History of Thinking on Paper by Roland Allen. The former is something I’ve been wanting to read in lieu of redoing THE ARTIST’S WAY by Julia Cameron. The Allen book is one I heard Cal Newport mention on his blog as an interesting read. You all know how much I love a good notebook…

I’ve also been searching my shelves to queue up Anne Lamott’s BIRD BY BIRD. I know I have a print copy, but I don’t know what color the spine is, so… I think I have an older Nook version, so I’ll dig that one out.

All to say, I’m trying to start some new writing habits, and this is the path I’ve chosen to help refocus my attention on morning pages and more introspection. Part of the sabbatical goals.

My darling husband gifted me with another book—a set, actually. My very own 4-volume Shakespeare’s Folio. After seeing the Dunvegan Castle version, I have been bereft I’m not to the manor born with something so glorious passed down for generations… and he surprised the heck out of me with my own version. I am officially collecting old books now. And anticipate a Shakespeare reread this year!

Lastly, I published my Annual Review on Tuesday. This year’s word is… CULTIVATE. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, here you go.

That’s it from me today. What did you read over the holidays, or give, or get? Anything fabulous?

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