Happy New Year!

Welcome 2025! If you focus on only the last two numbers, there are quite a few perfect squares coming up, beginning with today 1/1/25, and the next one is 1/4/25. Who thinks about these silly things besides me? My last meaningful romantic relationship began with a stellar first date on 9/16/25, and we all know what a disaster that turned out to be, how quickly I sunk into the abyss after being dumped, and how long I stayed there before struggling out. My novel Ghosted was inspired by that mess plus a shit ton of angsty poetry, so at least there's that. 

Apparently, someone bought my writing recently, but I can't figure out which book it was... all I know is that Amazon just sent me a couple bucks. Thank you, whoever you are. Reconsidering the above... Maybe I should beware of the square dates, but naaah. I still like 'em! I have an entire book of poetry dedicated to squares, which highlights my weird brand of OCD. Someone gave it three stars, which is hard to believe ~ not the rating but the fact that anyone read the book besides me. I do give my own books five-star ratings because why not? Anyway, I am looking forward to 1/1/27, if we make it that far. Cubes, baby!

In 2024, I read 132 books. That was too many as I don't remember most of them, but regardless I am plunging ahead with a new reading challenge for 2025, which calls for 100 books in various categories. I posted the graphic in my IG, if anyone wants to check it out and possibly join me. It is likely that I will read a "few" more books than the 100 because of the various book club books that will duplicate the titles I have already slotted into the boxes (on a Word list), though if I can substitute any to be more efficient, I will do that. I managed to make the physical books I already own fit into the reqs as well as some that are in my Kindle TBR pile. Some I will need to buy or get from the library. Of course, I have cheated and finished a few books earlier this week that I will "count" as 2025 books, but I needed to make good use of my time off from work. I had planned to paint, but so far I have not been in the mood. I'm not one to force myself to do hobbies if I don't feel like it ~ what is the point of that?

Harmony Lights by Mindy Klask was my first cheat book; I gave it three stars, which was generous. This is a shortish romance (72 pages) about a man and a woman who had a misunderstanding during prom weekend and haven't seen each other for 12 years or so. They reconnect in their hometown and dot dot dot. Whatever. I am tired of these books where the entire plot could disappear if only the MCs had engaged in a five minute convo at the time. The backdrop of this romance was Chanukah, which made it slightly different from the norm, but not really more interesting.

The Swimmer by Loreth Anne White was my second cheat book, and it also received three stars. It was a suspense/thriller type of novel, told in present tense (ugh), and had a "cheater" ending. I consider an ending to be a cheater if something new comes up to explain or resolve an issue even though we, the reader, had no info to be able to predict it. Part of The Swimmer’s ending was a version of this deus ex machina no-no. Up until that point, I enjoyed the book, despite the present tense narration and "podcast" interruptions. I guess that's a thing now. Eyeroll. 

Regarding the new year, nothing much will change here. Priorities continue to be health and self-care, family (including Gatsby), work, books (and reviews), crafts when in the mood, friends, blah, blah, blah. For some years now, I've been trying to make better choices re eating/exercising and avoidance of drama, and I expect that to chug along with minor tweaks. No dating, no major traveling, no agreeing to activities I have no interest in just to go along. Samey same same. I am working on letting go of any FOMO and/or guilt that is sometimes associated with avoidance of certain social events, but I don't beat myself up about changing my mind ~ though it would be an improvement if I could simply say no more often right off the bat. Progress not perfection!

Start where I am.

Use what I have.

Do what I can.

Cheers! (I raise my cup of tea to 2025 and all my readers.)

~*~

PS: Forgot to mention that Harmony Lights satisfies the "small town life" category on the 2025 Reading Challenge, and The Swimmer satisfies the "takes place next to a body of water" category.

PPS: My friend S noted on FB that 2025 is the square of 45! So cool.