From "Flashlight" by Susan Choi to "The Paris Deception" by Bryn Turnbull. This is a monthly link-up hosted by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best. Each month a book is chosen as a starting point and linked to six other books to form a chain. A book doesn’t need to be connected to all the other books on the list, only to the one next to it in the chain.

To find out more about this unique reading challenge, please visit The Classics Club Blog for the rules and link-up post.

What is Throwback Thursday? I've noticed many of these memes on a few book blogs. For example, Susan Loves Books does one, which is (or was originally) hosted by Renee@It’s Book Talk. I also noticed that Lorrea @ What 'Cha Readin'?, was doing this as a monthly meme, and Reading Maria does something called "Last Year I Was Reading" where she compares what she's reading now to what she read a year ago.

Book Review for “Towards Zero” by Agatha Christie. Summary: "What is the connection among a failed suicide attempt, a wrongful accusation of theft against a schoolgirl, and the romantic life of a famous tennis player? To the casual observer, apparently nothing. But when a house party gathers at Gull’s Point, the seaside home of an elderly widow, earlier events come to a dramatic head.

Yes, I'm still baking my own bread, but instead of updates on that, or my Pottery and my Stained Glass classes, I'm doing a new TAG! This TAG is brought to you by The Strawberry Post, which is a new blog for me. I also see that H.C. Newton @ The Irresponsible Reader takes part, as well. It is 13 questions and should be pretty easy!

Book Review for “To Kill a Cook” by M.W Akers. Summary: "Nobody in Manhattan eats better than Bernice Black. It’s 1972, and she is the city’s busiest restaurant critic, juggling her fiance and his two young sons with demands of fine dining. Bernice talks fast, walks faster, has a razor-sharp wit and no patience for anything--or anyone--that gets in her way.

Top Five Tuesday was originally created by Shanah @ Bionic Book Worm, but is now hosted by Meeghan @ Meeghan Reads. To participate, link your post back to Meeghan's blog or leave a comment on her weekly post. This week, Meeghan gave us the topic of: Top 5 Authors to Try in 2026!

Welcome to another #DiscussionSunday post. This time, I've been wondering... Do You Like to Read Your Age/Eras?

Book Review for “Confessions of a Grammar Queen” by Eliza Knight. Summary: "Bernadette Swift, a young copyeditor at Lenox & Park Publishing, is determined to become the first female CEO in the publishing industry. But first she needs to take the next step up that ladder with a promotion that her boorish and sexist boss wants to thwart. Seeking a base of support, Bernadette joins a feminist women's book club at the New York Public Library, and soon, she's inspiring her fellow members to challenge the male gatekeepers and decades of ingrained sexism in their workplaces and pursue their personal and professional dreams.

The WWW Wednesday meme This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and was revived by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do an update on your reading and plans. I know lots of people do this one every week, but my being such a slow reader, you'd all get bored seeing the same thing week after week.

Book Review for “The Readers' Room” by Antoine Laurain (translated by Jane Aitken, Emily Boyce, and Polly Mackintosh). Summary: "When the manuscript of a debut crime novel arrives at a Parisian publishing house, everyone in the readers' room is convinced it's something special. And the committee for France's highest literary honour, the Prix Goncourt, agrees. But when the shortlist is announced, there's a problem for editor Violaine she has no idea of the author's identity.

Yes, I'm still baking my own bread, but I've had some fails lately! More about that below. Here are some updates on my Pottery and my Stained Glass classes.

I started doing this book tag in 2019 which was called "Life According to Literature" with different prompts. These were done by Brona’s Books, ANZ LitLovers LitBlog, and Veronica @ The Burgeoning Book Shelf. I understand that Veronica originally found it on Theresa Smith Writes  and  Claire’s Reads and Reviews, among others! Then, in 2020 I noticed that…

Book Review for “Mayhem on the Marzipan Express” (Claire Walker #2) by Rebecca Connolly. Summary: "Amateur baker and part-time sleuth Claire Walker is looking forward to a vacation with her boyfriend, Jonathan Ainsley. The happy couple boards the famed Scottish train, the Mallaig Steam Express—temporarily renamed “The Marzipan Express” in honor of chef Alan Gables, who is hosting an exclusive culinary experience for his most devoted fans.

Reviews From the Stacks A while back I discovered Jana and her blog Reviews from the Stacks. Jana created this fun, monthly book meme. Now, it is true that Jana runs a link party for this which is supposed to take place on the first Saturday of every month. However, that day is reserved for #6Degrees of Separation. So, once again, sorry for being late with this one!

Book Review for “Typewriter Beach” by Meg Waite Clayton. Summary: " 1957. Isabella Giori is ten months into a standard 7-year studio contract when she auditions with Hitchcock. Just weeks later, she is sequestered by the studio’s “fixer” in a charming little Carmel-by-the-Sea cottage for a secret rendezvous. There, she is awoken by the clack and ding of a typewriter at the cottage next door.

Book Review for “Anneke Jans in the New World” by Sandra Freels. Summary: "It’s 1630, and Anneke Jans has just arrived in the fledgling colony of New Netherland with her husband, Roelof, and their two young daughters to create a new life for herself and her family. One of very few women in the colony, Anneke quickly realizes that she will need to make her own rules if she is to survive.

You've seen my yearly Top Five/Top Ten lists, and now it is time for another "best of the best" list! For those of you who have been following this blog, you’ll know that a few years ago, I had to make the decision to stick to only 10 books, or just keep adding on. I decided I'll continue to just keep adding to this list, and not confine it to only my top 10.

From Tides by Sara Freeman to Why I Don't Write by Susan Minot. This is a monthly link-up hosted by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best. Each month a book is chosen as a starting point and linked to six other books to form a chain. A book doesn’t need to be connected to all the other books on the list, only to the one next to it in the chain.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! What is Throwback Thursday? I've noticed many of these memes on a few book blogs. For example, Susan Loves Books does one, which is (or was originally) hosted by Renee@It’s Book Talk. I also noticed that Lorrea @ What 'Cha Readin'?, was doing this as a monthly meme, and Reading Maria does something called "Last Year I Was Reading" where she compares what she's reading now to what she read a year ago.

2025 was the Year of: Too FEW 5/5 Starred Books! This past year I finished reading 69 books, which means I surpassed my goal of 68 by one book, out of which 45 were published during 2025 (yes, I only include new releases in this list). That high number usually means I'm spoiled for choice when it comes to my top 10 list.

Book Review for “Table Two” by Marjorie Wilenski. Summary: "Marjorie Wilenski’s only novel, as biting and funny as Barbara Pym at her crankiest, follows an office of women translators at the fictional Ministry of Foreign Intelligence in London as they bicker, manoeuvre, and shift allegiances just before and then in the thick of the London Blitz. Its two main characters are sharply contrasted—the clever, efficient but terminally bitter middle-aged Elsie Pearne and the cheerful, pretty young newcomer Anne Shepley-Rice, whose once affluent family has fallen on hard times.

Happy New Year (on Thursday)! Once again, I'm making one participation post for a bunch of reading (and blogging) challenges in which I'm joining this year. They include: 2026 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2026 New Release Reading Challenge 2026 Cloak & Dagger Challenge 2026 What's In A Name Challenge #LetsDiscuss2026 I'll also be participating in the usual memes, tags, and lists - either on a regular basis, or whenever I'm inspired.

The WWW Wednesday meme This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and was revived by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do an update on your reading and plans. I know lots of people do this one every week, but my being such a slow reader, you'd all get bored seeing the same thing week after week.

Must Get Monday is something I found on Becca's blog @ The Becca Files (which seems to be gone now), which she was doing for quite a while. I've only joined in six times before, but sometimes the time, author, and book become an obsession! As Becca said: Whether it’s an upcoming release, new release, or even one that has been out for ages that you haven’t purchased a copy of yet, …