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Welcome to my weekly update for January 4, 2026!
To start on a somber note, the husband of one of my best friends passed away just after Christmas. He was only 46. Life is precious, so hug your loved ones tight. And if you’re so inclined, send some caring thoughts and/or prayers my friend’s way, please.
On a much lighter note, I hope everyone had a nice New Year’s celebration! This is your reminder to update your copyright information if you include that on your blog. It took me longer than it should have to remember how to do that. Once I remembered, I finally made notes for myself. You would think I would have done that at an earlier point wouldn’t you?
With all our traveling from Georgia to Florida to North Carolina to Georgia again over the holidays, I opened several gifts after Christmas. I wanted to share a couple of them with you.
I signed up for Secret Santa at That Artsy Reader Girl this year for the first time in a decade or more. I had so much fun sending and receiving cards from many of you and choosing a box of books and goodies to send to another book lover. I was delighted when I opened the box from my Secret Santa. I received The Rose Code by Kate Quinn and House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski (“The Remastered Full-Color Edition” no less!). Mina and Oreo also sent me a lot of candy, a beautiful sunflower bookmark, some cozy socks, a Stranger Things gingerbread house, a Harry Potter herbology mug, a cute kitty keychain, and some tea. So much love!
My husband and I only got each other a few small things for Christmas this year, but he did buy the video game Tiny Book Shop for me. I’ve barely gotten started but I have a little used book cart (decorated to my taste) that I tow behind my car. I set up at different locations around the city of Bookston each day. I curate my shelves every “morning” before heading out, so that I can make sure I have lots of classics when I’m selling near the cafe and lots of drama when I’m near the lighthouse. Throughout the “day” a few customers ask me for recommendations and I scan my virtual shelves for the perfect, real book. For instance, someone asked for a 21st-century detective novel so I recommended an Alex Cross book. There’s a little more to it than that but you get the idea. It’s the perfect cozy, no-stress game for anyone who’s dreamed of working as a bookseller or librarian. I love it! I believe it’s only available on the Switch and on Steam right now but I think it’s being released for other systems soon. Check it out if you have any interest in gaming!
Slideshow:
The gift image is © Jennifer G. at Introverted Reader 2025. TheTiny Book Shop image copyright belongs to the game’s owners (not me).
Posted:
The 2026 Reading Challenges I’ve signed up for
As a reminder, I’m hosting the following challenges here:
2026 Immigration Reading Challenge New!
2026 Books in Translation Reading Challenge
2026 Southern Literature Reading Challenge
I like to set you up to succeed so you have the option to only read one book for each of these challenges if that’s what you’d like.
Read:
Vicious (Villains #1) by V. E. Schwab, read by Jeremy Arthur–4 Stars
Currently Reading:
A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark
Bacardi and the Long Fight for Cuba: The Biography of a Cause by Tom Gjelten
Up Next:
I hope to post my top ten books of 2025 on Tuesday and maybe a recap of the television and movies I’ve been watching recently on Thursday. I haven’t actually written either post though, so we’ll see. I also like to write an in-depth recap of my yearly reading but I think that will happen next week.
I’m not sure what I’ll read next. I’m not making very fast progress on either of these books, simply because we’ve been on the road so much. I think life has finally settled down a bit so I’ll get back into a routine. I do need a new audio book though.
What did your week look like?
Hosts:
Deb Nance at Readerbuzz hosts The Sunday Salon and Kimberly at Caffeinated Book Reviewer hosts Sunday Post. Kathryn at Book Date hosts It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
32 Comments
Sending your friend my heartfelt condolences on her great loss. I pray she finds wisdom, strength, comfort and love during this terrible time.
I am eagerly waiting for Tiny Book Shop to be released on my devices!
Quinn’s books are wonderful! I’m so glad you recieved one as a gift! Happy reading!
I’m so sorry about the loss of your friend. 46 is so young.
Your husband’s video game gift to you was perfect!
Happy 2026!
Thank you for your sympathy.
The game is so perfect!
Happy New Year. I’m sorry for the loss of your friend.
Thank you for your note of sympathy.
That video game looks delightful! ☺
I loved A Master of Djinn. I hope you are loving it, too. ☺
Bacardi looks good. I’m going to add it to my Carib-A-Thon book list! ☺
Happy new Year! 🎉
I finished A Master of Djinn yesterday. So good! Carib-A-Thon is something I haven’t heard of but it sounds interesting!
I did the Artsy Reader Secret Santa for a number of years and really enjoyed it. I’ll have to look into it for 2026. Your Secret Santa did really well for you!
Thank you for the copyright reminder! I’m going to update mine right now.
You’re welcome!
Tiny Book Shop sounds fun! You got lots of great things in your gift exchange too. I really enjoyed Vicious and there is another book in the series planned for 2026!
Anne – Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post
Thanks for letting me know that the Villains series is continuing!
So sorry to hear of your loss. It’s tough to lose friends any time of year, but around the holidays is especially hard.
Great gifts! I will have to keep an eye out for the computer game. It sounds fun. Enjoy your reading challenges.
https://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2026/01/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-mailbox.html
Thank you for your sympathy
So sorry to hear about your friend. So sad.
You are in for a treat reading the Kate Quinn book.
Thanks for the reminder about the copyright thingy. Off to see if I can remember how to do it!
I hope you were successful updating your copyright!
Oh, Jen. That’s such heartbreaking news about your friend’s husband. He was so young! I was worried about the husband of my good friend the other night when he had to go to the ER due to complications from influenza (he’s 80-ish), but he’s much better now. My husband and I are in that stage of life in which people we know close to our ages are passing away. I don’t like it. Big hugs to you as you help your friend through her grief.
I’m hoping to get my yearly summaries up in the next week or so. I tend to wait until the rush from everyone else has simmered down a bit.
Let me know if you have a good audio recommendation. I just finished The Maid, which was ok, but nothing great. I started You Are Here this afternoon and am hoping it’s a winner. Nothing has knocked my socks off since Project Hail Mary.
Take care.
Thank you for your sympathy. I’m glad your friend was okay.
I don’t know if any audiobooks have really knocked my socks off recently either. The Secret of Snow by Viola Shipman was surprisingly good considering that it’s a bit outside my comfort zone. The Lost Art of Mixing by Erica Bauermeister was really good on audio. I like Cassandra Campbell as a narrator a lot. It’s the sequel to The School of Essential Ingredients. If you don’t mind horror, Revelator by Daryl Gregory was really good too. But I may have just been excited that they actually hired a narrator who’s from the southern Appalachians to read it so that I didn’t have to listen to someone butcher my accent 🙂
I’ve read both The School of Essential Ingredients and The Lost Art of Mixing (as well as others by Bauermeister). I like Cassandra Campbell, too! I’m currently listening to You Are Here (David Nicholls) and it’s good, but I wouldn’t say great.
It’s so true that it’s important to treasure every day. It’s always sad when people die around the holidays, but especially when it’s someone who hasn’t had a long life. Tiny Book Shop sounds so cute and also addictive! I listened to Vicious, but am not sure if I went on to the second book. Her Shades of Magic books I liked so much, Vicious didn’t really measure up in comparison, if I’m remembering correctly.
I have been failing miserably at all challenges over the last several years, but will have to check out the Immigration Reading Challenge!
Vicious was the first book I read by V.E. Schwab so I didn’t have anything to compare it to. My husband was shocked that I haven’t read anything by her before. His jaw literally dropped when I mentioned it. He’s even read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. There’s just always such a long wait list for her books on Libby!
Hope you have a good week!
Thanks!
Have a great year in 2026!
Thank you! I hope you do as well
I’m sorry for the loss of a friend, and so young.
The Tiny Book Shop sounds adorable, and you got some wonderful gifts.
A Master of Djinn has been on my TBR for a while, I hope you enjoy it in the end
Wishing you a lovely reading week
Thank you for your condolences. I didn’t know him well but I am sad for my friend. I am enjoying Master of Djinn; I just need some free time to sit down and actually read.
I am so sorry to hear about your friend’s husband. Sending prayers to all of you.
The Tiny Book Shop game looks adorable!!
Thank you for your prayers.
The game is so cute!
I love secret santa but i don’t think i would have the courage to play it with people i met on the internet. i’d be worried some weirdo would visit me or send me something they shouldn’t, but i’m glad you had fun.
my week was super subdued, everyone in my house has gotten sick, so no new years parties for us, although i admit i wuite enjoyed watching the ball drop from the warmth of my own house.
https://getlostinlit.blogspot.com/2026/01/new-years-post.html
I can see that Secret Santa isn’t for everyone. All of your concerns crossed my mind but I felt like Jana’s questions in the sign up would filter out any weirdos. And so many of us already participate in Top Ten Tuesday, there were a lot of familiar names.
I hope you and your family are feeling better!
I’m so glad that you received so many wonderful surprises this Christmas from your Secret Santa. I did the card exchange this year, and it was a lot of fun for me.
I can see that Tiny Book Shop would be something that might be quite addictive for me!
I enjoyed the card exchange too!
I was playing Tiny Book Shop this evening and my husband was surprised I was doing that instead of reading. I replied, very seriously, that the people of Bookstonbury (I gave the incorrect town name in my post) are missing their books and I can’t let them down 🙂