Winter Solstice

 

Winter Solstice / Rosamunde Pilcher 
NY: Thomas Dunne, c2000.
454 p.

I just finished this one, read over the winter holidays. The book features a lot of snow and storms over the solstice week in Scotland -- I read it during a particularly bad winter storm here, just after Christmas week. It felt quite apropos! 

This one was published in 2000 -- I didn't read it then, in fact, I haven't read any of Pilcher's books before. It was a fun thematic read but it is a bit dated now. There are some plot points that stood out to me like a sore thumb -- the way that hetero relationships seem to be the cause and endpoint of every character's story, the way that Elfrida, one of the main characters, is continually cooking and cleaning for her new partner (and no-one even remarks on it), the way that a 14 yr old girl is taken under the wing of an 18 yr old male neighbour and everyone is fine with it - even if it does turn out to be innocent it's a bit odd now. And so much booze! 

Despite these slightly jarring elements of a book that's not really very old, I did like this one. It was warm and expansive and had lots of good bits. It starts out as a bit of a downer; Elfrida, a self-described washed up actress, moves to the country. She makes new friends of her neighbours Gloria and Oscar; things happen and she leaves the south of England with Oscar to go stay in an Estate House he half owns in Scotland. Another storyline: 14 yr old Lucy is a awkward addition to a home where nobody really wants her. Her Aunt Carrie comes home from the continent after a disappointment in love, to find her sister (Lucy's mother) wanting to spend Christmas in Florida, their own mother swanning off to Bournemouth, and nobody to look after Lucy at all. Carrie calls up her distant cousin Elfrida to see if she and Lucy can come to them. This adds much more of a Christmas vibe to Elfrida's season. 

And into that household of odd souls comes Sam, a businessman sent to Scotland to revitalize an old woolen mill. He gets snowed in, following a series of events, landing at the Estate House -- and he has more connections to the household than first realized.  

The story is replete with holiday parties, upstanding locals, the nearby vicar and his family, Christmas cooking and decorating and present giving, small dramas, love and relationships, and lots of house talk. The Estate House, another small cottage on the former estate grounds, descriptions of the rooms, the decor, the coziness or lack of, the proportions etc. Even the local church is described. Just the kind of old-fashioned saga that is good reading for snowed-in cozy days.  

We'll Prescribe You Another Cat

We'll Prescribe You Another Cat / Syou Ishida
trans. from the Japanese by E. Madison Shimoda
NY: Berkley, 2025, c2023.
304 p.

Starting off my New Reading Year with a review for the Japanese Literature Challenge! I have read a few titles by Japanese authors in the past while and will be sharing them over the next few weeks. 

This book is the second volume in a series I started last August during Women in Translation Month.  It carries forward the unique premise that people in Kyoto who find themselves in some kind of life transition or trouble can run across a clinic that can't be found otherwise. This clinic has a distinctive nurse and doctor, who prescribe clients a cat to take home, specifically chosen to help solve their problems. 

It's an amusing series, and in the second volume, plainly called We'll Prescribe You Another Cat, we meet a new set of characters who find the clinic just in time to help their lives progress. 

Each chapter features a new client, but the characters cross over between the stories, becoming side characters in someone else's chapter. Even the cats reappear. This gives a novel feeling to the book rather than just being a series of short stories, and it creates a community of sorts for the reader to follow. This adds depth and complexity to the book, just as in the first one in the series. It's a bit odd and the reader has figured out the doctor and nurse by the end of the first volume, even if the characters haven't. But it's a charming read, with some humour and some warm-hearted observations of family dynamics and personal growth. I really enjoyed it. 

Best of 2025!

 

Already time for the yearly roundup of some of my best reads this year. I always wait until the very last possible moment to post my list; you never know what you'll come across around Christmas! I like to give every book I've read this year a chance to appear on my favourites list, no matter if I read it in the first week of January or the last few days of December. 

I also create a statistical summary each year, for my own geekish pleasure. As I've said before, I don't think of reading as a competition -- I keep track of numbers and various stats for my own interest, not to prove anything or compare myself to anyone. 

Here are my reading stats for 2025: 

Total Reading: 190

Authors

Female: 170
Male: 17
Both/Neither: 3

Genre 

Fiction: 90

Non Fiction: 97

Poetry: 3

In Translation: 38

Ukrainian: 5

Russian (Ukrainian writing in): 3

Japanese: 9

Korean: 4

Spanish: 2

Swedish: 3

Norwegian: 3

German: 2

Quebecois French: 1

French: 1

Greek: 1 

Finnish: 1

Chinese: 1

Hungarian: 1

Bangla: 1

My Own Books: 34
Library Books: 144

Review Copies: 12

Rereads: 5
E-reads: 99

Author who I read the most from: 

9 - Dorothy Gilman (after discovering the Mrs. Pollifax series in March, I've now read up to #9 in the series)

2025's Weird Random Stat: 

Books with felines in the title: 6

I had an unusual year, in that I read more nonfiction than fiction. Probably why I felt like I had a number of reading slumps this year; if I can't read fiction, I turn to a lot of instructional craft books! I did get back to reading some poetry, which I am pleased by.

Like always, I read a big majority of women authors, and quite a few more library books than my own this year. But I am happy with all the great books I am able to find through the library! I am hoping to get a few more books off of my own shelves in the upcoming year, though. Even have a challenge for that! 

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And now for the Best of 2025!

These are titles that were memorable, unusual, or caught me with their great storytelling or rich characters. Just books that hit the right note with me when I picked them up! 

Despite not reading as much fiction this year, I found some great books. Some old, some new, some translated. Here were some that I enjoyed, or found very memorable. 

Starting with my Fiction Top Ten: 

Two powerful reads both set in Ukraine. Cecil the Lion Had to Die by Olena Stiazhkina (trans. by Dominique Hoffman) is probably my best read overall. Engrossing characters, great writing, innovative structure -- and an important story. #1 read this year! 

And then there's Endling by Maria Reva, which should have made it to the Booker shortlist this year. Timely story, quirky plot, another innovative structure reacting to the world's realities. Both rewarding reads. 

I also read a lot of Japanese and Korean books this year! These were two of my very favourites, but there were others that I really enjoyed as well. The Korean 'healing fiction' novel, The Healing Season of Pottery by Yeon Somin (trans. by Clare Richards was really satisfying. The Japanese novel Best Wishes from the Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki (trans. by Jordan Taylor) was one I just read, and found it perfect for the holiday season. 

There were a couple of random finds that were unusual, feminist and fun reads for me. The Medusa Situation by Gabiann Marin was a truly random discovery on Hoopla, but this Australian story of the Greek Gods living in the suburbs was a delight. Katharine Stall's Den of Thieves was a paperback I've had on my shelves for a while but finally picked up, and found a rollicking, thoughtful tale of religion, conspiracy and resistance.

Early in the year I read Susin Nielsen's Snap, a story of three people finding unlikely friends in their anger management class. I've reread it once already. And Dorothy Gilman's The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax was the beginning of my Pollifax obsession this year! Such fun, with extra heart, in both books. 

I also read some older books, and found them to still be shockingly timely. Both about marriage and gender roles, really. Dorothy Canfield Fisher's The Home-Maker looked at gender roles from the viewpoint of a woman who didn't like domesticity, and a man who wanted to be at home with his children. Ursula Parrott's Ex-Wife was a darker read, about a young woman struggling with who she is once she is an ex-wife. Both still relevant. 

Then a couple of extras -- one children's book:

Wildcat Behind Glass by Alki Zei (trans. by Karen Emmerich) is a Greek classic, a children's novel about growing up under looming fascism. 

One Poetry Book:

Letters of the Alphabet by Lesyk Panasiuk (trans. by Katie Farris & Ilya Kaminsky) was a collection I read for work, and thought it was terrific. 

And one outstanding nonfic among the many crafty books I read this year:

Pink Eraser Art by Serena Rios McRae was really well written and designed, and got me into carving erasers into little stamps. I've only made a couple so far but it is so fun! (I didn't review this one). 

So these were some of the top reads of the year for me. As usual, some good Ukrainian reads, some older titles and craft work too. I love reading a wide variety of titles and found a bunch across a range of genres this year. Hopefully I'll be as lucky in 2026!

2026 Challenges Ahead

And now, looking ahead into 2026! What reading challenges will I take up in the new year? 

I'll start with the continuous ones that run over the calendar year ends. There is the Canadian Book Challenge, which runs July 1 - July 1 every year, with the aim to read and review 13 Canadian books. I'm halfway through, and have 5 books to read and review by the end of this round. 

Then there's my ongoing Century of Books challenge. I wanted to start this one in 2025 because I really liked the symmetry of reading books between the dates of 1925 and 2025. Although this is supposed to be done in one year, I didn't finish it in 2025, so I'm keeping at it until I'm finished. Hopefully by the end of 2026 but we will see if I can read and review 73 books by then! 

Of course I will also continue with the Women in Translation readalong in August, and have two rounds of the Literary Sewing Circle planned for 2026 (the first one starting around March). 

And the fresh 2026 Challenges are as follows! 

I want to try the TBR 26 in '26 hosted by the Rose City Reader this year - I didn't do too well on the 2025 iteration but am going to try again ;) The goal is to read 26 books from your shelves that have been there prior to Jan 1, 2026. I have LOTS to choose from! 

Rose City Reader is also hosting the European Reading Challenge  - it runs the whole year too, and you can sign up at various levels. I'm signing up for:

• FIVE STAR (DELUXE ENTOURAGE): Read at least five books by different European authors or books set in different European countries.
  
  

And I am jumping on the Japanese Literature Challenge once more. This one is hosted by Dolce Belezza, and this is the 19th year it is running. The goal is to read and review at least one Japanese book during January and February. 

And there's one more that will be easy for me, but I still want to sign up and share this one! The Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute (HURI), together with the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America (UNWLA) and with support from the HUCUS Foundation, announced a new long-term campaign: the Ukrainian Book Challenge. The campaign makes a simple ask: to buy at least one book in English about Ukraine or by a Ukrainian author – at least once a year. Participants are encouraged to take a selfie or record a short video with their chosen book, post it on their social media, and challenge five friends to do the same using the hashtag #UkrainianBookChallenge. So consider this my challenge to you, as well -- I have tons of suggestions and reviews here on my blog for you to consider -- try the Ukraine tag if you aren't on mobile and can see them at the bottom of my posts! 

Do you enjoy reading challenges? Are you doing any great ones this year that you want to share? Let me know! 

2025: Challenges Past

In 2025 I signed up for a few reading challenges. How'd I do? Some good, some partly good! I participated in some ongoing challenges that run over into next year, more about those in another post. 

The challenges specific to 2025 were are follows: 

More of a reading event than a challenge, Women in Translation Month in August was another great time. I read a bunch of titles, found some great books, and shared some reading lists and favourites from previous years. Definitely sticking with this one. 

Then there's the Literary Sewing Circle, a challenge I run, with two discrete rounds a year. There were two fun reads in 2025, and it will be returning in 2026. 

I signed up for a few challenges that I haven't participated in for a while. The first was the Japanese Literature Challenge hosted by Dolce Bellezza. It's been running for a long time and it is always fun to see what everyone else is reading. You only have to read one thing to participate, but in January I read and reviewed 2 titles, Mina's Matchbox by Yoko Ogawa, and There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job by Kikuko Tsumura.

Next was the TBR 25 in '25, hosted by Rose City Reader. I definitely have a giant TBR of my own books on my shelves, which is what this one is focused on. I had hoped to get to 25 but I got sidetracked by all the library books! I read only 7 books that had been on my shelves prior to January 1, 2025. A few others of my own that I bought in 2025 but those don't count toward this one either :) 

And the final challenge I signed up for in 2025 was the What's in a Name challenge, hosted by Carolina Book Nook. This is an old-school one but I haven't done it for years! My results were only halfway there though - I read 4/6 in the categories for this one. 

I had a lot of fun with these even if I didn't meet them all. If you're interested you can find all the titles read for all the challenges in my planning post from the end of 2024. 

I'll be sharing what I'm planning on joining in on for next year, in my next post. 

A Year in Review: 2025 in First Lines

 

As usual at this time of year, I review and share my reading/blogging year with First Lines.

Simply put, we share the first line of the first post of each month and see what that overview tells us about our year. Often it can be an uncannily accurate summary.

If you haven't tried this before, give it a go this year; it's a fun exercise, and often summarizes the year quite efficiently. If you do, please share a link in the comments so we can all enjoy!


Here is my 2025 Year in First Lines: 

January: 

And just like that it is 2025!  (from Happy New Reading Year!)

February: 

I haven't been writing many reviews lately - I've been reading but the state of the world is distracting me a lot. (from Let's Move the Needle!)

March: 

This was an intriguing book that I liked for a number of reasons.  (from Colours in her Hands)

April:

I read this quick e-short this week when I discovered it on Hoopla thanks to my library. (from A Sewing Novella: Sew Over It)

May:

I've been finding it hard to read lately, my concentration is off for many reasons. (from Snap by Susin Neilsen)

June:

June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada. (from From the Rez to the Runway)

July:

It's time for the new round of the Canadian Book Challenge! (from 19th Annual Canadian Book Challenge) 

August: 

August brings one of my favourite reading celebrations of the year -- Women in Translation Month.  (from It's Women in Translation Month!)

September: 

I've taken a bit of time away from blogging after my August Women in Translation rush!  (from Forgotten on Sunday) 

October: 

I've missed posting in October (time just got away from me, again!) and so for the last week of the month I am planning to share some seasonal mysteries and thrillers.  (from Crafting with Slander)

November: 

I recently read this for the first time, as part of the Literary Sewing Circle I run on my sewing blog. (from Howl's Moving Castle)

December: 

It's the beginning of a new month, and I have lots of Christmas reading planned. (from Crafting an Alibi) 

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A bit of a funny year in 2025! Lots of pauses in the reading mojo and reviewing, trying to make reading plans, and being inspired to read more and review what I'm reading thanks to reading challenges and readalongs. 

My library came through for me this year, too, with many of the titles I talked about coming from library collections. I read a range of genres, from fantasy to literary, in translation and Indigenous. While reading wasn't as easy this year, I feel like I still got some good ones in. I did read quite a lot of non-fiction that I didn't review but I feel like I still shared some great books. On to next year, where I hope to both read and review more frequently. 

Merry Christmas!

 

Merry Christmas week to all who celebrate!

 I wish you all great reading and time to relax ~ and lots of good food and fun too!