What Mare Read in 2025

This year I read 79 books/novella’s, down quite a bit from last year. I spent a lot of time during the late summer and fall editing the book I’m writing, so that obliterated a chunk of my reading time… When I decided to do another revision on the book, all those hours spent on editing seemed like a waste, but I learned a lot about my own writing foibles, so not a total squandering of my time. The revising continues…

I keep lists of books I want to read everywhere ~ one on my phone Reminders list, one on the phone Notes, plus an Excel spreadsheet ~ LOL! The Reminders list is titled B&N and comes in handy when Barnes & Noble runs their 25% off pre-order sales, which are almost as exciting to me as the Scholastic book sales at school many moons ago. I love the anticipation of getting a new book in the mail weeks or months later ~ it’s always good to have something to look forward to! 😊 The 25% preorder sale is on now until 1/1/26, for B&N Rewards members.

I ran through the two Barnes & Noble book journals (See the 2024 post) I used to record and review the books I read, so I bought a pretty notebook (below, right). The journal only allowed one page per book, with specific information to fill out and a star rating system ~ not much room to write my thoughts. Since the notebook I’m using now is just simple, lined pages, I can write as much as I want about each book without squishing my writing and sometimes adding sticky notes. Loving the freedom! YAY!

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Thursday Thoughts ~ July 24, 2025

Happy Mare’s Birthday Eve!

Yes, tomorrow is my 69th birthday. A museum and Italian food are planned. I’ll tell you all about it next week 😊

I decided it was time to get our hearing tested. *sigh* Yet another saga! The local senior center had free hearing tests on their July schedule for Thursday, the 17th. I called in the morning to confirm, yes, walk-ins welcome, 11:00 to 11:30. We got to the center early, which was a good thing since we couldn’t find a parking space. No worries ~ we drove across the street, parked at the library, and walked back to the center. We were directed to a boardroom, where a lovely, older Hispanic lady told us she’d been waiting since ten (it was 10:40), so we sat at the conference table across from her. She was on a Facetime with a very talkative lady. It was entertaining to hear her put in an occasional, “Si, bueno,” the only words she could get in edgewise 😊 At eleven, I went to the reception desk and was told they’d been calling and texting the hearing test folks, with no response. So, we left, along with the Si, bueno lady, disgruntled but not really bothered.  These things happen. But I do hate wasting time… Ok, maybe a little bothered.

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Fave Books by Black Authors

In honor of Black History Month, I’ve compiled a list of books I’ve enjoyed, written by black authors. If I try to give a description of each one, I’ll never get it done. I’ve been trying to do an LGBTQ+ book list with full descriptions but for some reason, it’s been daunting. Probably because I’ve tried to keep my writing focus on the edits of my first book, a cozy mystery, which I plan to publish sometime this year. Believe it or not, when I do a blog post, it takes plenty of time and research to make sure I’ve got all the details right. Plus, there’s lots of personal and political stuff taking up a bunch of my attention, too.

So, if any of these authors/titles pique your interest, please check them out at your favorite booksellers or at the library. Or pick up the middle grade and YA for your young readers (and yourself, of course. Great stories come in all age categories!)

And give these authors some social media love, too!

If you have some recommendations, I’d love to hear them in the comments. C’mon, share!

Happy Reading!

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Lessons in Grief ~ Part 7

My last blog post was May 23, 2023. By then, we’d already lost our darling girl cat, Raina.

On June 16, her brother, Watson, passed away. He had my heart like no other animal except the beagle I grew up with, Blaze. For eighteen years, Watson alternately charmed us and wreaked havoc around the house. He could be a total pill one minute and cuddle in my arms the next. I miss him every day.

There are people who won’t understand the bond some of us make with our animals. But I’m here to tell you that opening yourself to a furry little creature creates a vulnerability that rivals any other kind of love. And it hurts just as deeply, or maybe even more, when death cuts it short. I did a quick IG post but couldn’t bring myself to write a blog entry when he passed. It’s still difficult to think about; I teared up just writing the previous paragraph.

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Things I Like Thursdays – Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant

As I’ve been laboring over a Christmas romance novella I hope to have ready for this fall, I’ve been thinking about what readers want most when they pick up a book.   Snappy dialog, action, romance, suspense.  A few laughs, a few tears.  Any combination of these can make a passable story.  But what I really want when I read is someone I can root for.

Tessa Johnson is definitely someone to root for.

Sixteen-year-old Tessa, who’s moved not only to a new city but is also the new girl at a prestigious arts school, has to prove to herself, more than anyone else, that she’s a romance writer.  But that’s hard to do when your words suddenly ghost you and your best friend is hundreds of miles away, even in this technological age.

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