Reading list #5 2025

1. Chrysalis by Heather Terrell another book about art theft by the Nazis, story is told in 3 time periods present day lawyers in New York, WW2, and 1600’s Netherlands good story but names were not always capitalized and misspelled words.
2. The Search for God and Guinness by Stephan Mansfield on loan from my brother.  The House of Guinness on n…flic is not based on this book. This is a brief history of the Guinness family about the brewery and all the good the family did to improve living conditions of the time. Decent housing, educational opportunities, health care, pensions, orphanages etc.  The majority of the CEOs in America could take a lesson from the Guinness family. One of their advertising slogans was “Guinness is good for you”. 
3. The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan based on real sewing groups in England during WW2 interesting fictional characters the story is about starting over, friendship, community and what really is important in life. Good story.
4. Apostle’s Cove by William Kent Krueger another great mystery Cork reinvestigates his first murder with a different outcome.
5. The Round House by Louise Erdrich for book club takes place in 1988 on an Indian Reservation in North Dakota. 
6. Allied Flames by Jean Grainger book 6 of the Knocknashee series. 
7. Wednesday Club by Kristine Jensen the author was in my 4-H club! Delightful book takes place in South Dakota in the 1960’s about a teenage girl whose mother drops her off at he grandparents farm while she goes off to California to pursue her dreams. I’m going to read it again sometime.
8. A Fireproof Home for the Bride by Amy Scheibe for book club the story takes place in the Fargo / Moorhead North Dakota / Minnesota area in the 1950’s. A young woman has been promised to the neighbors son since she was 12 then things go sideways. The story has a little bit of everything family loyalty, secrets, immigrants, religion, abuse, a mystery from the past connected to recent crimes. The first couple chapters were really slow then the characters got more interesting.
9. The Blackest Time by Ken Tenarelli takes place mostly in Florence Italy in 1300’s about the rather ordinary life of a young man who works in an apothecary first there were two years of heavy rain ruined crops and starvation then the black plague creeps into Florence. 
10. Trouble’s Daughter by Katherine Kirkpatrick historical juvenile fiction the story of Susanna Hutchinson, Indian captive  in 1640’s. Very good story and quick to read the names of the characters were all real people. Interesting fact near the end of the story one of Susanna’s older sisters married a John Sanford, he could be my 6th or 7th great grandfather. 
11. The Keeper of Lost Art by Laura Morelli WW2 Italy paintings from the great museums of Florence are stored in villas in the country to keep them safe from the war.  A young girl is sent to live with an aunt and uncle they shelter the refugees, billet the Germans, support the resistance, then the New Zealanders come followed by Indians, Canadians and Americans and the art recovery crew.  Two of the paintings by Sandro Botticelli were Primavera and The Birth of Venus  were stored at the villa and touched the lives of those who studied them.  Good story. 
12. Starry Night by Debbie Macomber romantic fluff just for fun.
13. Something to Look Forward To by Fannie Flagg feel good short stories
14. Merry and Bright by Debbie Macomber more romantic fluff similar to You’ve Got Mail. 
15. Dark is the Grave by T. G. Reid murder mystery takes place in Scotland not great I kept falling asleep. 
16. Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton a woman leaves London during Covid to isolate on on her country home, she goes for a walk and finds a baby hare, she leaves it and comes back an hour later hoping the mother hare returned and took it. No such luck so she took the baby hare (called a leveret) home. It survived the night and thrived. 
17. Glad Tidings by Debbie Macomber two short books in one binding  There’s Something about Christmas a Christmas romance about fruitcake. And Here Comes Trouble two writers telling their daughters the story of their courtship. 
18. Black Hills Secret Santa by Deborah Salonen holiday romance short and sweet.
19. 25 Library Terrace by Natalie Fergie the story takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland from pre WWI through the Covid pandemic. It’s just ordinary life of the time, a family home eventually becomes a long term (2 year commitment) boarding house. There are generational connections to all of the characters in the end. Just a nice story. I thought about this later this story shares the importance of family stories and telling those stories to younger generations.

Wow I read a lot of books this year, my kindle app says I read 73 plus a few paper books makes 78. I think that’s the most books I have ever read in a year.  No record of all the kids books I read and occasionally no kids were present. I’ll never be too old for kids books. I think I was avoiding a lot of reality, so much bad news and bad behavior on tv.

Plans for 2026……. I have some travel ideas, there is yarn in the stash calling my needles, there is fabric calling remember me……..and there are lots of books on my kindle that I haven’t read. No goals, no resolutions just enjoy the moment.

Happy New Year   —Ann—