At the start of each new year, I write a post about my intended series reading — which series I want to start, which I want to finish, and maybe even some that I want to devour all in one big reading binge.
Now that we’re at the end of December, it’s time to check back in and see if I actually accomplished any of my series reading goals for 2024.
So how did I do?
In 2024, my priority series to read were:
Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series by Mia P. Manansala:
Status: NOPE. Every time I pack for a trip, I throw my paperback copy of Arsenic and Adobo into my bag… and yet I still haven’t read it. That’s one well-traveled book! I do intend to read at least the first book eventually, but I seem to be missing the motivation to actually do it. I’ll keep book #1 on my TBR list… but can’t see myself making this a priority in 2025..
A Stitch in Time series by Kelley Armstrong:
Status: DONE! I’d read the first book a few years ago, but started again at the beginning, and read them all (plus the novellas that fit in between). Amazing series! I just wish there were more books still to read…
The Lady Janies series by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows:
Status: YES, I DID! I read the three books above, and had so much fun with them. There are still more to go — not officially “Janies”, as the next three each focus on a different Mary — but they’re part of the same overall Janie-verse (in a way), and I’m definitely going to continue.
Innkeeper Chronicles or Kate Daniels seriesby Ilona Andrews:
Status: NOPE. I never got around to starting either one, and despite having these books recommended to me quite a few times, I don’t see myself reading them anytime soon.
Eye of Isis by Dana Stabenow:
Status: TWO out of THREE. These books are so interesting… but two felt like enough for me in a single year. I look forward to coming back for book #3 at some point in the future (and there’s a 4th book set for publication in 2025, so there will be even more to look forward to!)
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper:
Status: TWO AND DONE. I liked the first book in the series, but found the second a bit boring. Maybe I’ve just read too many children’s quest books at this point in my reading life, but I couldn’t find any reason to keep going with the series.
Maybes:
I mentioned a whole bunch of “maybe” series on my list for 2024… and didn’t read a single one! I’ll have to give serious thought to whether any of those will still be maybe-reads for me in the coming year.
Besides all the books mentioned above, I read a few other books from series during the past year, including a book that starts a series that I’m super excited to continue in 2025. I’m going to try not to overplan or overcommit, but that makes at least one series for sure that will be on my next list!
That’s it for my 2024 series reading. How about you?
Did you read any series in 2024? Any particular favorites?
Check back in January, when I’ll set a new batch of series reading goals for the new year.
It’s time for my annual end-of-year tradition — all the books I meant to read! Here’s a look back at all the books I purchased in 2024, but just didn’t get around to reading for one reason or another.
I do think I’m getting much better at keeping my purchased hard copy books under control. More and more, I’ve been leaning toward mainly buying either (a) new books by authors or in series that I know I want to own, or (b) buying hard copy books for my shelves after discovering (either through an ARC or the library) a book that I love.
Of course, I still do give in to temptation when I happen to walk into a brick-and-mortar bookstore, especially a used book store! Then all restraint goes out the window.
When it comes to physical books, I seem to have improved my track record during this past year! I bought fewer hard copies overall, and many of the hardcovers and paperbacks I purchased were copies of books I’d already read, loved, and then decided to add to my bookshelves.
In terms of e-books, there are many, many more of those purchased in 2024 but not yet read. I tend to grab copies of ebooks when I see a good deal, not necessarily when I have an immediate intention of reading them right away. So, you’ll see lots and lots of new Kindle books added in 2024… and most of them still to be read.
Let’s get to it. Here’s a salute to my unread books of 2024!
First, the hardcovers and paperbacks:
Note: I’m reading The Spellshop right now… so maybe I’ll actually finish before the end of the year!
As for the ebooks added to my Kindle library in 2024:
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Yes, that’s a ton of e-books! Keep in mind, almost all of these were purchased when their prices dropped to a dollar or two… but still, that’s way more than I really should be adding to my library, when I still have so many books yet to read. I’ll try to do better in 2025 (but also, I acknowledge that I say this every year!)
End note:
While I’m talking about “meant to read” books, I thought I’d take a look at my quarterly Top Ten Tuesday TBR posts of 2024, to see if I actually read the books I listed as my priorities each season. And guess what? I did pretty well this year! Apparently I did a good job naming books that I was truly interested in, and ended up reading all but four of the 39 books I named! (Yes, 39 is correct — one book was listed two quarters in a row, but I did finally read it!). My unread TTT/TBR books are:
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow: Still plan to read
The Thorns Remain by JJA Harwood: Still plan to read
D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins: DNFd — just not for me
On Her Own by Lihi Lapid: Still plan to read
Have you read (and loved) any of my 2024 “meant-to-read” books? Please let me know if you see any you’d consider best of the bunch!
Title: The Ministry of Time Author: Kaliane Bradley Publisher: Simon & Schuster Publication date: May 7, 2024 Length: 352 pages Genre: Science fiction Source: Purchased Rating:
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
A time travel romance, a spy thriller, a workplace comedy, and an ingenious exploration of the nature of power and the potential for love to change it all:
In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and is, shortly afterward, told what project she’ll be working on. A recently established government ministry is gathering “expats” from across history to establish whether time travel is feasible—for the body, but also for the fabric of space-time.
She is tasked with working as a “bridge”: living with, assisting, and monitoring the expat known as “1847” or Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin’s doomed 1845 expedition to the Arctic, so he’s a little disoriented to be living with an unmarried woman who regularly shows her calves, surrounded by outlandish concepts such as “washing machines,” “Spotify,” and “the collapse of the British Empire.” But with an appetite for discovery, a seven-a-day cigarette habit, and the support of a charming and chaotic cast of fellow expats, he soon adjusts.
Over the next year, what the bridge initially thought would be, at best, a horrifically uncomfortable roommate dynamic, evolves into something much deeper. By the time the true shape of the Ministry’s project comes to light, the bridge has fallen haphazardly, fervently in love, with consequences she never could have imagined. Forced to confront the choices that brought them together, the bridge must finally reckon with how—and whether she believes—what she does next can change the future.
In The Ministry of Time, five people are yanked out of their lives in past centuries and pulled into 21st century England, to live as “expats” — term the Ministry deems most acceptable for describing these people forced to live in a time not their own.
The 21st century world is similar to our present day, but perhaps a few more decades farther down the road, if the cataclysmic weather events and political strife are indicators. The expats — from the 15th, 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries — are each assigned “bridges”: Ministry agents who live with their assigned expat and help them assimilate into their new worlds.
There’s much at stake: Those who fail to adjust and somehow get a grip on “hereness” — belonging where they are — are likely to get rejected by the current time, almost like an infection being rejected by a body’s antibodies. For the unnamed main character, a woman who jumps at the job offer mainly because of the large salary that goes with it, the task is frustrating and daunting. Her assignment is Graham Gore, a member of the doomed Franklin expedition of the mid-1800s, who’s pulled from the Arctic through a time door, leaving behind the men under his command. Gore is disoriented and belligerent, but with the help of his bridge, begins to learn more about the maddening world he now inhabits.
The Ministry of Time covers interesting ground, with an approach I haven’t seen before in time travel fiction. The book isn’t particularly concerned with the technology of it all. There’s a time door and a device that enables the time travel, but don’t look for explanations — this isn’t that sort of book.
Despite the science fiction trappings, this is instead a work of literary fiction exploring the implications of moving through time, changing the past and the future, and the experiences of belonging, being a refugee, and looking for a home.
As someone who doesn’t normally gravitate toward literary fiction, I must admit that I often found the writing style annoyingly opaque.
Quentin treated me with an impatient familiarity, as if we were both sticky and were leaving streaks on each other.
Throughout the book, I’d come across phrases and passages that made me stop and wonder — is it me, or does this not make any sense? There are words put together in interesting ways, yet I could not find meaning in them.
He blushed with his face on mute.
While sections of the the book felt like a slog, at times I became more invested, particularly in the latter half of the book, when both danger and emotions are heightened and the overall stakes are much more intense. And yet, I couldn’t entirely grasp the implications of the ending, and large chunks of the plot felt a bit half-baked to me. Perhaps this is the non-sci-fi factor: As a fan of science fiction, I expect a certain level of detail — the sci-fi elements need to have enough grounding to feel possible or at least make sense in the context of the world being described. In The Ministry of Time, the time travel is just a fact, the central device that drives the story, and the lack of specificity annoyed me.
By and large, though, it comes back to the writing, which generally did not work for me:
She looked like her organs had been removed and placed in cold storage; worse, like it had happened when she was on her way to what she thought was a birthday party.
There are examples upon examples of descriptions that probably are meant to be clever, but which feel meaningless to me. I read the sentence above multiple times — I still have no idea what the person being described might actually look like in this instance.
The Ministry of Time was one of my more eagerly anticipated reads for winter. Now that I’ve read it, I can’t help feeling let down. I expected something very different than what I got. Overall, while I enjoyed certain elements of the story and was very interested in some of the characters, the storytelling style kept me from truly engaging.
I know this book generated a lot of buzz when it came out and has oodles of fans. I don’t regret reading it, but it won’t be on any of my “best of” lists for 2024.
Title: Love You a Latke Author: Amanda Elliot Publisher: Berkley Publication date: October 8, 2024 Length: 368 pages Genre: Contemporary romance Source: Library Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Snow is falling, holiday lights are twinkling, and Abby Cohen is pissed. For one thing, her most annoying customer, Seth, has been coming into her café every morning with his sunshiny attitude, determined to break down her carefully constructed emotional walls. And, as the only Jew on the tourism board of her Vermont town, Abby’s been charged with planning their fledgling Hanukkah festival. Unfortunately, the local vendors don’t understand that the story of Hanukkah cannot be told with light-up plastic figures from the Nativity scene, even if the Three Wise Men wear yarmulkes.
Desperate for support, Abby puts out a call for help online and discovers she was wrong about being the only Jew within a hundred miles. There’s one other: Seth.
As it turns out, Seth’s parents have been badgering him to bring a Nice Jewish Girlfriend home to New York City for Hanukkah, and if Abby can survive his incessant, irritatingly handsome smiles, he’ll introduce her to all the vendors she needs to make the festival a success. But over latkes, doughnuts, and winter adventures in Manhattan, Abby begins to realize that her fake boyfriend and his family might just be igniting a flame in her own guarded heart.
Let’s hear it for a Hanukkah romance with heart! Love You a Latke by Amanda Elliot combines holiday cheer with the fake dating trope, then adds in deeper emotion and meaningful moments related to community, identity, and assimilation. Does that sound too serious? Never fear, Love You a Latke is fun and has an overall upbeat tone… and plenty of Hanukkah joy.
Abby runs a coffee shop in a small Vermont town, but worries that the tourist trade has fallen off, which may imperil her business’s future. When the head of the local merchant association basically ropes Abby into planning a Hanukkah festival as a tourist draw (after all, any town might have a Christmas festival — but nowhere in Vermont is there a Hanukkah festival!), Abby reluctantly agrees, but quickly realizes she’ll need help to pull it off. Unfortunately, the only other Jew Abby can find in her area is Seth, the annoyingly cheerful customer who comes into her shop every day.
With no other options, Abby asks Seth for help — and he agrees, but with one condition: He’ll help her connect with all the great food and event vendors he knows in New York, who’ll be sure to be perfect for the festival, and in exchange, she’ll come spend Hanukkah with him and his parents. A fake girlfriend is just what he needs to get his mother to ease up on the matchmaking pressure. Desperate for Seth’s help with the festival, Abby agrees to the fake-dating scheme. How hard could it be?
Over the eight days of Hanukkah, Abby warms to Seth and his parents, and rekindles her connection to her Jewish roots. Due to an incredibly toxic relationship with her parents, Abby fled not only them, but the entire Jewish community with which they seem so inextricably linked. Through her time with Seth, as well as by experiencing myriad Jewish and Hanukkah settings and events in New York, Abby begins to realize that she can reclaim an important element of her past — her Judaism — without falling prey to the harshness and negativity of her upbringing.
Of course, there are also romantic sparks being kindled as Abby and Seth light the menorah each night. Their chemistry is lovely, and while Abby struggles to avoid entanglement for way longer than I’d wished, her resistance is understandable given the pain of her past. When Abby and Seth finally do connect, it makes the waiting absolutely worth it.
A subplot throughout the book is Abby’s involvement in the Hanukkah festival. Even though she is nominally in charge, it’s clear that the woman who assigns the job to Abby really wants to retain control — and her idea of a Hanukkah festival is essentially a Christmas festival, but maybe add in a game of dreydel. Part of Abby’s evolution over the course of Love You a Latke is learning to take a stand, claim her own heritage, and refuse to be marginalized or forced to assimilate. It’s all quite awesome.
I just didn’t want Christmas in my Hanukkah, the same way I didn’t want to dip a grilled cheese in my cinnamon roll latte. Both were delicious, but I didn’t want them together
Love You a Latke deals with serious themes about emotional abuse and the lasting damage it can inflict, but the book is not a downer in any way. As Abby starts coming to terms with her life, her past, and her hopes for the future, and recognizing that her life feels richer once she reconnects with the Jewish community she thought she’d left for good, she blossoms and is able to start creating meaningful friendships and romantic connections. She and Seth are great together, but it’s also wonderful to see her connecting with new friends and feeling open to a more positive way of living her life.
The Jewish elements in Love You a Latke are handled very, very well. I loved seeing the community and the holiday represented in non-typical yet very positive ways. Too often, I’ve seen Jewish characters included in romance novel in a tokenized or stereotypical way, but I feel that’s been changing more recently. Love You a Latke brings the Jewish without ever resorting to tired old cliches, and even shows how a new generation of young adults find ways to connect to their heritage and community in all sorts of modern, fresh ways.
Love You a Latke is just the book I needed in this week leading up to Hanukkah! As I light the menorah for the first night of Hanukkah tonight, I’ll be thinking of Abby and Seth and their celebrations too!
For anyone looking for a sweet holiday romance that has something to say, do check out Love You a Latke! Highly recommended.
I enjoy two different Tuesday memes, and this week, their topics align — so I’m linking up with both!
Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Books I Hope Santa Brings/Bookish Wishes. There’s a prompt to include a link to our book wishlists, so people can grant wishes if they choose to — but honestly, I’m not particularly comfortable with that, so I’ll just list a bunch of books that I hope the Book Fairy brings!
Also… as I’ve mentioned in past years, Santa doesn’t visit my house… but I do enjoy looking at new books by the light of my menorah!
Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Meeghan Reads — check out the next batch of upcoming topics here.
This week’s topic is Top 5 books I want for Jolabokaflod, and the prompt is: The year we were travelling Europe for Christmas is the year I discovered Jolabokaflod — the Icelandic tradition of giving books as gifts on Christmas Eve. Which is honestly like the greatest tradition I’ve ever seen. So, which books would you like to receive if you celebrated Jolabokaflod?
Honestly, I love this question, and I think celebrating Jolabokaflod is going to have to become my family’s next/newest holiday tradition!
Getting down to business…
Here are my top bookish wishes this holiday season!
A Darkness Absolute by Kelley Armstrong: This is the 2nd Rockton book, and I’d be happy to own any and all volumes in the series!
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon: An upcoming book group read.
I’ll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong: I’ve already read this book as an ARC, but would love to have a hardcover edition for my shelves. A signed copy would be even better!
The Mercy of Gods by James S. A. Corey: Another that I’ve read in e-book format — but a hardcover would go so well with my Expanse series books.
The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore by Evan Friss: I don’t tend to buy myself non-fiction books, but I think this one would be a great gift to receive.
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell: This book has gotten so much buzz this year, and after reading a different book by this author, I’m eager to check it out.
You Like It Darker by Stephen King: I usually try to keep up with Stephen King’s new releases, except when they’re story collections. Still, I wouldn’t say no if this showed up at my house!
The Morning Gift by Eva Ibbotson: There are actually a bunch of books by this author that I’d like to read.
The Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis: I’ve been wanting to get my hands on this book since I first heard of it, but I’ve been waiting (and waiting, and waiting) for the Kindle or hardcover price to drop.
The Bewitching Hour by Ashley Poston: It’s a Buffy prequel! About Tara! I don’t think I’d buy it, but I’d be happy if it fell into my lap (and if not, there’s always the library).
What books are you wishing for? If you wrote a TTT or T5T post, please share your link!
My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too.
Life.
This past week was… weird. I was exactly sick, but I wasn’t fine either. For about four or five days, I was dealing with dizziness and light-headedness. I still worked (from home), but didn’t feel steady enough to drive or go for walks. Very frustrating. And not only did I not really feel like myself, but my lack of driving and walking meant that I also didn’t listen to audiobooks!
Over the weekend, I did bounce back a bit — still not 100%, but I forced myself to try for a bit more activity, including wrapping gifts, getting the house ready for holiday guests, and even venturing out for mini-walks in between rain showers.
Luckily, I had excellent help while I wrapped gifts!
Little Free Library — not quite back in action…
The week before last, a major storm blew over my LFL, but we managed to put it back together and get it back up and running! It seems like it’s been busy — I keep discovering new books in it when I go out to check on it.
We’ve decided to get a new post and set it into the concrete of our driveway, rather than keeping it in its flowerpot. The current setup is pretty, but as the last storm showed, not stable enough! In fact, it’s starting to tip again, so with very sad feelings, we’re moving it inside for now, rather than risk further damage. The new post should arrive before New Year’s… fingers crossed that this will be a better solution.
What did I read during the last week?
City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong: I absolutely loved this thriller, and since it’s the first in a seven book series, I’m excited to have so many more books to look forward to! My review is here.
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer: Sweet and whimsical and wonderful. My review is here.
Hogfather (Discworld, #20) by Terry Pratchett: Terry Pratchett’s writing is always a delight — but I found myself losing interest in the plot of Hogfather the farther along I read. Lots of fun little scenes and all the quirky humor you’d expect, but the story as a whole didn’t work for me. I thought this would be a good choice for the week leading up to the holidays. Maybe I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind to indulge in a Discworld book after all.
Pop culture & TV:
I think I’ve run out of things to say about Survivor. The season finale went exactly as expected… and just further demonstrates that the show really needs to rethink some of its structure. I’m tired of my favorite players going out at 4 or 5, and having an utterly boring set of finalists to choose from. (Online chatter shows that most people loved the outcome this season, so I’m an outlier on this.) Will I be back for another season? Well, probably. It’s become such a tradition chez moi… but it’s definitely treading and retreading the same old ground.
On the other hand…
A Man on the Inside was a delight! If you haven’t watched it yet, please go to Netflix ASAP and check it out! The show is funny and clever, but also very touching. Terrific cast, quick pace, and some lovely emotional moments. I’m so glad there will be a season 2!
Fresh Catch:
Two new books this week:
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer: I just had to buy myself a copy of this book, after reading it earlier in the week and loving it!
Schemes & Scandals by Kelley Armstrong: Beautiful hardcover edition of this Rip Through Time novella, from Subterranean Press .
What will I be reading during the coming week?
Currently in my hands:
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley: I swore that I’d read this one before the end of the year. I’m just getting started, but at least I’ll meet my reading goal!
Now playing via audiobook:
Love You a Latke by Amanda Elliot: Such a terrific Hanukkah romance! Because of my health challenge this past week, I made only a teensy bit of progress — but one more good listening session should do it.
Ongoing reads:
My book group’s newest classic read is Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. We’re reading and discussing two chapters per week (except over the holidays). Progress: 13%. Coming up this week: Chapters 7… and then a little break until after New Year.
Title: The Wishing Game Author: Meg Shaffer Publisher: Ballantine Books Publication date: May 30, 2023 Print length: 320 pages Genre: Contemporary fiction Source: Purchased
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Years ago, a reclusive mega-bestselling children’s author quit writing under mysterious circumstances. Suddenly he resurfaces with a brand-new book and a one-of-a-kind competition, offering a prize that will change the winner’s life in this absorbing and whimsical novel.
Make a wish. . . .
Lucy Hart knows better than anyone what it’s like to grow up without parents who loved her. In a childhood marked by neglect and loneliness, Lucy found her solace in books, namely the Clock Island series by Jack Masterson. Now a twenty-six-year-old teacher’s aide, she is able to share her love of reading with bright, young students, especially seven-year-old Christopher Lamb, who was left orphaned after the tragic death of his parents. Lucy would give anything to adopt Christopher, but even the idea of becoming a family seems like an impossible dream without proper funds and stability.
But be careful what you wish for. . . .
Just when Lucy is about to give up, Jack Masterson announces he’s finally written a new book. Even better, he’s holding a contest at his home on the real Clock Island, and Lucy is one of the four lucky contestants chosen to compete to win the one and only copy.
For Lucy, the chance of winning the most sought-after book in the world means everything to her and Christopher. But first she must contend with ruthless book collectors, wily opponents, and the distractingly handsome (and grumpy) Hugo Reese, the illustrator of the Clock Island books. Meanwhile, Jack “the Mastermind” Masterson is plotting the ultimate twist ending that could change all their lives forever.
. . . You might just get it.
For all the adult readers who miss the sense of wonder and delight that a good children’s books series can bring… have I got a book for you!
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer is a quest story for kids who believe in wishes… and then grow up. In this sweet, inventive, lovely tale, the reclusive author of the bestselling Clock Island children’s book series announces that he’s written a new book after a six-year gap… but there’s only one copy, and it will be gifted to the person who wins his contest, which is open to only a select few.
Jack chuckled. “The book exists. And there is only one copy of it in the world. I typed it up and hid it away.”
“And you’re seriously going to entrust it to some stranger?”
“No, but I shall whimsically entrust it to some stranger.”
Shades of Willy Wonka, right?
One of author Jack Masterson’s most devoted fans is Lucy Hart, a kindergarten teacher’s aide whose deepest, most heartfelt wish is to adopt Christopher, an orphaned seven-year-old who’s become the light of her life. Reality interferes in the form of finances: Without an apartment of her own, steady income, and a car, Lucy has no chance of getting approved to foster or adopt. Perhaps, the social worker suggests, it would be kinder to tell Christopher that it’s just not going to happen.
Just as Lucy is verging on despair, the news of Jack’s contest breaks. And Lucy has a secret: At age 13, she ran away to Clock Island and met Jack Masterson. Thanks to being able to solve his riddle, she is one of the four people chosen to compete — and if she wins, she’ll own the exclusive rights to his new book, which she can then sell for enough money to make her dreams of a family with Christopher come true.
Without delving too much further into plot details, let me just say that The Wishing Game is heart-warming, enchanting, whimsical, and full of joy. It’s a book for and about adults, but retains the sense of childish wonder that the best children’s books provide. It’s also a gift for those who love and cherish books, and who believe that stories are more than words on a page.
“Why do only brave kids get their wishes granted?” she asked.
“Because only brave children know that wishing is never enough.”
I loved so much about The Wishing Game. The characters are terrific, especially Lucy, Hugo, and Jack. There’s a romantic storyline, but it’s just one part of the whole, and fits well within the overall weave of the tale. Hugo’s artwork sounds amazing, and I wish it were real! Meg Shaffer does a fantastic job of taking fictional works of art — both Hugo’s paintings and Jack’s books — and making them come to life through her vivid descriptions.
The narrative brilliantly weaves together Lucy’s past — especially the very deep childhood wounds she carries — and the future she hopes for, incorporating a child’s wishes and beliefs into the fabric of an adult life. I loved how all the various pieces come together by the end. Realistic? Maybe not, but this is a book about dreams and wishes. It works.
I came to The Wishing Game after reading the author’s more recent novel, The Lost Story. I do still love The Lost Story best, but The Wishing Game is lovely and wonderful in its own special way, and I’m so happy to have made time to read it.
In the midst of the last-minute, pre-holiday gift buying frenzy, I’d like to take a moment to recognize a few non-profits whose work supports reading, access to books, libraries, literacy programs, and more. If you’re looking to make donations to worthy causes before the end of the year, why not consider something near and dear to the hearts of booklovers?
I thought I’d share information on bookish nonprofits I’ve supported at various times over the past several years.
First Book is dedicated to ensuring that all children, regardless of their background or zip code, can succeed, by removing barriers to equitable education. We reach 6.5 million kids each year in low-income communities across North America, providing books and resources through a powerful network of more than 600,000 individual educators, professionals and volunteers specifically serving children in need. This is the largest online community of its kind. By infusing high-quality resources into classrooms and programs nationwide, we level the playing field so that kids are ready to learn — because education transforms lives.
Little Free Library: Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization based in St. Paul, Minnesota. Our mission is to be a catalyst for building community, inspiring readers, and expanding book access for all through a global network of volunteer-led Little Free Library book-exchange boxes.
Our vision is a Little Free Library in every community and a book for every reader. We believe all people are empowered when the opportunity to discover a personally relevant book to read is not limited by time, space, or privilege.
And digging a little deeper:
How do we achieve our mission and vision?
Providing 24/7 book access. Little Free Library book-sharing boxes are open seven days a week, 24 hours a day and are freely accessible to all, removing barriers to book access.
Fostering new Little Free Libraries. Little Free Library (LFL) equips, educates, and guides volunteer stewards to establish Little Free Libraries in their communities.
Granting Little Free Libraries to high-need areas. Through our programs, LFL grants no-cost Little Free Libraries full of books to underserved urban, suburban, rural, and Indigenous communities.
Championing diverse books. Through our Read in Color program, LFL makes books available representing BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other diverse voices to promote understanding, empathy, and inclusion.
Working with key community partners. LFL collaborates with schools, public libraries, civic organizations, businesses, and other groups to bring Little Free Libraries to their communities.
JWI does all sorts of valuable community work, but in the context of book-related nonprofits, I want to highlight JWI’s National Library Initiative:
For a woman fleeing an abusive relationship, the immediacy of danger often means leaving home with only her children and the clothes on their backs.
JWI helps ease this traumatic upheaval by creating children’s libraries in domestic violence shelters – transforming basic spaces into comforting havens with colorful furniture and rugs, computers and toys, and hundreds of new books that represent the diversity of the women and children served.
For kids whose lives have been upended by violence, JWI libraries provide a safe place to relax, escape into a book, and keep up with homework when they’re most at risk of falling behind.
Our goal is to complete 100 fully-furnished new libraries in shelters across the country, and restock the shelves as each child leaves the shelter with a favorite book in hand, ready to start a new life.
In 2022, JWI launched two new spaces for teens and women living in shelters to find respite and comfort.
The new spaces are peaceful oases where survivors and their teen children can access laptops to find employment and do schoolwork, quietly read, and heal together.
The next two are nonprofits I’ve come across because of particular authors I follow:
Overlooking Cook Inlet and the heart-stopping grandeur of the Aleutian Mountain Range, Storyknife Writers Retreat, a literary nonprofit located in Homer, Alaska, hosts residencies for women from Alaska, across the United States, and internationally. Our mission is to give women writers the time and space to explore their craft without distraction. Storyknife provides women with a community to support their efforts, lifting their voices.
Founded in 2014 by author Dana Stabenow, Storyknife is now open for residencies.
Scottish Book Trust: Supporting reading and literacy projects throughout Scotland.
Scottish Book Trust works to tackle inequality and break the poverty cycle through access to books and reading. Since 2020, Scottish Book Trust has distributed over 300,000 books to children and families in need through food banks, community hubs and other charities across Scotland.
And this is one that I haven’t personally contributed to (yet), but it was recently mentioned to me by a friend connected to a military family, and I thought it sounded amazing!
United Through Reading: Supports both reading and emotional connection for military families.
Deployments and frequent separations are a reality for military families. In fact, every year, more than 100,000 military parents deploy leaving nearly 250,000 children at home. That’s millions of bedtime stories missed each year by military children.
United Through Reading knows that hearing a parent’s voice and seeing their face is a truly unique experience that cannot be replaced. That’s why our storytime video recordings are able to be watched on-demand with their own copy of the book, whenever the child misses their service member. Being read to by a parent helps military children feel like their parents are closer to home, reducing stress and anxiety levels and making it easier to cope while their parents are away.
Our storytime video recordings also have many developmental benefits for military children. The shared read aloud experience expands their literacy, vocabulary, and imagination. Also, according to a National Academies of Sciences study, reading stories aloud is associated with positive child outcomes in emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and social competence.
United Through Reading provides benefits for all military family members, not just children. Through these storytime video recordings, servicemembers are also able to maintain close emotional bonds with their families at home, reducing feelings of separation or loneliness and helping them reintegrate to home life when they return.
Support your local library! Our libraries do so much for us as individuals, as readers, and as community members. Why not show them a little love in return?
Of course, there are many more worthy organization supporting reading and literacy efforts across the US and around the world. Here are just a few that I’ve come across:
Do you have any favorite nonprofits that support reading, literacy, libraries, writing, or other book-related causes? Please feel free to share links in the comments!
Title: City of the Lost Series: Rockton, #1 Author: Kelley Armstrong Publisher: Minotaur Books Publication date: May 3, 2016 Length: 412 pages Genre: Thriller/mystery Source: Library Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Casey Duncan is a homicide detective with a secret: when she was in college, she killed a man. She was never caught, but he was the grandson of a mobster and she knows this crime will catch up to her. Casey’s best friend, Diana, is on the run from a violent, abusive ex-husband. When Diana’s husband finds her, and Casey herself is attacked shortly after, Casey knows it’s time for the two of them to disappear again.
Diana has heard of a domestic violence support town made for people like her, a town that takes in people on the run who want to shed their old lives. You must apply to live in Rockton and if you’re accepted, it means walking away entirely from your old life, living off the grid in the wilds of Canada: no cell phones, no Internet, no mail, no computers, very little electricity, and no way of getting in or out without the town council’s approval. As a murderer, Casey isn’t a good candidate, but she has something they want; she’s a homicide detective, and Rockton has just had its first real murder. She and Diana are in. However, soon after arriving, Casey realizes that the identity of a murderer isn’t the only secret Rockton is hiding – in fact, she starts to wonder if she and Diana might be in even more danger in Rockton than they were in their old lives.
An edgy, gripping crime novel from a bestselling urban fantasy writer, City of the Lost boldly announces a major new player in the crime fiction world.
Kelley Armstrong has become an auto-buy author for me, and I’ve been loving her recent series (A Rip Through Time and A Stitch in Time) and stand-alones. I hadn’t had the opportunity to explore her extensive backlist until now… and now that I’ve started, I can’t wait to keep going!
City of the Lost is the first book in the 7-book Rockton series. The premise is certainly unique: There’s a remote town — Rockton, population 200 — located in the wilds of Canada’s Yukon territory. It’s home to those fleeing danger who need complete isolation from the outside world, but it also offers shelter to some with questionable pasts who need a way to hide out and start over. There are no navigable roads in or out — new residents arrive by bush plane, and can only leave the same way. Relocating to Rockton is a serious commitment.
The books opens with a bang:
“I killed a man,” I say to my new therapist.
Detective Casey Duncan has a huge secret that’s been weighing on her for the past twelve years. After a brutally violent attack left Casey with permanent physical and psychological scars, she went to confront the ex-boyfriend whose actions brought about the attack (and who abandoned her to her attackers). During the confrontation, she shot and killed him, although that hadn’t been her intention. While she’s essentially gotten away with the killing, she’s always known that it could catch up to her at any point.
Meanwhile, her best friend Diana has been assaulted yet again by her cruel, abusive ex-husband, and she and Casey fear that they’ll never fully be rid of him. When Diana hears about a town where people can disappear, she proposed that they both go and get the protection they so desperately need. Casey is hesitant, but she realizes that this is the best possible solution for Diana. After an intense screening process, they’re in, but with a catch: The selection process easily unearthed Casey’s secret, but because they need a detective, they’ll let her in — only for a six-month stay.
Casey and Diana’s relocation to Rockton introduces them to a world that’s truly apart from everything they’ve known. And while Diana immediately immerses herself in the social life available to her as one of the small number of women in town, Casey gets right to work under the direction of Sheriff Eric Dalton. Dalton is brusque, demanding, and no-nonsense, and while he initially did not want Casey in his town, he quickly realizes how skilled and valuable she is.
Dalton and the town are in desperate need of Casey’s talents, as dead bodies begin cropping up. At first, it’s assumed that missing Rockton residents have simply wandered off into the woods and perhaps met with accidents, but as gruesome corpses are found, it becomes apparent that a killer is at work. Everyone in town is a potential suspect, and to make matters worse, Casey soon discovers that many of Rockton’s residents are actually more dangerous than she’s been led to believe.
The murder mystery and thriller elements are detailed and complex, with plenty of misleading clues and confusing trails of evidence. For a very small town, Rockton has a lot of characters to introduce, and my one complaint about City of the Lost is that it became difficult at various points to keep all the random people and their backstories straight.
That aside, the drama and tension escalate effectively throughout the story, and I loved seeing the different pieces come together. For me, when I read a mystery series, I enjoy the particular crime to be solved in each book, but what really holds my interest and attention is the character development that connects the books. City of the Lost is only the first book, but I can tell already that the characters are going to keep me coming back for more.
Casey herself is a terrific, imperfect, complex main character, and she has fabulous chemistry with Sheriff Eric Dalton. Even before personal chemistry comes into the mix, they’re amazing as partners, butting heads constantly while also building rock-solid respect for one another as professionals. Seeing them together, for me, is the high point of the story.
Beyond Casey and Eric, there are plenty of side characters who add depth to the story and help create a picture of a full society in this little town. And while the murders do get solved, there is clearly more to uncover in terms of people’s secrets and bigger picture questions about the council that runs Rockton from afar.
City of the Lost is a fantastic way to start a series! After just one book, I can say with certainty that I’m hooked and need more. Fortunately, there are six more books to explore in the main series, and I understand that a spin-off series, Haven’s Rock, includes two books so far, with a third due out in 2025. .
I’m going to try to take my time and not do a series binge… but it’s incredibly tempting to barge straight ahead! I’m looking forward to continuing the Rockton series. Next up: Darkness Absolute.
Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Meeghan Reads — check out the next batch of upcoming topics here.
Note: I’m a day late, but it’s the thought that counts! And my thought it that it’s perfectly okay to do Top 5 Tuesday on a Wednesday!
Last week’s topic was was Top 5 old authors of 2024 (which I interpreted as “old-to-me”), so it makes sense that this week’s topic would be Top 5 new authors of 2024! Meeghan’s prompt is: Tell us all about your favourite new authors. Either debut authors from 2024, or new-to-you this year..
To follow up from last week’s post, I’m going with new-to-me authors — authors whose books I tried for the first time in 2024… and loved!
Bookshelf Fantasies 