Mini Book Reviews: December 2025 and Year End Summary

Disclaimer: I received ARCs of A Guardian and A Thief, The Tortoise's Tail, Next Time Will Be Our Turn, A Ferryman and His Wife, Family of Spies, and Before I Forget from NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links. 

Wow! What a fantastic month of reading. I had big goals for December-I had all my NetGalley reads from November and December to finish up this month. I even managed to squeeze in a few library holds as well. It wasn't hard to do, as I was sick for 2 weeks this month. Lots of time on the couch = lots of time to keep my nose in the books. I can't believe I read this many books, but they were all so good that the pages just flew by!

I also took time to review my Goodreads statistics for the year. They are summarized at the bottom of the post. It was fun to look back on all the books I read this year. I feel so lucky to have access to such great books!

I never set reading goals for the year, and 2026 will be no different. I always vow to dig into my Kindle to clean out some downloads, and I hope to do that again this year. But my NetGalley library is already bursting for January, February, and March with lots of intriguing reads coming up. I can't wait to dig in!

Holly Jolly Holy Moley

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Despite the festive season, the hits just kept on hitting this week. After a visit last week to my PCP, I received my blood test results and found out that I am prediabetic. Not only that, but I carry a gene that makes me at high risk for heart disease. As you can imagine, I was very upset by this news. I hope that eating well and exercising are enough to overcome my genetics. I have scheduled an appointment with a cardiologist in February to discuss my risks and my options.

I also had a couple of really challenging incidents at work this week. While I won't go into details, the antivaccine and antiscience sentiment is increasingly impacting our practice. Vaccines are a hill I will die on, and if this week was a sample of what's to come, then retirement will happen much sooner than I wanted. 

And after Christmas, I fell sick again, with fever, body aches, and congestion. I spent Friday and Saturday on the couch. I thought it was influenza, because one of my partners has influenza B. The hubs went to the pharmacy to pick up a test, but there were none left! I had some old Covid tests, and I tested positive. When I messaged my partners, another one messaged that she has influenza A! We are the trifecta, lol. 

What a way to wind up 2025.

All I Want For Christmas

This year, I had no idea what to put on my Christmas list. I never do, because when I want something, I just go out and buy it. But this week, I was gifted some really nice runs after recovering from that respiratory illness, a new Fluid Running workout, a PR at the gym, a fun photo on IG, and a new Garmin. 

It was a fruitful week! The weather took us on a windy rollercoaster ride, tho....

Recovery is Not Linear

Last week, when I was sick, I understood the need to take it easy. This week, I thought I'd be back to my old self. Instead, the week was filled with ups and downs, as it challenged and frustrated me, my body not allowing me to do the things I wanted to do. Guys, this virus kicked my a**! My self-image as an age-defying, strong woman took a hit as I struggled to return to my normal routine. My body sent strong messages that it needed time to recover; my Oura ring confirmed it with low readiness scores. I finally let my body lead the way, and as the week went on, I started to feel more like myself again. My voice is still hoarse, though!

I spent a lot of time on the couch with Cocoa to keep me company. I did most of my Christmas shopping online and read a lot of books. By the end of the week, I finished my Christmas decorating and started baking cookies. 

Life lesson learned: recovery is not linear.

It's That Cold Day in Hell...

What a week! 

A Big Snowstorm ✅

Bitter Cold Temperatures ✅

Gale Force Winds ✅

Taken down by a virus ✅

Hepatitis B is no longer a required vaccine ✅

Retirement is back on the table ✅

Mini Book Reviews: Nonfiction November 2025

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of Ain't Nobody's Fool from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links.

I always look forward to Nonfiction November--it gives me a chance to catch up on some of the nonfiction I've accumulated on my TBR over the year. I also read one new release that I couldn't pass up! I didn't read as many books as I had hoped. I got bogged down in Everest, Inc, and didn't get to the final book on my list. Still, it was a interesting month of reading and I hope you find something that sparks your interest!

An Unintentional Cutback Week

With the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, things were a little mixed up! Different work hours on Wednesday and a turkey trot on Thursday had me flipping my workout schedule around. The gym has special holiday workouts that fill up fast, and there was no space for me to work on my squats and bench presses. I consider myself to be a flexible person, but I was kind of bummed about missing my heavy strength because the strength cycle is ending in 2 weeks. I did what I could with my home equipment, but you know...it's not the same.

Anyhoo, there was movement every day. Let's just call this a cutback week, shall we?