"Winter Fire: Christmas with G. K. Chesterton" by Ryan Whitaker Smith

What an intriguing concept for a devotion book!

Ryan Whitaker Smith chose thirty passages from G. K. Chesterton's writings that deal with Christmas, then paired them with Scripture verses and wrote a daily devotion around each pairing.  I had a great time reading one each morning in December, and then I spent the next week or so reading through the poems, essays, and a couple of short stories by Chesterton that fill out the second half of the book.  

And there are even some fun traditional British Christmas recipes!  They're things that got mentioned elsewhere in the book, and I just might have to try my hand at a couple of them.  And the book ends with explanations of some fun old-fashioned games to play with friends and family.  

All in all, this book is a little treasure trove, and I'm glad I have added it to my library :-)

Particularly Good Bits:

Our natural disposition is rarely the personification of cheerfulness. On this point it is crucial to remember that habits only become habits through repetition. The more we practice joy, the more effortlessly it will come to us. The more we revel, the more we will become revelers. The more we embody cheerfulness, the more naturally we will be of good cheer. Thank God that Christmas descends so inconsiderately upon us, giving a "last push" to those "afraid to be festive" -- for often we are numbered among them (p. 68).

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It:  G.  Nothing here you couldn't read aloud as a family.

A Party "Up Back" -- Inklings in January, 2026

It's been a long, long time since I participated in one of Heidi's Inklings link-ups on her blog Along the Brandywine, but I'm hoping to be part of the fun again.

This month, Heidi invites us to share a party scene from a book or movie.  I'm choosing to share a bit from a memorable party scene in The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery.  

(From my Bookstagram account)

As a bit of context, this party takes place in remote, rural Canada in the 1920s.  Valancy Stirling grew up in a repressive, snobby family in a small town and has only heard vague rumors about the dances "up back" in the wild regions far from town.  But her employer has been hired to play his fiddle for the dance and invites her to attend, and she decides it's time to attend a party again after years of being convinced she's too much of an old maid.  So, off she goes, and here's what happens (but shortened a bit here and there because it's kind of a long passage):

At first, the dance was quiet enough, and Valancy was amused and entertained.  She even danced twice herself, with a couple of nice 'up back' boys who danced beautifully and told her she did, too...

The big room was decorated with pine and fir boughs, and lighted by Chinese lanterns.  The floor was waxed, and Roaring Abel's fiddle, purring under his skilled touch, worked magic.  The 'up back' girls were pretty and prettily dressed.  Valancy thought it the nicest party she had ever attended.

By eleven o'clock she had changed her mind.  A new crowd had arrived -- a crowd unmistakably drunk.  Whiskey began to circulate freely.  Very soon almost all the men were partly drunk... The room grew noisy and reeking.  Quarrels started up here and there... The girls, swung rudely in the dances, became dishevelled and tawdry.  Valancy, alone in her corner, was feeling disgusted and repentant.  Why had she ever come to such a place?  Freedom and independence were all very well, but one should not be a little fool... Her head was aching -- she was sick of the whole thing.  But what could she do?  She must stay to the end.  Abel could not leave till then.  And that would probably be not till three or four in the morning.

The new influx of boys had left the girls far in the minority and partners were scarce.  Valancy was pestered with invitations to dance.  She refused them all shortly, and some of her refusals were not well taken.  There were muttered oaths and sullen looks.  Across the room she saw a group of the strangers talking together and glancing meaningly at her.  What were they plotting?

It was at this moment that she saw Barney Snaith looking in over the heads of the crowds at the doorway.  Valancy had two distinct convictions -- one was that she was quite safe no; the other was that this was why she had wanted to come to the dance.  It had been such an absurd hope that she had not recognised it before, but now she knew she had come because of the possibility that Barney might be there, too.  She thought that perhaps she ought to be ashamed for this, but she wasn't.  After her feeling of relief her next feeling was one of annoyance with Barney for coming there unshaved.  Surely he might have enough self-respect to groom himself up decently when he went to a party.  There he was, bareheaded, bristly-chinned, in his old trousers and his blue homespun shirt.  Not even a coat.  Valancy could have shaken him in her anger.  No wonder people believed everything bad of him.

It's a pretty big turning point in a book filled with turning points -- Valancy realizing she wanted to go to a party only because she might see Barney Snaith, the local "bad boy" that no one "decent" associates with because a) he drives a constantly-breaking-down car, b) he goes for drives in said car with no hat on, and c) no one knows where or how he gets enough money to live on.  Absolute scoundrel, obviously.  But very kind to people who don't stick their noses up at him, as Valancy has recently learned.  

(Also from my Bookstagram account)

I think the most telling thing, though Valancy doesn't recognize it at the time, is that she feels angry that Barney seems to have no self-respect.  It's almost like she feels the need to protect him from the spiteful thoughts of others, and she's upset because he's just giving them more reasons to judge him unfairly.  It's a first step toward Valancy understanding her own heart, even if she doesn't realize it quite yet.

There's a bit more to the party scene, but I won't share it here so that anyone who hasn't read The Blue Castle yet will have some fun surprises in this chapter yet :-)

(One more from my Bookstagram account)

Heidi is actually the person who convinced me to read The Blue Castle in the first place.  Friends kept talking about it, and she is the one who finally convinced me to check it out from the library.  And now it's one of my top favorite books of all time!

Have you read The Blue Castle?  If so, do you remember this scene?  If not, what are you waiting for?

Reading Goals Behind and Ahead

I like goals.  Even when I don't reach them.  Last January, I set a few reading goals for the year, and I finally have a few minutes to look over how that all worked out.

I wanted to read 55 books.  I read 68!  Huzzah!

I wanted to read at least 12 classics for my fourth Classics Club list.  I read 15!  Sweet!

I also wanted to read at least 12 books about people who are substantially different from myself.  And I read 16!  Yay!

I also chose 25 books I wanted to read in 2025, some of them rereads and some new reads.  I read 7 of them.  Epic fail.  Didn't even read 1/3 of them.  Sigh.  Oh well.

Now, time for my 2026 reading goals!

I want to read 13 books about or set during the American Revolution in 2026 to mark our nation's 250th birthday.  I'm listing them under #RevolutionaryWarReads on Instagram, if you are curious.  I hope to do a post just about that pretty soon.

Once again, I aim to read at least 12 classics and 12 diverse books.

And I'm setting my overall goal at 55 again because I know that will keep me reading but not daunt me.

Have you shared any reading plans or goals for 2026?  If so, drop me a link in the comments so I can see what you're planning!

Top Ten Tuesday: Coming Attractions

The Top Ten Tuesday prompt this week from That Artsy Reader Girl is "Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2026."  Here are ten fifteen books I know are coming between January and June that I am interested in!  

Some of them are from traditional publishers, some are from small presses, and some are indie.  Some have release dates, and some don't.  Some are from authors I have read many things by, and some are new to me.  Also, some I can find cover art for, and some I can't.  For the books that have Amazon pages already, I've linked the titles to those.

Scars of the Revolution by Megan Soja (January 6) -- Christian historical fiction, American Revolution, book 3 in a series

Calculated Risk by Tara Grace Ericson (January 12) -- Christian romantic suspense, contemporary, book 5 in a series

Forged in Shadows by Kendra Warden (January 12) -- Christian romantic suspense, contemporary, book 4 in a series

Assassins Rise by Candice Pedraza Yamnitz (January 13) -- young adult, Christian fantasy, three-book omnibus

The Candy Touch by Donna Marie Tyree (January 13) -- early chapter book, Christian junior fiction, fantasy, book 1 in a series

On Living Stone by Heather Kaufman (January 20) -- Christian historical fiction, biblical fiction, book 3 in a series

Braving Fiery Waters by Sarah Hanks (January 21) -- Christian time travel fiction, dual timeline, book 2 in a series

Head over Wheels by B. R. Goodwin (February 2) -- Christian romance, contemporary, book 2 in a series

Even if We Last by Molly Barlowe (February 17) -- Christian romance, contemporary, book 3 in a series

The Songbird by Carrie Cotten (March 3) -- Christian historical fiction, medieval setting, book 5 in a series

Ashes to Ashes by Hannah Hood Lucero (Spring) -- Christian suspense

Miley's Guide to Being Popular by Alyssa Casanova (Spring) -- Christian middle grade fiction

Skeletons We Find by Chelsea Michelle [A. M. Heath, and Amanda Tero] (Spring) -- Christian cozy mystery, part of a series

More than Fine by Kim Griffin (June) -- Christian romantic fiction

Sani: The German Medic by Aubrey Reiss Taylor (June) -- Christian historical fiction

I am finishing this very late at night, so probably won't get to other people's TTT lists until tomorrow.  If you do happen to see this -- are any of these books on your list?  Have you read other books by these authors?

"Knave of Diamonds" by Laurie R. King

I really enjoy stories about con artists.  Which means it's a little weird to me that I didn't connect more with this book.  It was fun, but I sometimes felt like I was being subtly told how fun it was, not that I actually was finding it fun?  Maybe I just read it at the wrong time -- I got two holds in from the library and had to quickly read this one before it was due again because someone else had placed a hold on it.  I probably would have enjoyed it more in January or something.  I also think that I probably will enjoy in more if/when I reread it at some point, because I will stop worrying about Holmes and Russell's safety every minute of the story.

I did like it!  I just didn't love it.  Which is okay.  I only love about half of the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes books by Laurie R. King.  But I like basically all of them :-)

In this one, Mary Russell's uncle resurfaces after being presumed dead for years.  He's a con artist and thief.  He wants Russell to help him find something.  That he stole years ago, and was subsequently stolen from him.  It's complicated.  And it all turns out just fine, whew.

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: PG-16 for some discussions of British societal uproars over the uncovering (years previous) of a "homosexual ring" within the upper echelons of society, and some remarkably (for LRK) veiled implications that a side character may have feelings of some kind for someone of the same sex.  Also, some violence and a smattering of light cusswords.

Top Ten Tuesday: My Favorite 2025 Reads

Welcome to my annual roundup of my favorite reads from the past year!  As usual, I am linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for her Top Ten Tuesday at the start of the new year.  Also, as usual, I'm doing two lists: my top ten favorite new-to-me reads and my top ten favorite rereads.

My Ten Favorite New Reads of 2025

1. Before the King by Heather Kaufman -- Christian fiction, Biblical fiction, marriage of convenience, personal transformation (PG-16)

2. Woman in Shadow by Carrie Stuart Parks -- Christian fiction, suspense, PTSD, murder, forensic linguistics, limb loss (PG-16)

3. The Golden Road by L. M. Montgomery -- classic, coming of age, slice of life, humorous, friendship (G)

4. The Adventures of Elizabeth in Ruegen by Elizabeth von Arnim -- classic, humorous, travel stories, epistolary (G)

5. The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens -- classic, Christmas, family, friendship (PG)

6. The Silent Night by Sarah Beran -- YA, fairy tale retelling, fantasy, Christmas, romance (G)

7. Shadows of the Valley by Britt Howard -- Christian fiction, suspense, fugitive, found family, romance, limb loss, PTSD (PG-13)

8. Of Clockworks and Daggers by Sarah Everest -- Christian fiction, YA, steampunk, fantasy, redemption (PG)

9. A Run at Love by Toni Shiloh -- Christian fiction, contemporary romance, friends-to-more, horse racing (PG) 

10. Hear the Falling Snow by Storm Shultz -- Christian fiction, contemporary romance, Christmas, loss of parent, baking (G)

My Ten Favorite Rereads of 2025

1. The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery -- classic, personal growth, the outdoors, romantic love (PG)

2. Persuasion by Jane Austen -- classic, second-chance romance, friendship (G)

3. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell -- classic, enemies-to-more, he falls first, friendship, class strife, loss of parent (PG)

4. The Lilies of the Field by William E. Barrett -- classic, culture clash, found family (G)

5. The Railway Children by E. Nesbit -- classic, middle-grade, family, slice of life (G)

6. The Ark by Margot Benary-Isbert -- YA, family, Germany post-WWII, animals, farming, growing up, ingenuity (PG)

7. Rowan Farm by Margot Benary-Isbert -- YA, family, Germany post-WWII, coming of age, animals, farming, first romance (PG-10)

8. Eldest by Christopher Paolini -- YA, fantasy, dragons, coming of age, war, friendship, found family (PG-13)

9. Eragon by Christopher Paolini -- YA, fantasy, dragons, friendship, found family (PG-13)

10. The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare -- YA, Christian fiction, Biblical fiction, coming of age, found family (PG-13)

How about you?  What books stood out to you in 2025?

The Oddly Specific Things I Love in Books Tag

The Hopeful Pen tagged me with this last month, and I finally have time to finish filling it out and share!  Thanks for the tag!

The Outline 

1. Link back to who tagged you 

2. Share the Graphic on your blog 

3. Share the Outline on your post 

4. Share a detail you love about the season of summer into fall 

5. List at least 7 random/ specific things YOU love to read about in books, big or small 

6. Tag 7 people who would enjoy taking part/whose answers you are curious to read!

Here we go!

First off, it's no longer summer or fall, but one thing I love about the change of seasons when autumn finally hits here sometime in October is that my creativity takes a big boost!

Now for my seven specific little things I love in a book:

1

Escape from wrongful imprisonment

This sounds terrible, but I LOVE it when a character gets accused of a crime they didn't commit and gets sent to prison for it... and then escapes.  Prison escapes in general are something I love a lot, but when it's from a prison sentence they didn't deserve?  Gimme gimme gimme.

An example: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

2

Band of brothers

If you give me a group of guys who are mostly unrelated but just act like brothers, look after each other like brothers, basically consider each other brothers -- I'm all over it.  

An example: The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

3

Surviving on a deserted island

Stories of having to survive using only what you have around you will always grab me.  I love seeing how ingenious people can be, even fictional people.

A couple examples: The Black Stallion by Walter Farley, The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss

4

Exploring abandoned spaces

I love abandoned spaces in general, and having characters explore or discover one in a book is always going to draw my attention!

An example: Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright

5

A woman tries to seduce a guy, and he tells her to get lost

Is there anything more wonderful?  And the harder she is trying to get him into bed, the more awesome it is when he refuses.

An example: The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler

6

Antagonistic opposites become friends

Friendships in fiction are usually more compelling to me than romances, and when you get two people who don't like each other and are nothing like each other, but then they have to work together and slowly become friends -- so, so good!

An example: Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson

7

Amnesia

Why is amnesia such a fun plot point?  I don't even know why I love it, but I do.  Maybe I've just forgotten why?  

An example: The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum

Okay, time to tag seven friends.  I tag:

Along the Brandywine

Boondock Ramblings

Classics Considered

I'm Charles Baker Harris (And I Can Read)

Inkling Corner

The Maidens of Green Gables

Meanwhile, in Rivendell...

Play if you want to!

"A Merry Christmas and Other Christmas Stories" by Louisa May Alcott

What a wholesome and cozy collection of Christmas stories!  Well, stories plus a section from the very beginning of Little Women.  

I thoroughly enjoyed all the stories here -- there wasn't a single one that didn't move me in some way and bring a smile to my face.  I'd read a few of them before, but long ago, so they felt pretty fresh and new to me again. 

The stories included here are:

"A Merry Christmas" -- the March sisters share their Christmas breakfast and find their own joy doubled, then exchange and receive gifts with their own family plus others.

"Kate's Choice" -- a wealthy orphan must decide which of her aunts and uncles she will live with now, and surprises everyone with her choice.

"The Quiet Little Woman" -- a warmhearted orphan is taken in by a family to be their maid-of-all-work, but yearns for their kindness and friendship more than anything.

"Tilly's Christmas" -- a poor child rescues a half-frozen bird and shares kindness and love with those around her, and is rewarded by an unexpected friend.

"What Love Can Do" -- people living in a boarding house with a poor family acquire a fresh understanding of what it means to show love and kindness to others.

"Rosa's Tale" -- an aging horse uses the Christmas gift of speech to tell the story of her life.

"Mrs. Podgers' Teapot" -- a widow learns the truth about her dead husband, a man who lodges at her house, and herself.  Probably my favorite story of all!

Particularly Good Bits:

Half the real beauty, virtue, and romance of the world gets put into humble souls, hidden in plain bodies (p. 117, "Mrs. Podgers' Teapot").

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: G.  Good, wholesome, heartwarming stories.

This has been my 48th book read and reviewed for my fourth Classics Club list.  Looks like I'll be finishing this list and starting another one this winter sometime!