TMST

 

 

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating,

1/6/2026 What are your blogging/reading goals for the new year?

I am doing the Bingo Challenge and it took me ages to get Bingo last year, I would also like to get all 25 squares.

I am doing the audiobook challenge and going for 50 audiobooks. 

And my goodreads goal is 70 for some reason, dunno why, no real reason there.

Lastly, read for fun! Enjoy blogging.

1/13/2026 What's a food you're obsessed with?

1/20/2026 What are your favorite snow/winter-themed books?

1/27/2026 What's your favorite decade and why? (You do not need to have lived through it!)

2/3/2026 If you could invent a holiday, what would you celebrate?

2/10/2026 Share some Romance Book recommendations

2/17/2026 Are there any books you've read that changed your perspective on a subject?

2/24/2026 Which books are you looking forward to reading this Spring? (March-May)

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

If you are interested in participating in TMST or receiving periodic emails that list the upcoming TMST topics and questions,  please fill out this GOOGLE FORM.  Participation is optional and never required.

Carole´s Monday: Marmee

Author: Sarah Miller

Title: Marmee

Genre: Historical Fiction, Retelling

Format: paperback

Pages: 423

Published: October 4, 2022

Where I got It: My shelf (An Xmas gift)

Summary: 

In 1861, war is raging in the South, but in Concord, Massachusetts, Margaret March has her own battles to fight. With her husband serving as an army chaplain, the comfort and security of Margaret's four daughters-- Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy--now rest on her shoulders alone. Money is tight and every month, her husband sends less and less of his salary with no explanation. Worst of all, Margaret harbors the secret that these financial hardships are largely her fault, thanks to a disastrous mistake made over a decade ago which wiped out her family's fortune and snatched away her daughters' chances for the education they deserve.

Yet even with all that weighs upon her, Margaret longs to do more--for the war effort, for the poor, for the cause of abolition, and most of all, for her daughters. Living by her watchwords, "Hope and keep busy," she fills her days with humdrum charity work to keep her worries at bay. All of that is interrupted when Margaret receives a telegram from the War Department, summoning her to her husband's bedside in Washington, D.C. While she is away, her daughter Beth falls dangerously ill, forcing Margaret to confront the possibility that the price of her own generosity toward others may be her daughter's life.

A stunning portrait of the paragon of virtue known as Marmee, a wife left behind, a mother pushed to the brink, a woman with secrets.

Review:

I started this book in December but I had to put it on the backburner. It was just so sad and I didn't need sad during the holidays. Buuuut I picked it back up and it is the first book of 2026.

I hate being lazy, but I'm feeling super meh today, so we'll divide and conquer this review. 

The Good

- I loved reading Marmee's POV. It was nice reading her feelings. 

- It was sad, but still enjoyable. 

- The author did a great job capturing the vibe of the original book and bringing it to her version. I think the author would approve. 

- Such a beautiful tale. 

The Bad and the Ugly

- You will need a Kleenex because you will cry. Not necessarily a bad thing, but just a nice word of warning. 

- The ending....you can't leave us like this. Will there be a book 2???????

Conclusion

Overall, I did enjoy this a lot. The ending...ugh. You can't just leave us like this. We need another book!!!!

I'll stamp this with 4 stars. 

DNFs of 2025

 

I read some posts about how evil people are who posts DNFs, so I decided to do just that ;) What does not work for me, might work for you. But woe is me when I realised I did not post ANYTHING last year.

No One Is Talking About This by Lockwood, Patricia * I remember nothing

The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Broadbent, Carissa * Nope, I just can not. She is so kick-ass, cool and angry, like we have neeeeever heard that before. She is just a tiny weak human, but sure put her in a Death Arena against vampires. But obvi she will win anyway even though vamps are supposed to be so strong and whatever...like how do they even rule then?

And obvi she will fall for tall dark and handsome. And he will prob be toxic.

And everyone on booktok loves it so NO THANK YOU. They always fail me.

The Ballad of Perilous Graves by Jennings, Alex * Not feeling it

Creation Lake by Kushner, Rachel *Not vibing at all

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Arden, Katherine * I just gave up

Godkiller by Kaner, Hannah * I was not in the mood for some teen going around killing gods

Dark Earth by Stott, Rebecca * It had promise...but I had go return it and dunno if I will try it again

The Duchess Hunt by Valerie Bowman * The narrator is not working

Collide by Khabra, Bal * Her hate of icehockey annoys me. She ditches a fun friend cos omg he plays hockey...then later I learn that her bestie from old does the same. But i guess her icehockey hate has flaws

Incidents Around the House by Malerman, Josh *No notes, but I remember the writing was weird

All Gowned Up by Haymore, Jennifer * So sad, but this narration is not working for me. The woman is ok, but I sped the guy up to 2.3 and still he felt too slow. And the back and forth, nah. I would rather read it

Hell Bent by Monk, Devon * This one had promise, but, I listened without listening so I gave up. Is it the narrator?

Night Watch by Phillips, Jayne Anne * no notes

When Women Were Dragons by Barnhill, Kelly * no notes again?!

A Wager at Midnight by Riley, Vanessa *I tried a few times, but it is not catching my interest

Wrong for Him by Barth, Christi *I need to give up. Something is not pulling me in

The Three-Body Problem by liu, Cixin *Everyone is like yay, and I was all...no, boring

More of Best of 2025 and Stats

 

I already did a best of with Carole, but I am going to shine the spotlight on even more books :)

I read 107 books this year. 58 audiobooks and 49 print books. I read a lot of print this year compared to other years.

Book 1 was best book in 2024 and in 2025 book 2 takes the prize! A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennet was just amazing!

If anyone missed it, I re-read The Others by Anne Bishop and you all known those books rock! 

The cat who saved books by Sosuke Natsukawa was just such a pleasant read

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden had the best twists and turns

The Deepest of Secrets by Kelley Armstrong, best thriller. I loved this series

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig really had me invested this year. Good fantasy

Black woods Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey is best weird book of the year. I like it weird

The king´s jewel by Elizabeth Chadwick was best historical fiction. Quite the history

Sleep no more by Seanan McGuire was binge read of the year!! It was interesting since Toby was not Toby

Emily Wilde´s encyclopaedia of faeries by Heather Fawcett was the best cozy read of the year. So fun

A rip through time by Kelley Armstrong was best historical mystery and I am so glad I gave it a go

The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews gets best historical romance. It was different

The Maid by Nita Prose just gets a best of cos I wanna mention it too! Twists!

Look at me, thriller made top 3!!! That has never happened before, but I have really gotten into thrillers and mystery lately :)

Here is to more awesome books in 2026!!!