Happy 2026!

May your new year be filled with good health, new joys and good fortunes. Happy New Year!

(This artwork is full things I wish for you all. I'll tell you a few things that may match your beliefs and thinking: red cat is for good fortune; tangerines also for good fortune, wealth, prosperity; unicorn for magic; yellow lotus for beginnings and openness; all these you can interpret for yourself.)

Book Rants - Dec 2025

I might have quit reading more books than I finished but I still read more than usual. I'm not listing the books I quit reading because I didn't even read them past 10%. Here are the books I had finished reading this month. 

01 - Dying Cry (Timber Creek K-9 Mystery #10) by Margaret Mizushima
What's it about: small town, K-9, crime, murder, veterinary, family
I did think having the main characters married would make the story less appealing but it didn't but I still don't like Cole's viewpoint (main character) all that much. It's Mattie (main character) who is more interesting, being the cop but I don't have much interest in veterinary so reading Cole's view point sort of slows the story for me. Also, there is less Robo (the k-9) but there are other dogs too. Overall, a good addition to the series but I did think the writing seemed not as good as the previous books but that might not be true since I didn't re-read to compare. 

Fiction: Babies, daffodils and maybe airships

This month's Words for Wednesday prompts are provided by Wisewebwoman and posted at River's blog over here. This week's prompts are: daffodils, bluebirds, trench, dentist and/or creek, window, ballroom, mask.

Fiction: Babies, daffodils and maybe airships

Jimmy Bleu was a dentist from New Jersey so he didn't know anything about raising a child. When a woman rang his doorbell, handed him a baby and ran, he chased her for three block but had to stop when the baby peed on him. 
    Two years back when the town dentist retired, Jimmy moved to Bluebird Creek and took over his practice and his house. It had been a good change - less patients, calmer days but he didn't expect a baby. Since his thirtieth birthday, he had wished to be a father but not someone's husband. And somehow his wish was granted.