Wishing you all a Happy New Year and a peaceful, happy, and healthy 2026. Here are some snapshots of each month of 2025 on the blog. For the “books I highlighted” section, I highlighted a lot more books during some months than others, so I just picked three or less from each month. There is a link at the end of each month to all of my posts.
January
Apparently a year ago we had some snow, at least at higher elevations. Not so in 2026 yet.
Books I highlighted on this blog:
I will be reviewing Gail Olmstead’s latest book, Class Action, soon. Here is the Amazon link
February
In Feb 2025, we had some much needed tree removal done on the property.
Books I Highlighted On This Blog
March
March appears to have been a quiet month.
Books I Highlighted On This Blog
April
We celebrated Easter with a lovely poem from Louise Belanger. You can find it here.
May
In May we had an earthquake in Bryson City. The folks in California will not even blink, but for us, in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it was very unusual. It was 4.1 on the Richter Scale, so mild in comparison, but if you don’t usually get one in your area, it’s eyebrow-raising. It shook the whole house, but there was no damage.
Books I Highlighted In May
June
Books I Highlighted In June
I went to the Historical Novel Society conference in June. I learned a lot, but Vegas has changed since my visit in the 1990s and not for the better. It’s just too expensive now and I won’t go back.
Books I Highlighted On The Blog
I just reviewed one book in June. Wildcard by Gail Meath. I spent a lot of time on Historical Novel Society Reviews, Editing, and the Conference. in June.
July
July was all about the grandkids, and they spent a whole month with us. We made treasured memories, and I was absolutely exhausted!
Books I highlighted in July
August
It was the end of July when a tiny ball of fluff ran out of an old barn, crying and abandoned by his Mom. We named him Oliver PeeWee (Opie for short). But August was when he became ours for sure. This is a picture of him weighing in at 9 ounces at the vet. He’s almost 8 pounds now. #Happy New Year
August was also when we added Doug’s garage to our property. It has been great for him to have a garage, and he’s gotten a lot done in there, including fixing two of our cars. #Happy New Year
Books I Highlighted in August
September
I posted about the horrific death of Charlie Kirk. I didn’t know what I was going to see when I clicked on a video that day, but that is first time I ever watched someone bleed out, and I never want that to happen again. The man who killed him is in the justice system, and I hope Charlie’s family does indeed receive justice. Charlie never apologized for being a Christian, and neither will I.
Books I highlighted in September
October
A Stormy Sky in Bryson City. The turning of the leaves was quite late this year so I didn’t get a lot of leaf-changing pictures in October.
Books I Highlighted in October.
What a great reading month October was! I read The Weight of Snow and Regret by Liz Gauffreau for The Historical Novel Society. I actually posted the review in November. Gail Meath’s A Bloody Banquet came out, and my favorite author Jodi Taylor released another Time Police book! A link to my Oct 25 posts. Happy New Year
November
A November evening moon in Bryson City. You can see the colors are finally coming out.
I also rode The Smoky Mountain Railroad in November with my friend Lyric and her Mom. The photo is not from November, sadly.
Books I Highlighted in November
I actually reviewed two books by Beth Kanell in one post, but The Bitter and the Sweet is her most recent. A link to my November 2025 Posts.
December
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Here is Opie five months later! I also did an article about Scams Against Indie Authors.
Books I Highlighted in December
I’ll actually be reviewing In The Spirit of French Murder this month, but I picked it up in December.
There is a bit of my 2025 on the blog! Like any year, it had its ups and downs, but I’m thankful for everything God has given me, and there have been many blessings. Hoping for all of us to have a Happy New Year! Link to my December 2025 posts.
As an additional Happy New Year, here is the Acapella Group Home Free singing Auld Lang Syne
nice post!
Thank you! That one took a while!
Wonderful year of reviews, Bonnie! I hope you have another good year.
Thanks Tim. I hope that for you as well. Happy New Year!
😍
Wishing you and yours all the best in 2026, dear Bonnie ~ Happy New Year! 🙂
The same, Phil! Have a wonderful 2026!
Thank you for highlighting The Weight of Snow and Regret, Bonnie! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I greatly enjoyed the video you shared. I love acapella harmonizing. (There’s nowhere to hide!)
Great post, Bonnie! Thanks for including me in your very eventful year! Happy New Year! xo