What a great way to start the year! The Cyprian by Mercedes Lackey was my first book of 2026, and it did not disappoint! I have been reading Mercedes Lackey’s books since the 1980s, when she started the Valdemar fantasy series, so I am definitely a long-time fan.
This book is number 18 in her Elemental Masters series, which is set in an alternate reality where magic exists. They take place in the early 1900s, mostly in England, and an Elemental Master is someone who has magical control over air, water, fire, or earth. Each book has its origin in a famous fairy tale, this one being Hans Christian Andersen’s The Wild Swans, but that is just the starting point for Lackey’s magical storytelling.
In The Cyprian, we meet Elena Whitstone and her seven brothers. Their mother has fled and now their father is bringing home a new stepmother, who is certainly neglectful and possibly evil. I don’t want to give any spoilers, so I’ll just say how much I enjoyed this story and highly recommend checking it out. It can be read as a standalone book, although you may want to go back and read them all afterwards!
A Day at the Bookstore is a 1000-piece puzzle from Galison, and the artist is Michael Storrings. I am often drawn to his artwork, but I don’t do a lot of his puzzles because they can be quite challenging. For this one, the lower portion was pretty easy, but the upper portion was harder, especially the bricks!
This was the first puzzle I completed in 2026, and it is perfect for me because it combines two things I love – books and puzzles. 😊I love how the little vignettes are cut out of the brick wall, giving us a glimpse of what is happening inside!
This is a fun book. I enjoyed getting to know Sarah Harper as she finds her way after making a dumb mistake and losing her job in New York City. She goes home to Houston to visit her sister Mackie, who is dealing with infertility issues, and ends up offering to be her surrogate! On top of all that, she also runs into Everett, the sweet guy she dumped in high school.
There were a lot of humorous moments between the pregnancy, her old boyfriend, and her new job. Center also does a good job exploring the ups and downs of the sister relationship, and I really liked how things ended up with them.
Peanut Butter has been enjoying the winter sun when he can, and he seems to really like my soft winter blanket.
This has been an interesting week. Michael’s dad is retired now and is trying to figure out everything with insurance, which affects us because Michael will be on his insurance until he turns 26. He did get the health insurance squared away, but we are still waiting to hear on prescription, dental, and vision. Michael did see the dentist this week, but it was to get his permanent crown, so the cost was already covered under the initial crown appointment last month, thankfully!
I am on tray #3 of my Invisalign, and that seems to be going well. They said I could leave the trays on an extra day if they still seem tight, but I’m not very good with vague instructions like that. I have taken it to mean that if I can’t get the new trays on, I should hold off on them. So far I have been able to use the new trays on time.
Below is a picture of the puzzles I purchased over the last few weeks of 2025. I am currently on a puzzle buying moratorium because I started the year with 71 puzzles waiting to be done and they no longer fit comfortably on the shelf I have set aside for that purpose. My goal is to not buy any new puzzles until I have my to do list at 50 or below. It will be a challenge for sure!
Yesterday was a busy day for me. I get together with a friend every other Saturday for lunch and a movie, and this time it was my turn to host. We watched People We Meet on Vacation and both really enjoyed it.
In the evening, I went with a friend from church to see comedian Josh Johnson in York. We had a good time. It was a powerful show that touched on some timely issues.
This morning I went to church, which was lovely. I connected with several friends and was very moved by the service. And now I am enjoying a relaxing Sunday afternoon!
Garden Shed Greenhouse is a 1000-piece puzzle from Ceaco, and the artist is Tracy Flickinger. I have done a few of her other puzzles and really like her style of art. It seems whimsical and full of life.
This puzzle had a nice difficulty level. There were some textures that were easy to pick out and put together, and there were some parts that were a bit trickier because of the level of detail. All in all, a very fun experience.
This may be a weird take, but I had trouble enjoying the first half of this book because we are told early on that the two main characters (Cal and Helen) have been estranged for 40 years, but it takes many chapters and several jumps between the past and the present before we find out what the event that broke them apart was. I have a hard time relaxing into a story when I know there is something coming but have to keep waiting for it.
Once we had the whole story of what happened, it was easier for me to care about the characters and enjoy letting the story unfold. I especially liked Helen’s colorful friend Francie; she was a lot of fun.
I was so blessed this year for Christmas and my birthday to receive puzzles from my son as well as two of my friends. Some were from my wish list and some were picked out for me, and I am looking forward to doing all of them!
Here is a list of the puzzles I got as they are pictured:
Venice Open Market from eeBoo, artist Uta Krogmann
European Winter Market from Pink Sky
Redwood Forest Tiny House from Ravensburger, artist Jason Taylor
Snoopy’s Puffer Coat from Ceaco
The Beach Hut from Ravensburger, artist Steve Read
I have been thinking for a while about my reading goals for 2026. In 2025, my main goal was to read 75 books in the course of the year, and I finished with 126. I also had a goal to read 12 nonfiction books, which I met exactly.
Early in the year, I came across the #25in2025 tag on Instagram and decided to participate by making a list of 25 books I wanted to read in 2025. By the end of June, I had finished that list, so I made another one for the second half of the year, which I finished in December.
I am really pleased that I met all my goals for 2025 and am looking forward to some more great reads in 2026. This may change as the year progresses, but here are the goals I am starting out with for 2026:
Read at least 100 books.
Read 6 nonfiction books.
Join Kindle Unlimited to read the books from my TBR that I can’t get from the library. (I have gotten a headstart on this one as I recently was able to get a three month free trial.)
I tried a lot of new-to-me puzzle brands in 2025, some of which were pricier brands that I had been eyeing for a while. A few I was able to get through borrowing or on sale, but some I went ahead and splurged on.
Here are my top ten brands that were new to me in 2025:
New York Puzzle Company – I have admired this US company’s images for a while and finally got one to try for myself. It was called Stay Cozy, and I loved the vibe of the image. The puzzle is good quality but it was definitely hard due to the random cut pieces.
Stay Cozy
PieceRelax – These Taiwanese puzzles are made from plastic pieces, which are a fun, different experience. They make a very satisfying click, although they do require more pressure the farther into the puzzle that you get. I did two of theirs this year: Boho Interior and Whimsy Garden House.
Boho InteriorWhimsy Garden House
Pintoo – These puzzles also have plastic pieces. Pintoo is actually the parent company of PieceRelax, and the puzzle I did from them was called The Tree of Hope. It is a beautiful four season puzzle.
The Tree of Hope
Pieces & Peace – This is a French brand that I splurged on and have since fallen in love with. I have done two of their puzzles this year and have another two on my shelf to do. The images are just lovely and the quality is fantastic. The puzzles I have done are London Cafe and Fall Festival.
London CafeFall Festival
Pippi Post – This family-owned brand from Utah features the artwork of its founder, Alexa Zurcher. The images are charming, and the pieces are paperboard that has an almost plastic feel that I really enjoy. I have done three of their puzzles now: Pride & Prejudice Map, Little House on the Prairie Map, and Seasons.
Pride & Prejudice MapLittle House on the Prairie MapSeasons
Reverie – This is an Australian brand that I have wanted to try for a while. They are expensive, but I was able to pick one up for not too much a few months ago with a coupon and a free shipping offer. All of their puzzles have something to do with books, which makes them even more special. The one I got was The Language of Flowers, and I loved it.
The Language of Flowers
Tania Wicks – Tania is an Australian photographer who started a puzzle brand a couple of years ago. I have been interested in this brand for quite a while, and finally had the opportunity to do one of the puzzles this year through my Completing the Puzzle subscription. It was a beautiful image called Envelopes. Unfortunately, she has closed her puzzle company now.
Envelopes
Trevell – This is a French brand, and I was able to get one regular puzzle and two mini puzzles to try this year. The mini puzzles were Cozy Kitchen and Spring Barn, and the larger puzzle was Parenthese Enchantee. I had a wonderful experience with all of them.
Cozy KitchenParenthese EnchanteeSpring Barn
Villager – This is a Canadian woman-owned brand that features artwork from Canadian women artists. The puzzles are beautiful and the quality is very good. I purchased two puzzles from them this year (Rockies Explorer and Dream Library), and I got two more as traveling puzzles (Cottage Country and Lupines Meadow).
Dream LibraryCottage CountryLupines MeadowRockies Explorer
Wentworth Wooden Puzzles – I got the chance to do my first ever wooden puzzle as part of a traveling puzzle from a Facebook group. This is a UK brand. It was called Sunset Mountains, and it was gorgeous. I absolutely loved it and hope I will get to do more wooden puzzles in the future.
I watched a lot of shows and movies in 2025, some of which was catching up on things I missed when I wasn’t watching very much TV for a few years, so I thought it would be fun to look back over my watch history and see what stood out as my favorites. I have listed them below with the year they came out.
Favorite Shows I Watched in 2025
Adolescence (2025)
Paradise (2025)
The Pitt (2025)
The Residence (2025)
Man on the Inside (2024-2025)
And Just Like That (2021-2025)
Little Women (2017 BBC miniseries)
The Good Place (2016-2020)
Parks and Recreation (2009-2015)
Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000)
Favorite Movies I Watched in 2025
Love at First Sight (2023)
The Half of It (2020)
Always Be My Maybe (2019)
Love, Simon (2018)
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)
They Came Together (2014)
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2013)
The Adjustment Bureau (2011)
The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009)
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
I’m curious, did you like or dislike any of these? What shows or movies would you recommend I add to my watch list?
In So Many Words 