Sunday Post 121

Hi everyone!

Through Monday, I am linking with the following: 

Reading Reality, who hosts Stacking the Shelves

Readerbuzz, who hosts Sunday Salon

Caffeinated Reviewer, who hosts Sunday Post

The Book Date, who hosts It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

On the above blogs you will be able to see links to the posts from others who are participating in those blog hops, and if you're a blogger, you can join too. 

Welcome to the last Sunday Post of 2025! I hope the end of the year is a good one for all of you. May your 2026 be merry and bright!

I was sick on Christmas Day, so it wasn't very merry for me. I wasn't able to eat dinner, but by the next morning I was completely better and I enjoyed the leftovers immensely. I was able to spend some of Christmas with family and I received books, puzzles, and a color-by-numbers book. I love the idea of a color-by-numbers book for adults. I love to color, but I'm not always confident in the colors I choose. Color-by-numbers is perfect because I can enjoy the process without the "stress" of having to choose the colors.

I am still working on a puzzle I started in the fall. I'm really hoping to finally finish it by the end of the year. I'm so close to finishing, but the pieces that are left are some of the most difficult ones to lock in. They are mostly yellows and oranges. I will share it here when I'm done. I'm learning that Bits & Pieces is a brand I want to avoid in the future. I'm also learning that just because I like the picture, it doesn't mean it makes a great puzzle.

I had a great physical therapy session last week and I'm hopeful the next one will also be a success. I achieved a goal I had been trying for on the hand cycle. Now I need to keep that up. I've also been doing the strengthening exercises at home.

IN THE BOOKS

RECENTLY FINISHED

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I listened to A Cross-Country Christmas, written by Courtney Walsh and narrated by Reba Buhr and Will Collyer. The last part of this book was better than most of it. The last part had so much more depth. It was only then that I started to connect with the characters. I'll definitely read more books by Courtney Walsh, but this one was just okay for me.

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I received A Jingle of Justice, by Daryl Wood Gerber, for Christmas. This is a novella that fits into the Fairy Garden Mystery series, that I love. I really enjoyed this one as well. I'm planning to publish my full review on New Year's Day.

IN PROGRESS

I started reading  Public Anchovy #1 (Deep Dish Mystery 3), by Mindy Quigley. I'm really enjoying it so far.

I started listening to A Killer Christmas (Murder, She Wrote 59), written by Jessica Fletcher and Terrie Farley Moran and narrated by Laural Merlington. I really like this series and I love that it can easily be read out of order. The main characters throughout the series are consistent, but there's no subplot that runs through all of them.

UP NEXT

The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year, written by Margaret Renkl and illustrated by Billy Renkl, is a book I received last year. I'm going to take the entire year to savor it. If I remember correctly, I saw it on one of your blogs and knew I had to read it.

ON THE SCREEN

• A Grand Ole Opry Christmas - This new Hallmark movie has so much of what I love - a 90's country music vibe, time travel, and two outstanding leads. So why didn't I love the movie as much as I thought I would? It might be partly because there were issues with the time travel element that raised too many questions. I also wish they didn't have Brad Paisley singing the duo's songs in the movie. I love Brad Paisley, but I think a less recognizable voice would have been more appropriate. Everyone I follow who watched this movie loved it, so I'll probably give it another try at some point. Sometimes I just have to be in the mood for certain movies. I will say it did have a really sweet father-daughter storyline that isn't typical for Hallmark.
• Christmas at the Plaza - This is a 2019 Hallmark movie that I finally watched for the first time. I really enjoyed it! It isn't your typical small town romance (which I love). On the contrary, it is set in a big city. Yet is still felt cozy. It is a romance, but it has a bit of a mystery element, too.
• A Very Merry Bridesmaid - I've had this 2021 Hallmark movie on my radar and on my DVR for a while. I'm so glad I finally watched it. I loved it! It was really cute and sweet, and it didn't have the usual third act misunderstanding. The movie involved both parents (for one main character) and adult siblings, all of which I love in a Hallmark movie.

ON THE BLOG

• Sunday Post - 12/20 - Weekly Recap
• Golden Gratitude - A through U
• Book Review - 12/23 - Poison and Prejudice (Rare Books Mystery 3), by Daphne Silver
• Puzzle - 12/27 - 2025

Have a great week and I'll see you in the blogosphere next year!