#2025 Library Love Reading Challenge

[bargainsleuthbooks]

📚🎧Stacking the Shelves: January 25, 2025 #BookHaul #ARCReview #LibraryLove #BannedBooks

It's time for my weekly round-up on media I've acquired, whether it be advanced reader's copies from NetGalley and Edelweiss, library borrows, or purchases. Lots on all counts! #BookReview #BookSky #BookBlogger #BannedBooks #LibraryLove #BookHaul

[sixeyesonathiel]

finally birthing male manipulator satoru with girl failure reader wwww

gojo satoru was used to getting what he wanted.

and he wanted you.

not in some deep, profound way—god, no. not at first. it started as a game. a challenge. a passing amusement that piqued his interest one random thursday morning when you stammered out an apology after bumping into his desk, cheeks flushed, eyes wide. he watched you trip over your own words, clutch your pen like a lifeline, and tuck your legs up onto the chair like you could shrink out of existence if you tried hard enough.

prime target. textbook girlfailure behavior. he could spot it from a mile away.

this was supposed to be easy.

he’d start small. nothing too intense. just a little white knight routine—softboy edition. give you just enough attention to get you spinning. love-bomb in casual doses. trauma-dump-lite over late-night fries. maybe let his voice go quiet and vulnerable one evening and say, “you remind me of someone i cared about.” glance away, bite his lip, look just the right amount of broken. play the victim just enough to make you feel like you had to fix him.

he’d make you think he saw you. that he understood you.

except you, with your messy hair and oversized hoodie sleeves pulled over twitchy fingers, dodged every single one of his perfectly curated attempts like your avoidant attachment style was running military-grade defense protocols.

“you okay, sweetheart?” he asked one afternoon, leaning a little too close to your desk, silver hair slightly tousled, reading glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose, his voice low and silky. lips curved into a smile that’d made stronger girls fold. “you looked a little sad today. i worry about you sometimes.”

you blinked up at him, lashes fluttering like you couldn’t believe he was talking to you. your throat worked around a half-swallowed gulp. then your face shifted. shutters slammed down. you forced a grin, lopsided and sharp around the edges.

“yeah, i’m just like this. it’s seasonal depression, but, y’know… year-round. i’m fine.”

you said it so matter-of-factly. like he was asking about the weather.

satoru froze, his hand briefly twitching near his glasses as he pushed them up slowly, searching for meaning in a world that had suddenly gone sideways.

what the actual hell.

okay. maybe you needed more.

he started sitting next to you in class. always coincidentally. elbows brushing, knees knocking. his thigh warm where it grazed yours. he sent you memes at 1:37 a.m. with captions like “us fr?” and “ur literally me,” despite you barely replying to half of them. he offered his jacket when the AC kicked on and watched the way you hesitated, blushed, and then said, “i run on spite, not warmth.”

and then, the pièce de résistance:

“i just feel like… you’re different,” he said one evening outside the library. the campus was quiet, sky the kind of inky navy that made everything feel more cinematic. he stood with hands stuffed into his hoodie pocket, a calculated slouch, glasses slightly askew, hair falling across his forehead. his voice dipped low, coaxing. “everyone else is so fake. but you? you’re real. you’ve got this… broken, beautiful thing going on.”

you tilted your head. stared. then squinted at him like he was a suspiciously priced antique. “did you get that line off tiktok?”

he flinched.

bro.

he ran a hand through his hair. a slow, dramatic drag of fingers. girls walking by giggled. he didn’t look up. he was malfunctioning.

he was trying. actually trying. not just running a script. not just playing games. he was pulling every page from the softboy manipulator playbook and rewriting it with style. the gaslight-gatekeep-girlboss starter pack, optimized for 2025.

and still. you met his carefully calculated charm with self-deprecating jokes, sarcasm, and the kind of deadpan delivery that made him question if he was losing it.

“you should save that line for someone without warranty issues,” you said, staring at him with a crooked little smile. “i come pre-broken.”

he left that encounter walking in slow motion, hoodie sleeves dragged over his hands, mouth set in a pout. if a sad indie movie montage started playing around him, he wouldn’t have questioned it.

here’s the thing, though: you liked him.

it was obvious.

he saw it in the way your gaze flickered to his mouth when he talked. the way your fingers curled tight around your notebook when he leaned in too close. the way your breath hitched just slightly when he used your name in a sentence. you were down bad.

but you were also your own worst enemy.

years of romantic misfires and silent yearning had turned you into a master of avoidance. you would rather make a joke about your emotional damage than let someone touch your heart. rather ghost your feelings than face them.

and it was frying his entire nervous system.

one night, 2:14 a.m., satoru lay on his bed staring at your latest post: a blurry picture of your cat with the caption “me.” it had two likes.

he stared at it longer than any man should. took a screenshot. set it as his lock screen for five minutes. unironically laughed.

then groaned and stuffed his face into his pillow.

“no,” he muttered. “no. she’s the one who canceled our group study session with ‘sorry i’m busy disappointing my ancestors.’”

and yet.

he kept thinking about the way your voice dropped to a whisper when you didn’t think anyone was listening. the way you fiddled with your sleeves when you were nervous. how you always sat at the edge of a group like you weren’t sure you belonged there.

you never clung to him. never fed into his savior complex. never let him be the one who "fixed" you.

and for some reason, that made him want to try harder.

not because it was a game anymore. because… well. because you were infuriating. weird. unpredictable. not like the others. god, maybe you were even kind of funny.

whatever. it wasn’t that deep.

gojo satoru: male manipulator dodged by the one girl who wanted him back… just enough to sabotage it.

and now he’s the one thinking way too hard about someone who won’t even sit next to him two days in a row.

he doesn’t like you.

he just… finds you interesting.

that’s all.

shut up.

[reasonsforhope]

"In neighborhoods across the globe — yes, even in Antarctica — it is not uncommon to find a Little Free Library, or a book-sharing box filled with a collection of free books to take, share, and enjoy.

If a location on the South Pole wasn’t enough, Little Free Library is celebrating a major milestone: Its 200,000th box. 

The nonprofit that manages these 200,000 mini libraries works to increase access to literacy in urban, suburban, and rural communities all over the world. This includes programming to expand access to books among BIPOC communities, as well as efforts to fight book bans across the United States.

In sticking with this mission, the landmark 200,000th library was donated to and installed at Benjamin E. Mays IB World School, an elementary school in St. Paul, Minnesota. 

The donation also marks the first of 200 Little Free Libraries that will be given to Title I schools across the U.S., in an effort to expand access to books in low-income areas...

The 200,000th library is exclusively for students and is designed to resemble a one-room schoolhouse. This pays homage to the very first Little Free Library, built by the organization’s founder Todd H. Bol in 2009.

“The future where all of us, no matter our age, economic status, or residence, have the opportunity to readily access a book that can inspire, motivate, and empower,” Metzger continued. 

“Working together locally as a community, a community connected through Little Free Libraries, we hope to make this opportunity a reality for all.” 

The worldwide network of Little Free Libraries spans all 50 states, 128 countries, and all seven continents. 

Next, 199 more Little Free Libraries will be installed at Title I elementary schools, and each of these will be stocked with 200 brand-new books.

The donated libraries are sponsored by Books Unbanned and the donated materials come from a 40,000-book donation from Penguin Random House. ..

Schools receiving these libraries and books were selected through an application process, and all students in the schools are welcome to take the books home at no cost.

“Many of our students have little to no books at home, and transportation barriers prevent families from reaching the public library,” a representative from participating school Somerset Lakes Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida, said in a statement.

“A Little Free Library will serve as a crucial bridge, providing ongoing access to literature for students, their siblings, parents, and the community.”

Back in St. Paul, the 200,000th library is already set to be well-loved by the 340 students who attend Benjamin E. Mays IB World School. All students received gifted books, and 50 select students who excelled in a recent reading challenge attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“Freedom is the road seldom traveled by the multitudes; however, literacy is the gateway to learn one’s past, present, and shape the future,” said the school’s principal, Dr. Kenneth O. Turner Jr. 

“Through literacy, one can travel the world, reading and learning about historical figures who have shaped the world. Literacy can take you into space and travel the galaxies far away. Through literacy all is obtainable.” 

Anyone interested in joining the “take a book, leave a book” movement of Little Free Library can build or buy their own box and register it online to be part of the official network."

-via GoodGoodGood, March 13, 2025

[darlingsblackbook]

Alhaitham x Academic Rival!Reader | Part One

A secretly whipped reader, academic banter, emotional tension, and one breaking point.

Genshin Masterlist

I | You and Alhaitham are notorious rivals in the Akademiya — always seated on opposite sides of lectures, always arguing different perspectives in academic debates.

II | You lowkey admire how sharp Alhaitham's mind is, how confidently he speaks, how easily he reads through texts that took you hours.

You also kind of want to punch him. And kiss him. It's a crisis.

III | Every time Alhaitham throws a jab at your logic or calls your thesis “unrefined,” your heart stupidly flutters.

It’s pathetic. You know. But it’s him.

IV | “You call that research?” he scoffs, flicking through your paper.

You just smile, cheeks burning. “Constructive as always, Haitham.”

V | You start interpreting any form of attention as affection. He looked in your direction today?

He's obsessed with you, obviously.

VI | Kaveh catches on immediately. “You’ve got it bad.”

You nearly choke on your coffee. “No, I don’t!”

“You let him insult you like it’s a love letter.”

VII | One time, you bump into him while reaching for the same book.

He says, “Don’t tell me you actually read this level of theory.”

You: “Haha yeah…” [internally screaming because he’s standing so close]

VIII | Every time Alhaitham argues with you in a lecture, you get more flustered — because he always singles you out.

IX | You once stayed up all night fixing your paper because he called your previous one “mediocre.”

The next day, he said, “Hmph. An improvement.”

You almost passed out from joy.

X | You carry a notebook of things he’s said to you — insults, dry comments, eye rolls. You’ve reread them more than once. It’s so delusional you scare even yourself.

XI | Alhaitham never really smiles at you, but he always looks your way when you speak in discussions.

You pretend it’s love. It is not love.

XII | He’s efficient, cold, and logical. You’re awkward, flushed, and hopelessly enamored. It's a terrible balance. But you accept any crumb.

XIII | One day, while leaving the library, he passes you and mutters, “I suppose if you tried harder, you wouldn’t be trailing behind me.”

You pause. Smile. “I’ll work on it.”

XIV | You know people think you’re a doormat for letting him talk to you like that. You don’t care. It's Alhaitham. You'll take what you can get.

XV | Until - In a particularly heated debate, you challenge him harder than usual. He narrows his eyes and says, “Don’t try to pretend you’re on my level. You're not.”

XVI | The words sting in a way none of the others ever did. You stare at him for a second too long. Then without a word, you gather your things and walk away.

XVII | Alhaitham watches you go, confused at first. Then quiet. Because for the first time — you didn’t smile. You didn’t take it. You left.

XVIII | You avoid him for days. You stop raising your hand in lectures. You stop trying to get his attention. He notices. He hates it. And he doesn’t know why.

XIX | When he finally corners you outside the library, he looks more uncertain than you’ve ever seen him.

“I didn’t mean it the way it sounded,” he says.

You cross your arms. “Then how did you mean it?”

Alhaitham's voice is quiet. “…You’ve always challenged me. That’s why I engage with you. It was never meant to belittle you.”

You hesitate. “Then why say it like that?”

He looks away, ears slightly red. “I’m not used to people wanting my attention. I thought you didn’t mind the way I speak.”

“…I didn’t,” you say softly. “Until it started to hurt.”

All Rights Reserved © 2025 Darlingsblackbook

[lakecountylibrary]

sending much love in this everyone is getting defunded time 💕💕💕💕 hope u guys are doing ok

Hi! Thanks! We are Going Through It!

The truth is, we don't how bad it's going to be for us specifically. You've heard of the federal-level funding problems; here in Indiana we're undergoing our own budget trials as well. Your support means the world to us.

I've put details about our state-level challenges as well as a refresher on the federal funding problems under the cut but here's the tl;dr:

There isn't much you can do for LCPL at the state level right now, but please call Congress and tell them to support libraries at the federal level.

The proposed FY2026 budget completely eliminates IMLS and that's not good. The American Library Association has a tool to make calling easy, complete with script!

And here are the promised details:

At the federal level:

The current administration used an executive order to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which provided millions of dollars in grants to libraries across the country.

These IMLS grants were used to fund things like interlibrary loan systems, research databases, and braille/talking books libraries.

As of May 1, a temporary restraining order has been placed preventing the further dismantling of the department while things are investigated, but a lot of damage has been done.

On May 2, President Trump's FY2026 budget proposal [PDF] was released. On page 39, it calls for the complete elimination of IMLS (as well as many other departments such as the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts). The American Library Association was able to sue for that temporary restraining order we mentioned partially because Congress HAD funded the IMLS for 2025. If Congress opts not to fund it for 2026 as suggested in this proposal, that'll be it.

This is the part where I repeat: please call Congress and ask them to support libraries. Here's the link with the script again.

And here's what's going on locally in Indiana:

Funding for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library has been eliminated from the state budget. After some pressure, Governor Braun has handed the program over to his spouse to try to fund-raise what's needed to keep it running across the state. Here's an article from the Post-Tribune with some library officials' perspectives on that decision.

Funding for the Indiana State Library has been cut by 30% (HEA 1001)

A new property tax bill has been passed (SEA 1) that will drastically cut libraries' main source of income. The Indiana Library Federation reported: "The Legislative Services Agency’s fiscal impact statement shows that SEA 1 would reduce public library funding by over $12.2 million in 2026, growing to nearly $16.8 million by 2028." (source, PDF)

So it's sort of... a lot. Lately. Thank you for reading all of this, and thank you for supporting your libraries!

[aaknopf]

On this last day of poetry month, let’s savor one last page from The New Yorker’s store of century-defining poems—the classics that we return to again and again. “What Work Is,” by Knopf poet Philip Levine (1948–2015), is one of them—a poem that never ages in its call to our humanity. Thank you for heeding that call and for sharing poems with your people in these challenging times.

What Work Is

We stand in the rain in a long line waiting at Ford Highland Park. For work. You know what work is—if you’re old enough to read this you know what work is, although you may not do it. Forget you. This is about waiting, shifting from one foot to another. Feeling the light rain falling like mist into your hair, blurring your vision until you think you see your own brother ahead of you, maybe ten places. You rub your glasses with your fingers, and of course it’s someone else’s brother, narrower across the shoulders than yours but with the same sad slouch, the grin that does not hide the stubbornness, the sad refusal to give in to rain, to the hours wasted waiting, to the knowledge that somewhere ahead a man is waiting who will say, “No, we’re not hiring today,” for any reason he wants. You love your brother, now suddenly you can hardly stand the love flooding you for your brother, who’s not beside you or behind or ahead because he’s home trying to sleep off a miserable night shift at Cadillac so he can get up before noon to study his German. Works eight hours a night so he can sing Wagner, the opera you hate most, the worst music ever invented. How long has it been since you told him you loved him, held his wide shoulders, opened your eyes wide and said those words, and maybe kissed his cheek? You’ve never done something so simple, so obvious, not because you’re too young or too dumb, not because you’re jealous or even mean or incapable of crying in the presence of another man, no, just because you don’t know what work is.

More on this book and author:

Browse books by Philip Levine. 

Learn more about A Century of Poetry in The New Yorker and browse the companion centennial anthology, A Century of Fiction in The New Yorker.

Hear Kevin Young, poetry editor at The New Yorker and editor of A Century of Poetry in The New Yorker, speak to Knopf editor Deborah Garrison about the poetry anthology in a special New Yorker Poetry Podcast episode.

Celebrate The New Yorker’s centenary with additional events throughout 2025 including special exhibitions from the New York Public Library (A Century of The New Yorker, running from Feb. 22, 2025 – Feb. 21, 2026 and available online here) and the Society of Illustrators (Drawn From The New Yorker, running from Jan 8, 2025 – May 3, 2025).

Visit our Tumblr to share this poem and peruse other poems, audio recordings, and broadsides in the Knopf poem-a-day series.

To share the poem-a-day experience with friends, pass along this link.

[moonlightsapphic]

Les-Bi Readings

don’t sent me asks, read my (working) bibliography/masterpost on all things sapphic by reputed authors!

Non-Fiction Books

All About Love by Bell Hooks

Bi: Notes for a Bisexual Revolution by Shiri Esner

Bi: the Hidden Culture, History, and Science of Bisexuality by Julia Shaw

Bisexuality and the Challenge to Lesbian Politics: Sex, Loyalty, and Revolution by Paula Rodriguez Rust

Bisexual politics : theories, queries, and visions edited by Naomi Tucker

Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold by Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy and Madeline Davis

Feminism is for Everyone by Bell Hooks

Gender Trouble by Judith Butler

He/She/They: How We Talk About Gender and Why It Matters by Schuyler Bailar

Fiction (classics + contemporary)

Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden

Bright Lines by Tanaïs

Every Step She Takes by Allison Cochrun

Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

Ordinary Love by Marie Rutkoski

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales

Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg

The Colour Purple by Alice Walker

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This is Why They Hate Us by Aaron H Aceves

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

We Have Always Been Here by Samra Habib

Video Essays (easy place to start!)

“4B: the Politics of Exclusion” by Trash Discourse

“Berkeley professor explains gender theory | Judith Butler” by Big Think

“Bi & Trans History: The Invasion of Lesbianville, Massachusetts” by verilybitchie

“Comphet vs Compulsory Heterosexuality” by verilybitchie

“FEMME: Lesbian History, Identity Politics and Invisibility” by Ordinary Queer

“Gay or Bi? The Nuances of Sexual Orientation” by verilybitchie

“How Love, Simon’s Author Was Pushed Out of the Closet” by Matt Bernstein

“I wanna talk about feminist separatism” by Ophie Dokie

“Lesbians vs. Bisexuals. Do we THINK the same?” by jessiepaege

“Monosexuality and Bisexuality” by verilybitchie

“Schuyler Bailar Presents ‘He/She/They: How We Talk About Gender and Why It Matters” by Seattle Public Library

“ ‘straight-passing privilege’ is just biphobia” by black and white thinking

“The Boyfriend Backlash of 2025” by Ophie Dokie

“We Need to Talk About the Lesbian Masterdoc” by notdefining

“what are ‘BI-LESBIANS’? (and why does the internet hate them?)” by black and white thinking

“What is A Lesbian?: Bisexual Lesbians and Lesbian History” by Trash Discourse

“Why is Queer Discourse So Toxic?” by Lily Alexandre

“Why Queer TV is Getting Worse” by verilybitchie

“Why We Hate Bi Men” by verilybitchie

Articles and Essays

“A New Study Explains Why Many Lesbians Are Biased Against Bisexual Women” by Them

“Bisexuals and Health Risks” by National LGBT Cancer Network

“Bisexual Women and the ‘Threat’ to Lesbian Space: Or What If All the Lesbians Leave?” by Sharon Dale Stone

“Descriptive or Divisive? A Critical Review of Scholarly Perspectives toward Monosexism” by Nel Jayson Santos & Alisa Craig

“Hegemonic Discourse in an Oppositional Community: Lesbian Feminist and Bisexuality” by Amber Ault

“Monosexism” by Shiri Eisner

“The ‘Lesbian-Only Term’ Myth: A Comprehensive Historical Essay on ‘Butch’ and ‘Femme’ ” by femmebis

“ ‘Transandrophobia’ Primer” by nothorses

“What is Transandrophobia and why is it called that?” by st-dionysus

Please send me your recs! Happy reading and happy Pride. :)

🩷❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜

[zepskies]

⋆˙⟡ Alex (she/her | 29) | writer | Dean Girl ~ EST 2014 | Latina POC 🇨🇺🇵🇷🇩🇴

☕️ Fandoms I currently write for: ⟡ Supernatural ⟡ The Boys ⟡ Big Sky ⟡ Tracker ⟡ The Last of Us ⟡ Narcos ⟡ Dark Angel ⟡ Smallville ⟡ 10 Inch Hero ⟡ Dawson’s Creek ⟡ Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit

Main Masterlist

Writer's Room (Fic Library)

Reading Room (Fic Recs)

Tag List:

Check out my Tag List Form here and choose which characters you'd like to be tagged on. **Please note: I will periodically remove blog names from these lists to prioritize people who engage with posts more than "likes."

You can also follow my fic library blog - @zepskieswrites - with notifications on so you never miss a new story.

💜 5,000 Follower Celebration

"Celebrating" this milestone of over 5K followers is really just me saying THANK YOU to everyone who's supported me by reading, commenting, and reblogging my work, helping me brainstorm, giving me inspiration, or just simply being my friend! 💜

There are 3 ways to participate:

⟡ Ask Me Stuff

⟡ Summer Writing Challenge!

⟡ Mini Fic Requests

⋆˙⟡ Join My Patreon

Get early access to new stories, bonus content, and first looks at upcoming stories. Top-tier patrons can even send me requests!

(Bingo masterlists, podfics and podcast interviews, fic recs, and questions answered about writing and Jackles characters below the cut):

✦ Bingos

Jacklesverse Bingo 2024-25 Masterlist

✦ Podfics

Stories that have been narrated in podcast form by Sandra, one of the lovely hosts of the Idling in the Impala podcast. Go here to check out the full YouTube playlist of podfics.

✦ Podcast Interviews

⟡ "Y/N & Let Y/N: Fanfic Author Interview" - (September 24, 2024)

Sandra and Kasey, the lovely hosts of @idlingintheimpalapodcast — the podcast for all things SPN and fanfiction — invited me on the pod for an interview…

We chatted about Dean Winchester and Jensen Ackles’ early roles, the best and worst seasons of SPN, the joys and pains of writing Soldier Boy, and much, much more.

For all the timestamps of key moments, fic recs, and SPN writer shoutouts, see this post (you'll find the link to the video there too).

⟡ “Words have power.” Minority and Cultural Representation in FanFiction - (June 3, 2025)

Sandra and Kasey invited me back on the pod for an interview on a topic that's very close to my heart…

We talked about the fun moments and challenges about reading and writing fanfiction that represents specific racial and ethnic cultures, being bicultural/multicultural, the immigrant experience, and much more.

I offered my own experience as a Latina POC writing in the fandom space, specifically Supernatural and The Boys (and adjacent Jackles fandoms).

For all the timestamps of key moments and fic recs, see this post (you'll find the link to the video there too).

💌 Ask Me Stuff

REQUESTS ARE CLOSED (except for prompts from the 5K Follower Celebration). I am only fulfilling requests on Patreon, but please feel free to hit me up in my inbox with questions or comments about my work, about fandom and characters, writing, or even just life in general! 💜

✦ About Writing

My thoughts on creative writing and fanfiction, the writing process, tips I've learned or been given, and questions people ask me.

⟡ Ways to Say I Love You

⟡ There Are Two Kinds of Writers: Architects & Adventurers

⟡ 10 Top Favorite Romantic Comedy Movies

⟡ 5 Tips to Stay Motivated to Write

⟡ 5 Tips for Beating Writer's Block

⟡ Writing a Good Kiss/Romantic Scene

⟡ Where Do I Get My Writing Ideas?

⟡ Asking the "What If" Question & Developing Plot Ideas

⟡ How to Build a Tumblr Following (In My Experience) - 3 Tips

⟡ 6 (More) Tips for Building a Tumblr Following (In My Experience)

⟡ What Does "Supporting Writers" Mean?

⟡ PSA on Tumblr Tags: Tag Lists & # Tags

⟡ 4 Ways to Create a Tag List

✦ Characters, Fandom & Fic Rec Lists

⟡ Why We Love The Boys: A Review of Supes Ain't Always Heroes

⟡ Tips on Writing Dean Winchester

⟡ 3 Tips for Writing Soldier Boy (Ben)

⟡ Writing Angst with Soldier Boy (Ben)

⟡ Supernatural Fic Rec List

⟡ Dean Winchester AU Fic Rec List

⟡ Beau Arlen Fic Rec List

⟡ Soldier Boy Fic Rec List

⟡ August 2024 Fic Recs

⟡ The Venn Diagram of Jackles: Similarities & differences between Dean Winchester, Beau Arlen & Soldier Boy (Ben)

✦ Author's Note

[readnburied]

13 Moons Reading Challenge 2025 - Announcement

The year passed by so quickly with so many ups and downs and now it’s time for the announcement of the 13 Moons reading challenge for 2025. A new year with a new list of prompts that will make your reading journey exciting…hopefully. This reading challenge is created by me for the entire reading community. So if you love reading or are looking for a reading challenge to try for the upcoming year, then here is one for you. 

Rules & Levels

The rules for this reading challenge are simple. First of all, this is just for fun so no need to feel pressured into doing anything or reading anything you don’t want to. You can also be flexible with the prompts if you choose to do so. The challenge will run from January 1st, 2025 till December 31st, 2025.

There are a total of 104 reading prompts divided into 13 categories. There is a list of levels given and you can choose which level you wish to participate in based on your preference. The levels you can participate in are as follows:

Penumbral Lunar Eclipse: 13 books — fulfill one prompt from each category 

Partial Lunar Eclipse: 26 books — fulfill at least one prompt from each category

Central Lunar Eclipse: 52 books — fulfill at least one prompt from each category

Total Lunar Eclipse: 104 books — fulfill all the prompts

The reading challenge is given below. You can choose which level you want to go for and choose your prompts accordingly. So without further ado, here is the 13 Moons reading challenge 2025.

13 Moons Reading Challenge 2025

Wolf Moon

Mythology retelling

The word ‘Dance’ in the title

Book with a character who journals

Reread a book you had to read in High School

Candle on the cover

The word ‘Bite’ in the title

Book featuring a Restaurant

Book featuring something Red

Snow Moon

Book about a Cyborg

Book set on an Island

Book about Puzzles

Book about your favorite trope

Borrow a book from the Library

Book featuring something Purple

Book about an ‘Ice Queen’

Book about Dreams

Worm Moon

Read a book that scares you

Read the Fifth book on your TBR

Book featuring something Light Blue

Start a book at 4PM or 16:00

Ladybug on the cover

A book you think helps you get out of a reading slump

Read a book by the Window

Book with the word ‘Salt’ in the title 

Pink Moon

Book featuring Religion

This is the Fourth book you read

Start a Middle Grade series

Book about Star-Crossed lovers 

Book featuring something White

Book with a Step-Parent

Boots on the cover

Book about a Writer

Flower Moon

Start a book before Sunrise

Book featuring something Green

Book that starts with your favorite letter

Book featuring the Moon

Book about Dragons

Book about your favorite hobby

Book by an indigenous author 

Butterfly on the cover

Strawberry Moon

Book featuring something Silver

Book about a natural phenomenon

Read or listen to a book while traveling

Book with a character with the same profession as yours

Read a Dark Academia

Book inspired by your favorite movie

Book with Eyes on the cover

Book about Lies 

Buck Moon

Handbag on the cover

Word ‘Fish’ in the title

Book with a character in their Thirties

Book about going back in time 

Book with a Spaceship

Book written by a Ghostwriter

Book featuring something Pink 

Wheels on the cover 

Sturgeon Moon

Start a book during a Full Moon

Number in the title

Book with a Metal in the title

Book with a Rainbow

Sandals on the cover 

Book that has been translated to a different language

Book featuring something Orange

Book with a Talking Mirror

Harvest Moon

Read or listen to a book while practicing a hobby

Start a book on the 15th of the month 

Book with an Albino character

Book about a Thief

Book featuring something Blue

A dark retelling

Read a FanFiction

Book with the main character over Forty 

Hunter’s Moon

Book with a made up language 

Read a book from an Online Platform

Book you’ll fight to read

Book featuring something Black

A Waste Basket on the cover 

Book you think Cures boredom

A Whimsical book

Book that is always on your TBR that you never get to read 

Beaver Moon

Read a Steamy Romance 

Title with the word generated from a random word generator

Book cover in the color of your favorite fruit

Swan on the cover

Bridge on the cover or in the title

Book featuring something Maroon

Book about a Dentist 

Book with the Golden Trio trope

Cold Moon

Read a book under a blanket

Book with a Peppermint Cane on the cover

A Holiday romance

Book featuring something Turquoise 

Ice Cubes on the cover

A mystery thriller set in a cold region

Book you think will make you shiver

Read a book while wearing socks

Blue Moon

Book by an author who has written no more than one book or series 

Book featuring something Golden

Book you consider a Rare find

Book with a character with a Rare ability

Book from a region which experiences the Blue Hour

A book gifted to you

Book featuring Triplets

Book from a versatile author

And that’s it! This is the 13 Moons reading challenge 2025 for you all. Let me know if you like it. If you wish to participate I’d love it if you can comment below to tell me you’re participating in the challenge. If you don’t want to comment, that’s fine as well. As long as you enjoy doing the challenge, I’m happy. Until next year! 

Happy Reading!!

[bargainsleuthbooks]

📚🎧Stacking the Shelves: February 22, 2025 🎬📺🧹 #BookHaul #ARCReview #LibraryLove #Wicked #Biography

It's time for Stacking the Shelves, a look back at the media I've acquired this past week, whether it's ARCs, library borrows, or purchases. #Bookthreads #StackingtheShelves #Books #Booksky #BookBlogger #LibraryLove #Edelweiss #NetGalley #Wicked #ARCReview #DesiArnaz #TheBlackPack #DoctorWho

[thewinterwitcher]

I keep forgetting to post this. Halfish-way through the year and I’m halfway done!! And I’ve completed One Bingo!! YIPPEE!!

Challenge by @batmanisagatewaydrug and also on Storygraph here if you use it (i like it :3)

~*~*~*~*~*~*`*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Short Story Collection: Objects of Affection by @taylor-titmouse. AAAHHHH extremely good i’ve been eyeballing this one for a minute and I’m really glad I got it as a part of the Sicko’s Selection 2 bundle >:3 (two days left at time of writing! Bundle ends 6/6!)

Sequel: Heavenly Tyrant by @xiranjayzhao. Also have been waiting a hot second for this one, and I found it to be BETTER than its prequel. Please tell me more about complex economic systems and hate-pegging.

Reread a Childhood Fav: Making Money by Terry Pratchett. I accidentally read this one first when I was a kid before Going Postal! It still holds up except for the fatphobia! Which i was not pleased to be reminded of! (Un)fortunately I have realized Moist and I have the same taste in women.

Fantasy: The Lotus Empire by Tasha Shuri. I TORE through the first few books of this series and the conclusions really pulled everything together. I won’t say too much but the journeys these women go on are wild and tense and sexy and satisfying. Read The Burning Kingdom Trilogy for morally dubious women and a fucking incredible setting.

Indie Publisher: Xenosexuality Conference by @taylor-titmouse. It was Taylor’s birthday yesterday so I got this on sale and that was delightfully juicy. Giving me ideas about how to go about writing erotica. Also the tension between Brill not knowing what the aliens were saying, but the reader getting the full translation with commentary from Brill on what she *can* understand. Excellent!!

2025 Debut Author: Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams. Well. I worked in tech for a bit. None of this was surprising and it scans like the programming cult i was in for a year and a half. Ouchie oof ow to the brain but good to have read up on with the Facebook/Meta anti-trust case.

Memoir: What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo. Therapist rec!! I’ve got some quotes from this up on my wall now, but especially “Shame is the opposite of love. [Punishment] is the opposite of love. Forgiveness is love. Spaciousness is love.”

read a zine + make a zine: I make a lot of zines and read a lot of em, but I specifically made some mending zines that you can check out here if you wanna

Nonfiction: Jovita Wore Pants by Aida Salazar and Molly Mendoza. Was on the “skip the line” list for my local library’s n ebooks, checked it out, REALLY wonderful art, loved that the story was followed by more detailed history and the connection to the author.

Romance Novel: All the Hidden Paths by Foz Meadow. YAAAAAAAY OUR ARRANGED MARRIAGE HAS TURNED OUT MOSTLY WELL BUT THERE’S STILL POLITICS. Excellent beautiful wonderful! Love me some mlm romantasy. Got me to start writing my own. Yippee (again)!

Read + make a recipe: also a bajillion of these if i’m not making stuff up off the top of my head

Published in the Aughts: Going Postal by Terry Pratchett. I did read them in order this time though. Because I hadn’t done that before. (Un)fortunately also realized how much i fucked LOVE a rogue character. High Wis low Con builds forever!!!

I’ll probably remember to update this later! maybe! I’m just happy to be halfway thru (with a short break in May where I played thru ALL of Disco Elysium, Mudborne, and started a new FONV save file. I had a breakup and a move. It’s allowable).

[brain-rot-central]

If you ever wanted to know how bad the illiteracy crisis in America is, I work with people who are native English speakers, grew up going to public schools in areas that aren't necessarily poor or underfunded and they use AI grammar checkers in order to check how they speak/type on a daily basis.

Now, granted, they could have dyslexia.

I'm definitely some degree of dyslexic, but by exposing yourself to reading and listening to various different audio recordings, you start to develop a sense of "hmm this doesn't sound/look right;" almost like a type of pattern recognition.

I knew from a young age that I had difficulties with reading/writing/speaking. I STILL speak backwards and will often jumble the order of words in a sentence, to the point where I have to stop and restart. It's much easier for me to sound coherent through writing than speaking, and even then I sometimes struggle to get my point across.

My parents didn't want to admit I had a problem, so I took it upon myself to read/write as much as I could. I hated when it was my turn to read a passage from a book out loud during class, but I did my best to go over the passage as long as I could before being picked to read it, that way the words were already familiar in my mouth. If that makes sense.

What my point is though is that we neeeeeed to start encouraging people to read again. If you can't spend time reading because of kids or school or a busy schedule, by God pop on an audiobook and just listen. Not saying that all media should be free, but it really should be a lot easier for people to access books and other works. I think that would really help improve literacy rates nationwide.

I'd love to one day see local libraries have delivery services. Like order a book from your library online and they deliver it with a package slip to send it back through the mail after 2-3 weeks; however long they let you keep a book. If you want an extension maybe they make you pay an extra $1-5, something like that, which would cover the cost of packaging in most cases.

To see people using AI grammar checkers on the daily because they either did not have any help with reading/writing when they were younger or grew up impoverished breaks my heart and should not be the standard going forward.

Popping a sentence into a grammar checker will help you in the short-term, but if you want to get to a point where you never have to rely on such a device in the future, you need to practice that skill. And the only way you're going to do that is by putting the effort in to do so.

Not only does it benefit you by way of being able to convey yourself better, but it also helps keep your brain active. There have been multiple studies done that show people who read/play crosswords puzzles have a lower chance of developing memory loss as they age.

There really is truth in the statement, "you use it or you lose it."

I think this is something important to focus on because in a time where book bans are happening across the nation and there's widespread demonization of higher education, we have to realize that our ability to develop critical thinking skills is directly linked to how often we exercise our brains.

By keeping us illiterate, it becomes easier for oppressive governments to spoon feed us bullshit while no one bats an eye. I like to refer to the days of Medieval England and Europe when only those who had money and status were taught how to read. The Church basically ran everything and would very often spin the truth in their favor knowing the masses were illiterate and uneducated.

That's not something I would like to see in the year 2025, and I don't think most people want to see it, either.

Education is not the problem. Knowledge is truly power, and one of the best ways you can obtain knowledge is by reading.

Even if you struggle and you can't read something beyond Dr. Seuss, start there. Read as much at that level as you can, and slowly work yourself up. Keep challenging yourself.

If you need to write words down so you can look them up later, do it. Write them out in a book or a text note document on your phone with the definition next to them.

Do not let them strip your ability to gather information from you. Do not let them make you believe that to have knowledge or the desire to seek out knowledge is a bad thing.

Reading comprehension is one thing that can save you. You can read between the lines of whatever bullshit is being spun and thrown at you. Do not let them take that from you.

[49436]

Taking on @batmanisagatewaydrug 's 2025 Book Bingo (along with my wife & housemate, so it's now on our fridge. Taking me back to summer reading lists from the library)

I tend to work down my to-read list in order, unless there's something I really want to get to, so most of this list is 'what's the first thing I'll hit that fills the criteria'. But some books earn the right to skip the line, for one reason or another.

Going for a full board, which means actual bingo might take a minute lol

List below-

Literary Fiction - TBD

Short Story Collection - Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. Chain-Gang All Stars was on my top 10 from 2024 so even though short stories and I don't tend to get along, this one I'm excited about. Will also try Drinking From Graveyard Wells by Yvette Lisa Ndlovu

Sequel - Either A Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik or Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao. A matter of which one I get first; My library doesn't have physical copies of Heavenly Tyrant yet, and my wife owns all of Temeraire, so it might win.

Childhood Favorite - Might be Watership Down by Richard Adams, which is always a banger, but I reread Watership just a couple years ago, so it might be The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander instead, which I read many times with my mom and still have the whole series of.

20th Century Speculative Fiction - TBD

Fantasy - A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson. I read so much fantasy, BUT I already have A Taste Of Honey on my side table. So here we are.

Published Pre-1950 - The Iliad (and The Odyssey) translated by Emily Wilson. Heard a lot of noise about her translation, and haven't read these two since... idk but it's been over a decade. Also going to hop on the Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier train.

Indie Publisher - The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms trilogy by N.K. Jemisin. I read a LOT of indie publishers and Jemisin if one of my all-time favorite writers. I've been putting off this series for a time I can really get into it and burn down all three.

Graphic Novel - Dorohedoro by Q Hyashida. Currently on volume 8, will probably finish the series in the next week or two. Love love love Hyashida's work

Animal on the cover - Plague Dogs by Richard Adams. Despite my aforementioned childhood obsession with Watership Down I never got around to Plague Dogs. Looking forward to it!

Set in a country I've never visited - TBD

Sci-Fi - Another genre I'll read a thousand of in a year. Currently I have Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie on my side table (which I fear may be mid, but time will tell) I'm also VERY excited to read The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal

2025 Debut Author - TBD

Memoir - Love Is An Ex-Country by Randa Jarrar. Memoirs aren't usually my thing, but this one made it's way onto my to-read list last year so this is good motivation.

Zine - TBD. Browsing all the other posts from people doing this challenge for recs

Essay Collection - How To Read Now by Elaine Castillo. Literally the only essay collection on my to-read list and it jump scared me. Thought for sure this would a TBD, but How To Read Now should be interesting.

2024 Award Winner - TBD. Will trawl award lists when I have time

Non-Fiction - Facing the Wave: A Journey in the Wake of the Tsunami by Gretel Ehrlich. Specifically chose something that doesn't also count as social justice/activism, which is most of my non-fiction reads. I've found a real appreciation for good non-fiction the last few years (Everyone go read Swimming to Antarctica by Lynne Cox). Learning stuff is cool!

Social Justice/Activism - Everything you Love Will Burn: Inside the Rebirth of White Nationalism in America by Vegas Tenold. Excited for this one.

Romance - TBD. Tend to read romance that's also another genre (romantasy side eye at myself) so I've inevitably got one on my list. But maybe Akwaeke Emezi will write another romance and sweep me off my feet.

Recipe - Steak wrap pinwheels. My wife has been watching Food Truck Race (lol. lmao even) and one of the contestants made these. Stealing the idea with impunity.

Horror - Fever House by Keith Rosson. I've got a rich vein of horror novels on my to-read list, but this will be one of the first.

Published in the Aughts - TBD I'm old. I read of lot of 00's work.

Historical Fiction - Velvet Was The Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Is the 70's historical? I think the 70's is historical now. One of the final 3 books of Moreno-Garcia's I haven't read, and she's never let me down. Might read another Phryne Fisher Mystery or two as well, because they're quick and fun.

Librarian recommendation - TBD. I love my library and there's a few librarians who know me, will have to ask their opinions. Talking to a person! Not just taking one off the recommended shelf! Wild!

[prettytoxicrevolver]

Begin Again | Cole Caufield

wc. 3.5k

You start a new year with Cole. Inspired by Begin Again by Taylor Swift and the fact that 2025 starts on a Wednesday. Happy New Years y'all <3

You loved New Years. 

You loved a fresh start, a new beginning, a new chance at life. You had resolved years ago that a fresh start could come whenever, wherever, and however you wanted but the symbolism of this time of year never failed to make you wistful. 

Granted, you gave up new year’s resolutions years ago. You were quick to learn that almost every time you set one, you were prone to breaking it shortly after and that frustrated you to no end. What was the point? You just wanted to enjoy the new beginning. 

This year you were a bit happier that the new year was finally here. After a particularly difficult 2024, the symbolism of the new start was like a wave of relief flowing over you. It was breathing life back into you to be able to begin again. 

2024 brought its unique set of blessings as most years did, with the challenge of a difficult breakup, a job loss, and an unexpected move. In May, your boyfriend of almost two years broke up with you unexpectedly. That unexpectedness quickly turned into the knowledge that he had been cheating on you for at least half the time you were together. This shocking revelation was followed quickly by being let go from your job, two back to back blows in your life that you didn’t think you would make it through. 

You were quick on your feet though, resilient enough to compartmentalize until you got your life back in order. You moved back to your parents house after the break up and instantly started applying for new jobs. You applied anywhere and everywhere, knowing it would be best for you to take a chance now rather than later. 

Thankfully, a handful of places got back to you quickly but one had caught your eye since the beginning. It was a position at the local library with opportunities to create new programs and generate interest into the library itself. It also came with the responsibility of managing their social media and website. 

You went through two separate interviews before they offered you the job and you happily accepted. The only challenge left? The fact that you had to move to Montreal. 

Your parents warned you against the move, scared to have you so far away in case anything happened with this job or god forbid an emergency but you were quick to remind them that if you handled everything with your ex this well and this quickly you could do it again. Besides, Montreal wasn’t a whole other planet away or anything. 

Your parents helped you move into a modest apartment about 15 minutes away from your new job in Canada and when they left you couldn’t help but feel the profound sense of sadness and loneliness take over. Back home, you either lived with a roommate, your ex, or your parents. It was strange to be all alone in a brand new place. 

Thankfully, you settled into your new job quickly. You learned the layout of the library, they started you off with easier work and you jumped into every opportunity they offered you. About four months into the job, you scheduled your first kids program. 

Your whole life you had been a huge hockey fan because of your dad. While you were always a diehard fan of your hometown team, you had been loosely following the Montreal Canadiens ever since their cup run in 2021. The team was young and fun and honestly had the best social media presence out of most of the other NHL teams. 

You reached out, not truly expecting anything, and asked if some of the players would like to come to the library and do a reading for the kids. You were shocked when they said yes and beyond excited as you started to plan out the event. 

In total, most of the players would be there for a total of two or three hours. They would do a couple of readings, answer questions from the kids, and have some free time to take photos and sign autographs. Your boss was extremely impressed by your event and happily RSVP’d to it when you sent out an email to the rest of the staff. 

When the day came for the players to show, you were shaking from nerves and exhilaration all at once. Their social media manager and PR person showed up early and you were getting the final details all set when the boys started to arrive. You couldn’t help but feel a bit starstruck when you were introduced to them as they came in. 

“(y/n), this is Nick Suzuki, Captain of the Canadiens. Nick this is (y/n) the librarian who put this all together,” the PR manager introduced you and your face heats up when Nick smiles at you as he shakes your hand. 

“Thank you for inviting us to such a special event,” Nick says and you nod at him, unable to articulate a sentence for fear of embarrassing yourself. 

The kids had started to file in with parents chasing after them and you were quick to wrangle them, your years of practice coming in handy. The parents looked at you like you were a godsend as you got their kids to play with other kids kindly, look through books on the shelves, or simply sit and wait patiently for the players to read. 

“Hey,” you hear from behind you and you turn to see none other than Cole Caufield standing there. 

“Nicole said you were in charge?” he asks, gesturing over to where the PR manager is surveying the scene. “I’m really sorry for being late.” 

“No worries,” you manage to squeak out and your heart jumps when he smiles at you. “I’m (y/n). The first reading starts in about 10 minutes with Nick so you still have time.” 

“Great. Thanks,” he says and right as you think he’s gonna walk away he pauses. “I’m being rude, I’m Cole.” 

He extends a hand towards you and when your palm meets his it feels like an electric shock to your system. You shiver just slightly under his touch and for a moment there’s a recognition of a familiar feeling on Cole’s end. 

“Uhm,” you say and Cole retracts his hand, clearly embarrassed. “I’ll let you know when you’re next up for the reading.” 

Cole nods and thanks you again and it takes one of the kids tugging on your hand and asking you to show them the bathroom for you to remember where you were and what you were doing. 

Cole was feeling similarly dazed by your interaction. He stumbles to the side of the room to meet up with his other teammates and Dvo stands there with a knowing smirk to his lips after watching Cole interact with you. 

“You should have just asked her out,” Dvo says and Cole whips around to look at him. 

“What?” 

“Exactly,” Dvo says, clapping a hand on Cole’s shoulder and laughing lightly. 

The rest of the event goes on without a hitch, Nick, Cole, and Sam all reading different books to the kids and the free time at the end was the biggest hit. The guys wanted to genuinely take their time with each kid and each family as much as they could and the families were respectful of the players' time. As the library started to empty out both by families and players, you felt a sense of relief and excitement wash over you. 

This is what you meant when you loved new beginnings. This new job, this new place, this new life was all a beginning that you were beyond grateful to have. 

“Hey,” you hear from behind you as you just put away the last book from the shelf and had started to tidy up the rest of the kids area. You look up to see Cole standing there again and you smile. 

“This event was awesome,” he says and your smile widens at his compliment. “Thank you for inviting us.” 

“Of course. I’m glad you guys were able to come and we’d love to have you back.” 

“We’d love to come back,” he says but the way he trails off has you eyeing him with confusion. “You can talk to Nicole or um, you can call me?” 

Your head rears back for a second, confusion and shock at his words evident on your face but you start to nod regardless. 

“Oh uh yeah, yeah absolutely,” you stutter out and Cole starts to smile. 

“Here,” you say, grabbing a pen from your pocket and holding it out to him. He takes the pen from your hand but you’re quick to realize you have nothing for him to write his number down on. 

“Just um,” you say, holding your hand out and Cole looks at you with worry but when you nod he takes your hand into his. 

He slowly scribbles his number on your palm before signing just underneath it. When he’s finished, he hands you back the pen and you smile awkwardly at him. 

“By far my favorite signing of the day,” he says with a wink and your cheeks flame.

“I’ll see you around.” 

Ever since that day at the library, you and Cole had plenty of more run-ins with just as much flirtation as the first time. He invited you out to a game, to a celebration of a win with the guys, you invited him back to the library, and you were quick to learn that Montreal is smaller than it seemed. However, your interactions with the young hockey player never seemed long enough to satisfy you.  

Even with your new found friends and excellent job, you couldn’t help the pang of sadness that reached around your heart in random points throughout the days and weeks. While you compartmentalized your breakup with your ex at the beginning, for months now you had been mourning it. This whole time all you could think was that all love ever does is break and burn and end. It hurt and it hurt and it hurt. You weren’t sure if you’d get over it. 

The beautiful thing about the days going fast was that you didn’t even realize it when December had crept up on you and new years was right around the corner. The Canadiens were off playing in Vegas before coming home on new years eve. The library had given you new years eve and new years day off and you were happy for a bit of a break before jumping headfirst back into your job in 2025. 

“Caufield!” Gally calls from the other side of the plane and Cole turns to him. “Got any plans for new years?” 

“I know where he wants to be on new years eve,” Dvo chimes in and Cole rolls his eyes but lets the teasing bounce off of him. 

“I’ll either end up with you idiots or (y/n)’s place,” he calls back and Gally takes his turn to roll his eyes. 

“You should really just ask her out man,” the eldest Canadiens player tells him and Cole leans back in his seat with a huff. 

Cole had been thinking about doing just that ever since he met you back in September. However, he had known about your previous relationship and never wanted to step over any boundaries. Did he flirt with you every chance he got? Absolutely. Asking you out was a whole other thing though. 

But with the new year starting in a few days he couldn’t help but think about how all he wanted was for 2025 to start with you. He wanted to be yours right at the beginning of the year and follow it up for as many more years after that you would have him. He couldn’t think of a better way to kick off a new beginning. 

When the plane lands and he’s headed back to his apartment in Montreal, he finds himself dialing your number. It takes a second, but after a couple of rings you finally answer. 

“What are you up to?” Cole asks and you look around your living room with a quiet sigh. 

“Absolutely nothing,” you respond with a soft laugh in your answer. “Why? What’s up?” 

“Would you like to go out with me?” Cole rushes the question, nerves taking over. “I’d love to take you out on New Year’s Day if you’re free.” 

He’s about to smack himself in the head, hang up the phone, and head for the rink to punish himself with laps for asking the question when your response stops him cold. 

“I’d love to.” 

You plan to meet on Wednesday, New Year’s Day, in a cafe not far from either of your apartments. You weren’t sure exactly what made you say yes, to your current knowledge you were still mourning your last relationship, but when Cole asked it felt like you might stop breathing if you said no to him. 

You went to sleep late New Year’s eve, with a “happy new year’s. Can’t wait to see you tomorrow :)” text from Cole on your phone and a smile on your lips as you passed out. You woke up far too early the next day, showering and getting dressed in a simple dress and black pump heels. 

Before you leave, you pause and look in the mirror, scanning over your appearance. You take a deep breath, nerves coating you from head to toe. This was Cole. Your friend. You could do this, right? Your mind betrays you though, your eyes catching on your shoes and thinking back to your ex who always hated when you wore heels that made you taller than him. You flinch thinking of the memory but when you scan your outfit one more time you’re struck with the realization that you didn’t just look good, you looked damn good. And that was all that mattered anyway. 

You take another deep breath, smoothing out your dress under your hands before turning towards your door and heading out. The ride to the cafe is short and you park down the block and as you get out, you check the time. It was almost 1, the time you were supposed to meet Cole but your brain flashes back to your ex and all the times you showed up early or on time for him to be late. You suddenly worry that Cole would keep you waiting just like you had all those years before but when you walk into the cafe, your eyes scan the room to see him sitting at a table towards the back. 

He’s quick to stand, waving you over and the smile on his lips has your heart melting in a way that hasn’t happened for a long time. You nod at the hostess before walking over and Cole grins at you the whole time. 

“Hi,” he says and you’re struck with those pesky nerves all over again. 

“I got here kinda early,” he admits, gesturing for your jacket which you hand him and he hangs it up on your chair before pulling it out and helping you in. 

You’re struck with how incredibly nice the gesture is and your heart skips a beat as you take your seat and Cole takes his across from you. The two of you order before jumping into conversation, starting off with how the game against vegas was, how your job is going, and so on. 

“Did I tell you about the kid that hid in the corner of the library until closing?” 

“What?” Cole exclaims and he leans forward to listen to you talk. 

You tell him the whole story, his eyes never leaving yours or your face and you’re shocked at how easy it is to talk to him. Not in a bad way, just in a way that you haven’t felt around anyone in a very long time. It also didn’t help that you really really liked Cole and you were really really nervous for this date. 

“Listen, I couldn’t even blame the kid,” you say laughing. “If that was my mother I would also hide in the library and call her those names when she tried to bring me home.” 

Cole laughs loudly at your words, his head thrown back similar to the way some of the kids at the library do when their friends make them laugh or you say something particularly silly to them. The sight is one to behold, his full white teeth on display, lighting up the entire cafe with the sight and the sound. You want to keep him laughing, seeing that sight because not only could you watch him laugh forever, but you thought it strange for someone to laugh this much around you. Had your ex ever done this with you? You weren’t sure. 

“So, what team did you root for as a kid?” he asks, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. 

“How did you know I like hockey?” you ask, a challenging look on your face. 

“Cause I’ve never met one girl who has successfully explained both goaltender interference and offsides while also cussing about a player not shooting the puck enough.” 

His explanation truly makes your face turn a shade of red you’ve never experienced before. He grins at your sheepish look and leans over, placing his hand on top of yours. The contact makes your heart jump and you find yourself nervous to tell him about your past. After pouring your heart out to your ex who had taken it and trashed it after cheating on you you were finding it hard to let go and let Cole learn about you. But then he squeezes your hand and you feel some calm mixed with courage flow through you. 

The conversation continues to flow between the two of you and you don’t even realize the sun is setting until Cole points it out. You look outside, shock coloring your features and you can’t help the soft laugh that escapes your lips. You hadn’t felt this good, this giddy in a long time and you really didn’t want it to end. 

“Can I walk you to your car?” he asks and you nod. 

He stands, helping you out of your chair and into your coat once more. You watch as he hesitates before holding a hand out to you and you take it. He intertwines your fingers and warmth floods through you with a skip of your heart. 

Your eyes trail his figure as the two of you walk in silence and for some reason you get the urge to tell him about your ex. You wanted Cole to know what you were thinking and feeling, why you might have been a little extra nervous and why you held back more than usual. Just as you’re about to open your mouth, Cole comes to a stop in front of your car and turns to you with a dazzling smile. 

“Home Alone,” he states and you turn and tilt your head at him. “It’s the movie my family watches every Christmas.” 

You nod, savoring the answer to the question you asked him earlier and smile imagining Cole in Christmas pajamas, curled up with his dog, his family surrounding him as they watch Home Alone. The image erases any thought of your ex and you realize all you want to do is sit and talk about every Christmas movie Cole has seen, his traditions with family, and so on. With that thought you realize in this moment you have let it all go, that what’s past is past. You were ready for this new beginning. 

“Um, I had a really great time,” Cole says and you meet his eyes to see him smiling lightly at you and your heart starts to kick up again. 

“So did I,” you respond. 

You forgot Cole was holding your hand so when he pulls you closer, his other hand coming to rest on your waist you gasp in surprise. Cole looks down at you and remembers for the millionth time why he chose today of all days to ask you. He knew he wanted to start off this new year with you in this way. It was the perfect beginning of all perfect beginnings and he imagined a time in your lives when he talks about this day at your wedding; but he was getting ahead of himself. 

Cole leans down slowly, eyes never leaving yours and when you push up to meet him your lips brush and electricity zips throughout your body. You melt into him, his strong body holding you up and you almost sigh in relief at this moment. For 8 months all you thought about was how love breaks and burns and ends. 

Yet here you were, getting the most maddening kiss of a lifetime and your thoughts change once more because of the incredible man in front of you. Cole was a breath of fresh air, all good things in the world wrapped up in the form of a stout hockey player who laughed loudly and loved hard. You were so lucky. Especially since now, on a Wednesday, in a cafe, you were able to watch your life begin again. With a man who would care for you forever. 

[of-a-toast-and-tea]

I was tagged by @oldshrewsburyian to list nine books I'm hoping to read in 2025. This was a bit of a challenge for me, as I rarely plan my reading that far ahead. Clearly you can see a bit of library backlog on here, and my new years resolution to read all of Shakespeare.

Plus, will this be the year I finally start the Lymond Chronicles? A series all my friends and tumblr mutuals love? Possibly the books most recommended to me, that I will surely love? Who knows. I hope so.

I'll tag, with no pressure, @notwiselybuttoowell, @owlsongsandgoblinlaughs, @lies, @agreyeyedgirl, @hylacrucifer, @2nd2ndalto, @sandovers

[14carrotghoul]

25 books for 2025

Thanks a ton to @zwiazdziarka and @anti-homophobia-cheese for the tags! I loved this game last year and only read a handful from the list but it's still fun to map out what I'm interested in!

Everyone in this Room Will Someday Be Dead - Emily Austin (currently reading)

Burn Book - Kara Swisher (currently reading)

In the Dream House - Carmen Maria Machado (currently reading but slowly)

Freedom is a Constant Struggle - Angela Davis (cant believe i havent finished, only have two chaps left)

Small Things Like These - Claire Keegan (on hold)

On Tyranny - Timothy Snyder (on hold)

Challenger - Adam Higginbotham (praying for my library to get a copy of an audiobook or for a paperback release)

Hope in the Dark - Rebecca Solnit

An Immense World - Ed Yong

Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir

The Color Purple - Alice Walker

Love Triangle: How Trigonometry Shapes the World - Matt Parker

I Who Have Never Known Men - Jacqueline Harpman

Cultish - Amanda Montell

Humankind - Rutger Brenman

Cantoras - Carolina de Robertis

Fun Home - Alison Bechdel

Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury (reread)

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley (reread)

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe - Fannie Flagg

Holes - Louis Sachar

The Giver - Lois Lowry

Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clarke

Maurice - E. M. Forster

James - Percival Everett

No pressure tagging @caterpills @orchidscript @cha-melodius @read-and-write- @suseagull5914 @alasse9 @cultofsappho @firenati0n @love-has-a-way-ofgrowingbackward @myheartalivewrites @porcelainmortal @xthelastknownsurvivorx ❤️❤️