Book Lovers Chat -January 2025
"Books are the mirrors of the soul." — Virginia Woolf
This voiceover is an audio version of my Book Lovers Chat below. It is unedited, so may have some stutters, imperfections, and background noise. I hope you enjoy listening to it anyway!
Welcome to Generosity of Spirit, a gentle community for YOU. We find pockets of time for slow & gentle living, books, writing, journaling & life affirming work. You are so welcome here in our cosy space, grab a cuppa & stay a while... 🐢🙏📚☕💌
Happy New Year to you!
Welcome back to another Slow Sunday Letter! I hope you have had a slow and gentle week.
I have missed you all! Though I had a wonderful three week break, and I am so grateful for it. I think it was important to give myself some time to rest, restock the creative well, and get some planning done for 2025. I am so excited to be back, and ready for whatever this year has in store. How was your festive period? I hope you also found time to rest.
I hope here at Generosity of Spirit you will find a quiet, cosy and peaceful place to spend a few minutes for yourself. We embrace all things slow and gentle here, and mostly surrounded by cups of coffee, blankets and books. You are so welcome here. if you don’t already - please do subscribe and let’s move through the year together …
Each of our journeys are unique, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get a little support and inspiration along the way!
In this month’s Book Lover’s Chat, we are going to have a little look back over my complete reading list in 2024 with my top 5 books, and a look forward to 2025 with a little planning and update to my ‘to be read’ list! So, let’s get started - grab a cuppa, get cosy and let’s settle down for a read together…
Please note - this post may be too long to read in your email so click through to read on your browser or read on the Substack app.
Reading Recap 2024
40 books and 5 5-star reads (in bold)
The Library of the Unwritten - A J Hackwith
The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober - Catherine Gray
The Stubborn Light of Things - Melissa Harrison
Anne of Green Gables - L M Montgomery
Emily Wilde Enclopaedia of Fairies - Heather Fawcett
The Midnight Library - Matt Haig
Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine - Gail Honeyman
The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
Wise Children - Angela Carter
Legends & Lattes - Travis Baldree
Happy Place - Emily Henry
The Artist’s Way - Julia Cameron
Lud-in-the-Mist - Hope Mirrlees
Run Rose Run - Dolly Parton/James Patterson
I Hope This Finds You Well - Natalie Sue
You and Me on Vacation - Emily Henry
The Memo - Lauren Mechling & Rachel Dodes
Adventures in Opting Out - Cait Flanders
The Dubrovnik Book Club - Eva Glyn
This Summer Will Be Different - Carley Fortune
Practice Makes Perfect - Sarah Adams
Fairytale - Stephen King
Scripted - Fearne Cotton
Remarkably Bright Creatures - Shelby Van Pelt
The Maid - Nita Prose
Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
Verity - Colleen Hoover
The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
The Virgin Suicides - Jeffrey Eugenides
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
The Shining - Stephen King
The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman
Rewitched - Lucy Jane Wood
The Hobbit - J R R Tolkien
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
The Christmas Bookshop - Jenny Colgan
One Christmas Morning - Rachel Greenlaw
This Christmas - Emma Heatherington
Little Women/Good Wives - Louisa May Alcott
For The Love Of Reading
“I think books are like people, in the sense that they’ll turn up in your life when you most need them." – Emma Thompson
I am so excited for my reading in 2025! I far surpassed my expectations with the volume of books I read last year, and how much I enjoyed diving into the world of reading and books. I read 13 books in 2023, and I wanted desperately to make more time for reading in my life. It took me a little while, and I have so many tips and recommendations to help you get back into reading or make more time for reading. I now have this insatiable need to read and buy books! In 2024 I bought more books than I am willing to admit! This led to me buying a kindle, which I fell in love with. I wanted a kindle to save space and to save money (the vast majority of books I buy on the kindle are 99p - who can say no to 99p books!?). I still read a lot of physical books, but I love the freedom the kindle has given me, and it has opened my mind up to so many different books I am not sure I would have ever picked up in bookstores.
With all this book buying - I have a lot of books I’d like to read this year. I have added a lot of these to my notion reading planner, and I have put them in a rough order according to season, (those of you who have been around a while, will know I like to read alongside the seasons - but I will return to this concept again soon, and share how this has evolved!). I am already sitting at over 30 books - so I had better get reading! There are some absolute gems in my TBR list for 2025…
A few of most anticipated reads for 2025
Big Magic -
Olive
Versions of a Girl - Catherine Gray
Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands - Heather Fawcett
Blue Sisters - Coco Mellor
Pet Sematary - Stephen King
On Writing - Stephen King
I would love to know what you are excited to read this year? and if you have any stand outs from 2024? Let’s chat in the comments??
My December Reads
(all my summaries and reviews will be spoiler free)
The Christmas Bookshop - Jenny Colgan
3 STARS
Carmen has always worked in her local department store. So, when the gorgeous old building closes its doors for good, she is more than a little lost.
When her sister, Sofia, mentions an opportunity in Edinburgh - a cute little bookshop, the spare room in her house - Carmen is reluctant, she was never very good at accepting help. But, short on options, she soon finds herself pulling into the snowy city just a month before Christmas.
What Sofia didn't say is that the shop is on its last legs and that if Carmen can't help turn things around before Christmas, the owner will be forced to sell. Privately, Sofia is sure it will take more than a miracle to save the store, but maybe this Christmas, Carmen might surprise them all...
My Thoughts:
This is probably the most perfect cosy read for Christmas. It has it all - snow (set in Edinburgh), bookshops, family, love, self discovery, friendship - you name it! This is a story of self discovery as Carmen, our main character, learns to really see value in herself as she grows in confidence throughout the book. It has subtle messages about moving on in life, getting past our circumstances, bonding with family and understanding fear of failure. A nice romance to round things off..but not the main focus of the story which I always appreciate. I really enjoyed reading this over the festive period.
One Christmas Morning - Rachel Greenlaw
3 STARS
❄️They say you know when you meet the one.❄️
The moment Eva locked eyes with James over a library bookshelf, she knew she’d found her soulmate. Over ten years, they fell in love, got married and made plans to start a family. Until everything changed one Christmas three years ago, and they’ve been drifting apart ever since.
Eva hopes a friend’s Christmas party at an old manor house in Cornwall will give them the chance to reconnect… but the last thing she expects is to wake up on Christmas morning in the body of a different guest. As Eva’s forced to keep reliving Christmas Day from the perspectives of those closest to her, she realises just how much her life has fallen off track.
🎄But can Eva break the cycle and save her future with James, before it’s too late? 🎄
My Thoughts:
The first thing I must say about this book - is trigger warning. I didn’t read anything about this book apart from the blurb above so I was surprised that a main theme of the book was pregnancy loss and it is tough, and it is a theme throughout the entire book.
That said, I enjoyed the book and I really liked the main character Eva. I am a bit of a sucker for a ‘Groundhog Day’ storyline, and this one had a nice twist with Eva experiencing Christmas Day over and over, but from the bodies of those around her. It had a good amount of Christmas vibes and a lot of heart.
This Christmas - Emma Heatherington
3 STARS
Two strangers. One double-booked cottage. This Christmas will be one to remember.
Rose used to love Christmas - until the year everything changed. She hasn't been home to visit her family for the holidays since.
Charlie is facing his first Christmas alone. It may be the most wonderful time of the year for some, but not for him. Not this year.
In search of comfort and seclusion, Rose escapes to a cottage in rural Donegal to hunker down for the festive season by herself.
But when Charlie opens the door to Seaview Cottage, the two strangers realise that their holiday rental has been double-booked.
They both expected to spend this Christmas alone. But their lives could be changed forever if they agree to spend it together. . .
My Thoughts
I almost immediately fell for this book and the two main characters - Charlie and Rose and their two dogs Max and George. A simple premise, two people who want to avoid Christmas (and people!) retreat to a beautiful secluded cottage in the Irish countryside, to find it has been double booked…
What could be a real cliche of a book and story, actually ends up being heartwarming and genuinely funny. I smiled throughout, and got a heavy dose of festive cheer - which is exactly what I picked the book up for. I really enjoyed this so much, and I was happy to see Emma Heatherington has other Christmassyy books too!
Little Women/Good Wives - Louise May Alcott
5 STARS
Little Women is one of the best-loved children's stories of all time, based on the author's own youthful experiences. It describes the family life of the four March sisters living in a small New England community. Meg, the eldest, is pretty and wishes to be a lady; Jo, at fifteen, is ungainly and unconventional with an ambition to be an author; Beth is a delicate child of thirteen with a taste for music and Amy is a blonde beauty of twelve. The story of their domestic adventures, their attempts to increase the family income, their friendship with the neighbouring Lawrence family and their later love affairs remains as fresh and beguiling as ever.
My Thoughts
This is one of my all time favourite books - I re-read it often, and I especially love to around Christmas time. I feel like I could never get bored of these characters and their stories. I remember being so inspired by Little Women when I first read it as a child. I loved Meg’s quieter strength, Jo’s passion, Beth’s kindness and Amy’s vivacious nature. Little Women/Good Wives is a beautiful story about growing up, sisterhood, love, loss and belonging. I just love it.
New On My Book Shelf
This month I have added these books to my bookshelf…
The Blackbird’s Song - Miles Richardson
Pet Sematary - Stephen King
On Writing - Stephen King
Written - Bec Evans and Chris Smith
To Me, Love Me
The Beautiful Book Company - 12 Months of Reading Hamper
Under the Christmas tree this year, was a present to me, from me. I decided to treat myself to a beautiful hamper from The Beautiful Book Company to challenge my reading in 2025. Inside the hamper are 12 individually gift wrapped books, each labelled with a month of the year, which I will open on the first day of every month. The books are all fiction, but a mixture of classics and more recent must read titles curated by the Beautiful Book Company team, and so will be a total surprise to me.
I am so looking forward to reading books that I wouldn't have necessarily picked up myself, and seeing what unexpected stories and characters I meet throughout the year. I will of course keep you updated!
January’s Pick
Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins - Valdez
Montgomery, Alabama. 1973. Fresh out of nursing school, Civil Townsend has big plans to make a difference in her community. She wants to help women make their own choices for their lives and bodies.
But when her first week on the job takes her down a dusty country road to a tumbledown cabin and into the heart of the Williams family, Civil learns there is more to her new role than she bargained for. Neither of the two young sisters has even kissed a boy, but they are poor and Black, and for those handling their welfare benefits, that's reason enough to have them on birth control. When Civil discovers a terrible injustice, she must choose between carrying out instructions or following her heart and decides to risk everything to stand up for what is right.
Inspired by true events and a shocking chapter of recent history, Take My Hand is a novel that will open your eyes and break your heart. An unforgettable story about love and courage, it is also a timely and uplifting reminder that one person can change the world.
Next Up on my TBR List:
Winter Solstice - Rosamunde Pilcher
Big Magic - Elizabeth Gilbert
Hello From Me !
I am wearing my ‘book lovers’ jumper which you can buy following this link…
browse my merch by clicking here!
Bookish Substacks I’ve enjoyed this month…
I hope you have enjoyed this month’s Book Lovers Chat! This is my favourite post to write - I just love putting it together and thinking and talking about books and reading! If you would like to see anything at all featured in Book Lovers Chat, please let me know as we grow this community together.
As always, I’d love to know if you have read any of the books we have discussed here. Please do also share your favourite book from 2024, and your most anticipated read for 2025!
Thank you for being here,
If you would like to support my work, you can buy me a coffee following this link!
You can buy your very own Slow Living, Book Lovers and Writing inspired Merch designed by me! Do follow the link to take a look (hosted by Teemill):
If you enjoyed this post, found it useful or want to help me spread the word about how enriching Slow & Gentle Living can be, please do like/leave a comment or share/restack to help others discover Generosity of Spirit. Thank you for reading!
Dear Emily, concerning book buying: last year I bought a lot of books on Vinted, I admit I regret some of those expenses now. They were impulse buying mostly and this year I want to focus on the unread books I have on my shelves. If I want to read something new I will pick it up at my local library. In the past I used to read more from the library and if I really loved a book then I will purchase it. Today unfortunately buying books seems just another trend ( like fast fashion in some ways). I want to be more mindful this year, read at my own pace and avoid book hauls video as much as I can.
I would browse new releases on publishers websites but I don't want to be caught again in the trap of pretty covers, books on trend right now ect.
Wish me luck! Take care 🌈
What a fabulous collection of books you read last year Emily. I loved The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan and set in the heart of Edinburgh too. Perfect!
Winter Solstice is gorgeous. I will probably try and read this again next Winter. I hope you enjoy it.
I'm looking forward to hearing about your reads throughout this year. I too am endeavouring to read more in 2025.