Hello, friends! Leeann Wu has been out for about a month. I’m really happy to hear reports of it in so many libraries.

I’ve been thinking about some of the interviews and chats I’ve done about THE GLOWING LIFE OF LEEANN WU. When I started to write this book, I knew I wanted to write a multigenerational book about magic, but ALSO (I kept forgetting to mention this) I wanted to write about insomnia and lack of sleep, but it’s hard to make a physical condition a villain. The plot did eventually evolve, but I still maintain that sleeplessness and fatigue is a true enemy of many of us. (Uh, happy holidays and don’t stay up too late?)

In more celebratory news, how about a giveaway for 2 audio copies of THE GLOWING LIFE OF LEEANN WU, narrated by the great Natalie Naudus? It’s open internationally. All you have to do is reply to this email with an audiobook rec (or a book rec). (I’d also love to find out why you enjoy the story you’re recommending, but, like, I’m not grading you, so that’s optional.)

The finer print: Entrants must be subscribed to this email to win. Giveaway closes 12/22. This giveaway is not associated with Buttondown. Entrants must be 18+. I’ll notify winners (and send them a link to the audio) via email.

In other news…

I’ll be moving to a new newsletter provider so this Ruby/Opal/Mindy email may look different the next time around. Happy new year to us!

Speaking of year’s end, this is not a “Best of” list,* but I read over a hundred books in 2025 cross a range of genres, and I enjoyed the following a lot. They all have at least a touch of romance because that’s how I roll:

• The Librarians, Sherry Thomas (Outrageously fun murder mystery with the bonkers Sherry Thomas coincidences that I live for.)

• A Legionnaire’s Guide to Love and Peace, Emily Skurtskie (Soldiers who expected to die in battle end up living and must try to figure out what they want to do with the rest of their lives, unless of course they lose to the final, final bosses. Sporty pansexual fun!)

• Time for You, Elizabeth Davis (Lovely, fun characters in a time slip romance. and the single most romantic goodbye I’ve read in ages. Don’t worry, there’s an HEA.)

• The Inheritance, Ilona Andrews (I read this obsessively over the summer: a 40-something single mother finds herself trapped in a between-worlds breach filled with hostile monsters and develops powers while trying to make her way home to her kids.)

• A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping, Sangu Mandanna (A once-powerful witch gets a chance at restoring her magic and finds herself [and her found family] pitted against the Guild heavyweight who never wanted her to have it to begin with.)

• Time Loops and Meet Cutes, Jackie Lau (A woman trapped in a magical time loop meets her soul mate—who always manages to forget her. Poignant, funny, and insightful.)

• Into the Woods, Jenny Holiday (A dance instructor and a famous musician fall in love with each other and their disciplines again while teaching at a summer camp. Some of the most realistic writing about what it means to be a creative person in this world that I’ve read.)

*It’s not a “Best of” list because the Best of 2025, as always, is YOU.

Take care, friends!

xo Ruby, Opal, and Mindy