January 2026
Hello, friends. 2026 has only been with us for a few weeks and it's already been incredibly intense on a personal and political level, as I'm sure you're all overwhelmingly aware of. It feels wrong not to acknowledge everything going on in the world, but at the same time, I don't think anything I say here will be meaningful in any real sense.
If you're local, one of my favorite small businesses is holding a Community Action Day on Monday.
In the midst of everything, we had a lovely Nativity celebration, including a carol evening with some local friends. Trying to find ways to make the holidays feel festive can be challenging, but I'm glad we made the extra effort, even if it also happened in the middle of an incredibly frustrating (and expensive) Car Situation.
Tea of the Week
A year or two ago, R got me a tea of the month sampler as a present, and I ended up with quite a bit of tea that I've barely tried. This month, I'm sampling a different one each week. So far, the Jin Xuan tea from Vietnam is by far my favorite! I do really like oolong in general, so this isn't a huge surprise.
Daily Photos
One of my other projects this month has been taking a photo every day. I've focused on a few particular spots in our yard, to document how they change over the month. It's been very cool to see the way the colors and atmosphere shift.
Crafts
I finished knitting a scarf for R (but not blocking or weaving in the ends…oops) and started a textured scarf that I'm kind of free-styling. I'm really happy with how it's turning out! Not sure what I'll start next as far as knitting goes.
I also made some candles to give people for Nativity, by melting down a bunch of old candle ends and repurposing them. It was suprisingly easy and fun.
Middle grade SFF January - March
Once again, I'm here with a number of upcoming middle grade science fiction & fantasy releases. The books I'm personally excited for are marked with a **
January
Alice with a Why by Anna James | January 6 (fantasy | Alice in Wonderland tie-in)
The Claiming by Jasmine Warga | January 6 (fantasy | sequel)
The Ordinary & Extraordinary Auden Green by Corey Ann Haydu | January 13 (fantasy)
A Tale of Plagues and Perfumes by Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski | January 13 (fantasy)
Destiny of the Diamond Princess by Sherri Winston |January 20 (fantasy) **
The Big Bad Wolf Murder by P.G. Bell | January 20 (fantasy)
The Star of Moon Village by Jennifer Ann Richter | January 27 (science fiction) **
The Beasts of Winter: A Daggers of Ire Novel by J.C. Cervantes | January 27 (fantasy | sequel)
February
Space Chasers: To the Moon by Leland Melvin and Joe Caramagna | February 3 (science fiction | graphic novel | sequel) **
The Wish Ring Cipher by Alexandra Ott | February 3 (fantasy | first in series)
The Mysterious Magic of Lighthouse Lane by Erin Stewart| February 3 (fantasy)
Mythspeaker by Christopher Roubique | February 24 (fantasy | mythology) **
March
Here Lies a Ghost by Shakirah Bourne | March 3 (fantasy) **
When Tomorrow Burns by Tae Keller | March 3 (fantasy | climate fiction)
The Curse Breaker by Jen Calonita | March 10 (fantasy | sequel)
The Lighthouse at the World's End by Amy Sparkes | March 10 (fantasy | sequel)
Queso, Just in Time by Ernesto Cervantes | March 10 (time travel)
Clementine H. Hopeful is Not a Hero by Noah Corey | March 17 (fantasy) **
Sprout by Taylor Tyng | March 24 (fantasy)
You Are Now Old Enough To Hear This by Aaron Starmer | March 24 (fantasy)
Grandpere's Ghost Swamp by Rachel M. Marsh | March 24 (fantasy) **
January Children's Graphic Novels
GOAT: The Official Novelization by Jeremy Whitley | January 6
Blurmp in Time by Jim Benton | January 6 (Catwad's Friend Blurmp #1)
Blast from the Past! by Sabrina Moyle | January 6 (Cosmic Adventures of Astrid & Stella #5)
Thick As Thieves by Dan Santat | January 6 (Sidekicks #2)
Gumshoe by Brenna Thummler | January 13 **
Action Cat and Adventure Bug: Let's Do This by Art Baltazar | January 20
Wrong Friend by Charise Mericle Harper | January 20
Unfairies: A Graphic Novel by Huw Aaron | January 27 (Unfairies #1)
Other things to check out
Recommended seed companies (my thread!)
Donate to help Laila Edwards (first Black woman named to a US Olympic hockey team) and her family attend the Milan Olympics
Leonard Nimoy's Bilbo Baggins song
Find me on Bluesky | Storygraph
Wishing you a month of warmth and rest,
Maureen