Meet the Newmans by Jennifer Niven
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
3.5 stars.
I thought this was interesting but also it felt familiar and sort of predictable I think. I love Niven and her writing is light and easy. It was a good January book!
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I’m a big fan of McAllister. I find that her stories are always different and keep me interested the whole time and this one is no exception. This is the story of a mom who is in Texas to pick up her daughter from camp. They are spending a night together at an AirBnB until they are scheduled to go camping for a few days. The next morning, her daughter is gone. The kidnappers ask for her to put herself at risk and break the law in exchange for getting her daughter back. There were many parts of this where others might feel it’s unbelievable or too much or too coincidental. But I didn’t care. The ending felt a bit too neat, but I didn’t care. I just enjoyed being lost inside the world McAllister built. Even if this one was way way too scary to this mom of teenagers. with gratitude to netgalley and William Morrow for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
I loved this book! I’ve read many books by Finlay but this one stands out for me. It’s a mystery, there are twists and turns, but also there’s slow-brewing love. There are two main characters that are interesting and stay with you and that you find yourself rooting for. If you’re just looking for dislikable main characters and unreliable narrators and crazy insane twists, this might not be the book for you (though it has plenty of those). I think this book was more interesting, and I found myself getting more and more invested each year on the next anniversary. Loved it. with gratitude to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press | Minotaur Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
My favorite novels are the quiet novels where it’s a slice of life moment and the characters are just driving the story. June Baby, is the story of Ruth who lost her mom at 17 and is consumed by grief. Unable to help her, her dad ships her to stay with an artist, Diana, on Block Island for the summer. Ruth and Diana and her nephew Charlie spend every summer together for many years. It’s ten years later, and Ruth still spends her summers on Block Island. She’s drifting and struggling. She and Charlie haven’t seen each other in a while and Diana passes away. She leaves behind items and a letter for Ruth. Secrets that change Ruth’s life and shift her perspective. This is a novel about found family, love, secrets, sacrifices and how and if we can ever pick up the pieces of our life after a monumental loss. It’s beautiful and touching. with gratitude to netgalley and Random House for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
I usually don’t like books that are compared to other popular books. it feels like a recipe to be disappointed. But in this case I think the comparison to Ferrante is apt. This story of four friends in Georgia whose lives intersected and wrapped themselves around each other is beautiful, heart-wrenching and deeply truthful with some really tough moments.
These books are my very favorite. Soft, gentle and loving. Beautiful images, wonderful messages. What more could you want to start the year?  Ok so we’ll see if I keep these up but for now I plan to put them here because I am feeling like it. The plan is to have a plan for each month across different areas. And then maybe if I am on top of it, I can see how I progress each week. One Big Goal: The plan is to have a big goal for each month, something I’d like to either really do in that month or make considerable progress in that month. We’ll see if that will be possible. For January, the plan is to focus on prepping meals, figuring out a way to cook at home in a way that’s scalable and flexible depending on if Aurelia’s or my plans change. How do I cook and shop in a way that scales/adapts and is suitable for our life?
Ok that’s it for now. I won’t officially start January until next week, so it’s a three-week month for me. So we’ll see how far I manage to get.  As always, I want to start by saying that this is going to be a long post. These reflective posts are how I make sure to live my life intentionally. They matter to me and I love being able to look back on them in future years. I know that this might not be interesting to many (if not any) of you, so please feel free to skip it. If some of you find it interesting, all the better. This particular exercise is following Susannah Conway’s Unraveling 2025 sheet. You can download it right here. I split the reflective questions looking back on 2024 in and the questions to help clarify goals/dreams for 2025 into two posts. This is part II. All questions are Susannah’s and are copyrighted to her. Hello 2026 What’s your word for 2026? Onward How does this make you feel? It’s a mix. Part of me is excited. Part of me feels ready. Part of me is terrified. Part of me wants to rebel and push back. Part of me wants to go back to my own cocoon. Part of me feels tired. I am not sure what this looks like. But also I feel a pull to do it. I feel solid that this is the next step for me. I figured out who I am, I stepped into it, and now I am ready to take more action. I know I am. How do you envision your word(s) supporting you in 2026? I am not in a rush. I am ok if I get only small amounts of visible progress. This is not a competition and life is long. I just want to give myself permission to explore. If you embraced your word every day in 2026, what could shift in your life? To be honest, I am not sure yet, I think that’s what makes this word exciting for me. If you embodied this every day in 2026, what would you do differently? I would be doing even less of what “I should” and more of what I truly want. And I would be building the life that’s most authentically me. How will you keep your word top of mind in 2026? Think: routines, check-ins, etc Hmm maybe one small thing each day and one big thing a month? I think this will help me beat inertia. What are you looking forward to in 2026? I am looking forward to doing a few of the big things I really want to do. Even if I only do one, I’ll be really happy. I am also looking forward to seeing what pops up. What are you feeling apprehensive about? I am most apprehensive about the world right now and the impact it will have on my kids and opportunities and possibilities for each of them. And not being able to fix things for them. This will be a big year for each of them even without the world being as tough as it is. In which areas of your life are you ready for change and growth? Still not interested in change. More of truly being who I am and letting myself step into it more and more. What aspects of yourself will you nurture in 2026? The parts of me that need to be shed. I will give them grace and work hard to let them go. Fast-forward to December 2026. You’re sitting in a café, musing over the last 12 months. Where do you want to be… [ it turns out most of what i wrote last year stands here.] … in your head? (work, dreams, goals) I want to continue to be happy at work and continue to do my best and support my manager in the best way possible and my team with all my strength. I want to continue to try to hold a high bar and also love all the people deeply. … in your heart? (relationships, family, friends) I want to figure out what kind of relationships I want in my life and what really feeds my soul. And then I want to do more of that. I want to create boundaries that serve me and help me be whole. I want to do things because I love to and not out of obligation, worry or pressure. … in your soul? (beliefs, practices, self-love) I want to be at peace. I want to be my open, generous and loving self. I want to really know who I am and find a way to connect with myself deeply and meaningfully so I can step into it fully and take some steps to show myself what I need and want to see.. … in your physical world? (home, health, hobbies) I want to go back to exercising in some meaningful way. I want to settle into cooking healthy food and taking care of my body and my skin. I want to continue to do art. More than anything else, I want to give myself however much time I need and be gentle with myself and to remind myself that I’ll get there when I am ready. Identify 3 unhelpful beliefs about yourself you’re ready to release:
Decide 3 duties or commitments you feel ready to let go of in 2026
List 3 skills you’d like to learn or improve in 2026 I am always working on improving my art and I always want to journal more and take more classes so I am not going to call them out explicitly. Most of these are the same as last year because i didn’t do them.
List 3 books you can’t wait to read this year: Like all years, I will read hundreds of books this year. How could you bring more awareness to your actions this year? Journaling was truly life changing in 2025 so I plan to do that again. I also want to do meditation, yoga and pilates. And therapy! Identify 3 things about yourself you appreciate & value
Decide 3 ways you could be kinder to your body this year
Brainstorm 3 ways you could deepen connections with loved ones in 2026
List 3 people you could extend compassion to (friends, family or strangers)
How could you expand your capacity for love this year? I think my capacity for loving others is already pretty high so I would like to spend energy expanding it inward to myself this year. Identify 3 interests you’d like to explore more in 2026
Choose 3 ways you’ll nourish your imagination this year
Brainstorm 3 ways you could bring more creative joy into your world
Write down 3 dreams you’d like to bring to life this year
How could you bring more playful energy into your life this year? Dancing, music, cooking with A. Identify 3 ways you could infuse more calm into your mornings
List 3 ways you could cherish your home this year
Decide 3 ways you could connect more deeply with nature in 2026
List 3 places in your city, town or neighborhood you’d like to explore Honestly. I don’t really connect with this question. I don’t have this desire. I do still want to learn to drive to the airport but it’s not at the top of my list. How could you bring a sense of groundedness into your life this year? Journaling, Meditation and taking long walks. Therapy! Back in 2013, our January OLW assignment involved setting intentions and I really enjoyed that, so I thought maybe I can do that instead. I usually do this monthly but this year I have some themes so we’ll see how it works.
The Wrap-Up This year I will say NO to inertia. This year I will say YES to taking small steps. experimenting. I wish for 2026 to feel brave. What do you REALLY want this year? Name it here! I want to start feeling more and more like my life is a true reflection of who i am and who i want to be. I wholeheartedly believe that everything is possible in 2026. Time TravelClose your eyes for a moment and imagine stepping into the shoes of you from December 2026, one year from now. You are one year older and one year wiser and you’ve lived every day of 2026 fully and completely. You have a message of encouragement about 2026. There’s stuff you want to share… stuff you’re eager to tell yourself. When you’re ready, open your eyes, pick up your pen, and write a letter from your future self, starting with Dear (your name): Dear Karen, you made it. I am so proud of you. Look how far you’ve come. You got this.  This was one of those years where I had an idea for what my word would be for 2026 and it stuck with me for the last few months. I didn’t realize that the last few years have been a progression of each other until I sat down to think about the word. Two years ago, I was turning 50 so I picked “explore” as a way to do major inner-exploration. I wanted to spend time deeply getting to know myself, my tastes, my preferences, my choices. I wanted to shed a lot of the “outside in” stuff I had been exposed to all my life and see what I noticed when I went inwards to do the work of “inside out” stuff. It was a life-changing year with lots of revelations and lots of affirmation. Even though the word didn’t stick with me all that much, the work I did that year was exceptional. One of the best, ever. In 2025, I picked the year “Home” as a way to practice coming home to myself again and again. Now that I was learning to understand what it meant to be me and what my essence was, how could I practice coming back to myself again and again? How could I find ways to check in with myself? I practiced this all year long. It was another excellent year for learning to truly get comfortable in my own skin and build a deep well of contentment. So when 2026 was coming, it made sense that the word that spoke to me was “onward.” Now that I knew what I liked, who I was and how to listen to myself, it makes sense that I’d want to make some changes in my life. It’s been five tumultuous years for me and I have done some significant work and also some solid cocooning. This is my attempt at taking some action to align my new life with my self. Make some of the major changes I’ve been thinking about but not taking action on. Unlike the last two years, this is an action word, but I am also aware of two things: I took a lot of action in the last two years so reflection words can be active (for me) and I am not ready to feel “pressure” to take action so I am willing to have this year be small a and not capital A action. Every step counts. It’s ok. I trust myself to take just as much (or as little) action as I need to take. Also it’s not just about doing but it’s also about not doing. Saying no to things that I don’t want to do or don’t serve me anymore is just as much about moving onward as doing things is. So is changing my thoughts. So is sitting with things so I can move through them. They are all part of moving on. Some of the themes I want to honor:
So here’s to forward motion in 2026. Onward we go.  I read 254 books in 2025.
Here are all the books I’ve read this year in reverse chronological order. You can see my goodreads reviews here
I started 2025 with an excellent book and I am so grateful to end it with another excellent book. Laurie Frankel’s writing is a treasure. Her characters always stay with me and this book is no exception. She does not shy away from harder topics and I expect this one will be polarizing because there’s so much about abortion in this story. It’s about a 77-year old who gets pregnant and lives in Texas where a woman is not allowed to get an abortion. This is the kind of story I love the most, it’s not about the plot or settling, though both play a role, especially the old folk’s home where she lives, but it’s about the characters. It’s about Pepper and Moth and her two new and good friends, her ex who lives in the same home, her three children who each process the news differently. Her grand-daughters. Even her doctor and the doctor’s team. There are a lot of unforgettable characters in this story. It’s hard not to fall in love with each of them. Frankel’s writing is so strong. So funny. so insightful. so tender. so beautiful and so so heart wrenching all at once. A new book from her is the best gift and a perfect way to end this year. with gratitude to Henry Holt and Co. and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
It took me a while to get into this story but by the end, I loved every single character and just did not want the story to end. There’s so much goodness in this story. So much about humans and friendship and war and racism and greed. The world building is beautiful and so much attention is paid to every detail. One of the ways I gauge a book is how much time is spent building the side characters and this book does not disappoint. Every character you meet along the way, small or large, leaves something with you. And the main characters, oh the main characters, there is so so much to love here. Every one of them is magical and multi-layered. Even though there’s a rich plot and rich setting in this novel, it’s the characters that are the most magical, in my opinion. They will stay with me for a long, long time. Loved this one. with gratitude to DAW and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review |
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