Though the reading mojo scarcity curse of 2022 and 2023 carried on (and has got worse!) through 2024, I nonetheless carried out several personal challenges in the year and ran multiple bookboxes.

I have three passions (besides the DH and family);

gardening (when the weather allows);
reading (even more when the weather does not allow gardening!);
and our animals (any and all weathers).

I also enjoy walks in the country; good food and wine; evocative scents ranging from beautiful flowers or after-rain garden to ocean breeze or woodsmoke/bonfires; jewellery; artisan craft ~ especially wood and glass; and too many other things to mention in the woefully short amount of time I seem to have!

I am happy to swap for wishlist books from availables and/or TBR as funds allow. As I (along with most other Bookcrossers I know) seem to have a large TBR pile(s), I'm happy to quickly read a book from TBR if I can fit it in.
I also like the serendipity of RABCKs and NSS events. [Hint, I often find some of my 'wishes' whilst looking for NSS books, so do please check my lists.]
I was on RABCK dot com until it ceased, however, for anyone wanting to send me something as a surprise, please contact rainbow3 who holds my address at all times.
This is courtesy of the RABCK Address Contacts forum thread.

For NSS I like to receive : BC supplies (or wings!); scented t-lights; gardening supplies (plant ties, plant food - indoor and outdoor, seeds etc.); and as can also be seen above, I am fond of most nature themes (particularly butterflies, dragonflies, cats and flowers) and I appreciate hand crafted items.
Sweetie choices : Preferably dark chocolate (Divine, Green & Blacks, Hotel Chocolat {specific fave is Tiddly Pot [dark]}) ; high cocoa milk chocolate ok too; like either nuts or fruit in chocolate (though not together!) – but preferably not Thorntons chocolate or white chocolate.
Books from my wishlist (last revised 11/24); Favourite genres : crime / mystery (not gory or horror); cosy mysteries; fiction and historical romance.

Please also note that some of the books on my shelf are from my DH who (not so) secretly shares my bookshelf and occasionally some specifically picked up for releasing by my sister (rainbow3) when she has no access to the internet, so my shelf does not accurately reflect my own reading. I also have a few books I have not managed to finish (rarely, but it does happen to us all) which are also listed.

My current Wish List is here on Bookcrossing (however, I do have a more involved list which is not on Bookcrossing but only on my flash drive! so it may be worth asking).

I am (normally) one of the "wingless" brigade, so there are things I cannot do, however, I do extensively use the Global Bookcrossing facility.
Wishlist was last revised in November 2024. I did check through the older books on the wishlist first - some of which have been removed and some which still seem to be around but only really in paperback format in November 2024, so they are still included on the list.


Currently reading : Robert MacFarlane; The Wild Places (rr) (dipping into at odd moments, so always by the bed!)
And : Nita Prose; The Mistletoe Mystery (K)
And : Sebastian Barry; A Long Long Way
And :
And : Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; Americanah (Book Club recommend)
And : Lucy Mangan; Bookworm (Book Club Loan)
And : No specific book for this month (Book Club)
(Monthly Book Club : Mar 2020 – June 2021 - virtual due to Covid19)


Books read in 2025

Jenny Colgan; The Christmas Book Hunt; January 2025 (K)
Melissa McClone; Rescued by the Magic of Christmas; January 2025


Book Rings / Rays / Boxes joined in 2025



Challenges joined in 2025

The 'The' Challenge : - 25 in the year



Book Boxes started in 2024
Already Crossed Bookbox Round 8 started 29/11/24
Crime / Mystery Bookbox Round 11 started 13/9/24

Returned from 2024 and 2025:

Books read in 2024

Selva Almada; Not a River; October 2024
Andreas Androutsellis-Theotokis; Nannion; August 2024
David Baldacci; The Christmas Train; December 2024
Mary Balogh; The Famous Heroine; June 2024
Mary Balogh; The Plumed Bonnet; July 2024
Mary Balogh; The Suitor; July 2024 (K)
Stephanie Barron; Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor; September 2024
Candace Camp; The Bridal Quest; February 2024
Candace Camp; The Wedding Challenge; February 2024
Candace Camp; The Courtship Dance; February 2024
Joanna Cannon; A Tidy Ending; October 2024 (Book Club)
Alys Clare; Ashes of the Elements; September 2024
Alys Clare; The Tavern in the Morning; December 2024
Mary Higgins Clark & Carol Higgins Clark; The Christmas Thief; October 2024
Laura Dave; The Last Thing He Told Me; April 2024 (Book Club)
Anita Davison; Murder in the Bookshop; March 2024 (K)
Anita Davison; Murder in the Library; May 2024 (K)
Caitlin Devlin; The Real Deal; June 2024 (K)
L Du Garde Peach; Charles Dickens; January 2024
Carola Dunn; The Case of the Murdered Muckraker; December 2024 (rr)
Martin Edwards; Mortmain Hall; May 2024
Maz Evans; Over my Dead Body; March 2024 (K)
Anne Gracie; The Winter Bride; November 2024
Erin Green; A Christmas Wish; October 2024
Sian O’Gorman; The Sandycove Sunset Swimmers; January 2024 (K)
Celia Haddon; One Hundred Secret Thoughts Cats Have About Humans; January 2024
Willem Frederik Hermans; An Untouched House; October 2024
Anne Herries; Married by Christmas; December 2024
Elin Hilderbrand; The Hotel Nantucket; November 2024
Roy Jacobsen; The Burnt Out Town of Miracles; July 2024
Eloisa James; Say No to the Duke; July 2024
Jenni Keer; No 23 Burlington Square; January 2024 (K)
Sophie Kinsella; Sleeping Arrangements; July 2024
Judy Leigh; The Silver Ladies do Lunch; April 2024 (K)
Judy Leigh; Foul Play at Seal Bay; June 2024 (K)
Stanislaw Lem; The Three Electroknights; May 2024
Tom H Mackenzie; The Last Foundling; January 2024 (Book Club Secret Santa)
Elizabeth Mac Neal; The Doll Factory; June 2024 (Book Club)
Emily St John Mandel; Sea of Tranquility; May 2024 (Book Club)
Daphne Du Maurier; The Apple Tree; May 2024
Christopher Moore; You Suck; May 2024
Sarah Morgan; The Christmas Book Club; January 2024 (K)
Sarah Morgan; Snowed in for Christmas; October 2024
Michael Murpurgo; The Butterfly Lion; January 2024
Michael Morpurgo; The Best Christmas Present in the World (short story); August 2024
Richard Osman; The Last Devil to Die; September 2024 (Book Club Loan)
Laura Pearson; The Last List of Mabel Beaumont; February 2024 (K)
Sarah Penner; The Conjurer's Wife; December 2024 (K)
Katie Piper; Beautiful; March 2024
Jodi Picoult; Wish You were Here; August 2024 (Book Club)
Jodi Picoult; Broken Things (short story); August 2024
Maddie Please; The Old Ducks Hen Do; April 2024 (K)
Nita Prose; The Maid; April 2024 (K)
Nita Prose; The Mystery Guest; August 2024 (K) (Book Club recommend)
Ian Rankin; The Rise; February 2024 (K)
Adrian Spalding; The Reluctant Detective Goes North; June 2024 (K)
Cheryl Strayed; Two Women Walk into a Bar; January 2024 (K)
Ben Stevens; Sherlock Holmes & The Secret Room (K); August 2024
Douglas Stuart; Shuggie Bain; February 2024 (dnf)
Kirsten Tambling; Hodge's History of Cats; March 2024
Martin Walker; Dark Vineyard; April 2024
Victoria Walters; Coming Home to Glendale Hall; August 2024
Marcia Willett; The Christmas Angel; November 2024
Satoshi Yagisawa; Days at the Morisaki Bookshop; November 2024
Sarah Yarwood-Lovett; A Murder of Crows; July 2024 (K)
Sarah Yarwood-Lovett; A Cast of Falcons; August 2024 (K)
Sarah Yarwood-Lovett; A Mischief of Rats; September 2024 (K)
Sarah Yarwood-Lovett; A Generation of Vipers; October 2024 (K)
Michelle Zauner; Crying in H Mart; March 2024 (Book Club)


Book Rings / Rays / Boxes joined in 2023 / 24

Christmas Bookbox round 6; Hosted by greenbadger; joined 14/10/24; arrived 30/11/24; sent out 4/12/24
Eclectic One-off Bookbox; Hosted by Poodlesister; joined 8/7/24; arrived 16/10/24; sent out ?/11/24
Christmas Bookbox round 2; Hosted by imeretoo; joined 2/9/24; arrived 7/10/24; sent out 18/10/24
Christmas Bookbox round 1; Hosted by imeretoo; joined 8/7/24; arrived 14/8/24; sent out ?/8/24
Mixed Fiction Bookbox round 5; Hosted by Poodlesister; joined 22/1/24; arrived 19/5/24 ; sent out 23/5/24
Non Fiction Bookbox round 6; Hosted by Poodlesister; joined 22/1/24; arrived 1/3/24; sent out 8/3/24


Challenges joined in 2024

The 'The' Challenge : - 25 in the year (4 in January; 5 in February; 0 in March; 4 in April; 2 in May; 4 in June; 2 in July; 2 in August; 1 in September; 1 in October; 3 in November; 3 in December) 31 in the year. Success
December Readathon : Aim 20 hours, actual 28.5 hours. Success.
November Readathon : Aim 20 hours, actual 17.5 hours. Failed.
September Readathon : Aim 15 hours, probable actual 18.5 hours. Success.
April readathon : Aim 15 hours, actual 16.5 hours. Success
February readathon : Aim 15 hours, possible actual 17.5 hours. Success
January readathon : Aim 12 hours revised up to 15 hours, actual 19 hours. Success


Book Boxes started in 2024
Already Crossed Bookbox Round 8 started 29/11/24
Crime / Mystery Bookbox Round 11 started 13/9/24

Returned from 2023 and 2024:
Random Bookbox Round 9 started nn/7/24 arrived home 18/12/24
Already Crossed Bookbox Round 7 started 14/6/24 arrived home 22/10/24
Crime / Mystery Bookbox Round 10 started 3/4/24 arrived home 24/8/24
Random Bookbox Round 8 started 31/1/24 arrived home 20/6/24
Already Crossed Bookbox Round 6 started 21/10/23 arrived home 9/5/24
Crime / Mystery Bookbox Round 9 started 11/23 arrived home 16/3/24
Random Bookbox Round 7 started 3/10/23 arrived home 13/1/24.


Books read in 2024 :
Books read in 2023 : 77
Books read in 2022 : 85
Books read in 2021 : 96
Books read in 2020 : 121
Books read in 2019 : 109
Books read in 2018 : 84
Books read in 2017 : 102
Books read in 2016 : 108
Books read in 2015 : 102
Books read in 2014 : 80
Books read in 2013 : 87
Books read in 2012 : 81
Books read in 2011 : 75
Books read in 2010 : 73
Books read in 2009 : 70
Books read in 2008 : 60

(I now keep all my previous reading lists in a personal spreadsheet).


My very first unconvention 2021.



And lastly,


visited 36 states (16%)
Books map of the World

chart.apis.google.com/chart?... width="440" height="220" >
visited 34 states (68%)
Books gone to these states of the USA

Both book maps last updated to December 2018 but these have obviously not been updated for a while.