If you’re new here: on Sundays, I send a collection of mini memoirs from my life in the UK. Each weekly dispatch is filled with stories and things I’ve noticed—at home, in books, on my walks, in the world, and within myself. My hope is they feel reflective and calming, and inspire you to notice more in your own life. Writing them certainly helps me notice more in mine… 🕯️

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Saturday, June 6, 2026

It’s 2pm and I’m slowly wandering the aisles of Sainsbury’s, wondering if I’ll see the friendly cashier I’ve gotten to know over the years. Mark only works on weekends, so I don’t see him very often—even less so, recently. A few months ago, Tall Man and I were in together, and he shared with us that he’d been diagnosed with dementia and it was starting to affect him at work. He was going to keep working for as long as he could, he’d said, but I think I’d only seen him once since—and wasn’t sure if he was still there at all. As I am thinking about him, he walks past me.

“Hello there!” I said with a smile, and am met with one back.

“I’m glad I’ve seen you,” Mark said in a serious tone. “I think I might’ve shared with you that I was diagnosed with dementia? I’m only working two more weekends now.”

“Well then I’m glad I saw you too!”

We chat a bit more. Mark says he’s doing pretty well, but wants to leave before it gets worse. He asks if I could remind him what my name is, so I do. Then he says he needs to get back to work.

“I’ll come to your till, when I’m done!”

The lines are long today. Grocery stores have changed so much since I moved to the UK, at Sainsbury’s in particular. Self-checkouts dominate here. This is a pretty big location, but there are now just 4 tills and a max of 4 cashiers working (usually only 2). On most days, I do go to self-checkouts. I’m an organized shopper and find it oddly enjoyable to scan things and pack my bags in a particular order. But on weekends, I go to Mark’s till. The conversation is worth the wait.

“Can you remind me what your name is again? Cait?” I confirm it is. He apologizes and says names are the thing he finds hardest to remember.

“I’m only working two more weekends. Did I tell you that already?”

I just say ahh ok! and ask for confirmation of when his exact last day will be. Mark goes on to tell me he’s tried to hold off on leaving because he enjoys working here so much. This was his retirement job. He’s 68 and doesn’t need the money, has just enjoyed interacting with the customers.

“Will I see you again?” Mark asks. “Because if not, I’ll shake your hand now.”

I tell him I will come in next weekend, but shake his hand anyway—just in case.

“It was always a pleasure chatting with you, Cait,” he says with a smile. “You’re one of the nicest customers I’ve ever had.”

When I get back into the car, I shed a few tears. I don’t really know how I befriended Mark. I suppose I just saw him enough times, and we had a little chit chat every time. But when I think about it now, I do know one thing: he always asked me questions. Not just about the weather, but about Canada, my family back home, my life here, how TM is, and so on. And he noticed things. He noticed that I would often buy a pineapple (because it’s my favourite and they are so cheap here!). And he would comment on our shops. “I’ve noticed you two eat really healthy! Seems like you take good care of yourselves!”

Mark paid attention to me. And in the first few years of living here—and living alone—these kinds of interactions were sometimes the only connections I had with other humans in a week. They mattered. They still matter. And when I go say goodbye to him next weekend, I’m going to tell him so.

Sunday, June 7, 2026

TM was the first to spot it: a nest in our front garden. He heard the babies cheep cheep cheeping for food. I wait by the window, in the hopes I might catch a glimpse of one of the parents. I want to know what kind of bird they are, and I’m delighted when I discover they belong to our female blackbird. “Birdy 2.0” I call her sometimes. She hangs out in our back garden, and comes to the kitchen window looking for food in the mornings, the same way Birdy used to at The Lighthouse. She’s already had babies once this spring, so this is her second brood. It’s exciting to hear the little sounds they make, and imagine how cute they could be. And, we know they are in a terrible spot. Right by our front door. By the road. Just a couple feet off the ground, in a small nest in a thick bush they’ll quickly grow out of. And audible to any neighbourhood cat that walks by.

Monday, June 8, 2026

Today feels like my first day “back at work.” I’ve been home for 10 days, but have been in pain for most of them. I got a UTI, followed by a rotator cuff thing, then my back was out for a full week. Why? Who knows. “I woke up like this,” I sang in an audio message to Sasha on the day I could finally poke fun at the situation. But it’s true! Since coming home, I’ve been to 6 different appointments and picked up 3 different prescriptions. Last week was basically a complete write-off. So it feels amazing to be sitting in front of my computer, and finally starting to work on the few writing projects I have created/lined up for myself. And as if the work day couldn’t get any better, there’s a knock at the door… and this little package of free books gets delivered!

Have you heard of The Pound Project, friends? If not, I’ll be telling you more about them soon enough. ☺️

Tuesday, June 9, 2026

We wake up to silence. There’s no more chirping out front, and we know why: the baby birds are all dead. It happened last night, in a series of events we knew was possible but didn’t think would happen so quickly. I’m heavy with heartbreak and distracted by the silence all day; so sad for the sweet little creatures that were simply born in the wrong place. When I first moved into TM’s house last summer, I worried he wouldn’t understand my connection with animals. Why I like putting out bird seed and fresh water, and making up little stories about whoever decides to come hangout in our garden. But after the conversations we’ve had recently—about the blackbirds and the pigeon, the squirrel and the robin—I think he enjoys them as much as I do.

Later, we will bury all four baby birds “in the front garden, under the window,”—his choice. Watching him grab a shovel and dig the hole, I know I have chosen the right partner for me to do life with. ❤️

Wednesday, June 10, 2026

It’s mid-afternoon and I’m finally out for a good long walk. My first one since coming home almost two weeks ago. My body feels pretty good. I am this close to walking at my normal pace! But the thing I’m enjoying most is what’s in front of me. Everywhere I look, I’m reminded of why I fell in love with the UK on my first visit back in May 2018. How easy it was to go for long walks through fields. How many animals you’d see along the way. How bright the green grass was. And how shockingly blue the sky was against it. It’s grey for months, and there’s no denying that can get a little depressing. But when the sun comes out!? The colours and the lush landscapes are a feast. (Also, we’ve named this cow Stanley.)

Thursday, June 11, 2026

I got more fun mail! This time, a package from my cousin who also left Canada and now lives in the Netherlands. I didn’t know I’d be warming up a stroopwafel over my coffee this afternoon, but I’m so glad I am. And I’ll be doing it again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next… until they are gone.

Do Canadians have little customs like this? is a question I’ve been asking myself a lot recently. What’s the Canadian equivalent of warming up a stroopwafel over a warm drink? Or going out for cake or a cream tea in the UK? I’m seriously asking. If you think you have an answer, I’d love to hear it. 🇨🇦

Friday, June 12, 2026

It’s just before noon and I’m walking into the coffee shop in my old town. Not just walking—I’m jogging across the street so I don’t miss the light. Inside, I’m greeted with so much warmth from everyone, then two of them immediately ask: “How’s your back!?” They’re asking because they saw me at this time exactly one week ago, when I was walking at a snail’s pace, with one hand bracing myself from the shooting pains on my left side. That day, I was on my way to the doctor’s office.

“I’m great! They said they thought it was just muscular. Gave me some painkillers to help calm it down. Sent me a link to a 30-minute pilates video and told me to do it at least once/day. So that’s what I did… and it seems to have worked!”

And it’s true, friend. A week ago, I was exhausted from the pain I was in, desperate for some kind of solution. The doctor’s exam was thorough and brought tears to my eyes. I took a total of 5 of the 28 painkillers they gave me. But I’m a firm believer that movement is one of the best healing tools we have, so I just did that video on repeat and tracked all the little progress I was making. And after a week, I am back to my normal self. It feels like a small miracle, and I am so grateful for it, knowing how lucky I am that is was only muscular. And I know how quickly it could all be taken away again.

And then I ask the question that brought me here: “Is it Ryan’s birthday!?”

And I was right, it is! So we have some coffee and cake, and Ryan asks me to try a new drink he’s testing out for summer. I leave feeling so grateful for this little community I have here. I may not live in this town anymore, but this coffee shop is still my third place. ☕

Do you have a “third place,” friend? That is, a place outside of your home (first place) and work/school (second) where you feel most connected?

xx Cait

Thank you for reading this little newsletter of mine. I've been writing online since 2010, and have always valued keeping my content clean (aka free of ads/sponsored content) so we can be present together. If you found calm, joy or inspiration from this, you can: like this post (click on the heart button), subscribe to read more or buy me a coffee! ❤️☕

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And if you’d like to chat one-on-one, there’s still time to book a Zoom date! I have 10 slots left in June/July, then I’m closing down this part of my biz. ☎️

I want to start this note with an apology and a laugh. I’m sorry for disappearing while I was in Canada! In hindsight, it’s hilarious that I thought I’d be able to write at all, let alone daily. I was so busy with my family, I didn’t even see many friends—and I certainly wasn’t going to prioritize opening a laptop over seeing people. So “hahaha” to me (maybe I’ll finally learn this lesson now!?), and sorry again to you! But I’m home. I’m not exactly rested yet (came home and immediately got an infection followed by two minor injuries, lol), but I do have a lot of things I want to share… because even though I wasn’t writing, I took notes while I was away!

Notes on the things I was noticing: in myself, in my people, and in the world around me. But I also spent a lot of time thinking about what my life looks like in the UK now. What home means to me here. What the shape of my community is. What I’m grateful for, and what I feel like I’m missing still. Routines that are working. Routines I want/need to make changes around. Things I might like to try. Politics I’d been trying to ignore. I thought about all of this, then used those same noticings to ask myself questions about my life before: growing up in Canada. I’d like to find a way to write about some of this, this summer…

Anyway, it’s safe to say last month was a bit of a blur. I’m guessing that’s how many parents with two kids under the age of 3 feel! You wake up early and tired, and you go to bed exhausted. Every day looks pretty similar to the last, other than when it comes to a toddler’s food preferences. But there were lots of little moments that I will remember, and I tried to capture as many of them as I could…

Read more

As you know, in 2026, I’m doing an experiment I’m calling: The Taste Test. It’s a reading challenge where I’m choosing one genre per month and reading a few recent/popular books from it, in an attempt to figure out what my reading taste is as an adult… and maybe (hopefully!) even find a new author/genre to obsess over!

At the end of each month, I write a recap of my thoughts, including the list of books I read and how I experienced each one. In January, I read 4 memoirs and remembered why I enjoy them. In February, I read 6 mystery/thrillers and LOVED that genre! And in March, I discovered I don’t really like historical fiction…

For April, I decided to read some science fiction and came up with a list of 5 books I’d try to read! Did I get through them all? And what did I think of this genre? Let’s see…

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The Story I Told Myself About Science Fiction

I start each of these recaps by sharing what my initial thoughts were on the genre. Any assumptions I had, judgments I made, and any resistance or intrigue I noticed in myself before reading the books. Because this is all an experiment, you could say this is the “hypothesis” of the month! And I found this one interesting…

When I decided to include science fiction in this challenge, I noticed I felt almost… icky about it. “Science fiction” conjured images of aliens and space, of complicated worlds that make no sense, and of the nerds who love them. (If this sounds judgmental, I know! Stay with me!) I’ve been into more bookshops than usual this year, and one of the other things I noticed is that sci-fi is a section I skip entirely! So I guess the story I’ve been telling myself is that science fiction was “not for me.”

Then, I started researching which books I might read…

The Reading Research Experience

I’m going to tell you about the reading experience below. But truthfully, almost everything I learned about myself happened during the research process! The experience I had with science fiction is so different from the first three genres, and reminded me of what you learn how to do in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT): question your assumptions. To ask yourself questions like: What evidence do I have to support this belief? It turns out, that’s not only a great question to ask yourself when you’re going down an anxious spiral. It can also help you figure out you might be WRONG in assuming something isn’t for you! And the evidence does NOT back up my belief, friend! It tells me I have enjoyed a lot of sci-fi over the years…

When I was a kid, one of my all-time favourite books was THE GIVER by Lois Lowry. (I re-read this during the pandemic and loved it just as much as an adult.) I also loved movies like BACK TO THE FUTURE and ET. And one of my favourites was THE ABYSS. (I’ve been wanting to re-watch it for years, but can’t seem to find anywhere to stream or rent it in the UK!)

I don’t remember much about the content I consumed in my teens/20s (other than a few TV shows), which feels strange to say but is true. I do remember gobbling up THE HUNGER GAMES books once I finished university, though. And I enjoyed movies like APOLLO 13, ARMAGEDDON, AVATAR, INDEPENDENCE DAY, THE MATRIX…

It was helpful to be reminded of this. I may not have gotten into some of the big franchises, like STAR WARS or STAR TREK or DOCTOR WHO or BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. But I liked space enough! I could get into a dystopian world! And when I reflected on content I consumed in my 30s, I found even more proof of this…

When I started reading middle grade books during the pandemic, I found that I LOVED sci-fi stuff. THE WILD ROBOT series was a particular favourite, but there have been many others. I also loved (and gave away a copy of) ALONE by Megan E. Freeman, which was a dystopian/survival thriller. I included TILT by my friend Emma Pattee in that giveaway, which is more of a realistic dystopian thriller, and SO freaking good! And one of my favourite books from the last 5 years is one I probably haven’t mentioned: KLARA AND THE SUN by Kazuo Ishiguro. A lot of this is probably considered fairly “light” sci-fi, but it’s still sci-fi nonetheless!

Compared to my overall choices, it’s still a genre I don’t read a lot of. But I have WATCHED and loved plenty of sci-fi in the last decade… Shows like: BLACK MIRROR, THE HANDMAID’S TABLE (I couldn’t read the book but watched the show), LOST, RUSSIAN DOLL and SEVERANCE. (And I haven’t finished STRANGER THINGS, but that’s on the list too.) So many good movies: ARRIVAL, CHILDREN OF MEN, INCEPTION, INTERSTELLAR, and the DUNE trilogy which wraps up this year. And if you remember how this whole challenge started: I finally watched all 9 of the STAR WARS films with Tall Man, and found I actually really loved some of them!

Do you see what I mean about the research experience providing more answers than I could’ve imagined!? The final stage of that was researching which books I might read this month, and I discovered so many of them sounded intriguing! All I had to do was challenge the story I was telling myself, and I was able to quickly prove that I was wrong. Maybe I wasn’t a HUGE fan of sci-fi, but some of it was definitely for me…

The Reading Experience

I was really excited about the books on this month’s reading list, friend! And, April had some other plans for us. The kids were off school for two weeks, we were down to one car for that time, and then I was trying to get a ton of work done before packing up/leaving the country for a month. There was just generally more to juggle, and I didn’t have as much time to read! But that’s ok! I still finished two books (and started and DNF’d a couple others) and learned a few things about my reading taste…

1. THE MINISTRY OF TIME by Kaliane Bradley - I found this to be a really fun read. It was set in a not-too-distant London, and I’m learning I do seem to prefer books that feel a bit modern/contemporary (compared to historical). And even though it’s about time travel, it didn’t go too deep into the science/technicalities of that, but rather focused on what the characters were doing now and why. In fact, I would say that this book was probably 75% character development, with most of the action at the end. And that worked for me! The final paragraph was also so meaningful (compared to how the rest of the book was written), it actually caught me off guard. I’d love to leave my own readers with a statement like that, one day.

2. Middle Grade Option: THE FIRST STATE OF BEING by Erin Entrada Kelly - This was also fun to read! It was set in the 90s, which gave it a certain nostalgic feel for this millennial reader. Another book about time travel, this one did go into the science/technicalities more… and I would say, that’s where it almost lost me a couple times? Not because science is boring (it’s obviously not!), but because it felt too… explanatory. I don’t want to read technical writing. I want STORIES! Thankfully, I didn’t lose myself in those pages, and instead kept reading and found the stories I was looking for. The characters also felt very human, which I love. But personally, I liked WE DREAM OF SPACE by the same author more! (And now I strongly believe that one should’ve won a Newbery!)

The book(s) I didn’t finish (DNF):

Now, here’s the part of this recap I haven’t been looking forward to writing… because I know so many people LOVE this book! But I DNF’d PROJECT HAIL MARY. 😬

I got through a third of the audiobook, and agree with everyone’s reviews: the narrator is great! He’s so animated, I found myself smiling or laughing in parts. Sometimes, I even thought I was listening to Tom Hanks, who I love! But I got lost in all the technical explanations of how things were working… I found those parts SO boring that I guess I would tune it out, then realize I had no idea what the author had just said or where we were in the story, and I’d have to rewind the book again (and again and again). I could only do this so many times before I decided to just give up…

I was still curious about the story though, and wanted to see the movie! So TM and I went last weekend! And sadly,… I didn’t love that either. It was ok! (SPOILER ALERT) I obviously got emotionally attached to his little alien friend! You know I love an animal/inanimate object story, haha. But my (very personal) review of the story/movie is: it’s basically just INTERSTELLAR but not as good!? (If you haven’t watched that movie, I would highly reco it!) And it is WAY too long…

The second book I DNF’d was THE OTHER VALLEY by Scott Alexander Howard. The writing was good and I do actually think I could like this book… but I found it reminded me of THE GIVER and imagined where it would probably go? (And, as I’ve learned, my brain gets bored when a story feels obvious!) I wasn’t intrigued enough to keep going with it this month, anyway. But maybe one day!

The Aftertaste

The main reason I’m doing this challenge is to figure out what my reading taste is as an adult. The story I told myself is that science fiction wasn’t for me, and that’s definitely not true. Even though I didn’t end up finishing many books this month, I still feel confident saying: I like science fiction! And I want to read/watch a lot more of it! In fact, I finished the month with at least 10 books on my sci-fi TBR list, including: AUTOMATIC NOODLE by Annalee Newitz, AWAKE IN THE FLOATING CITY by Susanna Kwan, NEVER LET ME GO by Kazuo Ishiguro, and SEA OF TRANQUILITY Emily St. John Mandel. And I still want to explore Becky Chambers’s work, too.

When I look at this list, I can see that I seem to be most drawn to dystopian worlds (as long as it’s not TOO dark, like no more HANDMAID’S TALE stuff for me thanks). I don’t enjoy reading some of the more hardcore stuff, which uses more technical language. Instead, it might be true that I prefer “softer” or “lighter” sci-fi. Literary sci-fi, as one author friend said to me. And that’s ok!

One thing I’m learning through this challenge is that every genre has a ton of sub-genres, and there’s probably something for everyone… 🤓

I’m Taking a Break in May!

I’m flying home to Canada next week and spending most of the month there, so I’m going to “skip” a month of this challenge and not force myself to read/think about books too much. But I’m going to take this as an opportunity to read some contemporary stuff, which I already know I like/haven’t included as part of this challenge! I just started YESTERYEAR by Caro Claire Burke, and wow, I can see why it’s getting so much early attention!

When I come back in June, I’ll be diving into a summer of romance, fantasy, and the genre I have the most feels about… romantasy!

See you soon, friend! ☺️

xx Cait

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Welcome to another edition of Light News! This is a space where, once/month, we come together and share what feels like light news from our lives. Personal updates, places we’ve been, things we’ve noticed or tried, content we’ve enjoyed, etc. It’s a place for us to step back from everything else we are seeing in the media right now, and try to remember there is more than just darkness in the world.

What “light news” do you have from April? I’ll go first…

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It’s time for our spring book giveaway! I’m going to keep this post short and sweet, because I’ve been doing A LOT of writing this week… and my brain is tired! But if you’ve been following along with The Taste Test recaps, you’ll already know a little bit about these books.

In fact, when trying to decide which books I might package up for you, I realized The Taste Test will have the answers. For the giveaways I host in 2026, I’m going to choose my favourite book from each the genres I read in the previous season. For this one, that’s: memoir, thrillers, and historical!

Before, I tell you which 3 books I chose, a quick reminder that these giveaways are open to the readers who pay to support this newsletter. I’ve been hosting book giveaways since I started my first big blog in 2010, and they are never sponsored by authors/publishers, and are always paid for by me! I choose books I love, buy physical copies to support the authors, then pay to ship them directly to your home. In total for the year, this costs me the amount I earn from 6-7 annual subscriptions to this newsletter. I will always thank YOU for supporting me. But your money also helps me support other writers. So thanks for helping us all, friend!

Ok, here’s what I’ve chosen for the spring giveaway…

RAISING HARE by Chloe Dalton

Genre: Memoir

This might be the definition of a “Cait” book. It’s the story of a woman in the UK who finds and raises a baby hare—and what she learns about them, and herself, through their time together. It reminded me of the years when the hedgehogs were living in my garden at The Lighthouse. How I never went near them, but took care of them from a distance. How afraid I was for the day they might leave and never return. And how much I cried when I found Mama Hedgie dead on the patio. The author’s stories were so vivid, I could have been standing inside her home, looking out over her garden. There were a few times when I thought: is this really all the book is about? Stories of a woman paying close attention to a wild animal? The answer is yes. And by the end, I realized that’s exactly what my nervous system needed. I hope reading it is a calming experience for you too. ❤️

THE GOD OF THE WOODS by Liz Moore

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Not exactly a calm read, but not a scary one either. What I learned in February is that I REALLY like mystery/thrillers. They can’t be too obvious or formulaic (so I don’t really like stuff written by authors who constantly pump out new books). And they can’t include much violence. I enjoy a slower mystery/thriller, filled with more intrigue than intense interactions. And I value the time/thought/work that goes into writing a story that slowly pieces a puzzle together. This was a perfect “Cait” thriller. It’s more character development than anything. It took me about 75 pages to get the lay of the land, so to speak, but then I was hooked. It’s set in the woods (obvious, lol) and everything feels so present. The landscapes, of course, but people’s inner worlds too. It is beautifully pieced together, with an ending that took my breath away. And I don’t want to say anything more than that, friend!

WE DREAM OF SPACE by Erin Entrada Kelly

Middle grade “historical” fiction (set in the 80s)

Broadly speaking, last month I discovered that I’m not a huge fan of historical fiction. But I do like books set in the mid-to-late century (1950s-90s). Books that are a little more recent (possibly nostalgic?), and almost feel contemporary. This book not only falls under those categories, it basically saved me from the huge reading slump I had found myself in. After struggling to finish anything, I picked this up and read it in a few 100-page sittings. That’s what happens whenever I pick up a good middle grade novel, and this is a GREAT middle grade novel, friend. (It was even nominated for a Newbery!) Told through the perspectives of three siblings, it’s full of heart and humanity. And you don’t have to care about space, to enjoy this story. But if you’ve found any hope/inspiration in following Artemis II, you might love it even more!

For a chance to win this THREE-book bundle, simply leave a comment answering this question: what is one (1) book you have LOVED so far this year?

This giveaway is open to all paying subscribers of The Lighthouse. I’ll ship them anywhere in the world! (Even if it takes a while to get there!) It closes Friday, April 24th. I’ll choose a winner + notify them that weekend!

Read more

As you know, in 2026, I’m doing an experiment I’m calling: The Taste Test. It’s a reading challenge where I’m choosing one genre per month and reading a few recent/popular books from it, in an attempt to figure out what my reading taste is as an adult… and maybe (hopefully!) even find a new author/genre to obsess over!

At the end of each month, I write a recap of my thoughts, including the list of books I read and how I experienced each one. In January, I read 4 memoirs and remembered why I enjoy them. And in February, I read 6 mystery/thrillers and added another 25+ to my future TBR list. (It’s safe to say: I really like that genre!)

For March, I decided to read historical fiction and came up with a list of 5 books to read (plus extras, if I finished them all). What did I think of this genre, before/after these books? Let’s find out. 🤓

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The Story I Told Myself About Historical Fiction

I start each of these recaps by sharing what my initial thoughts were on the genre. Any assumptions I had, judgments I made, and any resistance or intrigue I noticed in myself before reading the books. Because this is all an experiment, you could say this is the “hypothesis” of the month. But I didn’t really have a clear hypothesis for this genre…

The story I told myself about historical fiction was more of a noticing: that it had never really interested me. When I started researching the most popular titles from the past few years, I recognized the covers… and was even drawn to some! But when I read the descriptions, I often lost interest. I didn’t understand why, until I started reading them…

The Reading Experience

In last month’s recap, I shared a list of what I was going to read in March. My plan was to attempt to read 4 adult novels + 1 middle grade book. I knew that was a stretch, but wanted to try anyway!

Well, as it turned out, that was a massive stretch for this genre, friend. Because the first thing I need to tell you is that I only finished two books all month. One of the adult novels + a middle grade book (and a different one, from what I first put on the list).

So far for this challenge, I’ve been writing recaps of how I experienced every book I finished. But since there weren’t many, I’m going to start by telling you about all the reasons I didn’t finish all the others…

• Sometimes, the story ended up being a romance—and one that revolved around a really unhealthy relationship dynamic. This isn’t cute or something I can look past. When books romanticize people in bad relationships, it apparently makes me feel angry. More on this below.

• Sometimes, the language felt too old-timey for me. Correct for their time periods, perhaps, but something I found myself struggling to read.

• Sometimes, the story felt really drawn out… with way more background info than “present” storytelling. I like character/story development! But there needs to be a plot. And when you’re 2+ hours into an audiobook and don’t have any idea when it’s going to come back to the plot…?

• Sometimes, they were too relevant/on the nose, for the times we are living in right now. (Aka: wartime books.)

• Sometimes, I got stuck because I kept telling myself “I should” finish it. That these were stories “I should” read. And it’s taken a long time for me to get here, but I am fully committed to wanting book-reading to be my JOYFUL hobby. “Should” takes all the joy out of it.

• And sometimes, they were just too sad. And as my friend Marci said to me, “I don’t need books to make me feel good, necessarily. But I need them to not feel like they are deliberately trying to ruin my day.” And that is how I felt about some of the historical fiction I attempted to read.

I am intentionally not telling you which books made me feel each of these things, because I didn’t finish any of them (some were from the original list + I tried 4-5 more!) and therefore don’t feel comfortable writing anything that feels like a review. But compared to most (where I quit within the first 75 pages), there was one book I gave a really solid effort to—and I have some things I want to say about it.

So I’m going to share what I learned about myself and my reading taste, based on the two books I finished this month, and the one I got halfway through…

1. THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah (DNF’d halfway through) - Let’s start with this one, because it gave me A LOT of information. And full warning: there will be spoilers in this paragraph. Because outside of getting halfway through and still feeling like there wasn’t really any plot (she just worked/hung out with coworkers/slept), it felt like the only thing that was really happening in this book was that the main character was attracted to unavailable men. The married surgeon. The guy who was engaged. And without properly developing these relationships, she somehow fell in love with one of them!? As I was reading, I noticed two things happening inside me: I was annoyed, and then I was angry. When I got to the part where, in an intimate moment, one of the guys said he wished he’d met her first (before getting together with his actual partner), I yelled out “OH COME ON! RED FLAG! RUN AWAY!” and knew I had to stop reading. It was such a strong emotional reaction… one I don’t have often, when I’m reading. I’ve thought about it a lot since. I think there was a time in my life when I could’ve enjoyed this book and this type of romance. But it all felt really gross to me… bad enough that I couldn’t even finish it. Maybe that says something about my morals and who I am today. But partnered/unavailable men? Not sexy. (And if you’re curious: I read spoilers so I know how it ends, and I’m totally ok with the fact that I didn’t finish this one.)

2. BROKEN COUNTRY by Clare Leslie Hall - I picked this one because it was nominated for Readers’ Fave Historical Fiction in 2025 and was Reese’s Book Club Pick last March too. And I liked it! This won’t be surprising after last month’s recap, but I liked how mystery/intrigue was used in the storytelling, and was really sucked in at the end. There was just one thing I didn’t like about this book. (And this isn’t a spoiler, it’s on the front cover of the UK edition!) It romanticizes an affair. And in line with what I said above, I don’t think affairs are sexy (perhaps especially when her husband felt like such a good human). So I wasn’t “into” this romance in the book. It felt really sh*tty to read about, actually.

3. Middle Grade Option: WE DREAM OF SPACE by Erin Entrada Kelly - The book that saved my reading experience. I really struggled to finish any historical fiction this month. I know that was partially a result of feeling distracted by the news and anxiety about what’s been happening around the world. But it was also because of all the reasons I didn’t like the books I tried reading (listed above). Something I know about myself is that if I’m having a hard time focusing on books written for adults, I should try a middle grade book instead—and that’s exactly what helped me out of my reading slump this month. I DNF’d the first MG option I tried reading, then scrolled this list to see what else might interest me. Then I was happy to discover: we already had a copy of this one on our bookshelves here! (The benefit of living with kids!?) It’s set in the 80s, which didn’t feel historical at first… but I suppose it is! Especially because it’s centered around an event that made history. Told through the perspective of three siblings, I felt connected to them all. This book is human and full of heart. I read it within a week and loved it… and would go so far as to say: this book is middle grade perfection, friend. I can certainly understand why it was nominated for a Newbery! It also helped me learn an important lesson about what kind of historical fiction I do like: books that are a little more recent, and almost feel contemporary.

The Aftertaste

The main reason I’m doing this challenge is to figure out what my reading taste is as an adult. The story I told myself about historical fiction is that it didn’t really interest me—and that’s not quite true. I think what’s more true is you need to know which time periods you’re actually interested in. And after this challenge, I have a better understanding of what that is!

• I’m not interested in reading wartime books. Truthfully, these are the books I get bored of just reading the descriptions. That’s not true for so many readers (people LOVE wartime books, I know!), but it’s what’s true for me and I’m going to honour that!

• I do like books set in the mid-to-late century (1950s-90s). Books that feel a little more recent, almost contemporary… and where the setting/story isn’t depressing AF, lol. Think: THE DUTCH HOUSE, THE VANISHING HALF, HELLO BEAUTIFUL, and basically all of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s work!

• I’m not interested in historical romance. I should’ve known this one already. I don’t like it in movies/TV shows either.

• I do like generational stories. And more recently, seem to be drawn to Korean stories, which is interesting!? Particularly ones that show the relationship between Korea and Japan, and how that has impacted people’s lives and culture. I have no idea why and might need to read more to understand my interest! (It might be about understanding/forming your own identity…?) But think: PACHINKO and FLASHLIGHT.

• And I haven’t read them yet, but I think I might like stories that feel a little lighter… like THE BOOK CLUB FOR TROUBLESOME WOMEN and MEET THE NEWMANS. They feel similar to LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY, which I never read but enjoyed the TV adaptation of. (And to that end: THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL is one of my fave shows ever.)

All of this is to say: I don’t hate historical fiction! But I’ve finished this month with only a few titles on my TBR list. So it’s probably not a genre I’m going to become obsessed with! But I’m happy to have a better understanding of which ones I might enjoy. ☺️

In April, I’m Exploring: Science Fiction

And all the feelings I’ve had around it have already been interesting, friend! When I just think of “science fiction,” I have thoughts like: space, aliens, nerdy, and not for me. But when I started researching books I might read??? SO MANY of them sounded interesting! (And I was reminded of all the sci-fi books I’ve enjoyed in the past!) It was hard to pick just a few! But here’s the list of what I’m going to attempt to read this month…

1. DEATH OF THE AUTHOR by Nnedi Okorafor - Nominated for Readers’ Fave Science Fiction in 2025, a finalist for the 2025 Nebula Award for Best Novel, and a TIME Must-Read Book of 2025. The description already intrigues me, and the accolades bode well! I got it on audio.

2. THE MINISTRY OF TIME by Kaliane Bradley - Winner of Readers’ Fave Science Fiction in 2024. I remember seeing this one everywhere, and a few reader and writer friends have shared that they loved it! I bought a copy from an independent bookshop in Berwick last month.

3. THE OTHER VALLEY by Scott Alexander Howard - Nominated for Readers’ Fave Science Fiction in 2024. This one sounds really interesting. And, I think it might be the first book I’ll have read by a male author this year!? That was a funny realization.

4. PROJECT HAIL MARY by Andy Weir - For the challenge, I’m mostly reading books published in the last few years, and this one is from 2021. But I want to read it before seeing the movie adaptation! And I really want to see the movie soon! (Also: a second male author! lol)

5. Middle Grade Option: THE FIRST STATE OF BEING by Erin Entrada Kelly - After loving WE DREAM OF SPACE, I knew I wanted to read more of EEK’s work. Lucky for me, she wrote this science fiction novel after… and it WON the Newbery!

I also want to read MONK AND ROBOT by Becky Chambers, but am waiting until they release the two-book series as one book (in May!).

Have you read either of the two books I finished this month? Or any of the books on next month’s list?

I’d love to hear your (spoiler-free) thoughts!

xx Cait

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Welcome to another edition of Light News! This is a space where, once/month, we come together and share what feels like light news from our lives. Personal updates, places we’ve been, things we’ve noticed or tried, content we’ve enjoyed, etc. It’s a place for us to step back from everything else we are seeing in the media right now, and try to remember there is more than just darkness in the world. And heavens to Betsy, as my grandma used to say—I really need this right now, and I’m guessing some of you do too!

What “light news” do you have from March? I’ll go first…

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Hi friend,

If you’re new here: on Sundays, I send a collection of mini memoirs from my life in the UK. Each weekly dispatch is filled with stories and things I’ve noticed—at home, in books, on my walks, in the world, and within myself. My hope is they feel reflective and calming, and inspire you to notice more in your own life. Writing them certainly helps me notice more in mine… 🕯️

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Saturday, March 7, 2026

It’s just after noon and the sun has inspired me to clean the inside of my car. “Can I help?” the youngest asks. This is a question I never once asked my parents. Of course, I say yes.

Together, we vacuum the seats, the floors, and the mats. We make a small bowl of hot soapy water and wipe down the dash, the doors, around the doors—anywhere we see dust or dirt or little swipes of mud from our shoes. I haven’t cleaned my car since I lived at The Lighthouse, and it feels nice to be taking care of this little thing that is mine.

We open up the trunk to see if there’s anything to clean back there, and she asks what everything is. I point out the jumper cables, the mini air compressor, and the high-vis vest—things you might need to fix your car when you’re on the road. I explain why I keep a jug of water in the car at all times. She knows what the wiper fluid is, but asks what the gold jug is: engine oil. “Do you need to use them right now?” she asks. I say I’d wait until the engine is cooler, before I top up the oil. She asks why, and I answer—then think about my dad, who gave me that answer. She asks if she can fill up the wiper fluid, and I hand her the jug.

At the front of the car, I ask if she wants to pop the hood. Tell her to feel around with her fingers until she finds a latch. I say it should go up and down, and she says no, it goes side-to-side. She’s found it! We prop up the hood and she asks more questions about everything she sees. I share what I do know, and also say “I don’t know.” Then she asks how much wiper fluid to add, and I tell her to fill it to the top! “Don’t worry about spilling,” I say to her, and to myself. Then I take a step back and let her do it. I’m suddenly aware of how much she’s learning today. By asking questions, trying new things, and being given permission to make a mess. And I feel the weight of responsibility that comes with being an adult who helps a kid learn how things work.

I spend the rest of the day thinking about my dad. ❤️

Sunday, March 8, 2026

Tall Man and I driving home when I spot a teenage boy in full camo. He looks over his shoulder directly at us, before walking through the gate into a graveyard—with a gun over his shoulder. It’s long and brown. Maybe a shotgun. “That boy had a gun!” I say to TM, and he doesn’t seem overly surprised. Farm boys can be pretty wild, he says. I understand why farmers have guns, but the sight of this boy looking at us with his feels alarming to me. I start imagining horrible things he might be doing, taking his gun into that graveyard. I know all the little creatures that live there. But these are just stories I’m making up, so I tell myself to stop. Then I realize I don’t actually know what the gun laws/regulations are in the UK—just that you never see them. I hadn’t seen one in the first four years of living here. Aware that isn’t everyone’s experience, I’m grateful I live in a country1 where that’s true.

Monday, March 9, 2026

I had a good writing session this morning. I’m getting closer to sending a portion of my proposal to my agent, and I know exactly what I need to do next. But my brain seems to have tapped out a bit earlier than usual. By 11am, I’m tackling a different project instead.

TM and I mostly emptied out the attic this weekend. We went through some of his boxes yesterday, and today I want to go through mine. I have only four—the small cardboard boxes you might use to pack up some glasses or dishes. Cheap and ripped during the move, they need to be replaced. But I want to see what’s inside, first. This won’t take long, I think, and I’m right. The contents of these boxes could be divided into four categories:

1. paperwork (not much, stuff like my will, power of attorney, etc.)

2. pictures/keepsakes

3. some books (including my copies of THE YEAR OF LESS, in all its translations too)

4. a few things I wasn’t ready to get rid of, when I moved here

I’m keeping everything in the first three categories, but am surprised to discover that I don’t care about anything in the fourth. It’s been 7 months since I moved out of The Lighthouse/into TM’s house. I got rid of almost an entire two-bedroom house’s worth of belongings, in that process, and didn’t care about most of it. But I had cared about these things… until I didn’t.

I put them all in one of the cardboard boxes and set it aside to be donated.

Tuesday, March 10, 2026

Another good, but short, writing session. But I can tell I’m distracted—by projects, by the news, by my feelings. My attention span feels shot, and I feel frustrated about it. So I decide to run errands and cross some other tasks off the list. Anything to quiet the mind, and help me feel somewhat productive.

I run around to a few different post offices/parcel drop off locations. Ship all the things we’ve already sold on Vinted, after this weekend’s declutter. As I’m driving, I decide to check gas prices at all the pumps I pass. See it’s gone up to over £1.30/L ($2.35/L in Canada, $6.50/gallon in USD) at most, and over £1.40 at others. I start doing the mental math on how much it will cost to fill up. How much it might cost to do a return trip to my old town, and beyond. Wonder if it will ever hit an amount I can’t afford/don’t want to pay. And then I see where my anxious mind is going and tell it to stop. I can’t control what’s happening in the world, but I can complete the tasks on my list.

I make my last stop at B&Q—which is kind of like Home Depot in North America. I’m here to buy a storage container for the things I’m putting back up in the attic. On the drive home, I laugh to myself and think this might be one of the biggest commitments I have made recently. Yes, I moved in with my partner and his two kids. And yes, we redid our estate planning, etc.

But if you’re buying storage containers in another country: you have COMMITTED to living there.

Wednesday, March 11, 2026

Another good, but short, writing session this morning. And another day where my brain stopped working before lunch. In the afternoon, I go for a walk and start listening to a new audiobook. I’m reading historical fiction this month, and have a lot of thoughts about this genre already, friend. Mostly, I’m struggling to get through any of the books I’ve started. I don’t know if it’s the genre, or the news/state of the world, or a combination of the two. But I start a new book and am delighted that I finally manage to listen for a full 30+ minutes, before losing focus. That’s a first, this week.

Thursday, March 12, 2026

Sometimes I try not to check the news. Today, I do the exact opposite and decide to check the major news outlets both here and in other countries. See what’s in the headlines in the US, Canada, etc. I see a seemingly innocent article about how Canadians are changing their travel plans for spring break this year, because there so many travel advisories around the world. I go to the Canadian government website and start to scroll through them, then stop when I see the UK has a yellow warning: Exercise a high degree of caution due to the threat of terrorism.

“There is a threat of terrorism in Europe,” it goes on to say. “Terrorists have carried out attacks in several European cities.” This is true. This week, there were explosions at the US embassy in Oslo, and at a Jewish school in Amsterdam. But here? The site goes on to say attacks usually happen in London, but it’s still something to be aware of. And this advisory comes from the UK government, who says our threat level is “substantial” which means “an attack is likely.” So they are telling the world: beware before travelling here. Do residents/citizens need to be worried about being here?

Living in the UK, you are often reminded of what it might’ve been like here in various wars. It’s not uncommon to see signs of old military defense, when you’re walking along any coastline. Pillboxes/bunkers, canons, and other coastal artillery. Just two weeks ago, TM and I were in London checking something on a map, and I pointed out that we were near Churchill’s War Rooms. We were in the city, when we read the news that the US and Israel had bombed Iran. We walked past a protest, held over the next two days. We saw it in Trafalgar Square on the Saturday, and then over by parliament on the Sunday. It was peaceful, but the air still felt heavy.

There’s a weight to this war. We might not be there, but it can be felt all around the world.

Friday, March 13, 2026

It’s mid-afternoon and I’m reflecting on the fact that this hasn’t felt like a very “Cait” kind of week. And I’m aware that this isn’t a typical Cait post. I have no outdoor adventures to share. No stories of the cat (she’s still old and cute) and the birds in our garden (they have started coming to our windows looking for us). I didn’t even think to tell you about the bees! I saw a big fluffy bumble bee almost every day this week! And the sun came out many days, too! Spring is definitely on its way…

But I’ve been distracted. Lost my attention span. Found it impossible to focus. Have hardly read. And have let a number of anxiety-inducing scenarios enter my mind, ones I’ve intentionally chosen not to include, because I don’t need to plant the ideas in your mind too! I don’t have weeks like this often, friend. It reminds me of the first few months of the pandemic. (And then everyone started sharing posts about how it’s been six years since that began, and I started thinking about that time more too.)

The beautiful thing about a mindfulness practice is that it is so simple: all you have to do is pay attention. Most weeks, the things I notice are calm and beautiful and interesting, and feel fun to share. And in rare weeks like this, sometimes the only thing I notice is that I’m feeling distracted over and over and over again. That’s not a bad thing. I don’t need to judge this, or my inability to do the things I wanted to do this week. And I don’t need to make it mean “more” than it does. It makes sense.

All I can do is notice it, name it, then try to come back to myself.

Over and over and over again.

What did you notice in yourself this week, friend?

xx Cait

Thank you for reading this little newsletter of mine. I've been writing online since 2010, and have always valued keeping my content clean (aka free of ads/sponsored content) so we can be present together. If you found calm, joy or inspiration from this, you can: like this post (click on the heart button), subscribe to read more or buy me a coffee! ❤️☕

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As you know, in 2026, I’m doing an experiment I’m calling: The Taste Test. It’s a reading challenge where I’m choosing one genre per month and reading a few recent/popular books from it, in an attempt to figure out what my reading taste is as an adult… and maybe (hopefully!) even find a new author/genre to obsess over!

At the end of each month, I write a recap of my thoughts, including the list of books I read and how I experienced each one. In January, I read 4 memoirs and remembered why I enjoy them. And even though February could have been the “perfect” month for romance, I decided to read crime/mystery/thrillers… and I finished SIX books, in just 30 days!

(I finished the last one on March 2nd, but we went away for two weekends so I lost a few reading days this month… give me a pass for being late!?)

What did I think of this genre, before/after these books? Let’s find out. 🤓

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The Story I Told Myself About Crime/Mystery/Thrillers

I start each of these recaps by sharing what my initial thoughts were on the genre. Any assumptions I had, judgments I made, and any resistance or intrigue I noticed in myself before reading any books. Because this is all an experiment, you could say this is the “hypothesis” of the month! And I was very clear on why I wanted to read this genre next…

The story I told myself about crime/mystery/thrillers is that I would like them. I had some history to back this. The first books in this genre I can remember reading were in high school, when my boyfriend’s mom loaned me her copies of ASHES TO ASHES and DUST TO DUST by Tami Hoag. I might have been 15 years old!? I haven’t read many (or any!?) specific “crime” novels since (where you’re in the mind of the cops/detectives on a case). But I remember reading these two quickly and liking them at a young age.

I didn’t read many books in this genre after that—at least not that come to mind. Then a couple years ago, I borrowed YELLOWFACE by R.F. Kuang from the library and DEVOURED it in a few days. That was the first time I can remember thinking: wow, I like psychological thrillers (where you’re in the mind of someone who might be a bit unreliable/unstable, and which use paranoia, obsession, manipulation, etc. to carry the plot). But I didn’t look for more, because my follow-up thought was: they also stress me out.

Then last summer, I found what I will call: funny mysteries. Specifically, the VERA WONG books (2) + THE AUNTIES series (3) by Jesse Q. Sutanto. I listened to all 5 while I was packing and cleaning and moving out of The Lighthouse, and loved them. I also devoured TILT by my friend Emma Pattee last year (a fast-paced thriller), along with WILD DARK SHORE by Charlotte McConaghy (a slower mystery/thriller by comparison). Out of 27 books, I was surprised to discover that the charts in my 2025 Reading Wrap-Up on Storygraph said mystery was one of the genres I “spent the most time with!”

So going into The Taste Test, the story I told myself is that I would probably like reading more of them. I enjoy the tactics used to keep stories moving along in mysteries/thrillers. I like a good page-turner! But it needs to be done well—meaning, it can’t be too formulaic or obvious. If I can see what’s coming next, I get bored and want to DNF/quit a book. And it can’t have much violence either. Consuming violence scrambles my insides. (Reading THE NAMES by Florence Knapp was about as far as I could push my limit.)

I wasn’t sure if I would like crime/detective books, because I don’t have much experience reading them. But I knew I would like psychological thrillers, even though they would probably stress me out. And I knew I would enjoy reading more “light” mysteries, as fun palette cleansers.

Was I right!?

The Reading Experience

In last month’s recap, I shared a list of what I was going to read in February. My plan was to read 3 adult novels + 1 middle grade book, and that already felt like a stretch. But somehow, I ended up reading 5 adult novels and my middle grade choice. SIX books!? This probably answers the question of whether I liked this genre or not, lol.

As you read my recaps, remember I’m trying not to write these as reviews (though I’m sure a few notes will slip in). I want them to reflect my personal experience of each book. Why I chose it. How it felt to read. What pulled me in, or where I got lost. And if I can find any patterns of thoughts/feelings. Anything that will help me figure out what I like/don’t like!

Here’s what I learned about myself, while reading these books:

1. BEAUTIFUL UGLY by Alice Feeney - I chose this one because it was nominated for the Goodreads Readers’ Fave Mystery & Thriller in 2025, and I saw it was about a writer and it was set in Scotland. Seemed like it could be the recipe for a “Cait” book! But I also wondered if it would be too procedural for me. Too formulaic, obvious, or repetitive. I would say that this is an assumption/judgment I’ve made about books in this genre, in general. That the reason the most “popular” authors can push out 1-2 new books/year is probably because they are following a formula. There’s nothing wrong with this. I also know that some people really enjoy when the mystery is a bit obvious! It’s calmer; easier on the nervous system. But as I said above, the way my brain works, if I can see what’s coming next, I’m already bored and want to quit. (This is also why I don’t read much romance. I just get bored!) I’m happy to say that this book did not bore me for a second. It was more quiet intrigue, less intense thriller. I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narration. And it kept me guessing, until the end! The only thing I didn’t like was the one mention of child sexual abuse. It was just a few sentences of the whole book, but that was enough to almost make me quit reading. (It also didn’t feel very relevant to the story. Like, that detail wasn’t essential. It could’ve been swapped for something else!) I already knew I wouldn’t want to read stories that include any sexual abuse, let alone involving a child. The best thing I learned after reading this book is that there’s a “content warnings” section for every book on Storygraph. In the future, I’ll be checking these before reading more in this genre!

2. WHAT WE DO TO OUR FRIENDS by Heather Darwent - This book wasn’t on my original list for the month, but when Heather offered to send me a copy, I happily said yes! And that was the correct answer, friend! Because this book SERVED. It is a psychological thriller, and delivered everything you could want in one. And even though I didn’t really like any of the characters (which is exactly right for this subgenre), the story was intoxicating and I genuinely wanted to know what was going to happen to everyone. I had a theory about one character, which I ended up being right about—but Heather’s writing was so good, I didn’t get my answer until the very last chapter! So I kept turning the pages, faster and faster each day. I got to the end knowing: I do really enjoy pyschological thrillers… but they ALSO stress me out! To the point that I had the most f*cked up dreams for THE WHOLE WEEK I WAS READING THIS BOOK. Dreams that included people I haven’t thought about in almost 20 years. People who reminded me of Tabitha, and who I am glad to not have any contact with today. If this were a book review, I would tell you that I finished it and messaged Heather to say: THAT WAS YOUR DEBUT!?!?!?! because it was so so so well done. And, I can’t read another book like that for a little while, haha.

3. JULIE CHAN IS DEAD by Liann Zhang - I spotted this on the Canada Reads’ 2026 Longlist and didn’t know what to expect. Was it going to be a serious/scary thriller? Or something more lighthearted? The answer was: a mix of both. I enjoyed the first half, which felt somewhat realistic and included a good mix of humour (it’s a satire) and suspense. But the second-half felt… I still don’t know how to describe it. Like it took a hard turn and went over-the-top. And it kind of lost me there. Rather than comment on the book or writing itself (which was still good! and I finished it!), I’ve been reflecting on how I felt while reading the book—thinking about where it lost me, which parts I judged, etc. The answer is actually really simple: I find the topic of social media boring. And the whole book is a satire of influencer life/culture. So that’s probably why I had a hard time staying interested, and even found myself speeding up the audiobook—because I wanted to move on from the topic.

4. MY HUSBAND’S WIFE by Alice Feeney - After enjoying BEAUTIFUL UGLY, I did a little research on what else this author has published. I listened to a few samples of other audiobooks, and LOVED hearing Bel Powley’s voice read the first few minutes of this one. I loved it so much, I felt EXCITED to listen. So I got it! And listened! And I was engaged, the whole way through! Until the last few chapters, when the entire plot was finally explained… in a monologue. It felt like such a massive letdown, after liking the rest of the book. And I judged it, friend. The words that came to mind re: the ending were lazy and rushed. The lesson I’m trying to take from this is: I really value the work that goes into writing a story that slowly pieces a puzzle together. It takes WORK to write a good mystery/thriller. And that work takes TIME and THOUGHT! So maybe I don’t want to read mysteries by authors who can pump out 1-2/year. Maybe I’d rather read mysteries by someone who writes ONE GREAT BOOK every few years. That seems to be what the next author does…

5. THE GOD OF THE WOODS by Liz Moore - This was the winner of the Readers’ Fave Mystery & Thriller in 2024. I remember everyone sharing pictures and reviews of it online, and now I understand why. This book was exceptional, friend. I correctly guessed what happened to one kid about halfway through, but I couldn’t have guessed what happened to the other. It was a beautiful book… that I almost didn’t finish. There was something about the writing that really threw me off, at first. I’m talking about the nitty gritty details. Like: the use of extra adjectives and punctuation used constantly to add more details. There were sometimes 4, 5, 6 commas in a single sentence. And I feel like a slow reader as it is, but there was something about these sentence structures that really slowed me down. Like my mind was trying to take in every detail, but also stay on track with the story, and it just couldn’t. After 40-45 pages, I felt like I’d never get to the end. (And the paperback is 435 pages, so I felt like I was holding an impossible challenge in my hands!) I almost quit there. But I told a friend I was going to read the first 100 pages, then decide if I wanted to keep going or quit—and I’m so glad I pushed through. Not only did the writing get easier to read1 but the story is just SO GOOD. And it is beautifully pieced together. This is a perfect thriller that I would recommend to anyone. And it was a good reminder that sometimes writing can feel clunky in my head, but it’s worth trying to catch on…

6. Middle Grade Option: MAGNOLIA WU UNFOLDS IT ALL by Chanel Miller - And last but certainly not least, this middle grade book was a sweet little treat enjoyed in-between some of these more intense reads! I have no notes! It was filled with memorable characters, and important reminders of what the immigrant experience can be for kids/families—especially in bigger cities in the US. If you’ve read any other Newbery books, you will understand why it was nominated. The only note I would make for myself is that the age range was 7-11, which is actually a bit young for middle grade—and younger than the other kids’ books I typically like to read. I didn’t do my homework on that, and will make sure I check for ages in the future. I wanted to support Chanel Miller anyway, and still enjoyed it! But I find books in that age range too easy to read, whereas some middle grade books could easily be written for teens/adults—and those are the ones that stay with me.

The book(s) I didn’t finish (DNF):

If you’re a paid subscriber, you might remember that I found a copy of THE HOUSEMAID in the little free library in our village? I read ~50 pages and hated it. The writing felt… immature? Maybe that is just a reflection of the main character! But I couldn’t get into it. I know SO MANY PEOPLE loved this book (it has 3.5 million ratings on Goodreads!), and love all her books! Maybe I’ll try one that’s not in the HOUSEMAID series, to see if the characters/writing are more my style!? But something tells me this author’s work just isn’t for me, and that’s ok too.

The Aftertaste

The main reason I’m doing this challenge is to figure out what my reading taste is as an adult. The story I told myself about crime/mystery/thrillers is that I would like them—and I was right, friend. I enjoyed all of these books, for different reasons. And I’m researching a lot of books for this challenge, and I finished this month with another 25+ on a possible TBR list for the future, lol. So it’s safe to say, I like this genre!

But my TBR list is being compiled with two different kinds of books: ones I feel excited to read/confident I could like, and ones I still have questions about. And I think the fact that I still have so many questions about this genre tells me… it’s one I might start to get really into!

Here’s what I’ve learned about my reading taste:

• I really like psychological thrillers. And they take my mind to wild places! So I should probably only read a few per year, lol.

• I enjoy a slower mystery/thriller, filled with more intrigue than intense interactions.

• I value the time/thought/work that goes into writing a story that slowly pieces a puzzle together.

• I love character development.

• If books are too formulaic or obvious, I will quit/DNF it.

• I probably don’t want to read books written by authors who pump out more than one per year. But I’m willing to continue testing this theory.

• I do not like reading about violence, period. But especially any kind of violence towards kids. (Check the content warnings!)

• I didn’t end up reading any this month, but I know I like funny mysteries! And have more on my list!

• And this is niche, but I find the topic of social media boring now. Probably best for me to skip books where that’s the focus!

And here are some of the questions I still have:

• What are the differences between crime novels, mysteries, and thrillers? I grouped them together, for this challenge… and I know there’s a lot of crossover… but I know they are all different, too! And have subgenres underneath them! I’d love to do more research, and be able to speak about this confidentally and give recos for each one.

• I still don’t feel I’ve read many crime novels. Would I like a crime series? Something like what LJ Ross writes? Or will I find them too formulaic?

• Might I like any books written by the authors who publish often and seem to always become global bestsellers!? And if not, WHY!?!?!

In March, I’m Exploring: Historical Fiction

This post is already close to 3,000 words, so if you’re still reading, HI! In March, I’ve decided to pick a genre I feel neutral about: historical fiction. I’ve read some books in this genre before, but it’s not one I’ve necessarily been drawn to—and that feels true for where I’m at today!? I researched a lot of options, and can’t say I felt overly excited about many of them. I’m not sure why yet!? But we’ll find out, soon!

For this genre, I tried to choose books that span the globe, with stories set in the US, Vietnam, England, and Australia. I’m going to attempt to read:

1. THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah - Winner of the Readers’ Fave Historical Fiction in 2024, and one I’ve seen many of my book friends share

2. BROKEN COUNTRY by Clare Leslie Hall - Nominated for Readers’ Fave Historical Fiction in 2025, and a Reese’s Book Club Pick

3. THE HEAVEN & EARTH GROCERY STORE by James McBride - Nominated for Readers’ Fave in 2023, and winner of the Kirkus Prize

4. THE FAR-FLUNG LIFE by M. L. Stedman - Brand new! Out today! I was sent a free copy by the publisher and am excited to dig in. (Her last book was the winner of Readers’ Fave back in 2012.)

5. Middle Grade Option: THE LUMINOUS LIFE OF LUCY LANDRY by Anna Rose Johnson

If I have time, there are a few more books on my possible TBR list. I’d say the one that intrigues me most is THE BOOK CLUB FOR TROUBLESOME WOMEN by Marie Bostwick! MEET THE NEWMANS by Jennifer Niven sounds funny. I’ve also heard good things about JUNIE by Erin Crosby Eckstine.

Have you read any of the books I finished last month? Or any of the historical fiction choices on this month’s list?

I’d love to hear your (spoiler-free) thoughts!

xx Cait

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Instead of my usual “light news” (of which there was a lot! starting with the fact that we saw the sun multiple times this month, after the darkest/wettest winter!) I thought I would do something different this month—and share a postcard from my first trip of the year. Do you remember when I told you I wanted a year of more in 2026? Which mostly = I want more trips and experiences? It’s been a bit of a slow start, but we pencilled in two trips this month! The first was up to a little town called Berwick-upon-Tweed…

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If you’re new here: on Sundays, I send a collection of mini memoirs from my life in the UK. Each weekly dispatch is filled with stories and things I’ve noticed—at home, in books, on my walks, in the world, and within myself. My hope is they feel reflective and calming, and inspire you to notice more in your own life. Writing them certainly helps me notice more in mine… 🕯️

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Saturday, February 7, 2026

It’s just after 8pm, and the youngest and I are home alone. We’ve decided to watch something on the projector, but go to the kitchen to get ourselves some snacks first. After browsing the cupboards, we make a big bowl of salted popcorn + Galaxy Minstrels—little round pieces of milk chocolate covered in a candy shell. We don’t have anything quite like them in Canada, that I can think of… but this combo seems to be a staple in the UK. Part of many people’s movie-watching experiences. And I love it.

“What do you want to watch tonight?” I ask, and get no reply.

“Gilmore Girls?” The answer to that question is a clear YES.

We find the episode she’s on in her current rewatch and hit play. Then we settle into the couch and dig into the bowl. I’m half-watching, and half-thinking about how nice it is to be able to share this show with her. How it’s created a shared language between us. And how fun it is to bond over these fictional people and their stories, as though they are real. As though we actually know them, and have some kind of vested interest in what they do and why they do it and who they end up with. We agree that Zach sucks! Lane got robbed as a character! And all of Rory’s boyfriends sucked too!

We are TEAM NOBODY!

Sunday, February 8, 2026

When I wake up, I look out the window and am SHOCKED to see blue sky. It has rained every single day so far in 2026, and blue sky was not in the forecast. I do not want to miss my chance of getting even the tiniest amount of Vitamin D. So I get up, get dressed, and am out the door before 9am.

Everything looks different in the sun! I can’t stop looking up at the sky, but also down at the ground—and all around me. Walking in rain and fog for the past many weeks (months!?) has felt like walking with blinders on, where you can only see what’s in front of you. Now, I feel as though I can see everything—including all the snowdrops and crocuses that have started to pop up.

Around 5pm, I go for another walk to drop a card in the closest postbox. It’s still light out, so I keep walking and walking, for an extra 20+ minutes. By the time I get home, it’s still not pitch black. I check my phone and see sunset was at 5:01pm today. I know it’s not even solstice yet, but it feels as though we’ve made it through the darker months.

Monday, February 9, 2026

On the way home from my walks, I always stop at the little free library in our village. They aren’t very common in the UK, at least not compared to back home. So I’m delighted that we not only have one here, but also that it’s in an old red telephone box!

I don’t usually find much inside that piques my interest because, just like back home, people mostly dump old and unwanted books here. So I’m surprised to see something fairly new today: the most popular book by bestselling author Freida McFadden. Since I’m reading thrillers this month, I have come across her name countless times while researching books. I have even listened to this interview she did on Open Book with Jenna, because I am so fascinated by the fact that she writes under a pseudonym and wants privacy… but also shows her face!? (With what looks like a wig, but still!) I’m not sure if her books are “for me,” which is why I still haven’t put any on my TBR list. But the fact that this is here + free feels like a great opportunity to find out!

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

I’m only a few minutes into a video call with a long-time online friend. We don’t know how long we’ve followed each other on Instagram (10+ years!?), and can’t remember how we even found each other. But it’s our first time actually speaking and I’m amazed at how comfortable it is. Liz is an author, and her debut novel is coming out in September. I’ve never published a novel, but publishing books comes with a shared language. So we have a lot to talk about, and can do so in a way where we don’t have to overexplain ourselves or anything we’re talking about. We just get it.

After we say goodbye, all I can think is: I want more of that. More writer friends. More editor friends. More people I can talk to like peers. I don’t need a writing group or accountability. I get my work done. But it would be nice to have more people to talk about all of this with.

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

I check my banking app and see that I got paid this morning. I never get paid! I think. And by that I mean: I get paid so infrequently (5-6 times/year for my books), I never know exactly when it’s coming (or how much I’m getting) until it arrives, so it often feels like a surprise. I knew this one was coming soon, and it feels so exciting to see it here now!

It’s my very first paycheque from the UK’s Public Lending Right (PLR) program. That is, the “royalties” you earn because people borrow your book(s) from the library. I’ve been signed up for Canada’s PLR program since 2018, but didn’t even consider that the UK might’ve had one too, until last year. And when I finally signed up, the data in their charts showed I could’ve earned a lot in previous years. But I can’t worry about any income I might’ve missed out on. I’m just going to feel grateful for what I got today: ~£500 ($680 USD/$920 CAD) for the 2024/25 period. That might not sound like much, but I consider any amount of passive income to be a gift.

Thursday, February 12, 2026

I check my banking app and see that I got paid again this morning. This time, it’s from Canada’s PLR program: another £430 ($580 USD/$800 CAD)! Again, I didn’t know exactly when it was coming or how much I’d be getting, so this feels like a fun surprise. And combined, these two amounts feel like real money now. Enough to cover my housing expenses + groceries for a month. All because some lovely readers decided to borrow my books from their local libraries. I’m grateful for them, and grateful for libraries, and grateful for these programs! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

PS - If you like reading about money, you might enjoy this post:

Friday, February 13, 2026

It’s 1pm and I’m digging through my dresser, looking for my makeup bag. “Where is it!?” I say to the cat who is perched on the bed. I’ve searched every drawer twice, and they are not messy, friend. I don’t understand where it’s gone! My question to the cat is one of both concern and surprise. I’m worried I’ve somehow lost this makeup bag—a gift from my sister, the perfect-sized bag for me, and what I’ve been using for 6+ years. But I’m also amazed that it’s even possible I can’t find it.

This little bag that I packed/unpacked every few days, for the first 3.5 years I lived in the UK. Every time I went back and forth between our two homes, staying for 1 night or 2 nights or a whole week. Every time we went on weekend getaways or road trips. I packed this makeup bag with some amount of toiletries every week, for all these years! And now I haven’t used it since… I went back home to Canada in September. Is that right!? I think, and know it is. I haven’t been anywhere, since I got back in early October.

Eventually, I find it—hiding under something else in the bottom drawer. And then I pack a small bag, for a one-night getaway we are going on tonight (more of this, please!). The whole process feels a bit clumsy, almost like I’ve forgotten how to do this. Proof that I don’t live out of a bag anymore.

It’s been 6 months since I moved into TM’s house. Six months since I stopped bouncing around between our two homes. It feels nice to be settled. Nice to have some kind of routine and stability (all of which seems to be helping my writing, too). I am happy to be here, in this place.

…but I don’t want to forget how to pack!

What little surprises were part of your week, friend?

And the most British question I could ask you is: how’s the weather, where you are?

xx Cait

Thank you for reading this little newsletter of mine. I’ve been writing online since 2010, and have always valued keeping my content clean (aka free of ads/sponsored content) so we can be present together. If you found calm, joy or inspiration from this, you can: like this post (click on the heart button), subscribe to read more or buy me a coffee! ❤️☕

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As you know, in 2026, I’m doing an experiment I’m calling: The Taste Test. It’s a reading challenge where I’m choosing one genre per month and reading a few books from it, in an attempt to figure out what my reading taste is as an adult… and maybe even find a new author/genre to obsess over!

I’m not going to write about it all month. Instead, I’m just going to write a recap at the end of each month. And at 2,800 words, this first one is a beast, haha. But I’m not sorry! Because it’s the first one, it explains how I’m going to format these posts. And it helped me understand what questions I want to be asking myself, as I read.

In January, I read the only nonfiction genre I’m including in the challenge: memoir. This is a genre I already knew I liked, but it was still fun to dig a little deeper and pay attention to some of the stories I told myself as I read each one! If you like books, or like exploring within yourself, I hope you enjoy this!

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The Story I Told Myself About Memoirs

I’m going to start each of these recaps by sharing what my initial thoughts were on the genre. Any assumptions I had, judgments I made, and any resistance or intrigue I noticed in myself before reading. Because this is all an experiment, you could say this is the “hypothesis” of the month! But let’s label it as what it really is: the story I told myself about the genre. As a rule, I think being comfortable with challenging the story you tell yourself about anything is a great life skill! And it’s one of the main objectives of The Taste Test. But I gave myself a soft start in January…

The story I told myself about memoirs is that I typically like them. Because I’ve been focused on reading more fiction, I haven’t read as many in recent years. A few celebrity-ish memoirs: THE THIRD GILMORE GIRL by Kelly Bishop, I’M GLAD MY MOM DIED by Jennette McCurdy, and FROM HERE TO THE GREAT UNKNOWN by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough (loved this one). ALL THE WAY TO THE RIVER by Elizabeth Gilbert. ON WRITING by Stephen King. Plus, AMBITION MONSTER by Jennifer Romolini, SOCIOPATH by Patric Gagne, and WHAT MY BONES KNOW by Stephanie Foo (another fave). Ok, that list is longer than I first thought!

I listened to most of them as audiobooks, because I like hearing an author narrate their own stories. It feels more human, and helps me feel more connected to their words. And one of the reasons I enjoy memoirs is because I think they inspire me to try new things with my own writing. That’s the reason I decided to start with this genre: because I’m currently working on a nonfiction book proposal, and have found that reading books in the same genre helps keep my head in the game while I do. So the other story I told myself was that reading memoirs in January would help me stay focused.

The Reading Experience

For the next part of these recaps, I’m going to share what it was like to read the books I’ve chosen for each genre. I don’t want these to be read as book reviews. I want them to reflect my personal experience of each book. Why I chose it. How it felt to read. What pulled me in, or where I got lost. And if I can find any patterns of thoughts/feelings. Anything that will help me figure out what I like/don’t like about books!

In December, I originally came up with a list of three memoirs to read in January. But when I finished my second audiobook on January 7th, I decided to add 1-2 more to the list and see how many I could get through.

The first three were all nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Readers’ Fave Memoir in 2025—and couldn’t have been more different. So let’s start with those…

1. THE HOUSE OF MY MOTHER by Shari Franke - I’d never heard of Shari Franke before. I also hadn’t heard of her mother or the family’s YouTube channel. So I had no invested interest in this book. I chose it because it won the award for readers’ fave memoir of 2025 and just thought: let’s start here. The audiobook is short (7 hours) and the pacing was fast-enough that I finished it in a couple of days. But that doesn’t mean I liked it… I thought most of the writing felt young and clichéd (then looked her up and discovered she’s only 22, so that makes sense). And I appreciated the boundaries she had around sharing her siblings’ stories, but kept waiting for her to share stories of her own that felt… worse? (I later learned the abuse some of her siblings experienced was horrendous. But wondered what it says about me that I didn’t find some of Shari’s stories more shocking? Or maybe she was just withholding a lot?) Overall, it was fine to listen to. Not a bad book. But I finished it wondering why/how it got the most votes for this category. I don’t really understand that, other than perhaps the “celebrity-ish” factor. People have followed her/her family online for years. I also have a theory that people who openly talk about religion/spirituality gain the most followers (especially in the US)… anyway, I finished it wondering: how might this book have been different if she’d waited and done some therapy and written it 10 years from now? And, I suppose it doesn’t matter. Because it was fast-paced, which I like. And I finished it quickly.

2. CARELESS PEOPLE by Sarah Wynn-Williams - This book got a ton of press in 2025, and it’s not hard to imagine why. Described as an “explosive memoir” that gives you a “front-row seat to Facebook, the decisions that have shaped world events in recent decades, and the people who made them.” Yea, that’s intriguing… and yet, I hesitated. I’d seen the cover many times and thought about reading it, but didn’t pick it up—even when I saw it sitting on the shelves at the library. I hesitated because I already didn’t like Facebook, and in general I don’t like reading more about things I don’t like… some might call this “hate-reading?” It feels like a waste of time and mental energy, so I try not to do it. But I do have some interest in tech, and I am curious about where it’s going next, and what role it will play in our lives… so I finally decided to read it—and it felt ok. I mean, the stories are not ok. And I still don’t like Facebook, and definitely don’t trust its leaders. But I didn’t feel like I was hate-reading the book. I felt like I was learning and processing new information and asking myself questions—including about the author herself (who I felt could’ve taken more responsibility for the impact of her own indifference). Again, the writing was fast-paced, which I’m quickly learning is something I like. The audiobook is over 13 hours long and I finished it in 5-6 days.

3. RAISING HARE by Chloe Dalton - In comparison to the first two books I listened to, this is one I was genuinely looking forward to reading. It’s the story of a woman in the UK who finds and raises a baby hare—and what she learns about them, and herself, through their time together. I didn’t know what to expect, other than it felt like a “Cait” book—and it was, friend. It reminded me of the years when the hedgehogs were living in my garden at The Lighthouse. How I never went near them, but took care of them from a distance. How afraid I was for the day they might leave and never return. And how much I cried when I found Mama Hedgie dead on the patio. (There weren’t many hedgie spottings after that.) Compared to the first two books, this one was slow-paced and meditative. I noticed I felt “bad” that it was taking me so long to finish it (2+ weeks for a 6.5-hour audiobook) which is an interesting observation in and of itself. Was there something wrong with me? I wondered. No. Was it a boring book? Not at all. Her stories were so vivid, I could have been standing inside her home! There were just a few times when I thought: is this really all the book is about? Stories of a woman paying close attention to a wild animal? The answer is yes. And by the end, I realized that’s exactly what my nervous system needed. ❤️

Outside of my initial TBR list, I picked up two more memoirs this month:

• YOU COULD MAKE THIS PLACE BEAUTIFUL by Maggie Smith (finished and loved it. Written by a poet, it was also a bit slow/thoughtful at times, and that was exactly right for it)

• and HUNGER by Roxane Gay (not done yet)

First published in 2023 and 2017, they don’t quite fit the original criteria for The Taste Test. But I read/am reading them for a different reason: because I see them as potential comp titles for my next book. That means I’m taking my time… paying attention to how they do things… studying them. That’s not the same as simply reading a story or reading for pleasure. But reading for the sake of trying to find inspiration and wanting to be a better writer? It makes for a slower read. But it lights me up in a different way. 💡

The Aftertaste

The main reason I’m doing this challenge is to figure out what my reading taste is as an adult. So to close these recaps, I’m going to reflect on the original stories I told myself about the genre (many of which I haven’t read much of before) and how I feel about it now. Then I’m going to share any personal lessons I’m taking away from my reading experiences, which I hope will help me choose more “Cait” books in the future!

The story I told myself about memoirs is that I typically like them—and that remains true, friend. I can’t imagine this ever being a genre I was obsessed with/wanted to read all the time!? But I do enjoy memoirs, and their ability to help us feel connected via the human experience. I can imagine always reading a few each year! But I’m definitely going to be more selective about them, after this challenge.

A few things I want to remember, when I choose memoirs in the future:

• I don’t want to read “celebrity-ish” (person who is well-known) memoirs, unless it’s about someone/something I feel genuinely interested in.

• It’s still true that I don’t want to hate-read books. I’m not interested in the gossip or shock factor—and think it’s better for my nervous system if I avoid consuming it.

• I also know there’s something we can learn from everyone—probably the key takeaway of this genre on the whole.

• I would love to read more memoirs by writers. (By that I mean, memoirs where writers talk about their writing lives!)

• And even though it can take me a while to finish nature memoirs (which isn’t a bad thing!), they serve as a balm. They help me slow down and feel present and notice more in my life. They aren’t meant to be rushed. So if I want a quick read, I shouldn’t pick up a nature memoir. But when my nervous system needs a balm, these + Mary Oliver’s poetry are the books for me.

And as for the story that reading memoirs would help me stay focused on my book proposal? Well, I’m happy to report that was true too. I still have a ways to go… but it definitely served its purpose!

Just for Fun: Middle Grade Options

Before I sign off, I want to share one more thing. Last month, I told you I had an idea for something extra I could add to this challenge. A very “Cait” idea, and it’s this: for some of the months, I want to also read a middle grade option in that genre. Middle grade books are written for ages 9-12, but I believe can be enjoyed by anyone—especially adults. Sales of middle grade books have been going down for a few years, and I’m starting to think that finding a new audience (like adult readers) might be their only hope of going back up. (And maybe if kids see us reading them, some of them might be inspired to read more again too!?)

Goodreads used to have a category for children’s/middle grade books in their readers’ awards, but they seemed to cut it after 2022—and I think that was a huge mistake. And because these books haven’t been written for us, it may not be the easiest age category to dip back into. So, how do we discover new middle grade books!? By browsing the shelves at your library! Talking to booksellers! Scrolling through the books that have been nominated for the Newbery Award and/or Carnegie Medal! And sharing the ones we’ve read with other adults. That’s what I’m going to do here.

As far as I know, there aren’t many “memoirs” written by kids aged 9-12… (Anne Frank got her diary at age 13, and Naoki Higashida was 13 when he wrote THE REASON I JUMP.) So I would say the best comparison is realistic fiction. Stories with people/places/plots that could happen in real life. I didn’t read any middle grade books this month, but realistic fiction is probably my favourite genre for this age group—and the one I could imagine writing someday. If you’re curious, a few of my faves over the years have been:

• OCTOBER, OCTOBER and THE LIGHT IN EVERYTHING by Katya Balen

• SARA AND THE SEARCH FOR NORMAL by Wesley King

• RAYMIE NIGHTINGALE and FERRIS by Kate DiCamillo

• ROBIN by Sarah Ann Juckes

In February, I’m Exploring: Crime/Mystery/Thrillers

I thought about saving this genre for one month in the fall. Darker months feel like a great time to read books with darker themes. And February could’ve been the “perfect” month to read romance!? But I have a theory about crime/mystery/thrillers, which is that I think I might really like them. I could be wrong! And I know I wouldn’t like all of them. (I hate reading anything with a lot of violence.) I haven’t read many thrillers over the years… but whenever I have, I DEVOURED them. So I want to test out my theory! I want to know if I’m right or wrong about this!

I’m not sure I’ll actually get through all of these books (4 novels in one month is a stretch for me), but here’s what I’m going to attempt to read:

1. BEAUTIFUL UGLY by Alice Feeney - Nominated for Readers’ Fave Mystery & Thriller in 2025. I’ve seen the author’s name many times, and assume she probably writes “classics” in this genre!? I don’t know. But I chose this one because it’s set in Scotland! Yes, please!

2. THE GOD OF THE WOODS by Liz Moore - This was the winner of the Readers’ Fave Mystery & Thriller in 2024. I remember seeing EVERYONE share it on social media. I read a sample and now I want to see what all the fuss was about!

3. JULIE CHAN IS DEAD by Liann Zhang - I spotted this on the Canada Reads’ 2026 Longlist. I can’t tell if it’s going to be serious or more lighthearted. But I’ve read it’s perfect for people who liked YELLOWFACE and that was me, me, me!

4. Middle Grade Option: MAGNOLIA WU UNFOLDS IT ALL by Chanel Miller - I feel like a lot of middle grade novels have a mystery in them… but the plot for this story feels like a true mystery. And it just sounds so cute and wholesome! (And was probably a balm for her, after publishing KNOW MY NAME.)

Because I’ve been so excited about diving into this genre, it probably won’t surprise you to know I have (many) more options saved! But let’s see if I can get through these ones first, and how I’m feeling on the other side…

Ok, that was a doozy of a first recap, friend! If you’re still reading, you must really love books, haha.

Have you read any of the memoirs I finished this month? Or any of the books on next month’s list?

I’d love to hear your (spoiler-free) thoughts!

xx Cait

Thank you for reading this little newsletter of mine. There are so many ways you can support a writer. Buy our books. Leave reviews. Share them with others. Read our newsletters and click on the little heart buttons to show you like some of what we have to say. It is all helpful!

This newsletter has a paid subscription option, simply because that is one of the best ways to support me while I work on my next book. It helps reduce any financial stress, which makes it feel safer for me to dive into a big project. And it’s just £21/year ($28 USD/$39 CAD).

Support a writer

Yes, that’s friends—not friend—today.

I typically address my emails to just one of you, because when I sit down to write, I like to imagine we are having a conversation. Two of us sitting in cozy chairs, with warm drinks in our hands. But there’s always room for more people to join us. And in darker months—and darker times—it feels especially important to make sure we are checking in on our people and communities. The people who read this newsletter, and hangout in the comments, are one of my communities. So I’m checking in on you—my online friends.

It’s the time of the month where I open up a discussion thread for us to share anything that feels like “light news” from our lives. But around the world, January has been rather heavy… and definitely dark. So dark, in fact, that I thought about not writing this list—skipping this month’s thread altogether. Easier to tell myself it’s insensitive or will seem “out of touch” with events happening across the globe—and closer to my two homes now, too.

As I’ve shared before, I’ve always been drawn to the depths—which often leads me to the darkness. Once I find myself there, it feels easy to stay. A familiar place with well-carved paths, guided by two voices: a cruel inner critic + a distrustful pessimist. I know how to stay in the dark place. The more challenging practice, therefore, is to look for the light. I believe it’s out there. I believe we can find it, if we look. And I believe we can always come up with new ways to create it, and bring it into our lives and our work.

So that’s what I’m going to continue trying to do here, friends.

What “light news” do you have from January? I’ll go first…

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Because I didn’t write one of my weekly dispatches, I’ll start by telling you a few things I noticed this month: the fact that I’m sleeping better this season than I have maybe anywhere/ever in my adult life. (Sometimes until 8am, which is unheard of for me.) That I’m deep enough in my book proposal now that I’m in the stage where I’m dreaming about it—and waking up knowing what I want to write next. The birdsong in the garden, even when it’s still dark, even when it’s still dark and raining. The distinct birdsong of a European Robin claiming his territory here. How the sun is setting just a little bit later and we’re getting just a little bit more daylight each day. How this extra daylight is making us daydream about sunsets in the spring and summer. How much fun I’m having researching trips I may or may not go on this year. How grateful I am to have a partner who brings Gottman exercises/relationship prompts to breakfast. How good it felt to focus on strength training, workout every other day, and be able to feel that I’ve used my muscles all month long. And how, even though the sun only came out once or twice in January, I haven’t felt a hint of SADness. (Just some restlessness!)

Light News from January 2026 🕯️

The Kitty and I solidified our morning routine of me getting out of bed and her meowing at me incessantly until I put food in front of her. This involves me getting dressed, going downstairs to the kitchen, getting her dish out of the dishwasher, chopping up the little pill she takes each day, and adding it to her food. We talk the whole time. I say things like: “Good morning, Kitty!” and “How did you sleep?” and “I know, you’re hungry!” and “It’s coming, it’s coming!” She meows in-between each phrase, and I swear her tone changes to match mine. The whole process takes about 5 minutes and it’s become something I genuinely enjoy doing. But because it’s January, it all happens in the dark. I don’t like the idea of her eating in the dark. So this month, I started leaving a soft light on for her, when I left the room. (She’s almost 19! I’ll give her all the comforts she deserves!)

I read every single morning, before doing anything else. Well, I fed the cat first! But I read before I ate breakfast and read before I wrote. And I continued reading throughout the day, mostly by listening to audiobooks. I listened while doing almost anything! Driving, cooking, walking on TM’s treadmill. This is how I read 4, almost 5, books in January (4 = “a lot” for me). I’ll tell you more about them later this week. But outside of just finally being able to get through a few books again, I reflected on the fact that I used to find it difficult to read here, when I was a guest. TM and I used to get such little time together, I always wanted to give him and the kids my full presence—and often didn’t even bother bringing a book when I came over. Before moving in, I wondered what my reading habits might be like, when I had even more things to think about and be responsible for: a partner, two kids, the cat, chores, work and my own goals. Six months in, it feels amazing to notice that I’m reading every day—and writing more too.

I had a ridiculous amount of fun researching books I might read for The Taste Test. One month in, I’m still feeling excited/a little obsessed with this challenge. And if you want to create your own fun challenge in 2026 and still need some inspiration, I’m going to share this list of ideas again.

After sharing the challenge on Instagram, an author from Edinburgh reached out and offered to send me one of her books! When the package arrived, TWO were inside! I’m excited to read them, and it made me feel hopeful that I might make more writerly connections and friends this year…

After years of being a regular patron and all of the librarians learning to recognize me, I finally told them I’m an author. I’d been holding that card close, for the same reason I didn’t tell my old neighbours until I was days away from moving out of The Lighthouse. I also liked the anonymity. Sometimes, it’s nice to be Cait Flanders the author. And sometimes, it’s nice to be Leigh Flanders (my legal name, so the one doctors, dentists, librarians, etc. know me as) the human. But after they asked if I’d be interested in attending a local author event, and saying they didn’t get author visits very often, it felt fun to finally share my little secret…

TM and I watched a few good movies. The last Star Wars one stands out, because it marked me finally finishing the trilogy of trilogies. But the best movie was Train Dreams. It was so sad and so beautiful1 and so meditative. When it ended, tears were quietly streaming down my face and I thought: that will be the best movie I watch in 2026. I’m sure of this, because I think it might be one of the best movies I’ve ever watched, period.

I asked TM if we could keep the Christmas lights up in our bedroom for a little longer, and am happy to report: they are still there—and still turning on automatically at sunset.

We celebrated a birthday in the house this month! The preteen is no longer a preteen! We decorated with colourful bunting and a balloon arch, and a small scattering of presents (including many sweet treats) across the dining room table. It rained for most of the weekend, but the house was warm and bright.

I bought two puzzles off Vinted, which the newest teen2 promptly asked if we could dig into. We started and finished this one last weekend. I thought it was going to be hard… and I was right lol. But I loved the challenge.

When I sit down to write these lists, one of the first things I do is open the photos app on my phone and search the current month. I did not take many photos in January. It was one of the darkest, wettest months I think I’ve experienced since moving to the UK… so I don’t have any photos of beautiful walks in nature, because I did not go on any beautiful walks in nature. I didn’t really go anywhere! But my photos tell me that I did do one thing: cooked! I cooked some old faves and tried a couple new recipes, which are going to become regulars now (sheet pan gnocchi + Italian sausage tortellini soup). They are all really simple meals. But I continued to plate my food and take pleasure in how good it looked, even when I was eating alone. Especially when I was eating alone.

And because I’m me: do you want to know what felt especially joyful this month, friend? It’s taken nearly six months, but a couple of blackbirds (meaning: 1 female + 1 male) have finally found me here. I don’t feel connected to them, the way I felt connected to Birdy. But I’m enjoying putting bird seed + water out for them every day, and slowly getting to know them… (I haven’t named them yet, but we do have a resident squirrel and his name is Reggie! Reginald the Third, to be exact.)

When I look at this list, I realize many of the things I’ve shared are answers to the questions: what do you want to remember about January? And what seeds did you plant at the start of this new year?

How would you answer those questions, friend? What light news do you want to share with us?

And perhaps an impossible question for some of you, but I’m going to ask anyway: what’s the best movie you’ve ever watched? Or what’s your favourite movie from the last few years?

xx Cait

Hi friend,

My first book, THE YEAR OF LESS, turned 8 last week. 🥳

It was published in hardcover on January 16, 2018—and the minute it was out of my hands, it went on a journey beyond anything I’d dreamed of. To celebrate, I decided to collect some data. I don’t write about personal finance much anymore, but I still love numbers! Just for fun (and because I know some of you are hopeful writers), I thought I might share them with you…

• THE YEAR OF LESS has sold over 300,000 copies in English

  • 55,000+ in physical books (hardcover + paperback)

  • ~250,000 in a digital format (ebook + audiobook, which have sold over 100,000 each)

  • Audio makes up the largest piece of the pie1 👀

• My original advance was $35,000 USD + $10,000 USD for the audio (a separate deal from a second publisher). Enough copies sold that I earned out both advances within six months, and started earning royalties right away (royalties = a small amount of money for every copy sold)

• The book has been translated into 12 other languages, a couple of which are still being translated/haven’t been released yet

  • Enough copies have sold in 7 of those languages that I’ve earned out the advances from their publishers and am now earning royalties from them too. If you’re curious, they are: simplified + traditional Chinese (2), German, Polish, Russian, Turkish, and Brazilian Portuguese

• In English, it’s best year for sales was the year it was first published: 2018 (87,000 copies across all formats)

  • It’s “worst”/lowest year was 2022 (17,000 copies across all formats)

  • It has consistently gone up and up, since 2022—perhaps following the cost of living crisis, politics, and the global economy…? 👀

  • It’s second-best year was 2025 (42,000+ copies in just the first six months of the year—and I only have data to June 30th, 2025!)

• It’s hard to calculate exactly how much I’ve earned from this book, because I get paid in USD, then exchanged it into Canadian dollars (when I was still living there) and now British pounds (since 2022). But I’ve been trying to calculate it in Canadian dollars and keep track of that every year, because I’m Canadian first! So I’ll start with that number, then compare it to the other currencies via today’s exchange rate:

  • Since 2016 (when I got the book deal), I have earned over $350,000 CAD / $253,000 USD / $188,000 for THE YEAR OF LESS

  • Spread out over 9 years (got the book deal in July 2016 and only have data to June 2025), that’s an average of $38,888 CAD / $28,111 USD / £20,888 per year

• And my initial sales + success helped me get a six-figure book deal (in USD) for my second book, ADVENTURES IN OPTING OUT. So between my two books, I’ve earned ~$480,000 CAD / $347,000 USD / £258,0002

  • Over 9 years, that’s an average of $53,333 CAD / $38,555 USD / £28,666 per year

  • My three highest earning years were 2018-2020 (though I’m very curious to see what the data is from the second-half of 2025! Won’t have all of those numbers until June 2026…)

I’ve been looking at these numbers for days, wondering if there was a “story” here. There are certainly a number of milestones I could celebrate. But are there any takeaways I can offer readers? Especially for the hopeful writers who read this?

I’ve known I was nearing the $500,000 (CAD)-mark in earnings and wondered if that might be the story. Kind of like when people write posts about how they earn six figures on Substack, or through their niche online business, etc. Soon, I’ll be able to say: “I’ve earned half a million dollars from two books.” But that’s not interesting to me, because it can’t be replicated. (This is also how I feel about those posts: they can’t be replicated, so it’s not helpful. The only person they do help is the writer who puts them behind a paywall or makes a course about it, and continues to earn more money each time someone wants the “secret formula.” Ohhh, the great pyramid scheme of the internet!)

The reason I say it can’t be replicated is because I know an extremely unique combination of time + experience + skill + luck is what decides any book’s outcome. I believe writer’s work hard and try to write the best book they can at that time. I also know we all have our own backgrounds, starting with our educations (mine includes writing and A LOT of media training, which would’ve helped with all the interviews and events I did for TYOL). I also had a popular blog with a “large audience3” of loyal readers I’d spent 8 years connecting with online, before the book came out—and I know many of them were huge supporters of it.

As for the luck? Well, that’s out of our hands—and is in the hands of our readers. The agents and publishers who think we might have a book in us. The people who buy it and read it and love it and share it. The people who see it get shared and decide they need to read it. The people who connect so deeply with your words, they then want to read everything else you’ve written. You might get lucky and have a big publication, or someone with a big audience, choose to share it. You might do one interview that happens to go viral. And you might, as seems to be the case with TYOL, write a book that hits a cultural moment and goes viral again—7 years after it first came out.

Something my agent says is that the topic of your book should be both timely and timeless. It should also have a universal theme, but be told through a unique point of view. I suppose what happened last year shows that TYOL might fit that bill. But I still can’t, and won’t even try to, tell you how to write books that might earn you half a million dollars in advances and royalties. My experience with TYOL can’t be replicated. If it could be, I would’ve had the same experience with my second book—and I didn’t! (It also came out during the pandemic and got lost in the sea of it all…)

But that’s not the story here.

I think the real story is in the data. It’s the story I get to tell whenever someone asks what I do for work. After telling them I’m a writer and answering the questions about what I write (“I’ve published two nonfiction books”), there is the question about what else I do… aka, how I make money.

“Well, my first book was actually somewhat successful,” I say, usually quite sheepishly. “It makes up a good portion of my income each year.”

I don’t share this with most people, friend. Because sometimes I still don’t feel worthy of it. Because I know it’s not true for so many other wonderful authors. And because I can’t explain exactly how or why it happened to me. But it’s true: THE YEAR OF LESS still pays most of my bills.

It’s also 8 years old. It was never a NYT bestseller. And lots of people haven’t even heard of it—or me. That’s what feels interesting…

In the world of book publishing, you often hear stories of two extremes: about the books that are huge bestsellers and the authors who get rich and become household names—and the cautionary tales about why writing books isn’t a plausible career path. On this end of the scale, we’re told “most books don’t sell enough copies to earn out their advances” and “you’ll never make money as a writer.” One author I love frequently says something I hate on her podcast: “nonfiction doesn’t sell.”

I don’t know where this narrative comes from. Maybe it is in the data. Or maybe it’s one of those stories that has been passed down since the beginning of publishing. (And if so: who came up with it, and when, and why?) Or maybe it’s because so many authors are self-deprecating, lol. Or maybe it’s just been true of enough people’s experiences that they don’t want to promise hope where hope isn’t often found. I don’t know, friend.

What I do know is that this isn’t my experience. And I don’t think the story about wanting to be an author has to be one of two extremes, where you’re either a successful/rich bestseller or a failing/starving artist. There are other options in the middle, where you might actually earn a median salary from your books. That’s where I live—and when I look around at the authors I follow, I suspect it’s where many more writers are in this industry.

In the middle, there’s just enough money coming in to ease the pressure of having to take on too much work. But just enough that you do have to work/make some money in other ways. Sometimes, a royalty payment comes through and it’s not enough money to live on. And sometimes, a royalty payment comes through and it’s much more than you were expecting. “That’s three/four/five months of my expenses covered!” you get to say, and feel relieved and grateful for the weight this takes off your shoulders, and the newfound space it creates for you to write in. The middle isn’t always an easy place to live, but it isn’t always hard either. It keeps you humble—and motivated.

The middle ground of this industry is a beautiful place to be. I don’t know why we don’t talk about it more often4. Or maybe I should just say: I don’t know why I haven’t talked about it more… but I’d like to. I’d like to be an open book about it, and a safe person for other authors to talk to.

I can’t tell you how to make money from your books. I can’t tell you what to write, or how to market it, or promise you any kind of success. But I can tell you that it is possible to make money as an author, friend. It’s possible for nonfiction to sell. It’s possible for a book to support you financially without being a NYT bestseller, without being a BIG book club pick, without winning awards, and so on. Sometimes that support is slow, cumulative, and uneven—but it all adds up. It’s real.

And it’s possible.

xx Cait

Thank you for reading this little newsletter of mine. I’ve been writing online since 2010, and have always valued keeping my content clean (aka free of ads/sponsored content) so we can be present together. If you found calm, joy or inspiration from this, you can: like this post (click on the heart button), subscribe to read more or buy me a coffee! ❤️☕

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It started with a question: would it be possible for me to follow along with a book club for a year? That was my original idea for a “resolution” of sorts. I would choose a book club and try to read the 12 books it chose in 2026. And it would’ve been a good-enough challenge! It would’ve tested a couple stories I tell myself, including the one about how book clubs are “not for me” and that “I’m too slow of a reader” to possibly keep up. It also would’ve required me to read some books I wouldn’t have known about or chosen for myself. This intrigued me, but it didn’t excite me. So I let the idea simmer.

A couple weeks later, I started seeing some of the authors I follow share news that their books were nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award. The award system is imperfect (starting with the fact that Goodreads is owned by Amazon lol). But the initial nominations are based on user activity, and then books go through multiple rounds of voting by readers who use the site. In the end, 15 books are chosen as “readers’ favourites.” Might I like to read all the winners from 2025? was the next question I asked myself. But when I went through the list, I wasn’t excited about most of those titles either.

What did feel exciting was looking at the different categories. Most of them are specific genres, and many are ones I don’t typically read books from. Historical fiction, crime/mystery/thriller, science fiction, fantasy, etc. I don’t think I’ve ever read a horror (and the only book I’ve read by Stephen King was his memoir). And romantasy? These are genres I haven’t been drawn to… but why? What stories have I told myself about them? What assumptions or judgments have I made? Why am I drawn to some books more than others? And what might I discover if I tried reading some new genres this year?

I don’t know why the idea of analyzing my judgments + the stories I tell myself about books/genres felt so intriguing, friend. (Maybe it’s my version of “fun” personal development!? 😂) But exploring genres is what finally felt REALLY exciting to me!

That’s how I came up with my own reading challenge…

Introducing: The Taste Test Reading Challenge

A year of curious reading across the genres 🔦📚

Here’s how it’s going to work, friend:

In 2026, I’m going to choose one genre per month (I’m only doing 10 in total and will explain why below) and read a few books from it.

I’d like to read books that are fairly new, because I do enjoy staying on top of what’s happening in the publishing industry and want to understand which books are shaping our culture right now. So I’m going to choose from “popular” books published in 2024-2026. They will be a mix of bestsellers, big book club picks, nominees/winners of various awards, etc. I’ll share how/why I chose each one.

At the end of each month, I’ll share my initial thoughts (including assumptions + judgments!) on the genre, followed by my reviews + reflections of how it felt to read the books I chose. I will also include any new thoughts/curiosities I have about the genre going forward, and if it feels like one I’d like to read more books from in the future. And then I’ll share the genre + list of books I’m going to read next, in case anyone wants to follow along!

The Genres

There are so many genres I could choose from. The Goodreads Choice Awards has 15 categories. Reedsy says there are 35 popular genres in publishing. Other sites list up to 100! There’s no scientific formula for this, so I’m going to choose 10 of the most popular genres that I’m intrigued by, many of which I often avoid. In alphabetical order, I’ll be reading…

1. Crime/Mystery/Thriller

2. Fantasy

3. Historical Fiction

4. Horror

5. Memoir*

6. Romance

7. Romantasy

8. Science Fiction

9. YA Fiction

10. YA SFF (Science Fiction & Fantasy)

My intention is to study the books/authors and study the genre—well, as much as you can, in just a month’s time. I’m only choosing 10, because I can look ahead at my calendar and see there are two months when I’ll be pretty busy and won’t be writing much: May and August. As the year goes on, it’s possible I’ll change this list slightly—but this feels like a great starting point!

It feels worth noting that I will also be reading contemporary fiction, all throughout the year (maybe mostly in May and August!?). This is the genre I read the most already, and there are so many books on my TBR list in 2026! I may write about it, but for the sake of this challenge, I probably won’t. I don’t feel the need to “study” the genre. I know I love it!

Finally, for some of the months/genres, I also have an idea for something extra special I want to add to my reflections. You’ll have to stay tuned for that, but I’ll tell you this: the idea is very Cait. 🤓

*Note: You’ll notice this is the only nonfiction genre I’ve included and that is intentional. Outside of memoir, I do not—and do not want to—read most nonfiction books. At the very least, I am done with self-help.

The Questions

As I explore each new genre, I’ll be asking myself some of the questions I listed above. Like: What stories have I told myself about this genre? What assumptions or judgments have I made? Why am I drawn to some books more than others? What do/don’t I like about the stories? And so on.

I’ll also be asking myself some personal questions, throughout the year. I’m curious to find out: can I keep up with a reading challenge, if I created it for myself and it actually feels fun!? Could I be someone who joins a book club in the future? Am I really the “slow reader” I tell myself I am!?

And going back to what I shared last week, the biggest question I have is this: is there a new genre out there that I might fall in love with? Or any authors/series I might become obsessed with? Because I don’t think I have much experience with this, friend. And I want to know what it feels like.

What started as a simple question has turned into a fully mapped out challenge for myself. I’ve written potential TBR lists for each genre, imagined which genres I might read in each month of the year, etc. And nothing about this has felt like work, friend. I am having SO much fun1 imagining what this could look like and all the books I might read. (Even the ones I feel extremely judgmental about, which we’ll chat more about soon enough!) It’s filled with questions! Curiosities! And a deep desire to reflect and learn!

I’ve never been a fan of new year’s resolutions, and I don’t think January 1st is the best time to start most things. But if you know me, and especially if you’ve read my books, you know: I love doing personal experiments. And I think they are the most interesting and effective when you create ones you are genuinely interested in doing (“create” being the operative word here). When you feel open to challenging yourself, exploring within, learning and changing in some way. And you come up with “rules” that feel good for you.

A new rule of mine is that I want any experiment I do to start from a place of joy—not lack. It’s taken decades, but I can confidently say that I actively pursue well-being, pleasure, and personal enjoyment in my everyday life. (See: am I happier than I think!?) And reading books + wanting to find something I can be obsessed with feels like a joyful pursuit to me!

In January, I’m Exploring: Memoir

I know it’s already the 13th, and it’s taken time for me to write and share this post with you… but I’ve been reading my first genre since the Christmas holidays! I’m dipping my toes into this challenge by choosing a genre I have a lot of experience reading: memoir. It’s also a genre I’ve largely skipped over for the last few years. Why did I stop reading them!? is one question I’ve been asking myself. Because even if I don’t enjoy them all, I seem to fly through memoirs. I’ve already finished the three books I was considering reading!

1. THE HOUSE OF MY MOTHER by Shari Franke

2. CARELESS PEOPLE by Sarah Wynn-Williams

3. RAISING HARE by Chloe Dalton

All three were nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Readers’ Fave Memoir in 2025—and they couldn’t be more different. I have a lot to say about them! But I might actually read a couple more, so I’ll save it for my reflections at the end of the month.

What’s on your TBR list this year, friend? Are there any books coming out in 2026 that you’re REALLY excited to read?

xx Cait

Thank you for reading this little newsletter of mine. There are so many ways you can support a writer. Buy our books. Leave reviews. Share them with others. Read our newsletters and click on the little heart buttons to show you like some of what we have to say. It is all helpful!

This newsletter has a paid subscription option, simply because that is one of the best ways to support me while I work on my next book. It helps reduce any financial stress, which makes it feel safer for me to dive into a big project. And it’s just £21/year ($28 USD/$39 CAD).

Support a writer for a year

Hi friend,

Up until 2024, I was a card-carrying member of the NSSWC: the Never Seen Star Wars Club. Truthfully, I haven’t seen most movies (or many TV shows, for that matter). But Star Wars is a cultural phenomenon, and is one of the highest-grossing media franchises in history. It feels safe to assume that most people have watched at least one of the films, and many of those people have watched them all. I just wasn’t one of them.

I hadn’t seen Star Wars, but I still knew a few things about it, because that’s what happens when you’re in pop culture. You can find references to Star Wars everywhere. In other movies, TV shows, video games, song lyrics, and so on. I knew who Chewy was and what he sounded like. I knew who Luke’s father was. And thanks to Friends, I knew Ross (and perhaps “real” men?) had always fantasized about Princess Leia in “the” gold bikini. Had I ever seen that scene or the infamous gold bikini? No, but I could use my imagination.

And, I did. Well… kind of.

What I imagined is that I wouldn’t like Star Wars. Based on the little snippets I saw, I told myself the story that it “wasn’t for me.” And I never even thought about watching it. I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything either, to be fair. Nobody in my family watched Star Wars. None of my friends seemed into it. I don’t even remember my high school boyfriends caring much about it. Maybe Star Wars wasn’t a big thing for any of my people? I don’t know. I just knew it “wasn’t for me.”

I was 40 years old when I realized I’ve never been really “into” anything. I’ve never bought and read the new book in a series on publication day. Never stood in line to see every new movie in a trilogy on opening night/weekend. Never had a music artist I liked so much that I saw them every time they came to my city. There were a few things I liked as a kid, and some network TV shows and artists I kept up with in my teens and early 20s. But I can’t remember being a die hard FAN of something, especially as an adult.

I don’t know the exact “why” behind this… and that’s one of the things I’d like to reflect on this year. I think there have been times when I’ve judged whatever was in pop culture. Where I didn’t want to like what everyone else liked, and wanted to be different in some way. (Was this part of the “be the cool girl” messaging we got in the 90s?)

But there have also been times when I didn’t think my own taste was cool enough—usually when I compared it to whatever a boy was interested in. So I would hide what I liked from them, and just do whatever they wanted to. (I could eye roll at my younger self, but I imagine this is a relatable experience for many… especially us recovering co-dependents!)

I think there’s more to this, of course. You can always find a deeper reason, when you start exploring within. I think there’s something about trust under it all. Something about vulnerability. And something about being afraid to be witnessed. I’ve never proudly let myself be seen or known for having any special or unique interests (perhaps, outside of hedgehogs? lol). For really liking or LOVING something! And I’ve always been afraid to share my reviews and opinions. What am I afraid will happen? I’m not sure…

As a result, though, one thing has happened: I don’t really know what my own taste is. So at 40, I’m sending myself on a little quest to discover it! And I’m starting with books!

Long-time readers will know: the one thing I have always loved is books. My mom said I was reading by age 4, and I’ve never stopped. But my relationship with books got complicated in my early 20s, probably around the same time I was finishing college and starting my career. For 10+ years, I mostly bought books I thought I “should” read. The self-help and nonfiction that might help me personally and help inform my writing too.

If you read THE YEAR OF LESS, you know I also used to buy books for other versions of myself. The books I thought would make me look more interesting or informed. The ones that a “respected” writer would read. Not surprisingly, they sat on my shelves and collected dust. I decluttered them all, and am grateful I can say: I learned that lesson. I do not buy books for a fictional version of myself I think I should become. I buy them for who I am today.

But for the first few years after the shopping ban, I still continued to largely read nonfiction. I did not read for fun (fiction). I read for work. And it felt like work. I was finally able to name this in 2020, and have slowly started reading more and more fiction over the last six years. (Probably since starting to read middle grade. Maybe that’s a special interest I’m becoming known for?) And last year, only 8% of what I read was nonfiction!

But here’s what I’ve been noticing more recently, friend: I stay on top of enough publishing news/newsletters, have enough bookish friends, etc. that I hear about + see countless books every day. And I look at a lot of them and think: “not for me.” This is a story I’ve told myself about so many things, over the years. A story that, I am now realizing, is filled with assumptions—and judgments too. And the only “goal” or “resolution” I have for 2026 is that I’d like to challenge it. To pay attention to my thoughts and take a deeper look at why I skip over these books. What assumptions do I make? What judgments do I have about the book or the genre its in? And then I’m going to read some of these books and share what I discover on the other side!

I typically try to avoid setting any “goals” around my reading, because I don’t ever want it to feel like work again. But I’ve created what feels like a unique reading challenge for myself for 2026. I’ll tell you more about what this is going to look like in a few days! (I’m currently trying to edit down that post because it’s gotten HUGE, haha.)

For now, I just want to say that I’m entering this new year feeling energized and curious! I’m curious to learn more about some of the books and genres I typically skip over… but I’m also curious (and hopeful!) that I might actually find something new that I LOVE. And perhaps even become a die hard fan of.

Because here’s what surprised me most over the holidays, friend: Tall Man and I finished the last two Star Wars movies and I really liked them. It took us ~18 months, but I have finally seen all nine of the “trilogy of trilogies.” And in the days since, I’ve found myself thinking… I kind of want to rewatch some of them. And soon.

Maybe it “wasn’t for me” when I was younger. But I like it now!

And I wonder what else that might be true for?

xx Cait

PS - I think you know I’m not normally a fan of resolutions or starting anything new on January 1st. I believe in beginning when it feels right, which is what’s true of this reading challenge. But if you’re looking for inspiration on how to have more FUN this year, I loved this list!

The Way of Beauty

50 Fun & Whimsical Resolutions for a More Joyful 2026

New Year’s Eve may be my favorite holiday, and in my ongoing attempts to create more converts to the New Year’s Eve hype, I want to remind everyone of one very important thing: you can harness the energy of the new year however you want…

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6 months ago · 4623 likes · 68 comments · Hannah Liz

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This newsletter has a paid subscription option, simply because that is one of the best ways to support me while I work on my next book. It helps reduce any financial stress, which makes it feel safer for me to dive into a big project. And it’s just £21/year ($28 USD/$39 CAD).

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If you’re new here: on Sundays, I send a collection of mini memoirs from my life in the UK. Each weekly dispatch is filled with stories and things I’ve noticed—at home, in books, on my walks, in the world, and within myself. My hope is they feel reflective and calming, and inspire you to notice more in your own life. Writing them certainly helps me notice more in mine… 🕯️

This is my last newsletter of the year, and it’s a special one. I hope you enjoy it! And I hope Tall Man enjoys it too. ☺️

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Saturday, December 13, 2025

It’s 3:50pm and the preteen and I are still at the dining room table. We’ve been sitting here for a couple hours, doing something we’ve done a couple times already this season: painting Christmas cards for the neighbours. This isn’t a tradition. We’ve never painted cards for anyone before! So there was certainly no plan to eventually paint cards for all our neighbours. Back in November, I had just been watching some reels on Instagram of people painting Christmas trees, wreaths, snowflakes, etc. and thought: that looks fun. Then I setup my watercolours and laid out a bunch of brushes on the table as an invitation for anyone to join me. Something I’ve learned in this family is how important it is to not place demands on kids, but to create opportunities instead—and just see if anyone picks up what you’re putting down. I’ve also learned that if I setup the paints, someone will eventually come paint with me! I’m never sitting here alone for long…

When we decide we’re done (for today), we add up how many cards we’ve painted: 5 in total. Then I turn off the big light (that is: the main light on your ceiling), so I can take the picture above. It’s taken time, but I have finally figured out how all the lights work in this house, as well as which ones I like most—and which ones to turn on/off for the best pictures. In order to take good pictures in the kitchen, you have to turn off the big light. But we hardly turn on the big light in any room, anyway…

Sunday, December 14, 2025

It’s Sunday night, and the end of a weekend with the kids. Tall Man is doing the rounds, helping everyone get to sleep. I’m in our room, laying on the bed with the cat. I’m going back and forth between looking at her and looking at the colourful Christmas lights on the wall behind her. Last month, I asked TM if we could put lights up again this year. That was something he did a couple Christmases ago and I loved how it made the room look and feel. He took my question on like an assignment, finding different lights for us to choose from and then stringing them up and around our mirrors, pictures, etc. Now every day, when I walk into our room to go to bed, there are Christmas lights on. And they usually stay on, until right before we fall asleep…

Monday, December 15, 2025

I’ve been out running errands all morning. Picking up library books, getting groceries, etc. I thought I might squeeze in a nice walk around my old town too, but it has been pouring rain the whole time. And it is dark out, my friend. So dark that, even though I’m coming home around noon, I can see most people’s Christmas lights in our neighbourhood. There are the people who string lights through bushes, the people who hang Christmas decorations from trees, the people who wrap lights around trees (these are my favourite). And then there’s our house: where there are warm white fairy lights wrapped around our front door and window. Only ours aren’t Christmas lights. They are up and used all year-round. You could come over at Christmas or in March or July or September, and the lights would be on for you. It always looks like the warmest house on the street. 🕯

Tuesday, December 16, 2025

It’s 3:40pm and I’m walking up the stairs, when suddenly a few lights come on. A small lamp in the kitchen behind me, a lamp at the top of the stairs in front of me, and the Christmas lights in our bedroom. As you know, I like to keep a lot about TM private. But this is one example of how thoughtful he is: he has smart plugs all throughout the house, and has setup an automation for certain lights to come on at sunset, so the house never gets too dark…

Wednesday, December 17, 2025

It’s my favourite hour of the day: when I wake up, come downstairs, make my first cup of coffee, and read on the couch with Kitty. Because TM has smart plugs all throughout the house, I can use an app on my phone to turn lights on in any room. And more than any others, this is the room where I have a specific setup I like for this first hour of the day!

Typically, I turn on two of the small side lamps. But now that we have the Christmas tree, I only need that + one lamp to read. There is almost nothing I enjoy more than reading by a Christmas tree. I did it at my dad’s house for years, did it at The Lighthouse, and now I’m doing it here—and with the best company by my side.

I’ve started reading WILD DARK SHORE by Charlotte McConaghy this week. I haven’t finished any new adult fiction (just one middle grade novel), since writing this list a month ago. But I can already tell, I am going to be finishing this one…

Friday, December 19, 2025

It’s 5pm and the preteen and I are back at the dining room table. This time, we’re putting icing on the nearly-100 sugar cookies I baked yesterday (most to give away). Eventually, TM comes in and turns the big light on, so he can start cooking dinner. Cooking + cleaning up are the two main reasons we will turn the big light on. And what I’m now realizing is that there is a reason behind every specific lighting setup in this house. They aren’t just for basic utility. Every light and automation has a purpose—and that purpose is usually to create the right ambiance and/or to meet specific sensory needs.

But there’s one lighting setup I don’t even notice anymore: the warm white fairy lights that are strung up around the kitchen and dining room. It was one of the first things I noticed in TM’s house, when I started coming here back in 2022. I hadn’t seen that in anyone’s house before, or not that I could remember. And as someone who grew up in an extremely practical household, it stood out as something I never would’ve thought to do. The fairy lights felt playful. Almost whimsical. They felt fun! And they—and TM—have taught me a lesson I didn’t know I desperately needed/wanted for myself: that you’re allowed to design your space. Not everything is “frivolous,” the details really do matter. They impact your senses, which can impact your mood, your sleep quality, and your experience of everyday life.

The fairy lights above us right now stay up all year-round. And they seem to just be on… all the time!? (I’ve never turned them on or off, anyway.) I’ve been taking this tiny detail for granted, since moving in. But I won’t anymore.

Moving out of The Lighthouse was a big deal for me, this year. I loved that little house and the town, and I felt so connected to nature and the seasons—and myself—there.

This house doesn’t offer the exact same experience. But it’s definitely the coziest place I’ve ever lived. ❤️

This feels like a nice place to sign off for the year, friend. But I’ll see you back here in early January! Since sharing my desire for a year of more, I’ve continued to feel a buzz of energy about the year ahead… and there is so much I want to write about and share with you.

So I won’t be offline for too long! A couple weeks or so. I’ll be thinking of you, and am already looking forward to connecting in the new year. ☺️

Take good care of yourself over the holidays, friend.

See you again soon!

xx Cait

Thank you for reading this little newsletter of mine. I’ve been writing online since 2010, and have always valued keeping my content clean (aka free of ads/sponsored content) so we can be present together. If you found calm, joy or inspiration from this, you can: like this post (click on the heart button), subscribe to read more or buy me a coffee! ❤️☕

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Hi friend,

Normally, this time of year, I’m anxious to log off the internet. To take a break from my newsletter, and avoid social media for a few weeks. Get some perspective, and come back when I feel ready for the new year—which is usually about mid-January. But it is not a normal year.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been sick for most of the past two months. Caught some kind of chest thing in October, got *this close* to being done coughing and feeling fully healthy again, then woke up on December 2nd with the flu and a new cough. This f*cking cough that I just cannot get rid of, no matter what I try! 🤬

Maybe it’s because of that, and because of how exhausting it is to fight off viruses, and because of all the rain that has kept us mostly indoors since October… but I am crawling out of my skin with boredom right now. I am READY for a new year. Ready for something… anything… MORE than this!

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I looked at my annual spending last week and felt surprisingly good about the numbers. My housing costs have gone way down, since Tall Man and I moved in together (I’ve already saved £3,000/$4,000 USD/$5,500 CAD). The amount I was able to invest went up, as a result. The amount I spent on “shopping” dropped by 40%, and I still feel as though I got everything I wanted this year!

But there was one number that didn’t feel good: how little I spent on travel with TM. We went on two weekend getaways, and took the kids down to London for a handful of days. We also went on two quick trips for running events he had. These are all different experiences, but not exactly holidays. And I want a holiday with my man! 😍

I highlighted the total amount we spent on those two weekend getaways and wrote “WANT TO SPEND MORE” in all caps next to it. Then I looked through all my spending categories and asked myself if I wanted to change any other numbers next year. I didn’t want to spend less on anything (other than maybe car maintenance lol). But I did want to spend more on a few categories.

And that’s what sparked this idea.

I’ve started seeing the usual posts about how/why many people want next year to be a year of less. Less shopping and less drinking. Less social media and time spent online overall. Less work, fewer commitments, and less stress. I obviously understand this. It’s just not the place I’m in right now. I read one post saying the writer wanted to subtract things from their life, not add. And that couldn’t have felt further from what I’m craving.

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Over the last 10+ years, I have slowed my life down SO much, you could never say I am busy. Some of that has been for my mental health. Some of it has been the result of moving to a new country and not having many local friends (still) or a professional network. Some of it has come from choosing to live in the middle of nowhere and not having easy access to many work or cultural events. Some of it has been financial, because I didn’t earn much the first few years I was living here and simply couldn’t afford to do “more” things. And I don’t know this for sure, but I’m curious if some of it is also a lingering impact of the pandemic—where staying home became the easiest and most comforting thing to do.

I might be eating my words later, but I’m going to dare to say: I actually want to be busier than I am. I want to plan and book more vacations in advance. I want more friend dates in the calendar (and um, maybe more friends?). I want more things in the calendar and more to look forward to, period! I want to go to more bookish events. I want to go to more cultural events. I even want to go to more work-related events/commitments. I want to go hiking A LOT more than I did this year. I want to go see friends in London. And I want to FINALLY take advantage of living so close to the continent. Outside of the UK, the only other European country I have been to is France—and that was in 2019. I want to change that in 2026. I want to do a lot of things in 2026.

2025 has been a big year, in its own way. I turned 40. I moved out of my first real home in the UK. TM and I moved in together, and started figuring out how we are going to do life together. And that includes two kids. This is big stuff! A massive life change. It has kept my mind busy and engaged. And there’s always going to be things for us to do/work on here…

But before we moved in together, I told TM that my biggest fear is I would lose myself to being in a family. Because I know how easy it is to put other people first. I know how easy it is to put your needs and wants last. I lived that way for so long, I didn’t even know who I was or what I liked. Just went along with what other people needed or wanted. But I eventually got out of those dynamics—and quit drinking too. I mention that part only because I know how much time and money I got back, on the other side of that decision. Time and money to spend on new things.

That was 13 years ago. I’ve spent most of the last 13 years figuring out who I am and what I enjoy—and persistently (you could even say: stubbornly) trying to live in alignment with my values. Slowing down and cutting back on commitments was once one of those values. And now, I’d like to start adding some things back to my life again—alongside my new partnership and family.

I want a year of more, friend.

And I’m starting now—not waiting until January 1st.

The first thing I did was message Sasha and ask if we could finally put a date in the calendar for something we’ve been wanting to do together. I suggested a weekend in June. She said absolutely. Then I told her I put a note in my calendar to message her on Valentine’s Day, so we can book tickets a few month’s in advance. Two things to look forward to!

I also asked TM if we could prioritize going on a good walk/hike together every month. We put a recurring date in the calendar for every 4 weeks, starting January 3rd. Thirteen things to look forward to!

Then together, we came up with the idea of creating a date jar and filling it with specific things we want to do together. We already prioritize date nights, but this could help us be more intentional about what we do—and maybe prompt us to try some new things, too. We’re going to start working on that next week…

Knowing me, I suspect this is something I’ll write more about next year—but will leave it there for now. I’ve planted the seed. And I don’t expect many other people will be wanting more in 2026. But if you’re one of them, I’d love to hear from you! And I’d love to know: what do you want MORE of?

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xx Cait

Hi friend,

At the start of this year, I shared my plans to not use Amazon as much in 2025. It wasn’t necessarily meant to be a political statement (started thinking about it right before that became a big part of the convo). It also wasn’t meant to be a total boycott (though I understand why some people are doing that). Like most of the challenges I give myself, it came on the backend of noticing a behaviour or trend I didn’t like and simply wanting to make a change.

What I noticed was that I had gone from being someone who rarely used Amazon before immigrating to the UK (and had never had a Prime membership), to using it to buy most things here from 2022-2024. As a newcomer who moved to the middle of nowhere and didn’t always have access to a vehicle, I understand why I made this choice. But you can also choose to change a habit anytime, and that’s what I decided to do this year.

I shared my plan in January, along with one update in March, and then I didn’t write about it again (until now)—because there wasn’t much to say. Some habits are harder to change than others, but a challenge that asks me to shop less/differently is not exactly a challenge for me anymore. I said I wasn’t going to use it as much this year, and that I would learn more about where I could buy things within the UK, and that’s exactly what I did.

Of course, that also means I did use it a little bit (which I said I would). I bought a few specific things that I couldn’t figure out how to get more locally (like a very long lock for the old gate at The Lighthouse! I tried!). And a couple Christmas presents for the preteen. I also bought two things because they were less than half the price they would’ve been in-store, and some months you just don’t have the money to pay full price. (Also: why are windshield wipers SO expensive? This doesn’t make sense to me.)

But the challenge created enough friction throughout the year that it did change how I feel about using Amazon going forward. I still don’t want to use it very much. Not just because of what it is or who owns it or how it all works, though that’s part of it and other people have written better posts about why you might be considering boycotting it too.

I don’t want to use it much because… it’s also just a really crappy option now!?

Amazon used to feel like a company you could buy brand name items from at discounted prices. I’m not saying that was a good thing, but that was the shopping experience it provided. It almost felt like a kind of Walmart, or discounted department store. You could buy what you wanted at a lower price, and trust in the quality of what was going to arrive at your door.

That doesn’t feel true anymore.

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What we see in the media is often heavy, and negative content is what tends to go viral. What if we could connect once/month and share what feels like “light news” from our lives? Personal updates, places we’ve been, things we’ve noticed or tried, content we’ve enjoyed, etc. What if instead of only talking about the dark stuff, we intentionally looked for—and shared—the light?

That was the idea I had in the fall—and the beautiful thing about having a newsletter is you can quickly turn any idea into a reality! My hope is this new feature feels like a pocket of warm sunshine you can step into on a cold winter’s day. And that it becomes a nice way to learn some of the lighter things we might not know about one another… ☺️

What “light news” do you have from November? I’ll go first…

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