13 Things This Week

Colleen at The Thursday 13 holds a weekly blogging prompt where bloggers make a list of 13 things on Thursdays. The topic is for you to choose. The blog host doesn't have any official graphics to display on the Thursday 13 posts, so I decided to whip one up myself. 🙂  

February Bookish Bingo

Here is the new card for February.

My books:

1. Red at the Bone--Jacqueline Woodson (7 squares): Not finished previous month, Library book, Physical book, Not in a series, Book Club Read, Short (under 400 pages), Feminine rage 
2. The Wild Swans--Hans Christian Andersen (2 squares) E-Book, Jealousy
3. The Not-So-Secret Emails of Coco Pinchard--Robert Bryndza (squares): Ina  series, Pink on cover, Busy cover design, Free space, Quirky character, Rom-Com, Multi-word title

13 New Author-to-Me Authors I Read in 2025

I'm posting this not just to the Thursday 13 and the Book Discussion Challenge, but also to The Top Ten Tuesday at That Artsy Reader Girl. This is only the second time I've posted to that one, this same topic having come up a year ago at this time.  Even though it's a Top Ten topic, I decided to do them one--or rather, three better!

Here are 13 new-to-me authors I read last year. As usual (with this or any topic) it was hard just choosing that many. I'm sure there were more. These are in no particular order. I'm excluding authors with only one book so far. 

1. Eric Jerome Dickey--The Blackbirds
2. Jenny Colgan--The Bookshop on the Corner
3. Helena Greer--For Never & Always
4. Emily Lloyd-Jones--The Bone Houses
5. Rachel M. Yoldi--Lady Nightmare
6. Michelle Ruiz Keil--Summer in the City of Roses
7. Amanda Foody--The Shadow Game Series
8. Beth Morrey--The Love Story of Missy Carmichel
9. Rachel Pastan--This Side of Married
10. Karol Ruth Silverstein--Cursed
11. Rachel Hanna--The Beach House
12. Kirsten Miller--Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books
13. Tayari Jones--An American Marriage

It's a little hard to say individually how I came across each of these. Some I already had at home, including one I got a local book signing. Others were likely just sudden interest in the book, either o the library shelf or from looking online for books in certain genres. How do you find new-to-you authors?

What’s in a Name? 2026

It looked as if this challenge wasn't going to happen this year. But it's here now and as always, it has only six categories. 

1. Six/6
2. Cold weather
3. Peace
4. Pathways
5. Terrain
6. Flower

Graphics for A to Z Blogging 2026

Even though it's not until April, and the theme reveal isn't until March, I'm going to begin exploring themes for A to Z Blogging 2026. Their website already has this year's graphics up and once again I am loving them! This is a very earthy design.

Nearly One Year Later

Nearly one year into the Orange Ogre's second term, this is what are seeing:

Book Bingo Reading Challenge 2026 @ My Reader's Journey

I wasn't sure about doing this one again, since the hosting blog was so late in posting it (just today). But I am signing up. Some books I've already read fit some squares.

Made by Leticia Toraci on Canva

Book Bingo Reading Challenge Prompts:

Only normal mode this time!

You can substitute 2 squares if you consider them too difficult to find a book for.

ROW 1
A novella: Red at the Bone--Jacqueline Woodson
80’s or 90’s – Read a book first published in the 80’s or 90’s
500+ pages
Spring or Autumn – Cover or setting reminds you of Spring or Autumn: The Bodyguard--Katherine Center
Summer or Winter – Cover or setting reminds you of Summer or Winter

ROW 2

Past – A book set in the past: The Odious Duke--Barbara Cartland
Future – A book set in the future
Horse – Because 2026 Is the Year of the Fire Horse in the Chinese Zodiac let’s read a book with horses!
Favorite Author
A book in translation – Read a book translated from another language to English or a book originally written in another language besides English: The Librarian of Auschwitz--Antonio Iturbe

ROW 3
Number in the title 
Space or desert setting
Free – Choose a mood read: Devil in Winter--Lisa Kleypas
By an author you never read before: The Indigo Girl--Natasha Boyd
Multi POVs

ROW 4
Totally random – Look at your Goodreads TBR list or another TBR book list. Think of 5 different numbers between 0 and the number of books you have there, look at the titles corresponding to the numbers you thought and pick the book you most want to read among them
Out of your comfort zone: Self-Sufficient Living--Andy Westley
Rainbow – Read a LGBTQ+ book
Love or mystery – Read a romance and/or mystery book
Gothic or feminist – Read a gothic and/or feminist book

ROW 5
BIPOC Author – Read a book written by a BIPOC author
Flowers – first or last book in a series
Vintage – Read a classic or poetry book
Book – Read a Standalone: After I Do--Taylor Jenkins Reid
Travel – Read a book with a setting you would like to visit: One Italian Summer--Rebecca Serle