It’s December, and we’re hosting our second annual Winter Holiday Hunt!
This hunt is meant to celebrate the season of light, and the holidays it brings. We wish all our members a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and an entertaining hunt!
We’ve scattered a stand of evergreen trees around the site. You’ll solve the clues to find the trees and gather them all together.
- Decipher the clues and visit the corresponding LibraryThing pages to find some evergreen trees. Each clue points to a specific page on LibraryThing. Remember, they are not necessarily work pages!
- If there’s an evergreen tree on a page, you’ll see a banner at the top of the page.
- You have a little more than three weeks to find all the trees (until 11:59pm EST, Tuesday January 6th).
- Come brag about your stand of evergreen trees (and get hints) on Talk.
Win prizes:
- Any member who finds at least two evergreen trees will be
awarded an evergreen tree Badge (
).
- Members who find all 15 evergreen trees will be entered into a drawing for one of five LibraryThing (or TinyCat) prizes. We’ll announce winners at the end of the hunt.
P.S. Thanks to conceptDawg for the European goldfinch illustration! ConceptDawg has made all of our treasure hunt graphics in the last couple of years. We like them, and hope you do, too!
Labels: holiday, treasure hunt
LibraryThing is pleased to sit down this month with Minnesota-based author Loretta Ellsworth, whose published work includes books for both juvenile and adult audiences. A former middle grade Spanish teacher, Ellsworth received her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University, and made her authorial debut in 2002 with the young adult novel The Shrouding Woman. She has had three additional young adult novels published, as well as a picture book for younger children, Tangle-Knot, in 2023. These books have won many accolades, including being named as ALA and IRA Notables, and being nominated for prizes such as the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Award. Ellsworth published her first work for adults, the historical novel Stars Over Clear Lake, in 2017, followed in 2024 by The French Winemaker’s Daughter. Her third historical novel for adult readers, The Jilted Countess, which follows the story of a Hungarian countess who makes her way to Minnesota following World War II, in pursuit of her American GI fiancé, is due out from HarperCollins this coming January. Ellsworth sat down with Abigail this month to discuss the book.
The Jilted Countess was apparently inspired by a true story of a Hungarian countess who emigrated to Minnesota after the Second World War. Tell us a little bit about that original story. How did you discover it, and what made you feel you needed to retell it?
In 1948, a penniless Hungarian countess came to Minnesota to marry the GI fiancé she’d met abroad, only to find out he’d recently married someone else. Determined to stay in the U.S., she appealed to newspaperman Cedric Adams to help her find a husband before she’d be deported in two weeks back to Hungary, which was under Communist control. He agreed, using a fake name for her, and putting her picture in the newspaper, citing her circumstances. She received almost 1800 offers of marriage! And in two weeks she narrowed it down, went on a few dates, chose a husband, and was never heard from again. Fast forward to 2015, when someone found an old copy of that article in their attic and asked columnist Curt Brown if he knew what had happened to her. Curt Brown wrote a short article asking if anyone could provide an answer. Unfortunately, no one could. But that article made me wonder how a Hungarian countess could disappear like that, and I also wondered if she ever encountered her former fiancé again. She was, after all, the first Bachelorette, before the show was even a concept.
Did you do any kind of research, historical or cultural, in order to write the book? What were some of the most interesting things you learned?
I spent an exorbitant amount of time at the Minnesota History Center researching old microfiche articles to find anything I could about her. I examined marriage records for Minneapolis and St. Paul for any Hungarian-sounding names, and I searched for clues as to her whereabouts. Without a name, though, it was very difficult, and I never found her. I also had to research Hungary during and after the war, and the life of aristocrats, which I knew little about.
Contemporary readers might be surprised at the idea of a “Bachelorette” dating program taking place in the 1940s. How do you think Roza’s experience would tally with and differ from that of contemporary women seeking a spouse in this way?
After her marriage, she was approached by Look Magazine and other outlets for interviews, all of which she turned down as she wanted a private life. With social media today, there’s no way Roza would have been able to disappear like she did in 1948. And most likely her search would have taken place on social media rather than through the newspaper and mail.
World War II stories remain perennially popular with readers, despite the passage of the years. Why is that? What is it about this period that continues to speak to us?
I think it was such a pivotal time in the world, and one we’re still struggling to understand. And there are so many hidden stories that we’re constantly discovering about that time period that continue to speak to us. Also, the last of WWII veterans are disappearing, and their stories will be gone as well.
Tell us about your writing process. Do you write in a particular place, have a specific schedule you keep to, or any rituals that help you? Do you outline your stories, or discover them as you go along?
Because I worked as a teacher and had four children of my own, I had to learn to write in short intervals and adapt my writing schedule to be flexible. I wrote everywhere: at soccer practices and coffee shops and the library. Now that I no longer teach and my children are grown, I have a more disciplined schedule and usually write in the mornings in my home office, sometimes stretching into the afternoon. I also have learned to outline, whereas I used to write from the seat of my pants before. It’s helped to save me from a great deal of revision, although I still revise, just not as much as before.
What’s next for you? Will you be writing more historical novels for adults, or perhaps returning to the world of young adult books?
I am working on a young adult novel as well as another historical novel, so I hope to keep my foot in both genres as long as I’m able to. I enjoy both and read both.
Tell us about your library. What’s on your own shelves?
I have one full shelf of books on the craft of writing–I’m still drawn to how others write and am curious about their process. I have a mix of memoir, middle-grade, YA, and a lot of historical fiction. I still buy physical books, and my shelves are always overflowing. I donate a lot of books to our local Friends of the Library group for their annual book sale. And I have so many signed copies of books that I can’t part with. But that’s a good problem to have, isn’t it?
What have you been reading lately, and what would you recommend to other readers?
I read a great deal–I just finished reading the first two books of the Westfallen series by Ann and Ben Brashares with my grandson, and I’m reading The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, The Ivory City by Emily Bain Murphy, and The Gospel of Salome by Kaethe Schwehn. And I just finished James by Percival Everett. There are so many good books out there!
Labels: author interview, interview
2025 is almost over, and that means it’s time for LibraryThing staff to share our Top Five Books of the Year. You can see past years’ lists HERE.
We’re always interested in what our members are reading and enjoying, so we invite you to add your favorite books read in 2025 to our December List of the Month, and to join the discussion over in Talk.
>> List: Top Five Books of 2025
Note: This is about what you read in 2025, not just books published in 2025.
Without further ado, here are our staff favorites!
The Scaling Era: An Oral History of AI, 2019–2025 by Dwarkesh Patel. Stitched together from his podcast, it is indeed a sort of oral history of the last few years in technology—the most consequential since the late 90s, or even early 80s.
Ghost on the Throne: The Death of Alexander the Great and the War for Crown and Empire by James Romm. Romm manages to stitch together quite a yarn from the shipwreck of early Hellenistic history.
The Nineties: A Book by Chuck Klosterman. Hilarious and insightful. I’m still reading it, because I only listen to it in the car with my wife.
The Library of Ancient Wisdom: Mesopotamia and the Making of the Modern World by Selina Wisnom. Notionally about Ashurbanipal’s famous, extensive library, it doubles as a wide-ranging exploration of Mesopotamian history and culture. Parts were slow going, others electrifying. It made me want to learn Assyrian but NO MORE LANGUAGES TIM!
The History of the Church: From Christ to Constantine by Eusebius. I had never read Eusebius straight through. It’s fascinating stuff, both for the slim shafts of light it throws on the first century or so of Christianity history, and for its unique contribution to historical method. It’s a crying shame we lost Heggesippus, Pappias, Dionysius of Corinth, etc.
Honorable mention goes to: Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. The only way out. Klein is better at diagnosing the problem than suggesting solutions, but that’s the part that matters most.
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy. I recommended this book to practically everyone this year – not that I needed to as this book was being hyped everywhere. The writing is lush, the setting captivating, the characters fully formed. Months after finishing this story, I was still thinking about them. I still am. What a beautiful, terrifying, heartbreaking novel.
Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra. A home invasion story is not something I ever would’ve picked up on my own, but it came highly recommended by Olivia Muenter, and so on the first day of 2025 I sat down and read this (almost) straight through. Nightwatching caused me to feel equal parts fear and anger: fear for this woman and her children trying to survive the unthinkable, and anger towards all of the people (as depicted in this book… and in life) who don’t trust women.
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker. Ok, this book is a bit overwrought, but I enjoyed it! Give me a hefty book with well-written characters and a bit of mystery, and I’m a happy reader.
My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout. I’m so glad that I finally read this book. It was quiet, yet thrilling. I look forward to reading everything that Strout has published.
Tilt by Emma Pattee. The book ostensibly takes place in one day – the day a major earthquake hits the northwest US – and brings us along the protagonist’s journeys after the quake in search of her husband. And while the book is the story of one day’s journey, it’s also a meditation on the choices we make and the events that affect us most in life. The protagonist’s ongoing conversations with her soon-to-be-born baby illustrate her life and loss, her heartbreak and her hope. I ate it up and loved it so.
The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa, translated by Phillip Gabriel. This book was beautiful and bittersweet. I enjoyed the voice of the cat! He was funny and insightful. A lovely book all around.
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. LitRPG! A genre I didn’t realize existed! This book was a lot of fun to read for someone who’s played a lot of video games. I also love Princess Donut; she’s a riot.
The Toll by Neal Shusterman. Usually in three-part young adult series like this, I find that the first one is the best and the other two are lackluster at best. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this last book of the series! I read the whole trilogy in 6 days while I had COVID; I just couldn’t stop reading!
Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton. This was such a charming book! I was immediately invested in the characters and needed to know what would happen to them. The dragon lore was also very interesting, making it a little darker than it would have been had the story been about humans. I had hoped Walton had written more books like this, but apparently not. The world was so interesting!
The Nineties: A Book by Chuck Klosterman. This book was super interesting. I’m obsessed with the nineties (when I was 6-16), and this book provided the ability to relive the things I remember.
Honorable mentions go to: Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits by David Wong and Flatterland by Ian Stewart.
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros. I didn’t realize I could enjoy a fantasy romance series as much as I have with The Empyrean, but apparently I enjoy my books like I enjoy my food: a little spicy. Yarros has excellent pacing and character development; I’m totally invested in the riders and in the bond between Violet and Xaden. I’m able to totally escape as I read, which is exactly what I’m looking for in a fantasy book. And the twist at the end? Give me book 3 now, please. (Read book 3: give me book 4, now.)
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. I found the theme of redemption in this novel perhaps a lot more than some of the nay-sayers of this tale retold. To the overlooked, the forgotten, the invisible, the ‘trash’, the trashed, the small-town ‘less-thans’: this story will make you feel seen. To anyone who can’t relate to a story like this: read it. Period.
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik. While I was a bit disappointed with the rest of the series, the first in the Scholomance is a good one. I found myself chuckling often at the bristly, sarcastic protagonist throughout. Add magic and a bit of thrill and violence? Sign me up.
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. This cozy romantasy* tale made me fall in love with Emily Wilde, who seems to definitely have some neurodivergent behaviors and was written by someone who understands them. I’ll be reading more of this series, that’s for sure!
*I did not have “started reading romantasy” on my 2025 board, but I’m enjoying the ride.
ADHD is Awesome: A Guide to (Mostly) Thriving with ADHD by Penn Holderness and Kim Holderness. I was pleasantly surprised at how helpful this book was in understanding ADHD and, more importantly, how to learn to thrive with it. I’ll most likely be purchasing a hard copy to keep and revisit whenever I need to!
A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver by E.L. Konigsburg. Eleanor of Aquitaine, Bishop Suger, Empress Matilda and William the Marshall wait in Heaven for King Henry II to ascend after many years below, in this immensely engaging work of historical fiction for young people. The framing device here was fascinating, allowing for a certain amount of commentary and introspection that might not otherwise have been possible. The story itself, the narrative of Eleanor’s life, was also fascinating, and I thought Konigsburg did an excellent job writing from the different perspectives of her four storytellers. Suger’s beauty and spirit-focused account is very different from Empress Matilda’s tart (but fair) take on her daughter-in-law. Well worth the time of any young reader who enjoys historical fiction, or who is fascinated by Medieval Europe and/or Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Can We Save the Tiger? by Martin Jenkins, illustrated by Vicki White. A gorgeous, thoughtful picture book about endangered species from British children’s author and conservationist Martin Jenkins and former zookeeper and natural history illustrator Vicki White. The artwork, created using pencil and oil paint, is stunningly beautiful, and both black and white and color illustrations demand attention, and will have young readers poring over them. The informative but conversational tone taken by Jenkins in the text, and the balance shown in his narration, between the destruction wrought by humans on the natural world, and the attention demanded (and deserved) by human need, was striking. Too often in books on conservation, there is a tendency to demonize humans, and to treat every wrong decision made, in the past or the current day, as arising from either stupidity or intentional malice. It was refreshing to see this strategy (and error, in my opinion) avoided, and to see that one of the fundamental stumbling blocks to animal conservation—the competition between animal and human need—is accurately and compassionately described. Likewise, it was heartening to see that while attention was paid to the tragedy of past extinctions and the danger of possible future ones, success stories were also included, and room was left open for hope. This kind of balance is vanishingly rare in children’s books of this kind. Rather than simplifying and dumbing things down, the narrative here preserves complexity, treating children as intelligent beings capable of wrestling with that complexity.
The Troll With No Heart in His Body and Other Tales of Trolls from Norway by Lise Lunge-Larsen, illustrated by Betsy Bowen. Nine troll stories from traditional Norwegian folklore are retold in this gorgeous collection from author Lise Lunge-Larson and illustrator Betsy Bowen. This marvelous, marvelous book has everything I look for in a folktale collection: fascinating stories that entertain and enthrall, a storyteller who documents source material and specifies how she had modified each tale, a thoughtful introduction situating the tales in their cultural milieu, and gorgeous artwork. I was familiar with a number of these tales, and have run across a number of picture book retellings of both The Three Billy Goats Gruff and The White Cat in the Dovre Mountains, but other stories were either unfamiliar, or only partially familiar, with elements I knew but others I didn’t. However that may be, I enjoyed all of them, I enjoyed the supplemental discussion of them, and I enjoyed the accompanying woodcut illustrations.
I Talk Like a River by Jordan Scott, illustrated by Sydney Smith. Beautifully written and beautifully illustrated, this is a picture book gem! It addresses a subject—namely, stuttering—in a sensitive, emotionally resonant and ultimately thought-provoking way. The central idea of the book—the boy narrator coming to identify his manner of speaking with the sound of a river’s waters, after his father makes that comparison—is one taken from poet Jordan Scott’s own childhood, and offers a thoughtful way to look at the issue of speech, and how this young boy makes sounds. The text here is simple, but it communicates volumes, not just about the boy’s experiences, but about how the world around him treats him because of his differences. There were moments when I was close to weeping, particularly when the boy described how he remembers the fact that he talks like a river in order to keep himself from crying, or from remaining silent.
The visuals here are beautiful, often breathtakingly so, but they are also marvelously well designed, helping to communicate and intensify what is happening in the text. In one two-page spread at the beginning, when the boy is just waking up and sounds are first intruding upon him, there are three images in a horizontal arrangement across the pages, broken up by text, as if to indicate the sense of a series of sounds and experiences in quick succession. Later in the book, when the boy’s father has suggested that his speech is akin to the sound of the river, a two-page spread depicting him with his eyes closed, listening intently, then opens up into a gorgeous four-page spread, full of light and wonder, in which the boy is wading in the waters of that river. These illustrative choices are simply brilliant, working with the text to communicate deeper meaning and emotional experience. This, the synergy between text and image, is the hallmark of a great picture book, and makes this a truly special read.
The Swallow: A Ghost Story by Charis Cotter. Set in Toronto in 1963, this atmospheric, engrossing and ultimately poignant middle-grade novel explores the friendship between two young girls, as they struggle to understand and contend with the ghosts around them. I found it immensely entertaining and ultimately very moving. Charis Cotter knows how to spin a tale, and how to create an intense and spooky atmosphere, evoking a truly eerie feeling in the reader. The emotional trajectory of the tale, and of the two characters, was sensitively depicted, and I felt great sympathy for both. The reveal toward the end of the book was a powerful one, for all that I saw it coming. I pretty much loved everything about this book, from the beautiful cover art to the dual-perspective narrative. I even loved the fact that the folk song, She’s Like the Sparrow was worked into the tale, as this is one of my favorite songs of all time. An absolutely gorgeous rendition, done by the Irish singer Karan Casey, can be found on Youtube, HERE.
Honorable mentions go to: The Diddakoi and Mr. McFadden’s Hallowe’en by Rumer Godden (always a favorite of mine), Nana Upstairs & Nana Downstairs by Tomie dePaola (the second year in a row dePaola has made my honorable mentions), and Little Red Riding Hood by Trina Schart Hyman.
Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin. Le Guin enchants you immediately, as Lavinia’s own voice and stories glow with an existential nostalgia that you have no right feeling for pre-Roman Latium. Lavinia’s story, previously unsung, is human and mystical in turns, mixing heartache and family matters with ancient ritual and poetic necromancy. Le Guin weaves history into the story with skill; although the Roman abstraction of divinity is probably too early for Lavinia’s timeline, she still pulls us directly and beautifully into her ancient world. If you liked Circe, you’ll love this.
Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez, translated by Megan McDowell. There’s a heaviness in this book that, while indeed long, is more about the horrors humans inflict upon each other, especially for greed. Cruelty and trauma are side by side in each chapter. I started it full of curiosity but that feeling quickly built into a gross miasma as I read. Folk magic and disturbed secret societies gather around power where they can find it and get rid of anyone necessary along the way. If you like the dark, you’ll enjoy the humanity in the book as well. If you don’t, I don’t recommend it.
Our Evenings by Allan Hollinghurst. There’s a closeness in watching a kid grow up over the course of a book, but I didn’t have to get far into it to start caring for this character. What struck me most wasn’t the plot or characters, but the way Hollinghurst draws out those thoughts between thoughts, those feelings you can’t name; a perspective hard to find outside of poetry or maybe Virginia Woolf. I felt I was in the midst of a classic but found few met-expectations or tropes along the way. This was my introduction to the wonderful Hollinghurst, and I can’t wait for more.
True to the Earth: Pagan Political Theology by Kadmus. I think this book has implications beyond any special-interest niches. It contrasts our current widespread worldview of substance-based ontology and literate monotheism against high pagan/oral society’s event-based ontology. Kadmus explores the implications of this comparison on our experiences, relationship to religion, and politics. Anyone interested in pre-Platonic religion will obviously enjoy this, same with any philosophy heads, but I’d recommend True to the Earth for any reader who wants to try to see the world in a new way.
Lolly Willowes, or The Loving Huntsman by Sylvia Townsend Warner. Can’t believe I didn’t stumble upon this treasure earlier in my life. So much of what I love about cozy characters and comedies of manners is present in the first acts. It feels like the origin of many widely-beloved characters and plot lines; an independent spinsterish character, scoffing at society and longing for something darker and stranger, but caring for the mundane world in the meantime. The rush of fulfillment and wit at the end is a total delight. The final act has such a modern tone, I was pretty amazed that it was published in 1926.
Honorable mentions (sorry, it was a really good year for books!) go to: Open Heaven by Seán Hewitt, Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito, The Incandescent by Emily Tesh, The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix, The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C.M. Waggoner, The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne by Ron Currie, Jr., Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy, On the Beach by Nevil Shute, The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart, The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, and The Secret History by Donna Tartt.
All These Worlds by Dennis E. Taylor. The build up to the “final” (not final) book in the Bobiverse series delivers and gives us the standoff against The Others along with development of various planets and alien societies. The entire series centers around sentient von Neumann probes sent out to find inhabitable planets for humans. This is the main draw for me and it’s simply a fun adventure that is in the same vein as The Martian or Project Hail Mary.
The King’s Justice by E.M. Powell. I’m a sucker for historical murder mysteries, especially pre-renaissance settings. This one hits that genre perfectly. The mystery develops well and the characters were interesting enough to keep me interested. I didn’t like this as much as SJ Parris novels but it’s the start of a series so I’ll dive in and see how it develops.
That’s it!
Labels: lists, top five
Win free books from the December 2025 batch of Early Reviewer titles! We’ve got 198 books this month, and a grand total of 2,392 copies to give out. Which books are you hoping to snag this month? Come tell us on Talk.
If you haven’t already, sign up for Early Reviewers. If you’ve already signed up, please check your mailing/email address and make sure they’re correct.
» Request books here!
The deadline to request a copy is Friday, December 26th at 6PM EST.
Eligibility: Publishers do things country-by-country. This month we have publishers who can send books to the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, Ireland, Germany, France, Finland, Netherlands, Denmark and more. Make sure to check the message on each book to see if it can be sent to your country.
Thanks to all the publishers participating this month!
| Anchorline Press |
Aquarius Press |
Autumn House Press |
| Bellevue Literary Press |
CarTech Books |
Catavento Press |
| Gefen Publishing House |
Gilded Orange Books |
Harbor Lane Books, LLC. |
| Haven |
Muse Literary Publishing |
NeoParadoxa |
| Paper Phoenix Press |
Prolific Pulse Press LLC |
PublishNation |
| Purple Diamond Press, Inc |
Revell |
RIZE Press |
| Rootstock Publishing |
Running Wild Press, LLC |
Simon & Schuster |
| Somewhat Grumpy Press |
Tundra Books |
Tuxtails Publishing, LLC |
| Type Eighteen Books |
University of Nevada Press |
Vibrant Publishers |
| Vision of Hope Media |
W4 Publishing, LLC |
What on Earth! |
| Wise Media Group |
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Labels: early reviewers, LTER
