It’s the last month’s update of books that I read in 2025! We’ve made it to the end, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it – so much so that I’ve already planned what I’m doing for 2026. Spoiler alert: it’s another book blanket! While I’m putting that new blanket together in the background, here’s my update for December 2025.

Pin for later:

Looking back at December, it was a busy month with all the usual seasonal hustle, but I managed to make significant progress on my 2025 Crochet Book Blanket during the calmer Betwixtmas period. That little window between Christmas and New Year’s was perfect for catching up on both reading and making squares.

The Vision for the Book Afghan

To maintain cohesion, I’ve used the same block pattern for the entire afghan (grab the free pattern here), working with yarn from my stash and selecting colours that reflect the book’s cover design. The ultimate goal? A warm, meaningful blanket that doubles as a literary keepsake.

Here’s what I accomplished in November:

• Total Books Read: and Squares Completed: 7 / 14

December Reads and Squares

Book 78: The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore

My Rating: ⭐⭐ 2.5 stars (out of 5)

Synopsis: The Pumpkin Spice Cafe follows Jeanie, who leaves her dull city life after inheriting her aunt’s cosy café in the small town of Dream Harbor and quickly finds herself at the centre of a slow-burn romance with the grumpy local farmer Logan amidst autumnal fall vibes and community chatter. I read it for all the hype to see what the fuss was about, but it really wasn’t my cup of tea – it’s very schmaltzy, Hallmark-style romance with not much depth, and that kind of cosy love story isn’t really my wheelhouse at all.

---

Book 79: Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 3.75 stars (out of 5)

Synopsis: Home Before Dark is a chilling, atmospheric thriller that flips between past and present as Maggie Holt returns to the infamous Baneberry Hall, the haunted house her family fled from when she was a child, to uncover the truth behind her father’s bestselling horror memoir and the eerie events that still haunt the property. The story is richly unsettling and creepy throughout, and I found it very atmospheric and engaging, with a twist at the end that I genuinely didn’t see coming.

---

Book 80: The Life & Loves of Becca Valentine by Laura Pearson

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 stars (out of 5)

Synopsis:  The Life & Loves of Becca Valentine tells the emotional, slightly magical story of Becca as she’s faced with two very different romantic possibilities, and the knowledge that the choices she makes will shape not just her own future but the very existence of four potential children waiting for her in a place called the “Beforelife.” It’s an inventive blend of women’s fiction and heartfelt romance with an intriguing premise that keeps you invested in Becca’s journey of love, fate and self-discovery. I absolutely loved this book – such a unique premise, beautifully written with great characters that really stay with you.

---

Book 81: 25 Days by Per Jacobsen

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 stars (out of 5)

Synopsis:  Hoping to bring his family closer together, Adam Gray arranges a vacation in a remote cabin on a snowy mountain. Then things take a dark turn…My imagination was definitely captured by the idea of a thriller story styled as an advent calendar – one chapter a day from 1st December. I really enjoyed reading a chapter a day, but must confess that I also found it a little hard to stop after one chapter as it’s not my normal style of reading. That said I would definitely do a book advent like this again as it was enjoyable.

---

Book 82: Down to the Woods (DI Helen Grace #8) by M J Artlidge

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 3.75 stars (out of 5)

Synopsis:  Down to the Woods is the eighth DI Helen Grace thriller by M. J. Arlidge, in which Helen and her team are drawn into a terrifying case when campers in the New Forest are hunted and murdered in gruesome, ritual-like fashion, their bodies displayed hanging from trees as a dangerous killer stalks the eerie woods. The investigation leads deep into the dark forest in a race against time to stop more deaths, but I found this one a bit long-winded at times, even though there are some good plot twists that help keep the tension alive.

---

Book 83: Murder At Midwinter by Ada Moncrieff

My Rating: ⭐⭐ 2.75 stars (out of 5)

Synopsis:  Murder At Midwinter is pitched as a festive, cosy mystery set in December 1937, where amateur sleuth Daphne King returns to her old school for a twentieth‑anniversary reunion that soon takes a darker turn – a long‑buried disappearance from their youth resurfaces, and by the morning after the celebrations one of her former classmates is found dead, drawing her back into investigation to uncover the links between past and present. I was looking forward to reading this as a cosy Christmas mystery since it seemed to have all the right ingredients, but the slow build, large cast, very little Christmas atmosphere and the fact that the murder doesn’t happen until page 170 meant it just didn’t work for me and was underwhelming.

---

Book 84: The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #2) by Rick Riordan

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐4 stars (out of 5)

Synopsis:  The Sea of Monsters is the second book in Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, and it’s another well‑written and entertaining installment. Percy returns to Camp Half-Blood to find that the magical borders protecting the camp are failing, and he must embark on a dangerous quest with his friends to retrieve the mythical Golden Fleece and save the camp. I love the clever blend of Greek mythology with modern adventure, and this book keeps the humour, heart, and action flowing – I’m excited to continue this series and see where Percy’s journey goes next.

---

All the books so far

Don’t want to scroll and look for all the books that I’ve read so far? Well I’ve put together a list in my Amazon storefront so you can see all the books in one place: Go to the book list

It’s the end of an era!

At the end of this year-long challenge, I can’t believe I’ve read a total of 84 physical books and made 168 crocheted squares inspired by those reads! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this project, and I love that even now I can pretty much remember which book each square represents. It’s turned into a beautiful memory blanket for me, not just of the stories themselves, but also of the places and moments I’ve read them, like holidays and cosy evenings at home. Now comes the next step: putting all the squares together. Please bear with me, as it may take a little while – it’s a lot of squares! That said, this project has already sparked ideas for next year’s plan, and I can’t wait to get started.

If you have joined in with this challenge please share your progress with the #KCACOUKBookCAL2025 hashtag as I’d love to see your finished blankets too.

Looking Ahead to a NEW blanket in 2026

I’ll be sharing my new blanket plans soon along with a new square pattern that I’ll be using for 2026, I’m going to try and include new authors to me this time – is there anyone / any book that I should definitely include? Let me know in the comments.

Until then, happy hooking and happy reading!

P.S. I’d love to stay connected with you so please do sign up to blog (below) and / or my mailing list to get a reminder when new blog posts, giveaways, special offers or new pattern releases are available.

Subscribe to the blog:

Please note that some of the links in my blog are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you purchase via these links, but the price you pay is not affected. You can read more about my affiliate links here.

Time for my November reading recap for the 2025 Crochet Book Blanket project! I always post a month behind, so now’s the perfect time to reflect on last month’s reads. November brought plenty of cosy moments, the kind made for curling up with a good book and a hot drink, and I loved seeing how each story added its own touch to my blanket. Who else is leaning into those slow, snuggly evenings with a great read?

Pin for later:

As we move into the last quarter of the year, I’m definitely finding it harder to keep on top of everything – November / December always seems packed with social plans and seasonal activities! Still, I’ve been making sure to carve out a little time for reading (and crocheting!), even if it’s not as much as before. Finishing the day with a few pages is still my favourite way to unwind before sleep, and sharing these updates helps keep me motivated and accountable.

The Vision for the Book Afghan

To maintain cohesion, I’ve used the same block pattern for the entire afghan (grab the free pattern here), working with yarn from my stash and selecting colours that reflect the book’s cover design. The ultimate goal? A warm, meaningful blanket that doubles as a literary keepsake.

Here’s what I accomplished in November:

• Total Books Read: and Squares Completed: 6 / 12

November Reads and Squares

Book 72: Little Boy Blue (DI Helen Grace #5) by M J Artlidge

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 3.75 stars (out of 5)

Synopsis: Little Boy Blue is the fifth book in M J Arlidge’s DI Helen Grace series, and I’m really enjoying working my way through these — they’re always dark, fast-paced, and satisfyingly twisty. This time, Helen is drawn into a murder investigation that hits uncomfortably close to home, forcing her to confront secrets she’s fought hard to keep buried. Tense and unsettling throughout, it builds steadily to a great cliffhanger that makes it impossible not to want to pick up the next book straight away.

---

Book 73: Hide and Seek (DI Helen Grace #6) by M J Artlidge

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 3.75 stars (out of 5)

Synopsis: Hide and Seek is the sixth thriller in M. J. Arlidge’s DI Helen Grace series, and I read this one straight after Little Boy Blue because I needed to know what happened next. In it, Helen is framed for murder and ends up in Holloway Prison with nowhere to hide, where she has to stay alive and clear her name while a gruesome killer starts picking off inmates around her. It’s another fast-paced, tense read – even though I guessed the villain, the suspense and twists kept me hooked throughout.

---

Book 74: Love Untold by Ruth Jones

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 stars (out of 5)

Synopsis: Love Untold follows four generations of Welsh women as they navigate family, secrets and the long-standing rift that has kept them apart. Nearly 90-year-old Grace just wants to make peace before her big birthday, but that means finding her daughter Alys, estranged for decades and deeply missed, even if it risks upsetting granddaughter Elin and great-granddaughter Beca, who’s wrapped up in her own teenage life. It’s a warm, heartfelt story about mothers and daughters, forgiveness and the bonds that hold families together, and I really enjoyed following the multigenerational women and the Welsh-ness woven throughout.

---

Book 75: The Woman Who Lied by Claire Douglas

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 3 stars (out of 5)

Synopsis: The Woman Who Lied follows bestselling crime novelist Emilia Ward, whose life starts to eerily mirror the sinister plots in the book she’s currently writing as unsettling events from her fiction begin happening in real life – and then someone she knows is killed in the same way as a character in her unpublished manuscript. While the premise promised a clever twist on psychological suspense, I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I hoped; it felt a bit too far-fetched at times, even though the mid-story twist was pretty clever.

---

Book 76: The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐4 stars (out of 5)

Synopsis: The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult follows Sage Singer, a solitary baker whose life is upended when an elderly friend from her grief support group reveals a shocking past and asks her to help him die – forcing her to confront difficult questions about justice, forgiveness and the legacy of atrocity. Interwoven with this present-day moral dilemma is the harrowing story of Sage’s grandmother, a Holocaust survivor whose experiences add depth and weight to the narrative. Very thought-provoking and meticulously researched, the novel makes you question the nature of good and evil and lingers long after you’ve finished – even though it tackles an incredibly emotive topic with compassion and complexity.

---

Book 77: Love Me Not (DI Helen Grace #7) by M J Artlidge

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐3.5 stars (out of 5)

Synopsis: Love Me Not is the seventh DI Helen Grace thriller by M. J. Arlidge, and although it wasn’t my favourite in the series, it’s another gripping, high‑octane read. The story unfolds over a single 24‑hour period as Helen races to stop a terrifying spree of seemingly random killings terrorising Southampton, with the clock ever‑ticking and shocking violence erupting around every turn. It’s fast‑paced with plenty of twists to keep your interest, even if the plot felt a bit less memorable than some of the others.

---

All the books so far

Don’t want to scroll and look for all the books that I’ve read so far? Well I’ve put together a list in my Amazon storefront so you can see all the books in one place: Go to the book list

Looking Ahead to December

As we step into the final month of December, I’m looking forward to cosy winter reading sessions and seeing how these last stories of the year will shape the closing squares of my Crochet Book Blanket. Each book has brought its own mood and colour to the project, and I’m hoping the winter season will draw me toward tales with a frosty, festive palette to finish the blanket on a warm, wintry note – do you have any favourite festive books I should include?

If you’re joining in, don’t forget to share your progress with the #KCACOUKBookCAL2025 hashtag — I’ve been loving all your updates!

Stay tuned for next month’s updates. Until then, happy hooking and happy reading!

P.S. I’d love to stay connected with you so please do sign up to blog (below) and / or my mailing list to get a reminder when new blog posts, giveaways, special offers or new pattern releases are available.

Subscribe to the blog:

Please note that some of the links in my blog are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you purchase via these links, but the price you pay is not affected. You can read more about my affiliate links here.

Time for my October reading recap for the 2025 Crochet Book Blanket project! I always post a month behind, so it’s the perfect time to look back on what I read in October. The crisp autumn days made for some wonderfully cosy reading sessions, and I loved watching both my blanket and my book list grow. Who else is embracing the season with a stack of good books and a warm blanket?

Pin for later:

As we move into the last quarter of the year, I’m finding it a little harder to keep up – but I’m making sure to set aside some time for reading (and crocheting!) even if it’s not as prolific as earlier in the year, and posting these updates definitely helps keep me accountable.

The Vision for the Book Afghan

To maintain cohesion, I’ve used the same block pattern for the entire afghan (grab the free pattern here), working with yarn from my stash and selecting colours that reflect the book’s cover design. The ultimate goal? A warm, meaningful blanket that doubles as a literary keepsake.

Here’s what I accomplished in October:

• Total Books Read: and Squares Completed: 5 / 10

October Reads and Squares

Book 67: Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 3.75 stars (out of 5)

Synopsis: Apples Never Fall follows the Delaney family, former tennis coaches whose lives unravel when Joy Delaney mysteriously disappears. As suspicion falls on both her husband and a strange young woman who recently entered their lives, the Delaney siblings must confront hidden family tensions and long-held secrets to uncover the truth. Not my favourite Moriarty book, but she’s still a great storyteller, and she creates great characters so I’ll continue working my way through all of her novels.

---

Book 68: The Couple’s Revenge by Daniel Hurst

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 3 stars (out of 5)

Synopsis: The Couple’s Revenge is a psychological thriller about a family pushed to the brink after their teenage son is bullied – and badly hurt. When school and police intervention fail, the parents decide to take matters into their own hands. Their love and fear for their child spiral them into a dangerous path of vengeance, forcing them to confront how far they’re willing to go to protect him. I personally found the characters and plot a wee bit far fetched and quite predictable – and I felt the bully theme had been done before, but better.

---

Book 69: Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 stars (out of 5)

Synopsis: Plain Truth centres on an Amish community shaken when a newborn is found dead in a barn and a teenage Amish girl becomes the prime suspect. A big-city defence attorney takes on the case and must navigate cultural divides, hidden trauma, and buried truths. As the investigation unfolds, everyone is forced to question guilt, innocence, and the powerful pull of belonging. Like most of Jodi’s stories I love how they all feature a complex moral dilemma, I enjoyed the provocative storyline and found the insights into Amish life really interesting.

---

Book 70: The Woman Who Met Herself by Laura Pearson

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 stars (out of 5)

Synopsis: The Woman Who Met Herself tells the story of two women in their sixties – Ruth Waverley and Debbie Jones – whose lives take an astonishing turn when Debbie, working as a charity fundraiser, knocks on Ruth’s door only for them to discover they look exactly alike. Shocked by the uncanny resemblance, the two strangers form a bond and begin to unravel a connection neither expected, triggering revelations about identity, family, loss and second chances. The novel explores grief, self-discovery and how sometimes startling coincidences can upend everything – even late in life. Loved the premise for this story; identical twins who have never met. Would be a lovely holiday read.

---

Book 71: The Devil Wears Scrubs (Dr. Jane McGill #1) by Freida McFadden

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐3.5 stars (out of 5)

Synopsis: The Devil Wears Scrubs follows first-year medical resident Dr. Jane McGill as she battles exhaustion, impossible expectations, and the notoriously cruel senior resident who seems determined to make her life miserable. Amid chaotic shifts, medical mishaps, and darkly funny moments, Jane must find her confidence, and her compassion, to survive the pressures of hospital life and prove she belongs in the world of medicine. A different book from the usual thriller from McFadden, this is a quick and easy romance. I especially enjoyed the percentage of how much Jane might quit her job at the end of each chapter.

---

All the books so far

Don’t want to scroll and look for all the books that I’ve read so far? Well I’ve put together a list in my Amazon storefront so you can see all the books in one place: Go to the book list

Looking Ahead to November

As we step into November, I’m looking forward to cosy winter reading sessions and seeing how these penultimate stories of the year will inspire the next squares in my Crochet Book Blanket. Each book has brought its own mood and colour to the project, and I’m curious to see whether the winter months will draw me toward tales with a frosty, festive palette.

If you’re joining in, don’t forget to share your progress with the #KCACOUKBookCAL2025 hashtag — I’ve been loving all your updates!

What’s your favourite winter or holiday read? I’d love to hear your cosy recommendations in the comments 👇

Stay tuned for next month’s updates. Until then, happy hooking and happy reading!

P.S. I’d love to stay connected with you so please do sign up to blog (below) and / or my mailing list to get a reminder when new blog posts, giveaways, special offers or new pattern releases are available.

Subscribe to the blog:

Please note that some of the links in my blog are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you purchase via these links, but the price you pay is not affected. You can read more about my affiliate links here.

Time for a September update on my 2025 Crochet Book Blanket project. I can’t believe we’ve already reached the ‘ber’ months! After a wonderful summer filled with family time and plenty of opportunities to read, I’m excited to settle into a new season of page-turning. Who else is ready for cosy reading sessions, whether it’s curled up in bed or tucked into a comfy chair with a blanket?

Pin for later:

That said I’ve had to hustle a little to catch up with my squares this month as we are moving into the busiest period of the year for me – but I’m still going!

The Vision for the Book Afghan

To maintain cohesion, I’ve used the same block pattern for the entire afghan (grab the free pattern here), working with yarn from my stash and selecting colours that reflect the book’s cover design. The ultimate goal? A warm, meaningful blanket that doubles as a literary keepsake.

Here’s what I accomplished in September:

• Total Books Read: and Squares Completed: 7 / 14

September Reads and Squares

Book 60: Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 stars (out of 5)

Synopsis: A slow-burning, beautifully written piece of historical fiction, Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah follows two estranged sisters who, after their father’s death, finally begin to understand their cold, enigmatic mother. Through the unfolding of a haunting fairy tale rooted in war-torn Leningrad, long-buried family secrets come to light, reshaping everything they thought they knew.

---

Book 61: The Tenth Circle by Jodie Picoult

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 stars (out of 5)

Synopsis: This was such a unique book with prose interspersed with comic book strip which I thought was a really interesting way to tell the story. When fourteen-year-old Trixie Stone accuses her ex-boyfriend of raping her, her tightly knit family is thrown into crisis. Her father, comic-artist Daniel, facing dark echoes from his past, and her mother, Laura, a college professor hiding her own affair, both scramble to protect her, even as the worst happens and the police begin to suspect even their own daughter. It’s a gripping family drama about how far parents will go, and what happens when the line between right and revenge blurs.

---

Book 62: Liar Liar (DI Helen Grace #4) by M. J. Arlidge

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 3.75 stars (out of 5)

Synopsis: In this instalment, DI Helen Grace faces perhaps her most destructive foe yet – a cold-blooded arsonist whose fiery rampage across the city seems designed not just to kill, but to terrify and obliterate. As homes go up in flames, lives are shattered and the pressure mounts. Helen must navigate bureaucratic roadblocks, mounting public fear and her own inner turmoil to stop the blaze before it consumes more innocents. I’m enjoying working my way through this series, like the others it’s was fast paced with a compelling storyline.

---

Book 63: Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 3.75 stars (out of 5)

Synopsis: This book had such a promising premise, I enjoyed it but felt like the pacing did slow down in the middle though it was tided up nicely at the end. A seemingly ordinary domestic flight turns unforgettable when a quiet woman dubbed “The Death Lady” stands up mid-air and predicts the manner and age of death for her fellow passengers. As her chilling forecasts begin to come true months later, each passenger is forced to confront fate, free will and how much control we really have over our lives.

---

Book 64: The Maid’s Secret (Molly the Maid #3) by Nina Prose

My Rating: ⭐⭐2.5 stars (out of 5)

Synopsis: Molly Gray’s life is about to take a dramatic turn. As Head Maid and newly installed Special Events Manager at the grand Regency Grand Hotel, she’s gearing up for her wedding and ready for good things when a reality-TV treasure-hunting show arrives. What seems like a fun appraisal of her grandmother’s trinkets turns into a revelation: a priceless heirloom, an explosion of media attention, and then the prized object vanishes in a daring art heist. Molly and her friends must dive into the past — aided by her grandmother’s hidden diary — to uncover long-buried secrets, reveal the truth of the theft, and protect everything she’s built. Whilst I really loved Molly the Maid from the first book in this latest book I felt that her character (and the other characters in the book) were becoming more caricatures of their former selves – as a consequence I found it a little hard to stay engaged with the story.

---

Book 65: You Killed Me First by John Marrs

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐3.5 stars (out of 5)

Synopsis: Three women, Margot, Anna and Liv, live on the same suburban street, each hiding secrets darker than their glossy exteriors. The novel opens on Bonfire Night with someone bound and gagged within a blazing bonfire, then rewinds eleven months to show how their lives spiralled into murder, betrayal and revenge. With escalating tension, shifting perspectives and unrelenting twists, it asks: who did the killing … and who got killed first? After a great opening chapter I found the intermittent chapters in italics a bit confusing but it does all come together in the end. Not my favourite Marrs book, but a good read all the same.

---

Book 66: The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1) by Rick Riordan

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐4 stars (out of 5)

Synopsis: Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson discovers he’s no ordinary kid but a demigod – the son of the sea-god Poseidon, when he’s accused of stealing the powerful lightning bolt of Zeus. With the help of his satyr friend Grover Underwood and the daughter of the goddess Athena, Annabeth Chase, Percy embarks on a high-stakes quest across America, battling monsters and unravelling ancient myths in a modern setting – all to clear his name and prevent a war among the gods. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. As someone who has always loved Greek and Roman myths it was a really good romp of a story – I’ll probably continue reading the rest of the series at some point.

---

All the books so far

Don’t want to scroll and look for all the books that I’ve read so far? Well I’ve put together a list in my Amazon storefront so you can see all the books in one place: Go to the book list

Looking Ahead to October

As we step into October, I’m excited for more autumn reading and to see how these stories will inspire the next squares in my Crochet Book Blanket. Each book seems to bring its own mood and I’m wondering if I’ll be naturally drawn to books with an autumnal palette? If you’re joining in, don’t forget to share your progress with the #KCACOUKBookCAL2025 hashtag – I love seeing your updates!

What’s the best cosy book that you can think of? I’m always looking for new recommendations – drop yours in the comments 👇.

Stay tuned for next month’s updates. Until then, happy hooking and happy reading!

P.S. I’d love to stay connected with you so please do sign up to blog (below) and / or my mailing list to get a reminder when new blog posts, giveaways, special offers or new pattern releases are available.

Subscribe to the blog:

Please note that some of the links in my blog are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you purchase via these links, but the price you pay is not affected. You can read more about my affiliate links here.