Unboxing My Latest Book Haul
Book Mail: A Roundup of the Book Mail I Received Last Week
Mid-December brings that soft, sparkling kind of magic—the world outside may be cold, but inside, this week’s book mail feels like pure warmth. My TBR pile has grown joyfully unruly, thanks to a book haul filled with new book releases that seem made for fireside reading and twinkle-lit nights. Each package carried thoughtful book recommendations, little reminders from friends and fellow readers that stories still have the power to make us feel seen. With so many titles destined to be counted among the best books of 2025, I can’t help but think that this—curling up with a stack of fresh pages and a mug of something warm—is what the season was made for.
Where to Buy These Books:
I want to note that I do not get paid to do these posts, I just love authors and the book industry. However, they do take time and energy to create. If you want to donate a few dollars to my coffee fund, which keeps this blog going, you can do so here: https://venmo.com/AshleyHasty or here: http://paypal.me/hastybooklist.
What I Wore:
In mid December, when the year feels both reflective and full of quiet anticipation, slipping into an ivory and green palm print blouse with jeans creates the perfect main character outfit—fresh, polished, and subtly festive. Paired with your everyday gold hoop earrings and your signature herringbone necklace layered with a graduated rope chain, the look radiates main character fashion that balances comfort and confidence. It’s aesthetic clothing that mirrors the calm energy of the season, helping you embody main character energy without effort. As you browse through a fresh stack of book mail, filled with character-driven novels, books for self-discovery, and stories that inspire confidence, you find yourself in harmony with your surroundings—curating both wardrobe and reading list as an act of fashion for self-expression. This is main character aesthetic books and clothing in motion: books and outfits for main character vibes that invite reflection, joy, and the simple pleasure of living your main character life at year’s end.
This Week’s Book Mail Includes:
Tidying Up by Ea Fuqua and Meg DeLong – A comforting, shame-free guide offering 100 practical strategies to help you declutter your home and create sustainable systems that bring peace to every corner of your life.
Motor City Love Song by Lisa Peers – Two former lovers are thrust back into Detroit’s indie-rock scene to save a beloved music club, forcing them to confront the truth about their shared past.
Love in Plane Sight by Lauren Connolly – When Beth takes flying lessons from her brother’s grumpy best friend, their turbulent history turns into a slow-burn romance that could cost her both her heart and her future.
Sparks Fly by Zakiya N. Jamal – After a failed attempt to lose her virginity at a sex club, Stella unexpectedly falls for the man behind a work-threatening AI program, forcing her to choose between her job and her heart.
Seeing Other People by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka – Haunted by their literal ghosts, Morgan and Sawyer team up to fix their paranormal problems and end up discovering a tender, very-much-alive connection of their own.
Cry Havoc by Rebecca Wait – A troubled teen at a failing 1980s girls’ school becomes entangled in a darkly comic mystery involving a suspicious new teacher and a strange contagion spreading among her classmates.
The Time Hop Coffee Shop by Phaedra Patrick – When Greta stumbles into a magical café that grants her wish to live inside her old commercials, she must decide between a perfect fantasy and the messy beauty of her real life.
A Widow's Charm by Caitlyn Paxson – A clever widow coerces a disgraced necromancer into resurrecting her husband, only to find herself falling for the charming rogue instead.
Love, Finally by Geneen Roth – A deeply reflective memoir about breaking free from inherited beliefs around food, body image, and maternal judgment to discover self-compassion and emotional freedom.
Man Overboard! by Kathleen Rooney – After falling off a cruise ship, a terrified man must survive the open sea while revisiting the memories, heartbreaks, and regrets that brought him there.
Fallen Stars by Imani Erriu – A dethroned queen with unstable powers seeks to awaken her trapped soulmate and locate ancient gods while dark forces threaten the realms.
Fundamentals of Being a Good Girl by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone – A rookie lecturer becomes nanny to a sexy single-dad professor, igniting an irresistible—and very inappropriate—campus romance.
Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibañez – Forced into a marriage of convenience, Inez must navigate betrayal, magic, and buried secrets to reclaim her fate and the truth about her parents.
What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez – After inheriting a magical ring and her parents’ secrets, Inez travels to Egypt and must face ancient forces—and an infuriatingly handsome rival—to uncover the truth.
Life After Ambition by Amil Niazi – A sharp, funny exploration of midlife, motherhood, and identity that asks what it means to redefine ambition and live authentically after letting old dreams go.
A Weekend on Allyson Island by Susannah B. Lewis – Five longtime friends gather for a 50th-birthday weekend that exposes hidden struggles and ultimately proves the healing power of female friendship.
Anneke Jans in the New World by Sandra Freels – A resilient young mother navigates hardship, politics, and survival in 1630s New Amsterdam after forging a new life in the New World.
Best of the Strand Magazine – A dazzling 25-year anniversary collection featuring iconic and contemporary masters of mystery, showcasing the full range of suspense, wit, and literary imagination.
Fallen Gods by Rachel Van Dyken – A lethal daughter of a sleeping god must infiltrate a deadly university to steal Mjolnir, only to fall for the icy heir she was sent to betray.
And the Crowd Went Wild by Susan Elizabeth Phillips – A disgraced actress hides out with her former high-school sweetheart—now a superstar quarterback—and their rekindled chemistry turns both their lives upside down.
The Montana Gold Mine by Tim Piper – As economic collapse threatens his dreams, Jubil Walker’s fight to develop Yellowstone and expose corruption puts him and those he loves in grave danger.
The Library of Fates by Margot Harrison – Two former classmates race from Harvard to Paris to recover a magical book that reveals futures through confessions, unaware that someone dangerous will stop at nothing to claim it.
White Wolf by Eric Van Lustbader – As a revolutionary communication technology threatens global power, Evan Ryder and the deadly White Wolf race to control a secret that could reshape the world order.
Zenguin by Danna Smith and Sydney Hanson – An anxious little penguin learns simple mindfulness techniques from his Antarctic friends and transforms into the calm, confident “Zenguin.”
