Unboxing My Latest Book Haul
Book Mail: A Roundup of the Book Mail I Received Last Week
Mid-December feels like a love letter to cozy moments, and this week’s book mail arrived like a dream come true. My TBR pile has grown delightfully ambitious, thanks to a book haul overflowing with new book releases that seem tailor-made for quiet nights by the tree. Each envelope carried thoughtful book recommendations, little reminders that the best stories find you when you’re ready for them. With so many titles destined to be among the best books of 2025, it feels like the season itself is whispering: slow down, pour something warm, and let the next great story begin.
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 chill in the air invites warmth and stillness, slipping into an ivory cashmere sweater and jeans feels like the ultimate main character outfit—simple, soft, and luxuriously understated. Paired with your everyday gold hoop earrings and signature herringbone necklace layered with a graduated rope chain, the look embodies main character fashion at its coziest: timeless, elegant, and filled with personal style inspiration. As you sit by the window with a fresh stack of book mail, uncovering character-driven novels and books that inspire confidence, you’re reminded that both fashion and reading are acts of self-expression and self-discovery. This is main character aesthetic books and clothing in harmony—aesthetic clothing that feels as good as it looks, paired with books that make you feel good and feed your main character mindset. Wrapped in warmth, story, and intention, you’re living your main character life—one soft sweater and beautifully written chapter at a time.
This Week’s Book Mail Includes:
Legend by Karina Halle - Kat, Brom, and Ichabod’s entangled desires collide with coven secrets as Sleepy Hollow’s shadows demand a deadly reckoning—so mind your head.
All Eyes on Him by Iliana Xander - To expose a “Man of the Year” she suspects is a monster, Natalie goes undercover in his mansion—only to discover the last housekeeper vanished.
Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews - A scandal-forced marriage turns two reluctant partners into sleuths as they chase a killer and a headline while fighting inconvenient chemistry.
Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz - A reformed witch and a grumpy alchemist must cure a town-wide blight—and decide if even former villains deserve happily-ever-afters.
The Mating Game by Lana Ferguson - A newly awakened omega contractor and a wary alpha lodge owner swear to keep their distance—until heat, deadlines, and desire say otherwise.
Her Time Traveling Duke by Bryn Donovan - A free-spirited modern witch accidentally yanks a Regency duke into the present—and falling for him may be the hardest spell to undo.
Cry Havoc by Rebecca Wait - At a failing 1980s girls’ school, one runaway’s fresh start unravels into dark academia chaos when a sinister teacher and strange “illness” spread.
The Day I Lost You by Ruth Mancini - A missing child forces three adults to confront the secrets they share—and the lies they’ll kill to protect.
Love Me Stalk Me by Laura Bishop - She pours her fantasies into an “AI” boyfriend app—never guessing the hot new coworker who hacked her phone plans to make them real.
When Santa Wrote Back! by Nathan Christopher and Pablo Pino - Jake’s over-the-top letters bring a hilarious holiday surprise when Santa finally writes back—with a lesson wrapped in laughter.
Fallen Stars by Imani Erriu - A disgraced queen races gods and monsters to save her soulmate and make the Stars fall, no matter the cost.
Good Guys by Sharon Bala - When a celebrity adoption exposes a charity’s darkest truths, a burned-out publicist must choose between saving the brand—or her soul.
My Fair Frauds by Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne - A faux duchess and a con-artist debutante target Gilded Age titans in a glittering sting that could crown them—or crush them.
The Lie She Wears by Elle Marr - After her mother’s deathbed confession to murder, a curator digs into buried bones and letters that warn the past isn’t done with her.
The Bluest Night by Aaron Phillip Clark - PI Trevor Finnegan hunts for his missing brother in Malibu and uncovers a conspiracy that could burn the beach town to the ground.
The Pursued by Corey Mead - In this true-crime shocker, a Kansas mom’s stalker is unmasked in the last place anyone dared to look.
Collaborating with the Enemy by Adam Kahane - A practical manifesto for getting big things done with people you don’t agree with, like, or trust.
Revenge, Served Royal by Celeste Connally - At Windsor Castle’s pastry contest, Lady Petra must unmask a killer before the royal sweets turn royally deadly.
Balancing Act by Paula Chase - At an elite charter school, a gymnast and a grieving baller face cutthroat stakes on and off the court in a drama of grit and heart.
The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller - As a brutal 1962 blizzard descends, two neighboring couples confront the fractures in their marriages and themselves.
Never Let a Unicorn Meet a Reindeer! by Diane Alber - A determined girl dares to mix unicorn sparkle with reindeer cheer—and discovers holiday magic in unlikely friendships.
Only Way Out by Tod Goldberg - A crooked cop finds a wreck, a corpse, and millions in heist cash—then learns everyone else wants the same escape hatch.
The Wondrous Life and Loves of Nella Carter by Brionni Nwosu - Bargaining with Death, an immortal heroine spans centuries and continents searching for proof that love—and humanity—are worth the time.
The Hospital at the End of the World by Justin C. Key - In an AI-ruled future, a med student follows a deadly mystery to a renegade New Orleans school that still believes in human doctors.
The Hollywood Fix by Richard Kirshenbaum - A razor-sharp satire where publicists and power players spin scandal into legend—because in Hollywood, the truth is just a draft.
Gimme a Crisis by Howard Green - Inside a global bank’s high-wire years, former CEO Rick Waugh shows how surviving chaos starts with knowing the downside.
Robot's First Snow by Billy Sharff - When the humans vanish and snow falls, one factory bot must convince his friends that play has a purpose.
The Giving Flower: The Story of the Poinsettia by Alda P. Dobbs - From Aztec gardens to American holidays, the poinsettia’s vivid history blooms in this richly told picture book.
The Pine Cone's Secret by Hannah Barnaby and Cédric Abt - A pine cone’s rhyming journey from forest treasure to winter wonder reveals nature’s coolest transformations.
The Forget-Me-Not Library by Heather Webber - A lightning survivor and a single mom find healing, magic, and second chances in a tiny Alabama library.
The Seven Rings by Nora Roberts - To break a deadly bridal curse and banish a malevolent spirit, Sonya must battle across realms to reclaim Poole Manor—and her future.
