Top Ten Tuesday/ On My Rader To Read

My reading took a weird path this week, as in, during the week, I finished up to four books in one day, but at the weekend, I barely finished one a day, and I haven’t logged many of the ones I read, which gave me an idea for tomorrow’s post, I mean, in my head it sounds fun but we will see. Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl, who has a new weekly topic.

December 16: Books on My Winter 2025-2026 to-Read List. This is definitely a book haul because I’m getting the books on my list today.

Goodreads Blurb:

Goose on the Loose – A Heartwarming Adventure of Friendship, Family, and Finding Dad! By David & Michelle Thielen

When David leaves for a business trip, Goose — his loyal and loving dog — feels the world slow down. Missing his dad more than ever, Goose decides he can’t wait another minute. With his best friends, Rooster and Duck, by his side, the trio sets off on a funny, sweet, and action-packed journey to bring their family back together.

From wandering through neighborhoods, peeking into backyard parties, startling the mailman, visiting the mechanic, and even sneaking into a stranger’s bubble bath (oops!), Goose and his brave team never give up. Every page brings new laughs, adorable moments, and heartfelt surprises as the dogs search for the one person Goose loves most — David.

Will Goose finally find his dad?
Will Duck and Rooster manage to stay out of trouble?
And what happens when they do?

Goodreads Blurb:

Under the soft rain outside a Balinese villa sat a silent, trembling dog.

He didn’t bark. He didn’t move. He simply waited.

When Charlotte first saw him, she didn’t know that this quiet moment would change both of their lives. Shy had known fear, hunger, and loneliness. But through patience, kindness, and love, he learned to trust again — one gentle day at a time.

Set among the temples, rice fields, and beaches of Bali, The Dog Who Waited in Silence is a touching true story of healing, courage, and friendship. Told through simple yet powerful storytelling, it invites children (and the grown-ups who love them) to slow down, listen, and see the beauty in stillness.

Through Charlotte’s gentle care and the wisdom of her pack of Bali rescue dogs — Onyx, Jay, Bagong, and Shy — this story reminds readers that every soul, no matter how broken, can find peace when met with compassion.

Goodreads Blurb:

We often refer to dogs as our best friends and losing them can be heartbreaking, especially for young kids.

This is a book about processing the grief after the loss of a pet and a reminder that our pets will always be a part of our lives, even if we can’t see them anymore.

My Dog & The Park On The Clouds is a heartwarming story about a boy going through the loss of his dog. While he experiences all the emotions of grief, he knows his dog is in a safe place, a park on the clouds where every pet is happy and free. And even though the boy can’t see his dog anymore, he knows his beloved pet will always be there for him, in his heart and memories.

Goodreads Blurb:

Twenty-something Cindy Strapopolous accepts that she’ll live a solitary life, just like her maiden aunt Eleni. So when her father dies and she leaves her job in Manhattan to return to the family home in a small Michigan town, an unexpected home improvement project introduces her to Jake, an old friend of dad’s, and she has a change of heart. A few shocking surprises along the way have the power to thwart their chance at love, but Jake is determined that Cindy is going to have the best Christmas ever.

Goodreads Blurb:

Sarah Garland, a retired homicide detective who’s gone through a painful divorce, seems to have found her peace at last, as a coffeeshop owner, in the sleepy (and freezing) small town of Snow Falls, Alaska. What she didn’t expect, was for her past life to catch up with her. Or, for her new life as a mystery writer to inspire a deadly killer to target her.

Yet, when the killer leaves a frightening clue-a creepy snowman, donning a leather jacket and eating a peppermint candy cane, left in front of her cabin-Sarah begins to suspect Conrad Spencer, the new detective in town, who is pursuing a murderer of his own. Soon, it becomes obvious that the sleuths would have to join forces, in order to catch the killer.

Sarah and Conrad must put their tragic pasts behind them and find out who’s after her…before the trail becomes frozen.

Goodreads Blurb:

Two women. A night that never ends. A rhythm that won’t let them stop.

In the strobe-lit haze of a club where everything pulses—bodies, music, memories—Caide lives as if every breath were an escape. She’s learned not to expect anything from anyone, not to be found, not to be held.

Until Chantal walks a luminous apparition in the dark, a woman who understands her wounds because she carries her own like an invisible tattoo. The tension between them isn’t flirtation—it’s truth, desire, fear.

It’s recognizing someone you’ve never met.

As the night pushes them toward each other, Caide and Chantal realize that what draws them together isn’t the body, but the space where they can finally breathe.

On the dance floor, in crowded hallways, in bathroom mirrors, in silences too full to ignore, a question rises—one neither of them ever dared to

What happens when you meet someone who truly sees you?

Amid resurfacing traumas, searching heartbeats, and shadows begging to be illuminated, the two women discover that freedom isn’t running—it’s choosing to stay.

And some nights aren’t sin at they’re rebirth.

Goodreads Blurb:

Umberta Rinaldi is an acclaimed fashion designer, a woman who has crafted her life like a flawless elegant, controlled, unbreakable. Yet behind that perfection glimmers a truth she doesn’t dare speak.

And then there’s the muse, the wound, the desire that returns to knock just when the world is watching.

During a glittering gala on the Amalfi Coast—amid blinding flashes, rain-soaked dresses, and truths smeared like ruined makeup—Umberta and Elvira are forced to confront a love that never ended, only fell silent.

Their past crashes back in a summer of photographs and promises, midnight escapes, blazing arguments, letters never sent. And a can one truly love without losing oneself?

As the sea roars and the cameras chase the brightest version of them, both women realize there is no freedom without courage, no light without a shard of darkness.

Goodreads Blurb:

There has been one happy ending after the next at The Homestead Inn, but two of the Duran brothers, Maverick and Emmitt, are still looking for love. Find out who’s next in line to find the love of their lives.

Goodreads Blurb:

When Elias Hartley returns to Briar Ridge after twelve long years, he wants only one thing – finish settling his father’s estate and disappear again. But every evening, as snow blankets the little New England village, Elias finds himself drawn to the warm golden lantern glowing in the window of Juniper & Hearth Café… and the woman who lights it.

Juniper Ellis has kept the lantern burning nightly since losing her parents, believing its gentle light helps guide lost hearts home. She never imagined one of those hearts would be Elias – the quiet, complicated boy she once cared for, now a man carrying more shadows than he’s willing to admit.

When a winter storm shatters Juniper’s precious lantern, Elias steps in to repair it – setting off a chain of tender moments, unexpected confessions, and a love that feels as fated as falling snow.

Goodreads Blurb:

When journalist Melissa James agrees to chase down an impossible interview with elusive billionaire Nick Tremblay, she doesn’t expect the story to come wrapped in snowstorms, chalet fireplaces, and one very infuriatingly charming photographer.

After a chance meeting turns into a once-in-a-lifetime assignment, Melissa finds herself driving into the mountains days before Christmas—with cynical, brooding Alex Reid behind the wheel. He’s her colleague, her opposite in every way, and, thanks to a sudden blizzard, her unexpected roommate at a tiny bed-and-breakfast.

Between burnt cocoa, missed flights, and more than one near-disaster, Melissa starts to realize that the best stories aren’t always the ones you plan. Sometimes they’re the ones you stumble into—somewhere between a snowed-in night and a spark that feels a lot like love.

Alex