Price Updates

 President Trump has recently said that affordability is a hoax and that prices are lower now than when he took office (NYT).  Because I knew this would be an issue during the midterms, I did some research ahead of time and documented prices at my local Walmart on January 24, 2025.

 The current prices on the same items are listed below.  I will also include the change.  It is honestly a mixed bag.  Some prices have decreased considerably, while others have increased considerably.  Others are unchanged.

 Ground beef (73% lean) = $6.94, an increase of $2.00

 4 lb. bag GV sugar = $2.97, a decrease of 17 cents

 5 lb. bag  GV All Purpose flour = $2.38, unchanged

 9.6 oz. GV coffee = $5.88, and increase of $1.44

 GV white bread = $1.52, an increase of 10 cent

 1 dozen GV eggs = $1.67, a decrease of $2.86

 1 lb. GV salted butter = $3.06, a decrease of 90 cents

 1 gallon GV whole milk - $3.62, a decrease of 40 cents

 bananas (price per lb.) = 50 cents, unchanged

 avocados (price per lb.) = 56 cents, a decrease of 40 cents

 Unleaded gasoline = $4.05/gallon, an increase of $1.26; Diesel fuel = $5.97/gallon, an increase of $2.63

So really, the price of staple groceries has not increased, at least not at this Walmart in southern Alabama.  The net difference is a decrease of $1.19.  The price of meat has increased significantly, but the price of eggs has decreased significantly.  The biggest hit is at the gas tank.  Obviously, if the cost of diesel remains high, the cost of shipping will increase and prices often increase as a result.  I'm certainly not an apologist for this administration by any stretch of the imagination, but these are the fact.  Do with them what you will.

2025 Reading List

In 2025, I had something of a New Year's Resolution to keep a book on the end table beside where I sit and read when I have a few minutes instead of scrolling or playing games on my phone.  My average phone screen time is now usually under 2 hours a day, and my reading list has exploded!  So here you go, my reading list from 2025.

1. The Beautiful and Damned - F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. Chemistry - Weike Wang
3. Mystery of the Moss-Covered Mansion - Carolyn Keene
4. Devil's Food Cake Murder - Joanne Fluke
5. Joan is Okay - Weike Wang
6. Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder - Joanne Fluke
7. O Pioneers! - Willa Cather
8. Strawberry Shortcake Murder - Joanne Fluke
9. Jonah's Gourd Vine - Zora Neale Hurston
10. Blueberry Muffin Murder - Joanne Fluke
11. Lemon Meringue Pie Murder - Joanne Fluke
12. An Immense World - Ed Yong
13. This is a Love Story - Jessica Soffer
14. Cat Got Your Killer - Sofie Ryan
15. Fudge Cupcake Murder - Joanne Fluke
16. Wild Dark Shore - Charlotte McConaghy
17. The Whore's Child and Other Stories - Richard Russo
18. Sugar Cookie Murder - Joanne Fluke
19. Peach Cobbler Murder - Joanne Fluke
20. The Lost Carousel of Provence - Juliet Blackwell
21. Therapy - David Lodge
22. Death Comes for the Archbishop - Willa Cather
23. Doom and Bloom: The Case for Creativity in a World Hooked on Panic - Campbell Walker
24. The Paris Key - Juliet Blackwell
25. Science and the Near-Death Experience: How Consciousness Survives Death - Chris Carter
26. Cherry Cheesecake Murder - Joanne Fluke
27. Stone Yard Devotional - Charlotte Wood
28. Rental House - Weike Wang
29. Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
30. Small Rain - Garth Greenwell
31. The Vineyards of Champagne - Juliet Blackwell
32. Out Stealing Horses - Per Petterson
33. Letters from Paris - Juliet Blackwell
34. Flight - Sherman Alexie
35. Key Lime Pie Murder - Joanne Fluke
36. Asylum Hotel - Juliet Blackwell
37. Carrot Cake Murder - Joanne Fluke
38. Audition - Katie Kitamura
39. The Sea - John Banville
40. Brooklyn - Colm Toibin
41. Cream Puff Murder - Joanne Fluke
42. Tilt - Emma Pattee
43. Plum Pudding Murder - Joanne Fluke
44. Apple Turnover Murder - Joanne Fluke
45. Gingerbread Cookie Murder - Joanne Fluke
46. This Summer Will Be Different - Carley Fortune
47. Anne of Green Gables (Complete & Unabridged) - Lucy Maud Montgomery
48. The Bromance Book Club - Lyssa Kay Adams
49. The Light Fantastic - Terry Pratchell
50. Meet Me at the Lake - Carley Fortune
51. Undercover Bromance - Lyssa Kay Adams  

Early in the year my husband commented that, if I kept up the pace I was on, I would read 50 books before the end of the year.  At the time, I said that I would probably slow down at some point, but as the year went on and I hadn't appreciably slowed down, 50 books became my unwritten goal.  As you can see, I actually surpassed that goal.  

I don't have a goal for a number of books for this year, but I do want to continue to read instead of play or scroll on my phone.  I don't want a number goal because I feel like that influenced what I read near the end of the year.  I wanted to keep it fast and easy so that I could make sure to reach that number goal.  I want to try to avoid that this year.  Less than 50 books is definitely acceptable.

In this list, I have a couple of books that are often read in youth or adolescence (The Nancy Drew book and Anne of Green Gables).  The Nancy Drew book was one that I had checked out multiple times in elementary school, but I was pretty sure that I never actually finished it.  I wanted to follow through on that.  Anne of Green Gables was one I never read as a kid and Next Summer Will Be Different referenced it a bunch so I thought I'd read it.

Obviously there are A LOT of Hannah Swensen Mystery books (by Joanne Fluke) on the list.  The first one I read was out of order (I found it for sale at my local library for $1) and I wanted to try to get caught up from the beginning to where I started.  I'm kinda sick of Hannah at this point.  I may read some more of them in the future, but not right now and not back to back.

I read several books by authors from other countries: Canada, Australia, Norway, England, and Ireland.

I read books based on recommendations from the New York Times, from my local librarian, and from my husband (a retired English literature professor).  I read some books that just looked interesting when I picked them up and read the description.  One book was from a cozy mystery series that I was already following.  And some were written by an author whose cozy mysteries I had enjoyed in the past, but has now branched out into mainstream fiction.

Some books I bought new.  Some books I bought used. Some came from the library.  Some were e-books I checked out from the library.  Some my husband already owned.

There were romance novels, a science fiction novel, cozy mysteries, mainstream modern fiction, award winning novels, classic novels, book that have been made into movies, and a few nonfiction books as well.  It was a very eclectic year of reading.