2025 Reader Awards

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2025 Reader Awards

Readers, you all have blessed me throughout the year and I have chosen three of you as the recipients of the 2025 Reader Awards. Look for your prizes in your holiday mail.

Award 1 – Most engaged newsletter subscriber

Michelle M.

Award 2 and 3 – Best blog giveaway comments*

*This category was a tough one because so many of you made great comments. Like last year, my daughter was the one who picked the winners.

Alison B.

Question: “You found a diary with clues to a treasure. Where did you find the diary and where are the clues leading you to? ”

Answer: “I live in a historic one room school house that my grandfather purchased near the time of The Great Depression. He modestly turned it into their family home. When my husband and I took ownership of the house, we began the process of renovating it. (This is actually true. The rest of this is pretend ). I was thrilled to find an old diary in a cubby of one of the closets, Upon reading it, i found it was written by my grandmother. In one of the entries she shared how there was a hidden treasure of family jewel heirlooms. Living around the time of The Great Depression, for safekeeping my grandfather buried it near the chicken coop, which was the site where the old privy of the one home school house had been. There was no longer a chicken coop when we moved in, Just a grassy backyard. I told my mother, who was now in her 90’s, about finding my grandmother’s diary, and the entry of a family treasure. She said she was aware of my grandfather burying some family jewels. but they had never been found. As far as she knew, my grandfather had never dug them up before he died, She told me a general idea of where the chicken coop had been. So began our search for the missing treasure!”

Connie S.

Question: “You are an artist earning your living in Regency England. What type of art do you create and what is the name of your most requested piece?”

Answer: “I create artworks depicting animals in whimsical situations, similar to Beatrix Potter. My most beloved piece is one that shows a mother rabbit reading a book of nursery rhymes to her babies. The babies are all dressed in nightgowns and sleeping bonnets, with holes cut out for their ears to stick up. And of course, one baby is laying on it’s belly with it’s little cotton tail peaking out from the nightgown.”

Blog Comment Honorable Mention (because she already won an award above)

Michelle M.

Question: “You have your own little island. Besides your main house, what other things are on your island?”

Answer: “Okay, so besides my main house (which obviously has built-in bookshelves everywhere), my island would include:

A giant open-air reading nook — picture oversized chairs, cozy blankets, twinkle lights, and zero distractions… except maybe a friendly breeze turning the pages for me.

A magical Olive Garden pavilion — unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks on demand. The breadsticks are warm, the salad bowl refills itself, and every once in a while, an Italian grandmother appears with piping hot chicken parm.

A floating “book ferry” — it drifts around the island and delivers surprise books.

A sandy beach with waterproof books — because yes, I will read floating on the water.

An endless supply of tea — no one can survive on books alone.

Because on my island, you’re never more than three steps from a good book or a breadstick… and isn’t that the dream?”

Like small drops of water that make larger ripples, our actions (sometimes seemingly insignificant ones) can have much more importance than we realize. That is what your interactions mean to me. Thank you all for your support!

–Loraine