Francesca's Thoughts

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Letters from Father Christmas by JRR Tolkien

21/12/2025

Best Books of 2025

Happy solstice! I am emerging from a deadline bubble and moving almost immediately into a hibernation bubble, but I’m not going to let the year pass without inflicting upon you a list of books I think you should read, whether you’d enjoy them or not. I set a reading goal on Goodreads to read 70… Continue reading

Books

A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon, Letters from Father Christmas by JRR Tolkien, The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater, The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien, The Lotus Empire by Tasha Suri, The Red Market by Scott Carney, The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey, This Enchanted Life by Sharon Blackie

Let’s close the door on the rest of the internet.

Francesca Astraea here.

When I began this blog in 2009, I was a teenager. That’s why you’ll find some posts have been hidden behind a paywall. I was an incredibly different, less eloquent person when I was a teen, so if you want to read the thoughts of that teenager, you can join the No. 1 Readers’ Club for access.

What will you find here now?

This blog continues to evolve with me. My favourite topics are books and reading, travel adventures, the extensive works of up and coming rock band My Chemical Romance and the occasional update about my life and work as an author and scriptwriter. I’m also interested in digital minimalism, how we can solve environmental issues and why it’s probably a better idea to make a cup of tea than it is to shout at people you disagree with.

Speaking of tea… Make a cup and settle in.

Leave a comment on posts to continue the conversation and tell me your favourite MCR song! Oh, and while you’re here: this is a no-gen-AI household. You may not put any of my posts through an LLM. If you’re going to email me or write a comment, do it yourself.

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Letters from Father Christmas by JRR Tolkien

Best Books of 2025