It's time for our spring book giveaway!

Hi friend,

It’s time for our spring book giveaway! I’m going to keep this post short and sweet, because I’ve been doing A LOT of writing this week… and my brain is tired! But if you’ve been following along with The Taste Test recaps, you’ll already know a little bit about these books.

In fact, when trying to decide which books I might package up for you, I realized The Taste Test will have the answers. For the giveaways I host in 2026, I’m going to choose my favourite book from each the genres I read in the previous season. For this one, that’s: memoir, thrillers, and historical!

Before, I tell you which 3 books I chose, a quick reminder that these giveaways are open to the readers who pay to support this newsletter. I’ve been hosting book giveaways since I started my first big blog in 2010, and they are never sponsored by authors/publishers, and are always paid for by me! I choose books I love, buy physical copies to support the authors, then pay to ship them directly to your home. In total for the year, this costs me the amount I earn from 6-7 annual subscriptions to this newsletter. I will always thank YOU for supporting me. But your money also helps me support other writers. So thanks for helping us all, friend!

Ok, here’s what I’ve chosen for the spring giveaway…

Genre: Memoir

This might be the definition of a “Cait” book. It’s the story of a woman in the UK who finds and raises a baby hare—and what she learns about them, and herself, through their time together. It reminded me of the years when the hedgehogs were living in my garden at The Lighthouse. How I never went near them, but took care of them from a distance. How afraid I was for the day they might leave and never return. And how much I cried when I found Mama Hedgie dead on the patio. The author’s stories were so vivid, I could have been standing inside her home, looking out over her garden. There were a few times when I thought: is this really all the book is about? Stories of a woman paying close attention to a wild animal? The answer is yes. And by the end, I realized that’s exactly what my nervous system needed. I hope reading it is a calming experience for you too. ❤️

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Not exactly a calm read, but not a scary one either. What I learned in February is that I REALLY like mystery/thrillers. They can’t be too obvious or formulaic (so I don’t really like stuff written by authors who constantly pump out new books). And they can’t include much violence. I enjoy a slower mystery/thriller, filled with more intrigue than intense interactions. And I value the time/thought/work that goes into writing a story that slowly pieces a puzzle together. This was a perfect “Cait” thriller. It’s more character development than anything. It took me about 75 pages to get the lay of the land, so to speak, but then I was hooked. It’s set in the woods (obvious, lol) and everything feels so present. The landscapes, of course, but people’s inner worlds too. It is beautifully pieced together, with an ending that took my breath away. And I don’t want to say anything more than that, friend!

Middle grade “historical” fiction (set in the 80s)

Broadly speaking, last month I discovered that I’m not a huge fan of historical fiction. But I do like books set in the mid-to-late century (1950s-90s). Books that are a little more recent (possibly nostalgic?), and almost feel contemporary. This book not only falls under those categories, it basically saved me from the huge reading slump I had found myself in. After struggling to finish anything, I picked this up and read it in a few 100-page sittings. That’s what happens whenever I pick up a good middle grade novel, and this is a GREAT middle grade novel, friend. (It was even nominated for a Newbery!) Told through the perspectives of three siblings, it’s full of heart and humanity. And you don’t have to care about space, to enjoy this story. But if you’ve found any hope/inspiration in following Artemis II, you might love it even more!

This giveaway is open to all paying subscribers of The Lighthouse. I’ll ship them anywhere in the world! (Even if it takes a while to get there!) It closes Friday, April 24th. I’ll choose a winner + notify them that weekend!