How was your Thanksgiving? It’s truly my favorite holiday…food, family, football and a break from school.
If they’re hosting, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites...
…to share…some of my favorite holiday books. Now that Thanksgiving is over, I’m ready to read some Christmas/holiday themed books which has been my December tradition the past few years.
Currently I’m reading…
I always try to read one holiday book in November, so I have a new idea to share with you all for December. The Christmas Cookie Wars was the perfect way to kick start my holiday reading. I will share my November books next week.
On my list for December is this book I picked up from Barnes and Noble. Like I shared previously, I learned via Tik Tok (thanks to my sister-in-law) that every two months Barnes and Noble has a book in their cafe that is $5 with a cafe purchase.
Murder at Holly House is the November/December book. I can’t wait to read it.
I’ve shared/read these books in the past…
…and I recommend them all.
Mr. Dickens and his Carol, Christmas in Paris,
and Bright Lights, Big Christmas are all faves…
…and I loved Elin Hilderbrand’s Winter Street series…10/10 recommend!
Besides Christmas Cookie War and Murder at Holly House, I hope to read…
Christmas with the Queen and The Merry Matchmaker, both of which I have downloaded on my Kindle.
I have a few others on hold at the library. I don’t know that I can actually read them all, but on my list are: A Ferry Merry Christmas, Secret Christmas Library, and Christmas at the Ranch
I forgot to finish up this post last night, so it’s coming to you a bit late!
Well, unfortunately, another month with minimal reading.
{As always, book summaries are from Goodreads…}
The House in the Pines:
Summary:
Maya was a high school senior when her best friend, Aubrey, mysteriously dropped dead in front of the enigmatic man named Frank whom they’d been spending time with all summer.
Seven years later, Maya lives in Boston with a loving boyfriend and is kicking the secret addiction that has allowed her to cope with what happened years ago, the gaps in her memories, and the lost time that she can’t account for. But her past comes rushing back when she comes across a recent YouTube video in which a young woman suddenly keels over and dies in a diner while sitting across from none other than Frank. Plunged into the trauma that has defined her life, Maya heads to her Berkshires hometown to relive that fateful summer–the influence Frank once had on her and the obsessive jealousy that nearly destroyed her friendship with Aubrey.
At her mother’s house, she excavates fragments of her past and notices hidden messages in her deceased Guatemalan father’s book that didn’t stand out to her earlier. To save herself, she must understand a story written before she was born, but time keeps running out, and soon, all roads are leading back to Frank’s cabin….
Quick Thoughts:
I haven’t read a book by this author, and I thought the book was ok. I liked the sense of mystery, but I had a hard time making connections with Maya’s past and how the story ended. I liked the flashback elements, but that took me a bit to get in a rhythm of reading. So, while I wasn’t disappointed, I was kind of surprised that this was a Reese’s book club book.
Rating:
‘Tis the Season for Holiday Reading:
I hope December is a better reading month for me. I shared this photo last year, and I just love it:
I love reading in December and the past few years I’ve read winter/Christmas themed books. I hope to do the same this year and can’t wait for some downtime over Christmas break to read hopefully more than one book! I’ve already added a couple Christmas books to my Kindle.
My favorite series is the Elin Hilderbrand’s Winter Street series…
Today I’m linking up with Sheaffer and Shay for What’s Up Wednesday.
What we are eating this week:
Sunday – On our drive home on Saturday, I was scrolling Tiktok and saw an easy baked chicken and rice recipe, so I made that on Sunday. It was really good.
Monday – We had dinner at a local Mexican restaurant for a fundraiser for Hadley’s volleyball team. The food was delish, and I was happy not to cook!
Tuesday– We had a busy night last night, so I decided we’d just use up some food we had in the freezer. We had leftover chili and dinner from Sunday night.
Wednesday – Tonight, we’re having one of our favorite soups: Crockpot Cheese Tortellini and Sausage soup
Thursday – Tomorrow, I’m trying a new recipe: Stuffed Bell Pepper Casserole. I will let you know what we think!
Friday/Saturday– As you know, I don’t cook on the weekends. We’ll see what sounds good!
What I’m reminiscing about:
All the Santa years with the kids.
Last year, after Christmas, Shutterfly was still having a sale on ornaments, so I made a couple with the kids for a few years when they were little – either our card pic that year or them with Santa – and added them to cart. Well, when I went to check out, the shipping cost was $30 at the cheapest…which infuriated me. So, I gave up.
On Monday, almost a year later, I got on Shutterfly to click around and saw that those ornaments were still in my cart. I decided to finish up the order since the ornaments were still half-price and ended up with free shipping thanks to the total amount of my order. I ended up with seven ornaments because I put two years on most of them (front/back). I can’t wait for them to arrive and to put them on my tree for the years to come.
What we’ve been up to:
Sports…
Birthday fun…
and…Thanksgiving in KC.
What I’m dreading:
I’m really not dreading anything right now. Sometimes, I feel overwhelmed this time of the year, but I’m not currently feeling that way…and am just trying to enjoy this season.
What I’m excited about:
The Christmas season and all that comes with it: Christmas movies, baking cookies, Christmas traditions, and winter break!
My house has looked like a disaster the past couple of days, but I’m happy to have my Christmas decor put up.
On Sunday, Hadley helped me drag the Christmas tubs out of the attic, and I put up a few things. She was excited to put up the Christmas village…
…and I was excited to make the mantle look pretty. (We were out running errands on Sunday, and I stopped in Kirklands for new garland, and the pre-lit one I found was perfect!)
I also went to Trader Joe’s on Sunday and was excited to see some of their seasonal goodies were out:
What I’m watching/reading:
Y’all…I’m still working my way through Demon Copperhead. It really does have my attention, but lack of time and the length of the book means it’s taking me forever to finish it!
I’m ready to dive into this stack of books though!
My mom sent me this, and I thought it looked like a fun way to keep track of reading:
I’m currently watching holiday baking shows whenever I get the chance.
What I’m listening to:
At school, sometimes I have Christmas music quietly playing on Pandora at my desk. If we’re in the car, Hadley always has the “Holly” station on.
What I’m wearing:
I’ve been loving my new Walmart pjs. I saw this same pair last year, but they quickly sold out. I was able to snag them this year. The fabric is so soft, and they are less than $13! I do think they run a little big.
What I’m doing this weekend:
Actually, I’m not sure! It’s a pretty low key weekend. Hadley and I had hoped to go see the Taylor Swift movie, but it looks like we were one week too late…and it’s out of the theaters now. (I see where it can be streamed starting December 13th — Taylor’s birthday, so I guess we’ll have to wait.)
Maybe we’ll bake some cookies and watch a movie at home?
What I’m looking forward to next month:
Christmas fun in December and then January is always one of my favorite months. It’s time for a fresh start, it’s my birthday month, life slows down a bit, and there’s always a chance of a snow day!
Today is one of my favorite posts of the year. I’m sharing the books I read this month (Christmas reads!) as well as the Top 5 books that I read in 2022.
I love reading and always enjoy seeing what books others are reading.
For the past couple of years, I’ve read Christmas books in December. To me, these are usually pretty light hearted and perfect to read this time of the year.
December Books:
This month I read:
{As always, book summaries are from Goodreads…}
With such a long post, I’m just sharing the summaries and my rating. My quick thoughts are the fact that these are perfect reads for December. Most were light-hearted and festive while others did have a sad moment or two. That being said, I thought this was the perfect mix of books for my December reading.
The Holiday Switch:
Summary:
Lila Santos is ready for her last winter break of high school. The snow in her small town of Holly, New York, is plentiful, the mood is as cozy as a fuzzy Christmas sweater, and she’s earning extra cash working at the local inn—AKA the setting of the greatest film of all time, Holiday by the Lake—while moonlighting as an anonymous book blogger.
But her perfect holiday plans crash to a halt when her boss’s frustratingly cute nephew, Teddy Rivera, becomes her coworker. Lila is type A; Teddy is type “Anything but Lila’s Way,” and the two of them can’t stop butting heads over tangled icicle lights and messy gift shop merch. But when they accidentally switch phones one afternoon, they realize they’ve both been hiding things from each other. Will their secrets—and an unexpected snowstorm—bring these rivals together?
Rating:
Always in December:
Summary:
It started with a letter. It ended with a love story.
Every December, Josie posts a letter from her home in London to the parents she lost on Christmas night many years ago. Each year, she writes the same three words: Missing you, always. But this year, her annual trip to the postbox is knocked off course by a bicycle collision with a handsome stranger–a stranger who will change the course of Josie’s life.
Josie always thought she was the only one who avoided the Christmas season, but this year, Max has his own reasons for doing the same–and coincidence leads them to spending the holiday together. Aglow with new love, Josie thinks this might be the start of something special.
Only for Max to disappear without saying goodbye.
Over the course of the next year, Max and Josie will find that fate continues to bring them together in places they’d never expect. New York City. Edinburgh. The quiet English countryside. And it turns out, Max had every reason to leave and every reason to stay. But what does fate hold for Josie and Max as Christmas approaches again?
A devastating, romantic, life-affirming love story, Always, in December will stay with readers long after they’ve finished the last page.
Rating:
Christmas in London:
Summary:
A charming, glamourous love story set at Claridge’s in London during the magical week before Christmas starring a sweet NYC baker and the Cooking Channel Producer who could change her life.
It’s a week before Christmas and Louisa Graham is working twelve hour shifts at a bakery on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. When a young cooking show assistant comes in from the rain and begs to buy all the cinnamon rolls on her tray, she doesn’t know what to do. Louisa is just the baker, and they aren’t hers to sell. But the show burned the rolls they were supposed to film that day, so she agrees.
The next morning, Louisa finds out that her cinnamon rolls were a hit, but the star of the show was allergic, and the whole crew is supposed to leave for London that afternoon. They want Louisa to step in for their annual Christmas Eve Dinner TV special at Claridge’s. It’s a great opportunity, and Digby Bunting, Louisa’s famous baking idol, will be there. Even if he does seem more interested in her than her food.
And then there’s Kate, the show’s beautiful producer. On their first day in London she runs into the skinny boy she jilted at St. Andrew’s in Scotland ten years ago. Now he’s a handsome, brilliant mathematician, and newly divorced. Their familiar spark is still there, but so is the scar of how they left things. Kate and Louisa are busy preparing for the show, but old and new flames are complicating their work.
Set during London’s most festive time of year and filled with delicious food, Christmas in London is about love and friendship, and the season’s most important lesson: learning how to ask for and give forgiveness.
Rating:
The Christmas Wedding Guest:
Summary:
The Somerville sisters believe in love, but they’ve lost faith it will happen for them. Reggie hasn’t been home since the end of the world’s shortest engagement. When her parents decide to renew their vows, she buffs up her twinkle to help with the Christmas wedding. Unexpectedly, Toby, her first love, is back too, and the spark between them shines as brightly as ever. In the spirit of the season, will they let go of past hurts and greet the New Year together?
Done waiting for the one, Dena is pregnant and on her own—on purpose. But then a gorgeous, sad-eyed songwriter checks in to a room at her inn. Micah, unable to write since he lost his wife, finds inspiration in Dena’s determination to be a mom. One snowflake-speckled kiss and he’s a goner. But Dena is afraid to believe that a rock star could fall for a cookie-cutter small-town girl like her.
As the Christmas wedding draws closer, these two sisters just might unwrap the most treasured gift of all—love.
Rating:
Christmas Shopaholic
Summary:
Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) adores Christmas. It’s always the same – Mum and Dad hosting, carols playing, Mum pretending she made the Christmas pudding, and the next-door neighbours coming round for sherry in their terrible festive jumpers.
And now it’s even easier with online bargain-shopping sites – if you spend enough you even get free delivery. Sorted!
But this year looks set to be different. Unable to resist the draw of craft beer and smashed avocado, Becky’s parents are moving to ultra-trendy Shoreditch and have asked Becky if she’ll host Christmas this year. What could possibly go wrong?
With sister Jess demanding a vegan turkey, husband Luke determined that he just wants aftershave again, and little Minnie insisting on a very specific picnic hamper – surely Becky can manage all this, as well as the surprise appearance of an old boyfriend and his pushy new girlfriend, whose motives are far from clear . . .
Will chaos ensue, or will Becky manage to bring comfort and joy to Christmas?
Rating:
Recap of Books 2022:
This year my Goodreads goal was that same as last year: 40 books. I was able to read 41! Thank goodness for a couple of vacations and winter break to get me across the finish line. There were a couple months this year that I only read two books, so I wasn’t sure I would hit that goal.
Here are my Goodreads stats:
41 books read
14,824 pages read
The shortest book I read (Lucky) was 232 pages
The longest book I read (Katie Couric’s Going There) was 736 pages (was it?! I really don’t remember it being that long of a book!)
Average book length in 2022: 361 pages
My 2022 Reads:
Looking back, I realized that I’ve read by the fire, in the mountains, poolside and with my toes in the sand. That definitely makes for a great year of reading.
I felt like I started off 2022 strong with reading, but then wasn’t reading as much. From July on, I felt like I was reading more books that I enjoyed and was able to find a bit more time to read.
Before I share my Top 5 reads of 2022, these deserve honorable mention recognition:
One Italian Summer
This Time Tomorrow
Every Summer After
Our Woman in Moscow
Summer Love
Meant to Be
Here are my 5 favorite reads of 2022 in the order I read them…
Becoming Mrs. Lewis, (also my fave of the year, I think. My Gma recommended it to me.)
The Rent Collector.
The Sweet Taste of Muscadines
This Tender Land
The Things We Cannot Say
I clearly lean towards more serious books with a side of historical fiction.
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