Thank you @Susanita for the lovely #jolabokaflodswap gift! I cannot wait to read the Austen Affair - Jane Austen and time travel, my two favorite things! The chocolates look amazing, I think I'll share with my mom who is a MD native!
Thanks again @MaleficentBookDragon for organizing ☺️
Merry Christmas Eve to all! And happy reading! 🎄📖💖

I picked this up for a diverse reading challenge - the prompt was an age gap romance. Kayla signs up for a sugar daddy app after she loses her job and needs money. She's reluctant to the idea but immediately falls for the first guy she meets. I just didn't care for their whole dynamic, it felt instalove yet weirdly strained

This has been my favorite holiday romance so far this year! It's got a lot of heart and a great premise. And although the two main characters come from such different backgrounds, I can actually see their relationship lasting and thriving. Also the small town grapevine (text chain) antics and meddling were adorable

I posted my #HolidayCardSwap cards today. Sorry for the delay, but they'll be a nice after Christmas surprise 🤭
I've been loving all the cards I've received so far, my mailbox so full of joy ☺️💖

This was such an intriguing new fairy tale about words and music and how it can shape our world around us. The audio was phenomenal, with the music played throughout. This is one that I plan to reread again and again to appreciate all the little details.

Happy Winter Solstice! ❄️
I listened to this short story this morning, read by the author. Very atmospheric and lovely

This was such a fun witty mystery. Liza & Hanna are snowed in at a castle in Scotland, trying to solve a murder instead of fixing their marriage. Liza uses her true crime knowledge to take charge while Hanna would prefer to hide in their room as the guests keep dropping like flies. I loved all the subtle Clue references & the character banter that Hall is great at. Solid mystery kept me guessing
#ChristmasCrimeChallenge @RaeLovesToRead @Ruthiella

More cute fluff, set on a Christmas tree farm 🎄
#castthedie @PuddleJumper

I usually love Jimenez's books and I did love the first half of this one. But then some doghouse tropes of mine cropped up and I had to bail. I'm still planning on finishing with the last book in the series
#SeriesLove2025

I also received my #JolabokaflodSwap package today! So excited!! Can't wait for opening day 😄
@MaleficentBookDragon

I enjoyed this #littensloveromance read last month. Celebrity romances are hit or miss for me, but I liked that this focused on Amelia's internal struggles with fame and her journey to finding herself again. I loved the small town setting and will return for the rest of the series
#SeriesLove2025 @StayCurious

An eye opening story about two Romani teens trying to make better lives for themselves. I had never heard of these cardboard settlements, but this was a stark portrayal of the systematic racism and poverty suffered by the Romani community in Eastern Europe

I liked this romance, but I also appreciated that there was a solid plot that I was invested in as well. Sterling is visiting Christmas Falls to track down his long lost relative and Harvey jumps on board to help him with the mystery
#SeriesLove2025

Another soft Christmas romance
Tropes: single dad, not looking for love, dogs bringing their humans together
#SeriesLove2025

We need more indigenous history told by indigenous people
I especially liked the interpretation of archaeological sites from an indigenous perspective
#MonthlyNonfiction2025 @julieclair

Sorry I'm a day late sending this out, Arthur had to do a quality inspection first 😸
My #JolabokaflodSwap gift is on its way to @Julsmarshall - expected delivery 12/20
@MaleficentBookDragon

"Having kidnapped the rake, Persephone Ballard found she was not entirely certain what to do with him."
#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

From "The Christmas I Stole a Viscount" - a free holiday novella if you sign up for Vasti's newsletter. I loved the tagged book and from the first line of this one, I think it's also going to be a hoot!

Happy Friday! #5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii

1. Watched my sassy niece Jolene in her Christmas pageant last night. She's too cute 🌟
2. Colorful clouds one evening ☁️🩷☁️
3. Christmas decorations and bookish ornaments 🎄📚
4. Cat cuddles for company while I was sick 😽
5. Finally not feeling sick anymore after a miserable weekend 🙌🏼

Nonfiction #ReadingBracket2025 November update
Better Not Bitter was a phenomenal read and is moving on to the next round. It's gonna be a tough decision come the end of the year...

November #ReadingBracket2025 romance edition
Loved the first book in the Game Changer series, but Rules for Ghosting is moving on to the next round

Fiction #ReadingBracket2025 November update
The tagged was this month's unexpected winner and it was a tough contender against the Bewitching

Finished last month for #JaneAustenThenAndNow @Crinoline_Laphroaig
1. This was my third time reading but first time in print instead of audio. Still tied for my favorite with P&P! 💌
2. This time around my favorite side character was Charles Musgrove. He acts truly brotherly towards Anne, with genuine care. Plus he is a saint to put up with Mary
(cont...⬇️)

The first 5 book ornaments from my advent calendar!
They even have the first chapter or two printed on the pages! Love them 💖

I got the cutest bookish advent calendar this year and of course forgot to start opening it December 1st 😅
Time for 5 days worth of surprise!

Cute fluff, what I expect from this series. I take issue with the title though - they are not foes. They had a competitive and slightly annoying relationship in high school, but they almost immediately decide to be friends when Remy moves back to town lol. The romance was simple and sweet. I like when demi rep is included
I started my Christmas reading early, finished this before Thanksgiving 🤭
#SeriesLove2025

This was a great deep dive into the women in Greek myths. Haynes gives these women their voices in a new way, using scholarship from original sources to better understand their stories, which have often been transformed over time to villainize them. Each essay on a different Greek woman is smart and funny, and brings a new perspective to a well-known myth.
#MonthlyNonfiction2025 @julieclair

Soft pick on this small town, single parent romance. I wanted just a little bit more from these characters, some issues resolved a little too quickly. Overall though this was a lovely read. Dani's family dynamic was wonderfully supportive in helping her raise her son, but I could see how she felt lonely and would seek out the company of the new cute librarian in town. Zoey is yearning for community and might have found it in little Peach Blossom

I'm really enjoying Tommy & Tuppence! I was surprised by the long time gap from their first adventure but glad they are still happily married, although a bit bored. The detective agency was such a fun way for them to spend their time & great for the short story format here. I admit, most of the references to famous detectives went over my head as I'm not familiar with most of them. But it didn't hinder my understanding or enjoyment
#SeriesLove2025

The tagged book was the pick for my in person book club last month. My sister really liked the first in the series so I decided to read it first. Well, I only got about 10% into both of them before bailing. The characters in Neighbor were sooo unlikeable. Filthy Animal was a little better but I think I'm just not a fan of Meghan Quinn's writing style. Every book I've tried of hers is just not for me.

I put off reading this book for a long time because I figured it would be too sad. But #QueerBC made me pick it up & I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. Yes, there are heavy themes of death & grief, and the title doesn't lie. But overall the feeling of hope prevails. I loved the found family elements, and the way smaller interconnected stories were weaved throughout showing how our lives impact the world around us in ways we don't realize

Setting up my December board and Oakley had to come supervise 😼

My finished November #BookspinBingo board and I got 2 bingos! Overall it was a great reading month and I took advantage of the DNF. And I'm almost through with two more #roll100 picks, but they'll roll over to December 😄
@TheAromaofBooks

Excited for my #castthedie picks! @PuddleJumper
Plus my #doublespin is to choose one of them and my #bookspin is any holiday book so I am set for December! @TheAromaofBooks

November #MonthlyNonfiction2025 reads @julieclair
#NonfictionNovember was a busy one ☺️

These chapter titles are so fun 😄

#ChristmasCrimeChallenge @Ruthiella @RaeLovesToRead

This is such an inspiring memoir! Yusef Salaam, one of the Exonerated Five, tells his story and how he endured and overcame horrible injustice by embracing a spiritual perspective and finding his purpose in life. During his years of incarceration he grew closer with his Muslim faith. And his community was a big support his whole life. He details the unfair systems that oppress people of color and inspires others to call for change.

I really wanted to like this book. Something about the pacing was just off. And I wasn't as invested in the characters as I ought to be. I loved the concept and the meet cute at the beginning but I was trying to struggle through the last half and finally decided it wasn't worth it.

I've been meaning to read this series, so with the Heated Rivalry tv show airing this month, it was the perfect time to start. I really enjoyed Scott and Kip's story. A chance meeting at the smoothie shop where Kip works leads to a secret romance between the two men. Poor Scott wrestles with his identity as a closeted gay hockey player and Kip won't stay a secret forever. I loved their chemistry together
#SeriesLove2025 #LGBTQIA2025 @Kenyazero

Ready for December! #bookspin #bookspinbingo
@TheAromaofBooks

Okay, after much shuffling through virtual tbrs, here is my holiday #castthedie list! @PuddleJumper

My Thanksgiving plans...

Hubby has to work so I have the house to myself. No turkey just a feast of books for me today 📚😂

Hope everyone is having a lovely Thursday, celebrating or not 🦃💖

Lovely thoughts on gratitude for the natural world and embracing reciprocity in our very competitive economy.
#RiseUpReads @Catsandbooks #MonthlyNonfiction2025 @julieclair

These books are like candy to me, sweet and spicy and nothing really of substance but so yummy lol
Colin is new to drag and starstruck when the famous Barbie Summers befriends him and decides to be his drag mentor. The two fight their growing feelings because of the professional relationship, but ultimately find solace in each other. Fun characters and a world I love to return to #SeriesLove2025

I was a bit disappointed by this one. I was looking forward to learning more about dragon boat racing but besides the race at the end it was hardly mentioned besides the two attending practices. Julie is a workaholic & Rae, despite their attraction for her, doesn't want a relationship with someone who won't put them first. Except this doesn't really stop them- their relationship builds quickly & without much conflict
#LGBTQIA2025 sports @kenyazero

This is a quintessential coming of age novel, with a lovely focus on queer identity and asexuality. Georgia is obsessed with the idea of being in love but has never felt that spark for another person. There is typical university romantic drama throughout plus an emotional reckoning of society's romantic expectations. Oseman as always writes a wonderful cast of characters who all struggle in different ways
#QueerBC @PuddleJumper

My December #Roll100 picks @PuddleJumper
These are all pretty summery so I don't know if I'll get to them next month, except maybe This Time Tomorrow

This was a lovely introspective memoir about living with depression & using nature as a balm for the soul. He opens up about his struggle with depression & how he found solace in taking nature walks (along with therapy & medication) to get on a healing journey. Each chapter focuses on an aspect in nature & relates to a life experience, while also giving solid facts about each animal or organism. His writing is very lyrical & poetic in the best way

There were aspects of this I really enjoyed and some that were just a bit too kooky. The quintessential small town that the monster creates is very tongue-in-cheek and definitely feels like Lemming is embracing tropes and laughing with us.
Not my favorite in this collection but overall it was a silly fun read
October review #SeriesLove2025

Such an interesting subject to learn about! Hundreds of thousands of ancient manuscripts were tracked down from homes throughout Mali and restored & displayed in Timbuktu. But they had to be secretly smuggled out of the city when Al Qaeda's occupation threatens their safety. Haidara's story, the archivist tasked with their collection & preservation, was so inspiring. My only complaint: the detailed backstory of Al Qaeda's leaders was unnecessary

October review - I really loved this witchy story. Harrison has a knack for writing so you're not sure what's actually real and characters that are complicated and a bit unlikeable, but you're still rooting for them. We read this for my book club and had a great discussion.