Welcome to Litsy!

A twisty dark little book that flashes between present day NYC and a Christmas at an English manor home. A college student is invited to spend the holidays at a fellow student's home. We read her diary entries from that time, including her infatuation with her host's brother. A quick read that was a good counter to some of the saccharine holiday stories that I also enjoy.

December #wrapup.

December was so busy I‘m surprised by how much I read! Great end to the reading year.

Book 8 read this month. Short novella (96 pages). Two time lines: past, Ashley Smith, an American student, her experiences when was invited by a college “friend” Emma Chapman‘s, to spend Christmas at her house. There Ashley will fall in love and will know about a crime recently committed in the area. Present time, Ashley diary is read by someone. How these 2 time lines are connected?
I really liked the twists that occurred here. ⬇️

The Christmas season is perfect for novellas and this is excellent.

I‘ve read holiday books of all kinds this month and this is my favorite so far. I loved the way part of it is written in journal form! It was creepy but there was also a lot of (not necessarily happy) holiday elements in the story. Really enjoyed it. I finished it up on my lunch break. Thanks to @OriginalCyn620 for the recommendation.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The weather outside isn‘t the only thing that‘s frightful! I just loved this chilling holiday novella. It could easily be read in one sitting, sitting by the glow of the Christmas tree, pages basically turning on their own, with memories of ghosts of Christmas past lying in wait…

Dark, twisty Christmas thriller that was short, surprising, and great on #audio. If you like a dark English Manor, rich families who are awful, and a good twist, this may be the holiday book for you. Really enjoyed this one! #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Great little one sit seasonal read! #tistheseason #seasonsreadings

Tis‘ the season for holiday-themed reading! Peter Swanson‘s novella, The Christmas Guest, has all of the necessary elements for a holiday story — an old manor house in the Cotswolds, a large family gathering for Christmas, and a murder mystery. 😆🎄

Full review at abookandadog.com/blog/the-christmas-guest

Yet another book that accompanied us through what seems like a mostly ill-November.
This was a quick little horror and had a certain charm about it- how could an English manor house not be charming?
I like this “new“ take on the traditional Christmas ghost stories.

Ashley, an American student in London, is invited to spend Christmas with her friend Emma and her family in Cotswold England. Ashely develops a crush on Emma's brother Adam, who is suspected of murder. The story unfolds in first person for the present day, and by diary entries for the 1989 Christmas visit. Overall, a very good novella.
Put this on your TBR for #WinterGames ❄
#BookSpinBingo
Make a great day everyone 🙂

Really enjoyed this one! Lots packed into this novella - festiveness and twists!
#christmasinjuly
#bookspinbingo

I‘m posting one book a day from my massive collection. No description, no reason for why I want to read it (some I‘ve had so long I don‘t even remember why!). Feel free to join in!

#ABookADay2024

Finally found some reading time!

While the story was engaging, the over-production of the audio made this less than enjoyable. The sound of the pages turning was distracting and I didn't find the narrator had a particularly good American accent.

But, it got me in the Christmas spirit as we drove to my in-laws for the holiday 😛

My library hold just came in 😆. This will be perfect for a cozy festive read.. from the English country house, village pub to Christmas meals, it‘s a great holiday read, with a murder (or more) thrown in! It‘s a quick, engrossing and fun read, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

… And a lovely afternoon at Munro‘s. I definitely went in just for a calendar, but Christmas books were on sale, and who could resist that forest stories book? Not me, apparently. #bookhaul

Books 10-13 of the year.

13/100 for 2024 @goodreads challenge.

My favorite read in December was festive yet murdery.

Two Swanson books in one day? My library hold on this tiny novella just came in today, so I decided to read it now while it was still December. This was a clever little holiday mystery. I‘m always going to prefer a full-length novel, because there‘s more time to develop characters and all that, but this was a solid read. Now I think it‘s time to read something in a different genre!

#WGDPC #Greenery
#Clwojick #StayCurious

A quick Christmas Murder novella to finish in one cozy sitting. A perfect mini whodunnit.

Yeah, I didn‘t love this one. I can‘t exactly put my finger on why as it has all of the elements I enjoy. I had it mostly figured out, but that doesn‘t bother me usually. I would have ended it differently, but it‘s not that either. 🤷🏼‍♀️

A very happy Jolabokaflod to you all! I hope you‘re all having a peaceful evening!

A solid Christmas/Winter thriller novella. A young American girl going to school in England gets invited to a classmates estate home for the holidays and bad things happen. There is an excellent twist and a good mystery for such a short book. 4⭐️
#WinterGames #WGWordSearch 20
#AtoZBingo #bookspinbingo - 2 bingos!
Team #SnowAngels
@emilymdxn @kwmg40 @texreader @5feet.of.fury @sblbooks @msradiosilence @cogsofencouragement

For a short time, I thought Peter Swanson had stepped out of his comfort zone and had written a Christmas romance, but in chapter 3, we start to understand that‘s not the case. He‘s well within his psycho protagonist genre. My husband and I listened to this on our errands around town. I listened to the much more Hallmarky The Wishing Bridge (Viola Shipman) on my #audiowalk.

I'm not always a fan of novellas but this was the perfect length. Ashley, an orphaned American college student with nowhere to go for Christmas, is invited by Emma to her family's manor house. Ashley soon finds that Emma's parents are horrid, her local pub is charming, and her brother's a dreamboat. But a local girl was murdered a few months ago and there's a creepy figure in the woods. Is romance in the air or something more sinister?

Fun little Christmas mystery novella.

I enjoyed this novella; snow, murder, intrigue and a bit of ghostliness, perfect for this time of year!

I really enjoyed this! #wintergames

Jessica Knoll recommended this on Instagram and she‘s not wrong- it‘s a great read. An atmospheric, well-paced Christmas novella. I often find novellas tricky- like short stories that are too long, or novels that aren‘t long enough, but this was just the right length. A great, quick read for a festive week.

I really enjoyed this Christmas mystery thriller- which is a good thing because I have 3 book clubs at the bookstore who are reading this book, so I'll have to discuss it 3 times this month!
#WinterGames #GangstaWrappers @Bookwormjillk @Clwojick @StayCurious
#WGWordSearch 1300pts

This "festive" novella was delicious, creepy, Christmas noir.

I loved it.

Ashley is delighted to be invited to Emma's country manor in the Cotswolds for Xmas. She soon sets her sights on Emma's charming brother... but something is a bit off...

Concise, gothic, unsettling, and (by the end) unhinged. I loved it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A nice little Christmas Gothic mystery. Although I could of used a little less of Ashley attempting to hook up with her friend's brother.
#GhostsOfXmas #WinterGames
#WinterGamesDailyPhotoChallenge #Snow #Rushathon @Andrew65 @GHABI4ROSES @DieAReader #Adventathon @BookmarkTavern #AToZ @Texreader

I don‘t know about anyone else but I‘ve found a number of murdery Christmas stories to read this year 😆. This one was quick and vicious. I will say I much preferred the first half to the second. Either way the story as a whole was good but a little too quick (I would have preferred more). I guess that can be a problem with novellas! 🌟🌟🌟🌟 #wintergames #SantasBookshELVES

4.25⭐
The story is mostly told from diary excerpts, which are made to sound tinny to set them apart from the non-diary parts of the story. It would have been better to have the same audio quality for the entire book. Other than that, this was surprisingly good for such a short story.

If regular Christmas stories just don‘t cut it for you and you think maybe you need a little murder thrown into the mix. This is your story.

Reading another 2023 holiday release. Nevermind the holiday books I own that have been on my TBR for years 👀

#CloakandDaggerChristmas Prompt: All I Want For Christmas is You - read a mystery set during the holiday season

If you enjoy tales of the gothic, dark and unsettling variety, this novella is a treat. Grab yourself a nice cuppa and read in one go. ☕️

This was a cross between Stephen King and Northanger Abbey. It was short and perfect for reading or listening to all at once. The less you know going in the better.

This is an ok novella.

3.75/5

I enjoyed this novella, but did not love the ending. Suffice to say, without adding any spoilers, it lacked the necessary 'comeuppance' I need to feel justice was truly served. In spite that that slight let down, it was still a fun and easy read that ensconced one in the British countryside over Christmas. 3.5/5 stars!

Ti's the season to be wary.
This book has a brilliant twist , Read it in one sitting. I highly recommend it.

I enjoyed this novel by Swanson. I had not read his books before, so I have nothing to compare it. I like the first part better as it was epistolary. The second half was good, but I identified more with Ashley than Emma. Word Search = 850.
#Adventathon @BookmarkTavern
#Rushathon @Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES
#Candyland @Catsandbooks
#CloakandDagger @Ruthiella
#WinterCosy @PuddleJumper
#AtoZ @Texreader
#BookSpin @TheAromaofBooks
#PromptMaze

Although it takes place over Christmas, this is not a Christmas themed book. The story took an interesting turn about 3/4 of the way through. A real page turner!

My #CloakAndDaggerChristmas is off to a nice start. I read this for the first prompt, "Do they know it's Christmas". It's a dark and satisfying novella that meshes the Gothic with the contemporary to good effect, and strikes the right tone for both murder and Christmas festivities, somehow! Lol. It's best to go in without knowing anything, and it can be polished off in one sitting, which is what I recommend. 'Tis the season! ?? @Ruthiella

#2023readingbracket
One month to go! Who will come out on top!!? 🏆

Ho ho ho, #GangstaWrappers and all my fellow #Wintergames gamers! Here's some of my December TBR (yes, just some- but most of them are audio and I can get through some audiobooks). I still have to pull together my physical books, but that will have to wait and I wasn't go to pass up an opportunity to score points for my team! It's a lot of holiday reads, but lots of mystery thrown in, so I'll be slaying with my sleighing!

4⭐️/5⭐️