Seriously. I'm still reading!

Claire‘s parents are going on another cruise this Christmas. Claire gets seasick & her parents are perfectly happy w/o her around so she goes to London w a friend who is going to visit her own family. There, circumstances cause her spend to a great deal of time with her friend‘s cousin, Liam, who makes a terrible first impression. Of course, he redeems himself & she has a wonderful time doing Christmassy & Londony (& romantic) things with him.

We (finally!) have (a tiny smidge of) snow!
This anthology, set at a yearly Regency Christmas house party, has an abundance of snow. It's a solid collection. The first and last stories were my favorite. I kept thinking Valentine was going to star in one of the stories and it felt weird to me that he didn't, but the other two were good, too. Novellas don't always do it for me but I find myself reading and enjoying them at Christmastime.

I'm still reading Christmas books because, well because, I still have more I wanted to read!
This was a fun twist on A Christmas Carol as Nolan, a ghost of Christmas Past, is assigned to haunt Harriet but it doesn't go as planned. At least not in line with his experiences of the last hundred or so years! I loved Nolan. I loved Harriet. This was fun.

*not the tagged book
Nia & Andrew meet while snowed in at the Houston airport. They are immediately attracted to each other & make a point of learning about each other. But they also pay attention to those around them & decide to bring some Christmas cheer to their fellow stranded travelers. Both MCs are kind & thoughtful but they both have some growing to do, esp regarding family issues they need to face. This was sweet, cheerful & hopeful.

This was a hoot! It requires a good bit of suspension of disbelief but I just went with the crazy and it made me laugh out loud many times, which I needed. So... it's a pick!

(My mug says 'all mama wants is a quiet night' which, not only can I relate to, big time, but I think Lizzy, from this book, definitely deserves a spa weekend ALONE)

It's going to be a busy day so I'm grateful for some quiet reading time this morning 😊

A group of people (five long time friends and the new girlfriend of one of them) spend Christmas at a luxury chalet in the French Alps. The new girl doesn‘t feel comfortable with her boyfriend‘s friends so there is tension from the start, which copious drinking and drug use exacerbates. Soon they are snowed in, there‘s a murder, and the group turns on the MC. I liked this because all of the friends make plausible suspects but every one of these

I have read a couple of her books and I‘m learning that I enjoy her brand of “families and friends repairing their relationships at Christmas” stories. This one was sweet and touching and very Christmassy. ❤️🎄

Another Christmas book that didn‘t really feel Christmassy to me but the story was cute. I‘m always down for a riff on You‘ve Got Mail so it‘s a soft pick for me.

This starts out well (except for the most instant of #Instalove 🙄 but that's to be expected in a holiday romance so, fine I guess) but the last 1/3 is a mess. The story tipped straight into melodrama & became painful. The cousin is a psycho. I hope she got what she deserved but stopped reading at 82% because sheesh. Also the cat sorta telepathically communicates w Leo? And maybe Caroline?Kinda loved the cat but also kinda couldn't deal w that.

This month's Amazon Originals were cute and fun and sweet and full of holiday spirit. SPLH was good, MAB and AWUIY were the standouts. YBNP was actually too short. I liked the characters and wish the story had had room for a little more depth.

This was a decent romance but, despite the "The Santa Clause" influence, it isn't very Christmasy. Quinn & Patrick are unfilled at work, in their marriage, & by their familial relationships & the parts of the story that dealt w them learning to communicate- after learning what they each actually want from life- was good. Patrick makes a great Santa and I love this North Pole and the Counsel of Priors but at the same time, this aspect of the story

A little quiet reading time before a marathon of baking Christmas cookies 🍪 🎄❤️

🤔
Either Pride & Prejudice or Lord Of The Rings?
How about you?

This was such a great premise but it turned out to be a slog-fest. I was working myself up to a bit of a rant but turns out I don‘t care enough, I‘ve spent enough time on this book. Onto the next book.

Found in an antique store in Georgetown CO yesterday. Not only have I not read this one, I haven't even heard of it. I'm excited!

It's the first day of DeathCast so we, and the world, are wondering if it really works. Just as in the first book, we follow 2 wonderful MCs- and almost everyone they encounter.They spend a day processing grief and trying to live as much as possible while giving the reader much to think about.
I think I'll reread the first book, when I'm done with my holiday reading, and get the third book too.

I loved this. I loved the house and the loch and the village. I loved the Miller family. I loved Lucy and Glenda and Clemmie and Alice (perhaps not equally but I did love them all). I even loved the characters with no POV: esp Ross and Nico.
I was in exactly the right mood for this story and I might even read another Sarah Morgan book in the next day or two.
@TheAromaofBooks this is my #bookspin for December.

I watched this the other day and I loved so much about it: the incredible casting, of course: the sets (I'd love to have any of their flats); seeing a favorite book come to life. But I had one big issue with the movie (spoiler in comments) so I had to listen to the original story during work to get the right pieces back in my head.

December 2025 #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin
Thanks @TheAromaofBooks

November wrap-up. Wrong Place, Wrong Time was the favorite but No Hiding In Boise and The First To Die At The End are close runners up.

It's finally cold (with a smidge of snow!) in the Denver area which was good for reading a book about a train stranded due to a snowstorm. Agatha is traveling first class as a sort of writing retreat but we soon learn she has a secret reason for this day trip, as well as an acrimonious relationship with a fellow passenger. Once the train has stopped, the passengers realize one of them is dead. Soon Agatha has reason to believe it was murder

Chaos, drama, and three MCs you love to hate. These ladies are NOT to be messed with! It‘s hard to say anything about this juicy story without spoiling something so I‘ll just say this is a page turner and the narration was excellent, which made for some lovely #audiostitching
(Photo features my daughter's other doggo, Donnie aka Donnie with the ears)

This morning, I am all about the pie. And some quiet time to start a Christmas romance. 🥧🎄📖

Do I have a million things to do before hosting Thanksgiving tomorrow? Yes. Yes, I do. Am I still going to spend some time reading today? Yes. Yes, I am.

*not the tagged book- When Ivy Met Mr Holiday isn't in the database
This was as predictable as a fake-dating, holiday rom-com would be expected to be but I liked the characters and it was cute and sweet and Christmasy.
#audiocrafting

I'm getting into the Christmas spirit (BTW, where's the snow Colorado? No snow since April is unacceptable!) so I'm going to take a break from my other reading and dip into something Christmasy. I haven't chosen which one yet, but it will definitely be set in a snowy location!

A cuppa, a fresh book to start, and one of my daughter's dogs, the very handsome Tobi. Ahhhh Saturday morning.

Between the unusual format and the engaging characters, I enjoyed this book. It (and The Turn Of The Key) are on their way to you, Denise.
@TheAromaofBooks @Jerdencon

Nominations for July: the Clavering is described as "two middle-aged women writers, close friends and neighbours, offer one another advice and support while navigating life in a lively Border village" while the Orange is a "charming evocation of wartime life, snobbishness in many forms, and the difficulties of being a woman on her own."

@rubyslippersreads @quietjenn @Kimzey @Cuilin @CarolynM @LeahBergen @Gissy @Tamra @kwmg40 @Ruthiella @willaful

I‘m starting a new book and finding a little time for #audiostitching this morning. As we have friends coming over to watch football today, the house is going to be loud and busy for much of the day, so I‘m enjoying a bit of quiet while I can. 🪡📖🏈

Read this last night for #NancyDrewBR & the binding broke on my old book. 😟 I have no idea what to do about it.
My notes while reading:
ND suddenly has a dog
Sadie's employer giving away her address; the Motor Vehicle Bureau giving names attached to license plates
Quicksand!
Only trust people who speak their names backwards! 😆 If someone told me their name was Drawoh I doubt I could easily convert that to Howard
Mrs P is unbelievably gullible

There is a lot of detail- approx 1/3 of the pages are footnotes- in this accounting of a 500 year old crime. It is well researched & I was impressed at how much documentation survives. It starts out by following the Provost of Paris who did some fine detective work w/i the technological limits of his time. We also get a fascinating look at French politics of the time- and there are unfortunate parallels to be drawn. Once the murder is solved the

I'm wishing this was my current status. (And reminding myself that I'm grateful to have a job, even when I forget to be grateful 😉)

Happy Sunday everyone! 📚🫖🏈😊 #CurrentRead

A few days ago I went to an author talk & book signing for Naomi Novik (caught her at an unflattering moment 🫣) & it was the best author event I've been to so far! She spoke about her inspirations for her Scholomance series & the process of working w artists to bring her vision of the school itself out of her head & onto the page. I've only read 2 of her books, so far, but I'm going to read this series soon! I'm thinking right after Christmas. 😊

Spending my Saturday morning #audiostitching some bookmarks for stocking stuffers

This book isn't "enjoyable," exactly, due to the difficult subject matter but it is good. The exploration of the likely state of mind of several types of victims of mass violence felt authentic. We follow a young bartender with PTSD, the wife of a man injured and in a coma, and the mother of the shooter, whose emotions resonated must strongly with me. I'll be thinking about this for a long time and plan to read more by this author.

I've got #BookMail! That means no more work today, right? 🙏🏻😉😁

I have the Sunday Blues tonight... how can tomorrow be Monday already? 😫

This was beautifully written. I loved the discussions about translation & the ways languages grow & change. Having translation used to power the magic of silver was intriguing. The necessity of fluency in far-flung languages being the driver behind colonialism while maintaining English attitudes of racism, classism, & sexism brought the tension. But I wish the author had made her "alternate history" a little more alternate; see spoiler comment.

I'm excited about my #BookSpin but can't even remember putting the #DoubleSpin title on my list! 🙃
As always, thanks Sarah! ❤️

Happy Saturday morning y'all. I'm starting this, then going to brunch with a friend, then coming back to read some more. 😊 #CurrentRead

I have a few books in process but I know I won't be finishing anything tonight so that's a wrap on October. The tagged was my favorite of the month.

This was a page turner and I was fully invested in the story but the ending was unsatisfying. A soft pick for #TravelingThrills @Jerdencon and @TheAromaofBooks
I'll be starting our next book in a few days and will get both of them to you soon, Denise.

A bunch of has-beens and loners in Britain's secret service are consigned to Slough House after screwing up. But there is more to these misfits than first appears, esp their boss.They stumble on some clues related to a kidnapped teenager which leads to 24 hours of buck passing, back stabbing, conspiracy theories, and other twists. I will definitely be continuing this series.

This exploration of grief & friendship is a soft pick for me. Meg (stage name Lana) is famous but realizing how unfulfilled she is. Deciding to take a trip to the Irish town where she had been accepted to college years before, she wakes up in a world where she DID go to school there & never left. She has friends & a full life (including the world's best BF) & her childhood bestie- who died at 19 in her real life- lives there!

Um...$100?? Think I'll pass

The busier I am, the quicker my holds come in. 😫 Which is actually a good problem!