It‘s #JolabokaflodSwap time! This is my absolute favorite swap of the year bc it‘s simple and lovely and now a yearly tradition. Check out @MaleficentBookDragon for sign up details. 💗

First #NovemberRead is something I‘ve had in my audible tbr for a while. Loved that it was narrated by Jonathan Groff, whose Mindhunters character is based on the author. I really wish Netflix had kept going, but this is decent read if you‘re interested in the work John Douglas was doing.

I‘m hoping to do some #OctoberBookRecs this month, and Penpal is up first! This is a slow, creepy tale of childhood terrors only fully seen now that the narrator is grown. I absolutely loved it, and it was genuinely unsettling. 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

The Hubs and I celebrated 23 years of marriage magic, and attended the 10th anniversary of Queen City‘s Mischief & Magic festival. Yesterday it rained all day, but we still enjoyed all the events, and today we stopped by Book Dragon for some shopping and more festival magic. We loaded up on some sweet cupcakes and left for home!

A great thriller for your Fall reading plans with tons of twists! I don‘t read as much YA as I once did, but I‘m here for this author.

The Hubs and I woke up and went to the park downtown to welcome the first sunrise of the New Year, and I think we just started a new tradition. It was lovely! Maybe we‘ll catch the first sunset too!

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks

Stick a fork in me, I'm done! Now I just need to stay up a little longer to ring in the new year! I love this challenge and look forward to it every year, just wish I had more time to do allllll the things!

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks Total Pts: 1065

My last read of 2024! A romance between two former foster care kids, both pulling their resources together to help keep their younger siblings out of the system. Not sure I'll read the next book in the series, as the epilogue gives it away.

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks Total Pts: 2555

This was so fun! It kind of made me want to re-watch Dead Like Me...

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks Total Pts: 5100

I loved everything about this, from the friendships, to the hotel, to the romance, and of course, the book club.

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks Total Pts: 900

This was a re-read, which I liked even more this year. It definitely could have used more focus on Krampus, but I enjoyed it and really need to read more from the author.

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks Total Pts: 2420

Krampus and witches and other Christmas creatures, oh my! I really love reading about other countries traditions and learning about the origins of them.

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks Total Pts: 795

Ugh, this was a miss for me... the world building was a let down, the love triangle was beyond annoying, and of the 5 characters, I only really liked 1 of them. It's also ridiculous to believe that a couple of teens “run“ the town. It's a lot of tell and very little show, and don't even get me started on the magical weapons and coconuts.

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks Total Pts: 645

I didn't just read Christmas books! I made time for some TBR reads too. This is my first book written by the Brown sisters, and I enjoyed it even if the main character drove me crazy sometimes.

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks Total Pts: 3280

I had a total blast with this Christmas horror! I can't wait to read the sequel next year (Santa brought it, like he brought this one last year).

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks Total Pts: 3270

Another holiday win! There were so many books I planned to read this month, but as always, there's just not enough time for all the Christmasy books I want to read. I'm so glad I made time for this one though.

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks Total Pts 5090

I did like this entry into the series, but it was a bit heavy on the sad guy vibes. Still, the strippers are back and there's some fun, sexy times.

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks Total Pts: 3240

I read this as part of a readalong on Facebook where we read a chapter a day like an advent calendar, and it was mostly a fun, creepy read. The ending was a bit of a let down, but I still had a blast.

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks Total Pts 690

I quite enjoyed this, although I was hoping it was set more in the past (based on the fun feel of the cover, I thought it might be 1930-1950 Cary Grant/Katherine Hepburn type rom com).

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks Total Pts: 3830

This was so... heartwarming! It was as if a Hallmark movie had been fully fleshed out. I loved the characters and their struggles, and of course, it features the best good boy doggie.

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks Total Pts: 3300

Another fun adventure at Christmas Tree Farms! I really look forward to reading this series every year- last year I did a total re-read, so this year I just read the newest book. Loved the ending so much, but I'm always hopeful of a return to Mistletoe, Maine!

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks Total Pts: 1185

This has been on my TBR for quite awhile, and I loved it! NOS4A2 was an amazing book, and this graphic novel delves into the history of Charlie Manx and Christmasland. So creepy and original!

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks Total Pts 2740

Ugh, this book! I knew early on that it would probably rip my heart out at some point, but I just went with, trusting that it would find a way to mend it at the end. Really loved this one, despite the tears it caused me.

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks Total Pts 330

I was hoping for something scary and creepy... and it was just meh. The cover art is gorgeous though.

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks Total Pts 2050

We read this for book club, and I did enjoy it, but there's a lot of plot packed into too few pages. It's also not at all a cozy mystery, but rather more a straight mystery. It felt a bit like the author could have stretched this into a series, instead of shoving everything into one book. But I enjoyed it.

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks Total Pts: 3570

This was adorable and just what I want in a Christmas romance! Adorable twins, hot, grumpy uncle, quirky family, mansion in the snow. 💝

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks Total Pts: 3440

Ugh, I liked half of this book, which is a semi-Christmasy Sliding Doors story. But by the halfway point, both timelines went off the rails, and I started to strongly dislike the main character. Plus, there's cheating involved, and I was hoping for a feel-good Christmas romance, and this is not that. It deals a lot with grief, Alzheimer's, child loss, and, just for fun, 9/11.

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks Total Pts: 1750

Normally I love both the enemies to lovers and the crush on brother's best friend tropes, but I didn't really vibe with the main character. It felt very teenage-y romance and although parts were fun, the drama was too much for me.

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks Total Pts: 7610

This has to be one of my favorite holiday reads of the month! I loved the romance and the plot, the characters, everything! I might have to re-read this next Christmas time because it was just what I needed to put me in the right mood for season!

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks Total Pts: 555

Time to catch up on alllll the books I've read since mid-December! Read this for our True Crime book club, and I still find myself mystified about what happened to Rebecca Zahau. I felt Rother did a great job of presenting the facts and history of all the people involved and it made for a great book club discussion.

It‘s #jolabokaflod! A huge thank you to my match @KadaGul for the generous package full of chocolate and a bonus book! Thank you @MaleficentBookDragon for hosting this swap!!!

My #JolabokaflodSwap gift arrived yesterday! I‘m so excited and so thankful to @KadaGul and the amazing @MaleficentBookDragon 💗🎄

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks 2320 total points

Since I couldn't find the Under the Mistletoe, I just tagged my favorite story, although All By My Elf by Olivia Dade is tied for my favs. Sadly, Tessa Bailey almost blew this collection for me. I hated it. The other two stories were fine, but not memorable. Still, the top 2 make this a solid win for me because I adored them so much.

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks 3280 total pts

This has been on my tbr for awhile. I have the eArc, the audio, and the physical book that I bought because it came with an adorable snowglobe. so I really made it a priority this Christmas. And it was good, no regrets. It was very snowy and sweet and much less problematic than certain Christmas romance ensemble movies.

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks 1090 total pts

This was absolutely lovely! It's exactly what I want in a Christmas novella that isn't romance focused. Warm and cozy, I honestly wish I could have wrapped myself in the quilt the characters come together to make.

My #jolabokaflodswap will be on its way in the morning! To my swapee, I totally forgot to put the card I wrote inside before I sealed it up, so hopefully you‘ll see the sticker on the side. It‘s been a weird week, lol. Thank you for this swap @MaleficentBookDragon - it‘s my all time favorite!

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks 880 total pts

I somehow ended up putting the fourth book in this series on hold at the library (I think from a YouTube recommendation), but decided to return it and start at book 1. It was a good start to detective series, although all the more heartbreaking bc you really get to know the victim through flashbacks. Lots of twists and looking forward to the next book!

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks 570 total pts

I had one last prompt for my NEWTS challenge, and it was to read a book based on or inspired by Shakespeare, and fortunately this one fit the bill! I've read a few Ian Doescher books, and this one was just as fun as I thought it would be!

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks 2440 total pts

Book 4 of a series that I'm really enjoying, and it just happened to be set at Christmas time, which I didn't know when I picked it up last month. :)

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks Total Pts 4870

I really loved the concept of this book, and the side characters were amazing... but the two main characters? Unlikeable. Which is a shame because I was supposed to care if they ended up together, and honestly, I would have been fine with them having a tragic jet ski incident like in the movie script.

#GuesstheBook24
#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks 3060 total pts

This was a blast! Set in the tiny town of Demise, North Dakota in the 90s, the characters have to fight to survive after a meteor crash lands with alien worms. But it's not just the infected prairie dogs and deer they have to avoid, soon the townspeople become infected and they have to dodge the local doomsday cult. This was an absolute blast!

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks
#ChristmasCheer @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs Day 8: Advent 20pts
I‘ve been using The Bookworm Life by PeanutButterTaco on Etsy for years now, but I‘ve always missed out on the Bookmas advent until this year! Can‘t wait to see what each day brings!

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks
#ChristmasCheer @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs Day 7: Lights 20pts
Playing catch up on the tagged book. I do love a Christmas horror. I‘ve got a busy afternoon with a wedding and a holiday party, so just enjoying the reading time while I can!

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks 3380 total pts

I love Jenny Hale Christmas books! This one was fairly emotional as it tackled grief, heartbreak, memory loss, infertility, and PTSD, but in the end love and Christmas heal everything in a very Hallmarky way.

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks 1980 total pts

We read this for our romance book club, and there was a lot to love! But... so it's second chance romance, however the way the relationship ended the first time was, in my humble opinion, too high a hurdle to ever get over or want to get over. That said, I hope the author returns with another holiday romance based on the Two Turtle Doves dating event!

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks
#ChristmasCheer @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs Day 6: Holly 20pts
Thankfully my current #audiobook has some Holly on the cover!

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks
#ChristmasCheer @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs Day 5: Reindeer 20pts

Am I taking advantage of all the great audiobook deals? Yes, yes I am. I picked up both volumes, but this was the cuter cover.

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks 775 pts

This is my first official Jeneva Rose book, although she's been on my radar for awhile. I was a little bored with the beginning as the book felt more like a romance than a thriller, but the ending more than made up for that! I was expecting some twists, but I didn't see everything coming. Plus this helped me get my 49th state- Wyoming, for my 50 State challenge.

#WinterGames24 #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks
#ChristmasCheer @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs Day 4: Decorations 15 pts. I‘ve spent the last few days decorating the cubicles at work, just needs some lights. We do stockings every year, and we just put little gifts in them.