“Create the circumstances you need for a great Christmas, but then try to go with the flow and make the best of whatever unfolds.”

This was a VERY soft pick. I almost rated it so-so. I love the descriptions of the Highlands, especially once winter finally hit in the story. I couldn‘t stand all the descriptions of the renovations and organizing they had to do for the cottage, the camper van, the shop, and the castle. It felt like I was reading a house flipper‘s memoir at times. And there were some errors (typos and such) that irritated me a bit. But what kept me going were ⬇️

Wanted a different kind of holiday read, and discovered this while browsing online. Really excited for it. I think this will be my final holiday read for the year.

I really enjoyed reading Tolkien‘s letters from Father Christmas to his children. I can only imagine what joy it brought them in the moment. And of course it had all the flair of Tolkien‘s imagination with goblin wars, dancing penguins, hidden caves, and a silly polar bear who helps Father Christmas but often makes things worse with his curiosity and clumsiness. I loved all of his drawings as well. What a worthy edition to my annual holiday reads.

“Christmas is not a single day; it is a season, and a manifestation of the spirit of generosity. It's a time for cherishing loved ones and using our skills and talents to create moments and memories. But it also takes place in the middle of winter, so we must be careful not to overextend ourselves.”

Cozy on the couch by the tree with another holiday read 😊🎄

This is a soft pick. The few issues I had with it were minor, but overall this was a cozy, wholesome read. If you‘re looking for action and adventure, you won‘t find that here. But I loved the depiction of a Parisian Christmas and all of the bits discussing the Lost Generation of writers in Paris. I loved the literary mystery the MC unfolds as well, it was a nice touch to this cozy Christmas story.

1. It‘s actually a bucket list item of mine to spend Christmas at a cozy cabin somewhere with snow. I grew up in Miami so a white Christmas is fantasy to me at this point lol.

2. Paris at Christmas time, especially where the tagged book is set in, sounds amazing. A literary, Parisian Christmas *le sigh*

#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

“Simplicity, generosity, delight, and belonging are true touchstones of festive joy.”

“You know that feeling when you are snapped out of a stressful situation by laughter, a kind gesture, or an unexpected occurrence? That is when you open a door to joy.”

“Maybe the hairs of my head were numbered… but nobody could ever count my love for you.”

Enjoying more of my holiday reads by the tree with a cup of tea while I wait for laundry to finish drying. I wish I had discovered Tolkien‘s collection of letters to his children sooner (I discovered it only last year). Such a whimsical, wonderful way he made their Christmas‘ more magical, I‘m sure. And it seems he didn‘t let up once they got older either lol.

Doesn‘t matter how many times I read this classic, I still love it so much 😊

My current holiday reads. I discovered the tagged book here just last night and found it was free on Kindle Unlimited. It seems like such a cozy read. And I reread A Christmas Carol every year. Already finished rereading The Return of the Light by Carolyn McVickar Edwards a couple of days ago (one of my fave holiday rereads). Making good time with my holiday reads this year lol.

I really enjoyed this story and LOVED these characters. It‘s a bit progressive for the times it‘s set in, but it‘s fantasy, and I don‘t read fantasy for the historical accuracy. This story is full of treasure-hunting pirates, dangerous magical artifacts, horrifying sea monsters, sorcerers, djinn and other supernatural creatures. I‘m glad the ending hinted at more adventures with Amina, I can‘t wait to see what else she gets herself into.

“Had I been so naïve to see purpose in the incidents that had led to me being here, rather than quirks of an uncaring universe? What madness to gaze upon the violent chaos and cruelty of this world and have faith!”

It‘s the little things…

“It is not always easy to do the right thing… More often than not, it is a lonely, thankless ordeal. That does not mean it is not worth doing.”

Realized I didn‘t have any Christmas themed bookmarks and wanted one to use with my holiday reads. And this book has exercises I wanted to do in a dedicated notebook, so a Christmas journal seemed necessary lol. Early Christmas gifts to myself I guess ☺️

The farther I get into the story, the more I love Amina. She‘s such a badass 😅

“I have traveled widely enough that I take everything written about ‘foreigners‘ with doubt and know better than to judge a community by their worst individuals.”

I‘m definitely reading too much at once, but I wanted more adventure, so I picked this one up from my shelf where it waited for a while. I‘m also doing my holiday reads and still halfway through a nonfiction book, so this just might be my last physical fiction read of the year (cause I‘m also LISTENING to fiction). So many books, so little time…

It‘s safe to say that Travis Baldree is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I adore these characters and loved the story. It had many wholesome, cozy moments along with silly scenes and plenty of action in between. I loved Legends & Lattes and this prequel held up to its standards. I enjoyed seeing Viv when she was 20 years younger and the steps that led her to where she was in the first book. I hope we‘ll get another book out of Baldree soon.

I usually get into the holiday spirit after Thanksgiving, but a few days early won‘t hurt. After this new one that I discovered here on Litsy, I‘ll also start with my annual holiday rereads 😊

1. Using the tagged book, I‘ve begun working on a business plan for the freelance business I‘d like to start.
2. Got back on track with making art just to make it, which makes my heart happy.
3. Over this past weekend I took my kids and their friends to the fair and loved watching them have a blast.
4. I‘ve been learning how to knit, which I‘ve always wanted to do.
5. My Sunny boy always keeping me company 😻

#5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii

After striking out several times with audiobooks, I‘m so glad this one was able to hook me! This gothic tale features a “con-artist” spiritualist who ends up forced to help the people of a rich estate figure out the mystery behind the death of the future Lady of the house. The author did a fantastic job of placing suspicion on almost everyone, and several characters had me going back and forth with blaming them. It was a rollercoaster… ⬇️

1. Very much so. I‘m big on journaling, and I have one I call my “everything journal.” I do my monthly and weekly planning in it. And I tend to write lists there as well as in my phone.

2. It seems as though nothing ever goes as planned for the protagonist in this gothic mystery that I‘ve been listening to.

@TheSpineView #Two4Tuesday

Up next, a palate cleanser 😊

The type of monsters described in this one don‘t usually scare me, but Stephen King really is the king of horror lol. I really enjoyed it, even though horror is not usually what I go for, and Stephen King never disappoints. I was entranced and kept wanting to turn the pages to see what would happen next. Of course, it gets gorey, so now I‘m ready for a palate cleanser lol.

“People are more capable of believing the devil is some external force we have no resistance against, instead of accepting their own capacity to be cruel.”

1. Stripes. But only vertical ones lol.

2. Not currently. But been craving something by Simone St. James, so I might head to the library soon.

#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

“Evil is cruelty left unchecked…”

“The act of moving forward at all became heroism.”

My next listen…

The mystery surrounding the disappearance of every resident of Silvertjärn (small mining town in Sweden) had me captivated. The effects on the surviving family members (who had moved away prior to the disappearance) are heartbreaking. A documentary crew (headed by the granddaughter of one such survivor) goes to the eerie, abandoned town to find answers. When we finally have said answers, it‘s not only terrifying, but more heartbreaking. ⬇️

1. Sunsets cause I‘m not a morning person lol
2. A spooky town

@TheSpineView #Two4Tuesday

If you wanna play, consider yourself tagged!

“If a fear cannot be articulated, it can‘t be conquered.”

“I think it‘s relatively easy for people to accept something like telepathy or precognition or teleplasm because their willingness to believe doesn‘t cost them anything. It doesn‘t keep them awake nights. But the idea that the evil that men do lives after them is more unsettling.”

1. In all honesty, I didn‘t have any positive influences in the way of adults but I had my best friend. We met when we were 6 and she became a source of light in my life and was a good kid who made me want to do good too. 28 years later and we‘re still besties, but more like sisters.
2. My husband and two kids of course.

@Eggs #WondrousWednesday

In the mood for some Stephen King in honor of Halloween coming up 🎃

This one wasn‘t my favorite of the series but it was still exceptional. Salvatore really is a master at his craft, and his vivid descriptions of combat are something I aspire to as a writer. I wanted more moments between the characters outside of battle, but the last book was leading up to this war so I understood the necessity. And in any case, it was hard to put down. I was even biting my nails at certain points.

1. Hit some PRs (personal records) this week at CrossFit.
2. My blood pressure was the lowest it‘s ever been (I have high blood pressure so this is a VERY good thing).
3. Weather has been amazing, so plenty of walks for me and Luna Bear.
4. Finally organized my desk so me (and my cats) have been enjoying getting creative.
5. The moon has been a wonder to behold this week ☺️

#5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii

Haven‘t had much luck with audiobooks lately, but I started listening to the tagged thriller during my walk with my Luna Bear. Hopefully this one can keep my attention 🤞🏼

#listenandwalk #dogsonlitsy

Hay ride
Carve pumpkins
Nature walk
Bonfire
Curl up w/ a book
Caramel apples
Chili & cornbread
Pumpkin spice

I‘m hungry all of a sudden lol

@Eggs #WondrousWednesday

1. Nope. We‘re trying to be healthier and my kids will get enough when they go trick or treating in a different neighborhood. We usually don‘t get trick or treaters in our neighborhood (sadly).

2. Magic gone awry.

#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

My family and I faired well after Hurricane Milton passed through last night into the early morning. Grateful we‘re all okay. There was minimal damage, even though it was a bit scary there for a second. I‘ve endured my fair share of hurricanes, including Katrina, but the wind/thunder from Milton sounded unlike anything I‘ve ever heard. We have no power, but I‘m perfectly fine with my huge TBR pile and art supplies.

“Your confidence is a self-fulfilling prophecy: if you think you can, you probably will be able to, and if you think you cannot, you will not.”

Also decided to read some nonfiction that I‘ll hopefully learn a little something from… this one has also been in my TBR pile for a long time.

Didn‘t really know what I wanted to read next so I just went for a couple that have been waiting in my TBR pile for a long while… next up for fiction is the 9th book in the Legend of Drizzt series. I definitely missed Drizzt, so I feel like this is a good choice for my next read…

This book is a 🌶️ fantasy romance (I didn‘t realize just how spicy when I bought it, but I‘m not mad about it lol). There‘s a trigger warning in the beginning with the full list of triggers in the back. There‘s a lot of cuss words, detailed descriptions of gorey fight/torture scenes, and a few 🔥🔥🔥 love scenes. So a bit of thick skin is required for this one. But if you‘re able to stomach all that, then quite the adventure is waiting… ⬇️