I'm joining @Librarybelle for #ChristiesCapers and am super excited!! While our first read, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, has the same title in both the US and the UK, several of her later books have two different titles, which confuses the heck out of me. So, I made a table of her books with the publication date, UK title, US title, and a few notes. Feel free to save this, make a copy to edit for yourself, or whatever!!
If the US Title is ⬇
pickStill wrapping up a few Christmasy reads for #WinterGames and #ReadOuttheOld This month I've focused on books that I already owned and have checked off 15 books (some of which included multiple shorter stories), almost all of which are now in the donate box, meaning I have room for that many more Christmas books for next year!! 😂
This one was a soft pick. It's classic workaholic city girl has to go home and get caught up in small town ⬇
pickMaybe an unpopular opinion, but I low-key enjoyed this one 😂 It was objectively terrible, with a plot that went nowhere, absolutely no sense of suspense or pacing, and wildly unlikely twists. Yet despite her tendency to burst into tears and/or faint in basically every chapter, I found myself liking Emily. I appreciated her commitment to what she believed was right and her determination to follow her morals even when they weren't the easy path. ⬇
so-soThis one just didn't really work for me. Part of it is that I should have bailed on this book as soon as I realized that a big part of the plot was going to be lying/withholding information/secrets. I'm just not a fan of stories where ONE CONVERSATION could solve all our problems BUT NO ONE WILL HAVE IT. The thing was, I really liked the characters and the setting, so I thought maybe it would be okay. It was not. I was stressed the entire time ⬇
Believe it or not, we are less than a week away from not just a new month, but an entirely brand new year!! Since all my efforts to stop time have been to no avail, I guess I have to accept the inevitable and start planning my 2025 #BookSpin list!! I am super excited to Spin along with all of you this year, even if creating this post does give me a mini-existential crisis every month 😂
As always, a reminder to make your lists work for you!! ⬇
A spontaneous readathon that starts today 😂 Join me as I #ReadOuttheOld and get ready for 2025!!! Even though there is less than a week left of 2024, there is still time to wrap up a book or challenge, or maybe just pretend you had zero reading goals for 2024 and read whatever you want! 😆 Feel free to tag me and let me know what you're reading!!
I'm tagging my WinterGames team, but anyone is welcome to join!!
pickBorderline so-so, but hey, it's the season of generosity 😂 This one kind of felt like someone was trying to write a book based on a Hallmark movie screenplay, but not in a good way. The writing was kind of clunky and character development was abrupt. And who names a human character “Wink“?? There were a lot of scenes like this: Person A: “Please go out to supper with me.“ Person B:“I don't want to date you while things are so complicated“ ⬇
pickAfter a while, the FMC's unforgiving attitude towards people in her past/tendency to blame them for all her life problems did start to grate on me. At some point, you have to acknowledge that you are an adult and have been for over a decade. YOU are in charge of your life/actions now. But on the whole, a perfectly pleasant if most-forgettable kind of read. I'm not sure I'll reread it, but I'll probably pick up the sequel.
I spaced and forgot to post my #JolabokaflodSwap yesterday!! Thank you so much @plemmdog !! Also, I love that wrapping paper 😂 Thanks for hosting @MaleficentBookDragon !!! I look forward to this one every year!!
pickThis was definitely my favorite book I've read so far this month, and one of my favorites for the year. Even though Hattie is only 28, she's been widowed for 2 years and is struggling to run the Vermont inn that was her husband's dream, all while taking care of their young daughter. Meanwhile, 3 women (Erica, Claudia, and Anna) have been friends since college and always get together for a week every year. Now that they are all at or close to 40 ⬇
This is a lil update post!!
@MaleficentBookDragon - I received my #JolabokaflodSwap package from @plemmdog safely!! Thank you!!
@bookish_wookish - I received my #LittleChristmasSwap package but it came directly from Amazon and despite someone on here saying to me, “I'm your match and it's coming from Amazon“ I've spaced and can't remember who that is 😂 But it's here safely!!
@julieclair I'm your #LCS match and your book still isn't here!! ⬇
Cannot BELIEVE I am working on a reading journal for ***2025*** That's not a real date!!!! @PuddleJumper is responsible for most of my challenges this year, although @lauredhel is also doing some work 😂 This year: #ISpyBingo #100YearsofBooks (and finishing @Librarybelle 's #192025 ), #Pantone2025 #Roll100 #GottaCatchEmAll and #BookChain
Not pictured - #ReadtheUSA #WickedWords @AsYouWish #FourFoursin25 @lauredhel #FictionalTraveler @julieclair ⬇
I've been using a random number generator to decide which of my holiday books I'll read next, and weirdly ended up reading Wrapped up FOR Christmas and Wrapped Up IN Christmas back to back 😂
Soft pick for this one; it's just a little too cutesy for me. Bodie was seriously injured on his last tour of duty and almost died. While recovering, he received a handmade quilt from the Quilts of Valor program, and that along with the letter that came ⬇
so-soWhen I'm reading nonstop holiday fluff in December, I really lower my standards when it comes to plot points like instalove, but this one was a stretch even for my relaxed attitude. Angie is coming off of a really bad relationship and even says things like, “I've never been single more than a month and should probably take some time to find out who I am as a person“ and then immediately falls in love with a random dude and after knowing each ⬇
pickMy cover isn't super exciting, so I give you Kitty as compensation 😂
I remember enjoying this book as a teen but wasn't sure how it would hold up as an adult - but I found it completely engaging. Christy is just a likable character, so it makes the whole story work. She's genuine in her efforts to understand the world around, and I related so much to her desire to make her childhood faith something tangible and real. This is definitely a ⬇
Yay!!! @MaleficentBookDragon thank you SO MUCH for this fabulous #StuffedStockingSwap box!!! I love everything and am so impressed by how you made the tiny stocking and the scarf yourself!! (Love the colors btw!!) Thank you for your thoughtful gifts. Merry Christmas!!!
Thank you for hosting this swap @Avanders !!
*Not all candy is pictured because I may or may not have housed two mini Reese trees immediately 😂
Okay, first big stress-event has been hurdled - the realtor came and looked at our house and told us she thinks it will sell for more than we thought WHEW. We have lived here ten years and COMPLETELY remodeled this place and tbh it's a weird little house but we love it and having someone come and tell us how much it was worth kind of felt like we were taking a final test 😂 Next step is waiting to hear from the bank!! Lots of feelings right now. ⬇
This background is an accurate portrayal of my windows right now 😂 We've having the Ohio December special of cold rain all week, and I have a lot of stress going on!! To inspire me to read a little more, I thought I'd host a little bonus readathon this week, so feel free to join me in the #MidweekMuddle Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday this week!!
I'm tagging the #HolidayBookDragons but anyone is welcome to participate whether you're playing ⬇
pickThis is a fun little Poirot short (the actual book includes several other short stories, but they aren't particularly Christmasy, so I only read the title story this time around). Poirot reluctantly heads off to a country estate for an “old-fashioned Christmas“ - and a bit of undercover sleuthing. Poirot is very Poiroty in this one, and I quite enjoyed rereading it.
#WinterGames #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks
pickDefinitely the best Nancy Drew we've had in a minute. This one had more of the regular level of ridiculousness 😂 Favorite parts included the police acting very clever because they determined that two masked men who attempted to break into the house at the same time were working together; the girls acting like sitting behind empty picture frames was a brilliant hiding spot; literally everyone not only knowing how to sail but being really great ⬇
Hey friends!! So I've been looking at my life and my upcoming schedule, and I am going to pause #RandomClassics definitely for January, and maybe longer, kind of depending. We're thinking about moving (!!!!!) plus we are going out of town in January, so there is a lot going on 😂 I still have a huge list of classics I would like to read, and I have really enjoyed reading these with you all, but for now I need to skip a month!! I'll let everyone ⬇
pickOkay, I know it's not the right kind of sword, but it's the best I could come up with 😂 Well this book was quite the rollercoaster ride. On the whole, I enjoyed it, but don't think I would reread it. However, I can see myself reading something else by Dumas. Pevear's translation was super readable. The ending did feel a little abrupt, though. I'm not sure I would want to be friends with these guys in real life (especially considering how they ⬇
pickA soft pick for these two loosely-connected stories that take place on Nantucket a year apart. These were super Hallmarky and perfectly pleasant. I enjoyed the first more than the second, because the mom in the second story drove me kind of crazy. But the greatest tragedy is that I was 160 pages in and all of the sudden the book skipped to page 216!! Right at the big finale of chaos (you know, where the kid ran away with the puppy and supper is ⬇
@Scochrane26 - I'm your #JolabokaflodSwap match this year!!! I mailed your package earlier this week, but in typical Sarah-Style did not actually notate on the envelope anywhere that it was a Litsy package or who it was from 😂 So be on the lookout for a blue padded envelope from Ohio - that's your Swap gift!!! Merry Christmas!!
@MaleficentBookDragon thanks so much for hosting - I love this simple swap!!
pickThis is the (loose) sequel to I'll Be Married for Christmas, which I enjoyed so much I immediately ordered this one 😂 This is another marriage of convenience romance (MY JAM) and is somehow even cuter than the first book, maybe because it has the only missing ingredient from book one (i.e. CATS!!)? Super cute, likable characters, (mostly) believable situation, and adults who communicate!! 🎉 I'll definitely be checking out more of Cain's books.
so-soThree shorts in this one. They were all okay, but more about the characters shagging than anything Christmasy. Sometimes I enjoy Shalvis, but it feels like whenever she has shorter stories, she focuses on spice over story, which just isn't my personal preference lol
But lots of prompts checked off, and another book off my shelf!!
#WinterGames #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks
Reminder!! Each #BookSpin or #DoubleSpin book you have completed (or DNFd and removed from your TBR) this year counts as an entry for the 2024 Giveaway!! Sadly, the giveaway will NOT be a trip to a lovely beach like this one, but five lucky winners WILL receive ONE book from either their Litsy TBR or a list of five books they can provide to me!!
To be considered for the giveaway you MUST fill out the Google Form linked below!! Because I LOVE ⬇
#GuesstheBook24
(this one is also my current read and it's SO cute!)
We all know I have a reading challenge problem 😂 Here's the StoryGraph link to the 2025 #BooKChain prompts if anyone is interested. I have a random paragraph of people in my Tagging Document that says BookChain, so I don't know when I put you all on the list, but I'm tagging you anyway 😆
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/596e8385-7086-478f-9f02-0378f52...
so-soFour novellas in one by four different authors.
Making Spirits Bright - 1*, absolutely dreadful. Besides the story making 0% sense, the entire plot of a rich woman just deciding she wishes she had a kid or two and immediately just running out to try and rush through an adoption felt honestly icky, like kids were a commodity that she could just go out and buy on a whim like a puppy. It was weird. But maybe I'm sensitive to it because my youngest ⬇
#BookSpin #DoubleSpin #BookSpinBingo will be BACK for 2025!!! Believe it or not, this will be our FIFTH YEAR spinning together!! I spontaneously created this challenge on January 1, 2020 - the reason I draw the numbers on the 2nd of the month is literally because it was too late to draw them on the 1st when I first came up with this 😂 Since then we've added #DoubleSpin and #BookSpinBingo to keep things lively.
⬇ ⬇
pickThis is what I'm looking for in holiday romance!! Cheesy, predictable, but still loads of fun with likable characters and storylines that actually make sense!! 😂 I'm a HUGE sucker for marriage of convenience stories, and this one played out pretty well. Super cute, and I'm planning to read the next book this week!!
#WinterGames #HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks
@BookmarkTavern - I'm your match for the #StuffedStockingSwap !!! I finally got your package in the mail yesterday and USPS says it should be there Friday!! I hope you love it!! 😁
@Avanders thanks so much for hosting this fun swap every year!!!
panIf I had to choose one word for how I felt while reading this series of books, I think it would be “baffled.“ These characters constantly made decisions that made no sense. The narrative frequently made no sense. The motivations made pretty much no sense. A few samples: two grown adults have a “cheesecake fight“ in the kitchen ruining the desert and dinner party they're attending (after the FMC starts EATING IT WITH HER BARE HANDS?!); two people ⬇
For those of you who like planning ahead - the 2025 #ISpyBingo challenge is now available on Storygraph!!!
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/85a6eb78-a914-4e84-a200-9073f75...
I am going to TRY to be better about posting each month's board a week or two before the month starts, and tagging those who wish to be tagged 😂 If you want to be on that tag list, let me know!!
The Storygraph link has the “rules“ to this challenge ⬇
pickMy first book completed for #WinterGames isn't remotely Christmasy, but it was the book I was halfway through reading when December 1 arrived 😂 I've been working my way through the Kate Daniels series all year and I LOVE IT. I wasn't sure at first because they're a little more violent than my personal tastes, but I've gotten better at skipping what I need to skip haha the characters, the world-building, all the secondary characters, everything ⬇
![[tagged book]](https://image.librarything.com/pics/litsy_webpics/icon_taggedBook@3x.png){kind=icon}
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1S9ZuaXeMSsPq7hz_3HF0Lp3pjajJyFPPc9He1HPr... 10h