Hello! I can hardly believe it, but it’s Christmas Eve, Eve, and the final Countdown to Christmas of 2018!! đđ±Â Countdown to Christmas is a weekly feature where I recommend a different Christmas-y book each week to read this holiday season.
This week’s pick is Twelve Slays of Christmas by Jacqueline Frost.
When Holly White’s fiance cancels their Christmas Eve wedding with less than two weeks to go, Holly heads home with a broken heart. Lucky for her, home in historic Mistletoe, Maine is magical during Christmastime–exactly what the doctor prescribed. Except her plan to drown her troubles in peppermints and snickerdoodles is upended when local grouch and president of the Mistletoe Historical Society Margaret Fenwick is bludgeoned and left in the sleigh display at Reindeer Games, Holly’s family tree farm.Â
When the murder weapon is revealed as one of the wooden stakes used to identify trees on the farm, Sheriff Evan Grey turns to Holly’s father, Bud, and the Reindeer Games staff. And it doesn’t help that Bud and the reindeer keeper were each seen arguing with Margaret just before her death. But Holly knows her father, and is determined to exonerate him.The jingle bells are ringing, the clock is ticking, and if Holly doesn’t watch out, she’ll end up on Santa’s naughty list in Twelve Slays of Christmas, Jacqueline Frost’s jolly series debut.Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
Twelve Slays of Christmas is such a fun and festive read! The mystery is well done and the atmosphere is so Christmas-y. I could totally see this series becoming a movie series on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. This book was so fun and enjoyable, and if you love cozy mysteries, I would definitely recommend this book!
Have you read Twelve Slays of Christmas?
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Hey everyone! I’ve been seeing the Jingle Bell book tag around lately and since it’s so close to Christmas, I thought this would be such a fun tag to do! The tag was created by Richard @ The Humpo Show, and I found this tag from Deanna @ Dee Reads Things.
Alright, let’s get started!
âAll I Want For Christmas Is YouâŠâ â What book do you want to see under the Christmas tree?
While I’d be happy with any book, I’m super eager to read A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs. I would be absolutely thrilled to find this one under my tree on Christmas morning!
âSimply Having A Wonderful Christmas Timeâ â What book that youâve read this year did you enjoy the most?
How can I possibly pick just one?! I will say, though, my latest 5 star read was Small Spaces by Katherine Arden. It was definitely one of the best books I read this year!
Elf â What book unleashes your inner child?
The Nancy Drew series was my favorite growing up. So, whenever I pick up a Nancy Drew book, it reminds me of my younger years!
âItâs Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmasâ â What book has the most festive look to it?
I think My True Love Gave to Me has such a fun and festive cover and features a little bit of something for everyone!
The Grinch â Your favorite villain.
The Trunchbull from Matilda is absolutely terrible. She is one of the first villains that really stuck out to me, and while I don’t have a “favorite” villain, she is definitely the most memorable one to me.
The Holiday â Name your TWO favourite couples.
Anne Shirley & Gilbert Blythe and Nancy Drew & Ned Nickerson for life! đđ
What book would you like to give as a present to your followers?
Anne of Green Gables is one of my all-time favorite books (as many of you know, haha), and so I would love for all my followers to read and [hopefully] love this book!
I tag anyone who wants to do this!
This was so much fun to do!
Thanks for reading!
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Hello! It’s time for another Blogmas Book Quote!
Today I’m sharing a lovely little quote from LM Montgomery’s short story, A Christmas Inspiration. It is one of the stories featured in A Vintage Christmas, and it has been one of my favorites from the entire collection that I’ve read so far. It is such a sweet story about giving and thinking of others, especially about those who often feel forgotten, and it just warmed my heart while reading it.
“How lovely the world is,” said Jean.
“This is really the very happiest Christmas morning I have ever known,” declared Nellie. “I never felt so really Christmassy in my inmost soul before.”
“I suppose,” said Beth thoughtfully, “that it is because we have discovered for ourselves the old truth that it is more blessed to give than to receive. I’ve always known it, in a way, but I never realized it before.”
“Blessing on Jean’s Christmas inspiration,” said Nellie. “But, girls, let us try to make it an all-the-year-round inspiration, I say. We can bring a little of our own sunshine into Miss Allen’s life as long as we live with her.”
~ LM Montgomery, The Christmas Inspiration
Thanks for reading! đâ€
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Waiting on Wednesday/Canât Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature, started by Breaking the Spine and continued by Wishful Endings, that puts the spotlight on upcoming releases!Â
This weekâs pick is:
Romanov
RELEASING MAY 7TH, 2019
From the author of Fawkes comes a magical take on the story of Anastasia Romanov.
The history books say I died.
They donât know the half of it.
Anastasia âNastyaâ Romanov was given a single mission: to smuggle an ancient spell into her suitcase on her way to exile in Siberia. It might be her familyâs only salvation. But the leader of the Bolshevik army is after them . . . and heâs hunted Romanov before.
Nastyaâs only chances of survival are to either release the spell, and deal with the consequences, or enlist help from Zash, the handsome soldier who doesnât act like the average Bolshevik. Nastyaâs never dabbled in magic before, but it doesnât frighten her as much as her growing attraction for Zash. She likes him. She thinks he might even like her . . .
That is, until sheâs on one side of a firing squad . . . and heâs on the other.
Romanov sounds like such an intriguing novel!! I’ve heard so many wonderful things about Nadine Brandes’ other book, Fawkes, and so I’m sure this one will be just as wonderful as well. I also follow her on Twitter, and she is just so sweet and fun, it really makes me want to read her books more. I’ve always been super intrigued by Anastasia, and I have no doubt that this book will be intriguing as well. Also, look at that gorgeous cover! đ
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Itâs Top Ten Tuesday again!  Itâs a weekly bookish list hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl! This weekâs topic is:
Winter TBR
The hype for Dumplin’ is out of control now that the Netflix movie is here! I’ve heard nothing but good things about both the book and the movie, and I am really looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of this one.
The Night Circus is one of those books I’ve been meaning to read for ages but just keep putting it off for one reason or another. Well, I’ve really been in the mood to read something mysterious and atmospheric, and from what I’ve heard, this sounds like the perfect book to fill that!
If there’s one book I’m hoping I get for Christmas, A Map of Days is it! I absolutely adore the Miss Peregrine series, and I’ve been desperately waiting to read this one. If I get this one for Christmas (fingers and toes crossed), it may even be my very first read of 2019!
I meant to read Rebecca earlier this year. However, I checked it out from the library (along with a rather hefty stack of books) and I ended up not getting to it before it was due back. After Christmas, I’m planning on checking this one out again and giving it another try!
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is another book that I’ve heard so many wonderful things about! I’m very excited to read this book and watch the movie this winter.
Okay, so everyone loves Outlander. I’ve always been intimidated by this book because of its size, but I really think I should give it a go!
Greenwillow was another book I meant to read earlier this year. It was in the same library stack as Rebecca, and, unfortunately, I didn’t get to this one either. Here’s hoping I finally can read it!
This book has been on my radar for quite some time, but I just never had the chance to read it. Well, my package from TBTBSanta came and The Sun is Also a Star was one of the books she gifted me! I’m so excited to read it now!
Parallel is another book my wonderful TBTBSanta gave me. Honestly, I plan on reading all the books she gave me this winter, but being that I have an actual post sharing all that I got, I decided to only list two!
Hiddensee sounds like such a perfect, wintery read. It’s a retelling of The Nutcracker, and while I’ve never read the book, I’ve seen the ballet (and the Barbie movie đ), so I’m super excited to see how this one is!
There you have it! Those are just a few of the books I am looking forward to reading this winter! Be sure to share with me some of the books on your winter TBR, because I would love to know!
Thanks for reading!
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Hello everyone! Today I’m back with another Blogmas Book Quote!
Today’s quote comes from The Gift by Cecelia Ahern. This quote may be short, but to me, with Christmas only one week away, I feel like this quote is an especially prevalent reminder of just how precious this time of year can be.
âTime cannot be packaged and ribboned and left under trees for Christmas morning. Time can’t be given. But it can be shared.âÂ
~Cecelia Ahern, The Gift
Have you read The Gift? Also, share with me a favorite memory you shared with someone important to you!
Welcome to week 3 of Countdown to Christmas! Countdown to Christmas is a weekly feature where I recommend a different Christmas-y book each week to read this holiday season. Last week was so busy, I ended up taking a break from Countdown to Christmas, but this week I am back. Today I am actually featuring two books, because my niece wanted to share a Christmas book of her own!
Today’s picks are A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and The Santa Claus Book by Eileen Daly.
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens. It was first published by Chapman & Hall on 19 December 1843. Carol tells the story of a bitter old miser named Ebenezer Scrooge and his transformation resulting from a supernatural visit by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Yet to Come. The novella met with instant success and critical acclaim. The book was written and published in early Victorian era Britain, a period when there was strong nostalgia for old Christmas traditions together with the introduction of new customs, such as Christmas trees and greeting cards. Dickens’ sources for the tale appear to be many and varied, but are, principally, the humiliating experiences of his childhood, his sympathy for the poor, and various Christmas stories and fairy tales.
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The Santa Claus Book is all about Santa delivering toys on Christmas Eve!
A Christmas Carol is honestly such a delightful read! Even if you’ve seen some of the many adaptations, the book is still worth the read. Ebeneezer Scrooge is so memorable for a reason. It’s quite short and I really think every book lover should at least give this one a try!
The Santa Claus Book is such a cute and fun picture book. It is filled such gorgeous, vintage pictures, and it just puts you in such a Christmas-y mood. My 5-year-old niece really adores this one and loves reading about Santa delivering presents!
Have you read either of these books? đ
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Hey everyone! I know I’ve sort of fallen off the Blogmas train the past couple of days, but the final weeks of school were really kicking my booty. That being said, I’m officially on winter break, and I could not be happier! đđŒÂ This semester was b r u t a l!
Anyway, today I’m doing the Bookish Naughty List book tag again! I did it last year, but let’s see how this year compares. Will I be naughty or nice?!
Here we go!
Received an ARC and not reviewed it â
Ugh, yes I’ve done this and I always feel so bad about it! I have every intention of reading all the ARCs I receive, I just don’t always get them done before they’re released. I promise they’ll be read someday, though!
Have less than 60% feedback rating on NetGalley
Okay, so I really thought I was going to be naughty for this one. I’m actually at 71% right now. Plus, now that I’m on winter break, I’m hoping to read even more and get that percentage even higher!
Rated a book on goodreads and promised a full review was to come on your blog (and never did) â
Here’s looking at you Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel đđ
Folded down the page of a book
Nope! Dog-earring books isn’t my style. đ
Accidentally spilled on a book
I have in the past, but not this year, thankfully! đđŒ
DNF a book this year â
There were a few this year that I started, didn’t get very far in, and decided that they weren’t the book for me right now.
Bought a book purely because it was pretty with no intention of reading it
It may take me years, but I do always do plan on reading every book I buy. Do I actually end up reading every book? No…but my intentions are pure, I promise!
Read whilst you were meant to be doing something else (like homework) â
Oh yes, I do this far too often. In fact, I ended up turning in my final paper for the semester an hour before it was due because I may or may not have spent too much time reading instead of working…oops!
Skim read a book â
I’ll be honest, I don’t do this often, but if I’m reading a book that I’m really struggling to get through – especially when I’m almost done – I do skim some of the passages. đ
Completely missed your Goodreads goal
Not this year! đđ I’ll have you all know that I’ve actually surpassed it! đđŒ
Borrowed a book and not returned it to the library
My books may be returned late, but they always get returned!!
Broke a book buying ban â
Library book sales…I just can’t pass them up!
Started a review, left it for ages then forgot what the book was about
Hahaha! I’ve done this before, I admit. But not this year!
Wrote in a book you were reading
The only book I write in is my Bible, and I don’t really think that counts for this.
Finished a book and not added it to your Goodreads
I gotta make sure every book makes it to my Goodreads goal, so no for this one. Haha!
Borrowed a book and not returned it to a friend
No, I’m actually pretty good about returning things!
Dodged someone asking if they can borrow a book
đđ I’ve done this before, but I actually didn’t have to do this in 2018!
Broke the spine of someone elseâs book
Not this year! đđŒ
Took the jacket off a book to protect it and ended up making it more damaged
Unfortunately, this happens to me a lot. Surprisingly, this didn’t happen this year, though! đ
Sat on a book accidentally â
Yes, this has happened more times than I would like to admit. đ Thankfully, the books were not harmed!
Final Score 7/20
Hey! I actually did pretty good this year! I guess I’m on the nice list after all!đđ
Are YOU on the bookish naughty list this year? Iâd love to see your answers!
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Hello! Back in October, I shared with you all my autumnal/Halloween decorations for my bookshelves. I had so much fun with that post, that I decided to do another one for Christmas! Today I’ll be sharing how I decorated my bookshelves for Christmas! đ
To start things off, here’s an overview of my main bookcase:
I’ve spotlighted a different Christmas book on each shelf that is either on my December TBR or a Christmas favorite.
My first two shelves feature A Nancy Drew Christmas and A Vintage Christmas. They’re both books that are on my TBR this month. I actually just started reading A Vintage Christmas, and so far it is everything I hoped it would be! I also decorated my shelf with a tiny Christmas tree that I’ve had since I was a little kid. đ
This shelf also features a pendant banner I crocheted a couple years ago! It was one of my first crochet projects that actually turned out really quite nice. đ
I also have a lovely little snowglobe I bought at Target. đ It plays “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” and the little cabin inside looks so cozy. I just love looking at it!
My next two shelves feature The Christmas Remedy and Skipping Christmas. It also features this little wooden Rudolph that I’ve had for forever and a rocking horse ornament from my sister’s 1st Christmas. The string on it is broken, so we put it on the bookcase instead of the tree. đ
On my other, hanging bookshelf, I lined it with festive ribbon I had laying around. I also have my little Nativity scene set up there. đ
Next, this isn’t specifically bookish, but I found these adorable Dr. Seuss prints at Hobby Lobby! I initially wanted all three prints to be from the Grinch (because it’s one of my Christmas favorites), but unfortunately, they were sold out of the rest of the designs. I’m still quite pleased with the Cat in the Hat ones, though. I also attempted to decorate them with so pine branches from the three outside!
And lastly, I had to include my tree! This was a new tree this year (I also got it from Hobby Lobby) and I am so in love with it! It has two different textures of branches to make it look a bit more authentic, and it’s just the perfect size for my tiny room. đ
And that wraps up my Christmas decor! I also have lights strung around my ceiling, but that was kind of hard to take a picture of, haha! My room is so cozy with all the decorations. I absolutely love snuggling in bed and reading a book after a long day with everything all lit up. đđâ„
I hope you enjoyed looking at some of my Christmas decorations! Do you love decorating like I do? Or are you more minimalist?Â
Thanks for reading!
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Hello! So last week I participated in the ‘Tistheseasonathon, that went from December 3rd through the 9th. You can check out my TBR here. Today I’m going to be sharing how I did!
Alright, so technically I finished all the challenges, but I did not get to my whole TBR.
Here were the challenges:
CHALLENGE ONE:Â READ A BOOK WITH RED OR GREEN ON THE COVER.
CHALLENGE THREE:Â READ A WARM & FUZZY BOOK
CHALLENGE FOUR:Â READ A SHORT BOOK (200-250 PAGES)
CHALLENGE FIVE:Â READ A HOLIDAY THEMED BOOK
The Christmas Remedy was the first book I read, and technically, that means I finished challenges 1, 3, 4, & 5. đ
This was a really cute book, but it wasn’t super Christmas-y until the very end. // âââ1/2 // My Review
CHALLENGE TWO:Â READ A BOOK WHILE LISTENING TO HOLIDAY MUSIC.
Then, I listened to Christmas music while reading Silent Days, Holy Night, which means I finished challenge 2, as well!
This was such a sweet and heartwarming read. I could totally see it being on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries someday! // ââââ // My review
And, that’s all I read, lol! So, I sort of completed this readathon, just not in the way I had hoped. đ
Did you participate in ‘Tistheseasonathon? Or are you participating in any other readathons this month? Let me know how you’re doing/did!
Thanks for reading! đ
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the calico books 