Title: The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand
Pages: 389
Genres: YA, Paranormal/Fantasy, Retellings
Published by: HarperTeen (Oct. 24, 2017)
Summary
On Christmas Eve five years ago, Holly was visited by three ghosts who showed her how selfish and spoiled she’d become. They tried to convince her to mend her ways.
She didn’t.
And then she died.
Now she’s stuck working for the top-secret company Project Scrooge–as the latest Ghost of Christmas Past.
Every year, they save another miserly grouch. Every year, Holly stays frozen at seventeen while her family and friends go on living without her. So far, Holly’s afterlife has been miserable.
But this year, everything is about to change. . . .
What I Thought
I picked this book up at the library, on a whim, because it was a new Christmas release. I had heard mixed things about The Afterlife of Holly Chase, and so I was not really expecting much out of it, except a predictable and fun Christmas story. Well, this book totally exceeded all of my expectations!
Hello! Today, I’m doing the New Year’s Book Tag, which was created by Bookables, but I discovered on Jessie’s blog at Nerdy Book Life. With there only being a few days left in 2017, I thought it would be the perfect tag to do!
Alright, let’s get started:
1. How many books are you planning to read in 2018?
Like I said in my 2018 Reading and Blogging Goals post, I’m focusing less on the number of books I read, and more on the number of pages. So, my goal is to read 15,000 pages in 2018, and I’ll just see how many books that equals out to in the end! 🙂
2. Name 5 books that you didn’t get to this year but want to make a priority in 2018.
I’ll be honest, too, one of the main reasons I didn’t get to most of these books was because of their size. I was too focused on not falling behind on my Goodreads goal, that I kept putting off these larger books. That’s why I’m focusing more on page count, instead of book count!
3. What genre do you want to read more of?
I want to read more fantasy, historical fiction, and classics. I always forget how much I love those genres until I pick up books related to them, and then I wonder why I don’t read them more often, lol. So, here’s to me actually reading more books in those genres!
4. Name 3 non book related goals for 2018.
- I want to get better at crocheting, and maybe even sell some of my projects. I’ve been crocheting for about 2 years now, and it’s something that I really love to do. I want to work on new projects, try out new stitches, and just overall continue to improve!
- In typical New Year’s fashion, I’d like to get healthier. I ate way too many pizzas and Blizzards this year, and while I definitely plan on still eating them in 2018, I want to add more fruits, veggies, and water in the mix. Also, I’d like to be more active. I’m not planning anything extreme, because I want to be realistic with myself, but I just want to focus on being an overall, healthier me.
- I want to get my driver’s license. Yes, I’m 23, and I still don’t have my license (but hey, Ray Bradbury didn’t have his, either!). 🙈 It’s one of those things that I’ve just always put off, because I low-key have a fear of driving. Plus, I know enough people who are willing to take me where I need to go, that it was just one of those things I kept stalling about. However, I think it’s finally time.
5. What’s a book you’ve had forever that you still need to read?
The Sweet Far Thing! I’ve had this book for almost three years now, and I still haven’t read it! I loved the first 2 books in the series, and I really want to find out how the series ends, but the sheer size of this book has always made me apprehensive. It is 819 pages, and that is a lot of pages to commit to. However, this book will be read in 2018! I mean it this time!!
6. One word that your hoping 2018 will be:
Wonderful!
7. Tag a friend!
I tag:
Jessica @ Reading with Jessica
Kristin @ Kristin Kraves Books
Plus, anyone else who wants to do this!
Thanks for reading! Let me know what you have planned for the new year!
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There’s only a few days left in 2017! It’s hard to believe that 2018 is almost here! This past year was filled with great books and exciting milestones for my blog. I discovered some new favorite books (which I’ll be talking about in another post soon), and my blog has almost doubled in views since last December. I’m really looking forward to seeing what next year brings!
Today, I’m going to share my hopes and goals for reading and blogging for 2018! So, let’s get started!
Reading Goals
- Read more pages. For 2018, I want to focus less on how many books I complete, and more about page count. Sometimes, I get so focused on completing my Goodreads goal, that if I’m behind schedule, I’ll choose to read a shorter book I’m not as interested in, as opposed to a larger book I’m more interested in, just so I can complete a book. So, for next year, my goal is to read 15,000 pages. Hopefully, this will encourage me to read the books I feel like, and stress less about my Goodreads goal.
- Read more classics. This was something I had planned to do this year, but I just didn’t feel like reading many classics, which is totally fine. However, it’s something I’d really like to get to next year. In fact, I’ve decided to create a classics reading challenge! I’m still working out the details right now, but look for an announcement about it coming in early 2018!
- Reread. I want to reread some of my favorite books. It’s been years since I’ve read most of the books that I would consider my favorite, and I want to reread them! I want to see if they’re still my favorites, relive my favorite parts, and revisit my favorite characters.
Blogging Goals
- Maintain consistency. These past couple of months, I feel like I’ve been doing really well with my blogging. I’ve actually been posting consistently again! I participated in Blogmas, which really motivated me. While I don’t plan on posting every day, I want to keep on a consistent schedule.
- Be realistic. Last year, I had a goal to post a new book review every Wednesday and Saturday. Obviously, that didn’t happen. I’ve only read 50 books this year! How did I think I was going to be able to post 2 reviews a week?! So, for 2018, I want to post as much as I can, but at the same time, I want to be realistic about it, so I don’t get discouraged. So, no, I won’t be posting 2 reviews a week. However, I would like to still post 1 review a week, and I think that is a realistic goal for me!
- Host an event. I’m really looking forward to hosting my own readathons and challenges this year! I’ve never hosted anything like that on my blog, and I think it might be a fun experience. Like I said, I’m planning a classics challenge for early 2018!
- Interact more. I want to really interact with and meet more bloggers in 2018. I’m terrible at keeping up with everyone’s posts, and that makes me sad. I really love reading everyone’s blogs and hearing their opinions. So, hopefully, I’ll be able to stay more connected to everyone next year!
That just about sums up my reading and blogging goals for 2018! I’d love to hear yours in the comments. 🙂
Here’s to a new year filled with good books, blogging, and friends! 🥂
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Hi everyone! I thought I’d share with you all my wrap-up of the The Holiday Adventure-A-Thon, which was hosted by Jasmine from Novel Thoughts!
This wrap-up is going to be pretty short because, unfortunately, I did not get a lot of reading done. I admit, I didn’t even keep track of my points. 😦 I had such high hopes, because this readathon was so well thought out and organized, but with all my preparations for Christmas I didn’t do so great.
So, I half fulfilled 2 of the reading challenges.
COOKIES
I read the second half of Skipping Christmas while eating all the cookies! I did start this book before the readathon, but I finished it during, so I’m counting it!
WONDER
I read the first 60 pages of The Afterlife of Holly Chase. I’m really enjoying this book so far, though, and hope to have it finished in the next couple days!
Aaand, that’s all I read! I’m disappointed I didn’t read more, but it’s okay, there will be other readathons. Plus, I can’t really complain about not reading, because I was busy celebrating Christmas, which is my favorite time of year!
Thanks for reading! Let me know if you participated in The Holiday Adventureathon, and if you did, how did you do!?
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It’s Top Ten Tuesday again! It’s a weekly bookish list created by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is:
Top Ten Books I’m Looking Forward to in 2018
Some of these books will be 2018 releases, while others are just books that I hope to read in 2018!
The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
This book sounds super intriguing! Plus, look at that gorgeous cover!
Save the Date by Morgan Matson
I love Morgan Matson’s books, and Save the Date looks like it’s going to be an especially good one! I’m super excited for this new release!
Zenith by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings
I’ve been hearing so many good things about Zenith, and it hasn’t even been released yet! I’m very eager to check this book out!
Meet Cute: Some People are Destined to Meet (Short Story Collection)
This book just sounds so…cute! I’m really looking forward to reading this short story collection. There’s some really great authors who contributed to this, and it just sounds like it’s going to be a good one!
Just One Day by Gayle Forman
I’ve wanted to read this book for so long, and I got the Just One bind-up for Christmas. So, I’m really looking forward to finally being able to read the Just One series!
Genuine Fraud E. Lockhart
Genuine Fraud is another book I got for Christmas, and I am so excited to read it! I heard this book is super twisty and suspenseful, and I’m really looking forward to this one!
Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman
I’ve heard SO MANY good things about Starfish! I definitely don’t plan on letting 2018 pass me by without reading this book!
The Secret Daughter of the Tsar: A Novel of the Romanovs by Jennifer Laam
I just recently discovered this book, and it sounds so intriguing! I’m really looking forward to picking this one up in 2018.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
I haven’t read any of the Chronicles of Narnia series, and I’d really love to. So, I think this will be a fun one to read in January.
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
One of my reading goals for 2018 (which I’ll talk more about in another post, later) is to read more classics next year. I’ve heard so many wonderful things about this book, and The Importance of Being Earnest really blew me away, so I want to read more Oscar Wilde!
What books are you planning on reading in 2018? 🙂
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Hello everyone! Merry Christmas!! In honor of today, I’ve decided to make a little bit of a different post today. It doesn’t really have anything to do with books, but it’s Christmas, so I think that’s okay. 🙂 Today, I’m going to share with you all some of my most memorable Christmas memories and traditions.
My family has always been super into Christmas! We decorate in early November, and fill the months of November and December with Christmas music, movies, and activities.
Christmas Festivities
For my family, it’s always been a tradition to watch Home Alone on Thanksgiving night, and eat leftovers. It used to be the very first Christmas movie we would watch for the season. While we’re all too excited to wait for Thanksgiving to watch Christmas movies now, we still always have to watch Home Alone on Thanksgiving night!
Another favorite Christmas activity I do every November, is go to a Christmas tree festival. There are always so many beautifully decorated trees, and I look forward to going every year!
Christmas Eve Traditions
One of my favorite memories, is of my grandpa reading us The Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve at my grandparents’ house. My family, and my aunts, uncles, and cousins would all be there, and we’d gather around by his feet as he read to us. He always had to put on these slippers that were Santa’s face, too. I remember being such a little (and not so little, lol) giggly kid when he read, because that meant Christmas was so close!
Another fun Christmas memory of mine was after we left our grandparent’s house. After my family and I got home, my sisters and I would hang our stockings, and my mom would always record us and then ask us what we want for Christmas. Books were always on my wishlist! 😉 Then my sisters and I would perform. 🙈😂 The Chipmunk Song was our annual tradition, but various other songs were performed as well. I’m still partial to my performance of Santa Claus Lane by Hillary Duff. 😜
Christmas Morning Rituals
Ever since we were little, my younger sister and I wake up super early and watch Christmas movies and eat snacks in bed before the rest of the house wakes up. We used to get up at 4 AM, but we’re old and tired now (lol) and so we don’t usually get up until 5:00-5:15, but we still continue the tradition!
My mom always makes this delicious egg casserole and cinnamon rolls for breakfast! She only makes it on Christmas. Because of that, it’s always so good, and the leftovers are always gone too fast.
After my immediate family (plus now my older sister’s husband and kids) opens our presents, we all go to my grandma’s and eat and open presents and visit with the rest of our family. It’s always a great day! 🙂
WORST Christmas Gift
The absolute worst Christmas gift I ever received was the stomach flu. It also stands out as one of my most memorable Christmas memories – even if it is a negative. It was 2008. My little sister, who was 10 at the time, woke up at 2 AM, and literally threw up all night. It was horrible. However, during the night, I still felt fine, so I thought while I might get sick later, at least I might make it through Christmas. In the words of the Grinch: “Wrong-O!” I woke up ready to open presents, like usual (which looking back seems pretty self-absorbed being that my little sister was sick all night, but hey, it was Christmas. When you’re 10, not even the stomach flu can stop you from opening presents!), and I felt a little queasy, but I admit, I’m a bit of a hypochondriac at times, so I thought it was just in my head, so I forced a smile and pushed on. I made it through opening my stocking, and was in the process of opening my first present when the flu hit full force. Needless to say, the Christmas of 2008 will forever be seared in my family’s memories as the Throw Up Christmas. And yes, in case you were wondering, the rest of the family DID get sick in the days after…
BEST Christmas Gift
Honestly, I don’t know if I have an absolute best Christmas gift. I really do love and appreciate all the gifts I’ve gotten. One gift stands out though, because I don’t think I expected to get everything that went with it. So, I think the best Christmas present I ever got was my Happy Family Barbie family. It was a controversial toy, because the Barbie doll was pregnant, but my mom bought it for me anyway, because Y’ALL that’s why I wanted it! 😂 I remember they stopped selling her with the baby bump right around Christmas, and I was so worried I wasn’t going to get the one with the detachable belly. But, sure enough, Santa came through! I got the pregnant Barbie doll and her baby, and the dad and the big brother. And then, the icing on the cake was my grandparents bought be the Barbie grandparents and kitchen set!! 9 year old me was so hyped up, and I couldn’t believe I got the whole set! I just remember going to bed that Christmas thinking about how I truly got everything I had wished for, and I was just so appreciative.
I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas, and just an overall lovely day! I’d love to hear some of your favorite Christmas traditions and memories in the comments!Thanks for reading!
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Hello and Merry Christmas Eve! The big day is finally almost here! Welcome back to my final Countdown to Christmas of 2017. Countdown to Christmas is a weekly feature where I recommend a different Christmas-y book each week to read this holiday season.
Today’s book is The Child’s Christmas by Evelyn Sharp.
Members of an English country family experience the excitement and beauty of an old-fashioned Christmas season, in events leading from the early days of decoration and preparation through New Year’s Day and up to Twelfth Night.
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
The Child’s Christmas is such a festive and delightful book! It tells of all the various Christmas festivities in an old-fashioned, late 1800’s/early 1900’s setting. It was really fun reading about all the different activities! Also, I really appreciated that the book started in early December, and went all the way through January 5th, the 12th day of Christmas! Learning about all the different activities they did AFTER the 25th has only pushed my love for Christmas further. You can be sure I’ll still be celebrating Christmas until then, too! Overall, The Child’s Christmas is a fun and entertaining holiday book that I think people of all ages will enjoy!
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Title: Skipping Christmas by John Grisham
Pages: 198
Genres: Fiction, Christmas
Published by: Arrow (Nov. 6, 2004)
Summary
Imagine a year without Christmas. No crowded shops, no corny office parties, no fruitcakes, no unwanted presents. That’s just what Luther and Nora Krank have in mind when they decide that, just this once, they’ll skip the holiday altogether. Theirs will be the only house on the street without a rooftop Frosty the snowman; they won’t be hosting their annual Christmas Eve bash; they aren’t even going to have a tree. They won’t need one, because come December 25 they’re setting sail on a Caribbean cruise. But, as this weary couple is about to discover, skipping Christmas brings enormous consequences – and isn’t half as easy as they’d imagined.
A classic tale for modern times, Skipping Christmas offers a hilarious look at the chaos and frenzy that has become part of our holiday tradition.
I’ve been a fan of Christmas with the Kranks ever since it was released. It’s such a fun and lighthearted Christmas movie! That being said, I’ve never read the book that inspired the movie. It’s always been on my holiday TBRs in years past, but I just never got to it. Well, I’m so glad to say I finally did!
Hello! I was recently tagged by Taylor @ Taylor Is Reading for the Christmas Party book tag! Thank you so much, Taylor, this looks like SO much fun!
Okay, let’s get started:
First, Who’s Invited to Your Party?
I’m going to have to go with all the wonderful characters from Anne of Green Gables, and Little Women. I love how classic both of these books are, and yet still so relatable. Plus, both of these books have prominent Christmas scenes, and so I know these characters adore Christmas! 🎄
The Best Decorations in Town
A Book that has a Really Great Setting
In keeping with the holiday theme, I’m going to have to go with Clara Claus. The book takes place at the North Pole, and I think that would be a pretty great place to explore!
Rocking Around the Christmas Tree
A Book That Has a lot of Music in it
*Bonus Points if it’s Christmas Music*
It’s not Christmas music, but I love how music is incorporated so much throughout If I Stay, and its sequel, Where She Went.
The Obsessive Host
The Character that Freaks Out Over the Little Things
For this one I have to go with Mia Thermopolis from The Princess Diaries. I love her, but she does have a tendency to overreact. Not that I always blame her, but still, she likes to freak out.
The Ugly Sweater Couple
That Couple that’s Annoyingly Cute
Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe are my favorite couple! They’re so cute and so perfect for each and just, I love them! 😍
Who’s Eating All of Santa’s Cookies
A Character Known for How Much He/She Eats
I gotta go with my girl, Bess Marvin, from the Nancy Drew series! She is always hungry, and up for a good meal…just like me. 😂💁🏼
Who is Kissing Under the Mistletoe
The Book Couple That You Just Really Wish Would Get Together Already
I have to go with Emma and Arden from Regal Hearts! They’re so cute together, and would make the perfect couple!! 😍
Thanks again for tagging me, Taylor! This tag was such a blast to do!!
Thank you all so much for reading!
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Hello everyone! Today for Blogmas, I’m sharing another cookie baking recipe and experience. Last week I made Christmas bells, and here’s how it went:
This is another recipe that I found from Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book.
So, here’s all the ingredients I used:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
First, I preheated the oven to 375°, and I mixed the butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla.
Then, I mixed in the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Aftrer that, I took out about 1/3 of the dough, and put it in a separate bowl for later.
For the rest of the dough, I used food coloring and dyed it green. I put in about 7 or 8 drops.
Next, I took the green dough, and rolled it out into a long snake-like shape, and then shaped it [to the best of my abilities] like a bell.
Then, I put that dough in the fridge to chill. Meanwhile, I rolled out the remaining bit of the dough, although I left a small ball of dough to use as clappers for later.
The small dough left over for the clappers
After I rolled out the dough, I let it chill. Then, after all the dough was cold, I wrapped the rolled out dough over the green dough.
I would recommend chilling it a little bit, because for the next step, you slice the dough into cookies, and the dough squishes down. So, it’s a bit easier to cut if it’s slightly chilled. Then, after I sliced the cookies, I placed them on the cookie sheet, and used the extra dough to roll little tiny clappers.
Then the cookies baked for about 8 1/2 minutes.
Here’s how they turned out:
They actually turned out pretty well! I don’t know if they exactly look like bells, but I can kind of see it!
They tasted really delicious, too! They kind of reminded me of those Pillsbury holiday cookies. I really had fun making these!
Have you tried making Christmas Bells?
Thanks so much for reading!
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the calico books 