Christmas Spirit Update #4

So I failed at the movie watching, but surpassed my goal at the book reading! I’m calling this readathon a win!

My Goals:

• Read 6 Christmas related books (9/6)

• Review all books read (9/9)

• Watch 5 Christmas movies (2/5)

My TBR:

• Alaskan Holiday by Debbie Macomber ✓

• That Mistletoe Moment ✓

• Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand ✓

• Winter Stroll by Elin Hilderbrand ✓

• Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe by Melissa de la Cruz ✓

• Bell, Book, and Candlemas by Jennifer David Hesse

• Married for Christmas by Noelle Adams

• A Family for Christmas by Noelle Adams

• Christmas with You by Tracey Alvarez

• Christmas Lovebirds by Rachelle Ayala

• Christmas Light by Jolyse Barnett

• Christmas with the Black Sheep by Natalie Nicole Bates

• Once Upon a Royal Christmas by Robin Bielman

• A Match Made at Christmas by Patty Blount

• A Pirate for Christmas by Anna Campbell

• Her Christmas Bonus by Rain Danvers

• A Kiss of Christmas by Jillian Eaton

• Santa Baby, I Want a Bad Boy for Christmas by Justine Elvira

• My Christmas Curse by Joan Gable

• The Christmas Bargain by Shanna Hatfield

• A Cotswold Christmas by Kate Hewitt

• Melody’s Christmas by ID Johnson

• Once Upon a Christmas by Lisa Plumley

• A Christmas Gift by Stella Wilkinson ✓

• A Town Called Christmas by Stella Wilkinson ✓

• Mischief and Mistletoe ✓

• The Night Before Christmas ✓

The Night Before Christmas

Title: The Night Before Christmas

Author: Lori Foster, Jill Shalvis, Katherine Garbera, Erin McCarthy, Kathy Love, Kylie Adams

Publisher: Kensington 2005

Genre: Romance

Pages: 304

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Christmas Spirit

Six sexy Christmas tales--by Lori Foster, Erin McCarthy, Kathy Love, Jill Shalvis, Kylie Adams, and Katherine Garbera--come together in a seductive collection that will thaw the icicles off the eave, with stories of office romance, infatuation, lust, and fantasy

A very uneven collection of stories. I get that these are to be short stories, but most of them were too short. I wanted just a bit more substance before we got to the “I love you” stage of the story. I just wasn’t a huge fan of this collection. Oh well.

Next up on the TBR pile:

That Mistletoe Moment

Title: That Mistletoe Moment

Author: Cat Johnson, Kate Angell, Allyson Charles

Publisher: Kensington Books 2016

Genre: Romance

Pages: 265

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Christmas Spirit

MADE UP
Like a Christmas miracle, the Build a Boyfriend App lets you simply input the stats of your dream man, and witty texts, passionate emails, and hot Instagram pics start flooding in. No more awkward questions or pitying looks as you face the holidays alone!
 
MIXED UP
But even the best technology has its glitches. When real-life emotions come into play, this trio of twenty-somethings find themselves in a tangle of crossed signals, flying wrapping paper, disastrous Christmas parties…and surprising kisses.
 
MATCHED UP
Yet despite the confusion of their mistletoe misadventures, when the New Year dawns, these very satisfied women just may find themselves waking up with true love beside them.

“A Boyfriend by Christmas” by Cat Johnson — Such a cute story. I really loved Noelle and her joy at Christmas. And the entire plot line, while predictable, was just the right amount of sweetness and meet-cute. Loved it!

“All I Want for Christmas is…” by Kate Angell — Another fun and cute story. I loved Riley and Daniel. The ending was a bit much for me, but I still enjoyed the story.

“Her Favorite Present” by Allyson Charles — My least favorite of the three stories, but it was still really good. Loved Rachel even if Gabe wasn’t the best male protagonist.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Mistletoe and Mischief

Title: Mistletoe and Mischief

Author: Melanie Karsak, Margo Bond Collins, Erin Hayes, Blaire Edens, Pauline Creeden, Jayne Fury, Katie Hayoz, S.K> Gregory, Evan Winters, Carrie L. Wells, Bokerah Brumley, Anna Albergucci, T.K. Bradley, Angelique Archer, J. Mills, Deb Christie, Ella Malone

Publisher: 2017

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 392

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Christmas Spirit Readathon

Sixteen magical holiday stories from NY Times and USA Today bestsellers and award-winning authors are sure to get you in the holiday spirit. This collection will whisk you from Christmas season in steampunk London to Yule celebrations with the coven to Hanukkah celebrations with a supernatural twist. Battle Krampus, ghosts, vampires, demons, and a hell of an eggnog hangover in this special collection of paranormal, horror, urban fantasy, and steampunk holiday tales.

This collection was such a mixed bag. There were a few good stories, but many of them were clearly part of a series and presented with limited background info. I just didn’t understand the worlds I was being thrown into. Those stories really brought my star rating down. My favorite story was actually the very first one. Loved the alternate London full of monsters and interested characters. Loved that one!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Christmas Bucket List Update #3

We’ve been knocking out some fun holiday items this past week.

1. Make Christmas Cookies ✓

2. Watch 5 Christmas movies

   1. The Polar Express

   2. Scrooged

3. Decorate our new house

4. Make hot cocoa

5. Buy fun candy canes

6. Read “A Christmas Carol”

7. Build a snowman

8. Create snow angels ✓

9. Create a popcorn garland

10. Create paper snowflakes

11. Have a snowball fight

12. Donate to a toy drive ✓

13. Sing Christmas carols

14. Build a gingerbread house ✓

15. Drive around and see the lights ✓ - The boys and I went to the Fantasy of Lights Friday night. They loved it.

16. Go visit Santa

17. Send out Christmas cards ✓

18. Read 5 Christmas stories ✓

    1. Alaskan Holiday

    2. Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe

    3. A Town Called Christmas

    4. A Christmas Gift

    5. Mischief and Mistletoe

19. Leave out cookies for Santa

20. Go to Christmas at the zoo

21. See a Christmas performance

22. Buy a special ornament

23. Take a photo of all four boys together

24. Try a new holiday coffee drink

25. Find a new holiday album ✓

Next up on the TBR pile:

Christmas Spirit Update #3

My Goals:

• Read 6 Christmas related books (6/6)

• Review all books read (6/6)

• Watch 5 Christmas movies (2/5)

My TBR:

• Alaskan Holiday by Debbie Macomber ✓

• That Mistletoe Moment (in progress)

• Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand ✓

• Winter Stroll by Elin Hilderbrand ✓

• Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe by Melissa de la Cruz ✓

• Bell, Book, and Candlemas by Jennifer David Hesse

• Married for Christmas by Noelle Adams

• A Family for Christmas by Noelle Adams

• Christmas with You by Tracey Alvarez

• Christmas Lovebirds by Rachelle Ayala

• Christmas Light by Jolyse Barnett

• Christmas with the Black Sheep by Natalie Nicole Bates

• Once Upon a Royal Christmas by Robin Bielman

• A Match Made at Christmas by Patty Blount

• A Pirate for Christmas by Anna Campbell

• Her Christmas Bonus by Rain Danvers

• A Kiss of Christmas by Jillian Eaton

• Santa Baby, I Want a Bad Boy for Christmas by Justine Elvira

• My Christmas Curse by Joan Gable

• The Christmas Bargain by Shanna Hatfield

• A Cotswold Christmas by Kate Hewitt

• Melody’s Christmas by ID Johnson

• Once Upon a Christmas by Lisa Plumley

• A Christmas Gift by Stella Wilkinson ✓

• A Town Called Christmas by Stella Wilkinson ✓

• Mischief and Mistletoe (in progress)

• The Night Before Christmas (in progress)

Life Right Now #40

As I look outside my window: Another gray day in Indiana. It’s December, so of course it’s gray.

Right now I am: Lounging at my mom’s house. We’re all going to see a movie later (Ralph Breaks the Internet), but until then, we’re relaxing.

On my bedside table: Coffee Talk; The Devil in the White City; The Clockmaker’s Daughter

On my tv this week: Not much of anything. I did finish S1 of Riverdale.

Listening to: Podcasts mostly. On the drive from Nebraska, I listened to some Presidential. I also ran through a few holiday albums.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Christmas Eve dinner (ham, potatoes, etc)

• Tuesday - Christmas Day dinner (lasagna)

• Wednesday - Dinner with my dad, stepmom, sister, nephew (pizza)

• Thursday - Tacos

• Friday - Out somewhere

• Saturday - Traveling

• Sunday - No idea (we’ll be home, but I have no plans yet)

On my to do list: Just enjoy the season. Really I don’t have many tasks other than have Christmas fun.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Christmas Eve with the family

• Tuesday - Christmas Day with the family

• Wednesday - Christmas with my dad

• Thursday - Shopping with the twins

• Friday - Morning playdate with friends; afternoon get together with other friends

• Saturday - Travel day home

• Sunday - Penguins and Pancakes at the zoo

What I am creating: Working on my December Daily album and holiday albums. Not going to get these down this week (December’s not over!), but I do want to make some headway while in Indiana.

My simple pleasures: Peppermint anything; twinkly lights; popcorn and hot chocolate at the drive-thru lights; quiet moments

From the camera: We always have to go to the Fantasy of Lights. I love the gingerbread house!

Strange Weather by Joe Hill

Title: Strange Weather

Author: Joe Hill

Publisher: William Morrow 2017

Genre: Horror

Pages: 448

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Reading Assignment; Popsugar - Weather

A collection of four chilling novels, ingeniously wrought gems of terror from the brilliantly imaginative, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Fireman, Joe Hill.

"Snapshot" is the disturbing story of a Silicon Valley adolescent who finds himself threatened by "The Phoenician," a tattooed thug who possesses a Polaroid Instant Camera that erases memories, snap by snap.

Thoroughly creepy story. I loved the fantastic imagery, especially the scene with the lightning storm. This story reminds a lot of NOS4A2. I definitely had a few disturbing dreams after readying this one.

A young man takes to the skies to experience his first parachute jump. . . and winds up a castaway on an impossibly solid cloud, a Prospero’s island of roiling vapor that seems animated by a mind of its own in "Aloft."

An interesting character study of a sorts. I really loved the concept of an alien entity creating Aubry’s heart’s desires. The reveal on the cloud was perfect. And the ending was lots of fun.

On a seemingly ordinary day in Boulder, Colorado, the clouds open up in a downpour of nails—splinters of bright crystal that shred the skin of anyone not safely under cover. "Rain" explores this escalating apocalyptic event, as the deluge of nails spreads out across the country and around the world.

My absolute favorite story from the volume. Very creepy, very suspenseful, great characters. I sped through this story not being able to wait to see what happened to Honeysuckle and assorted company.

In "Loaded," a mall security guard in a coastal Florida town courageously stops a mass shooting and becomes a hero to the modern gun rights movement. But under the glare of the spotlights, his story begins to unravel, taking his sanity with it. When an out-of-control summer blaze approaches the town, he will reach for the gun again and embark on one last day of reckoning.

My least favorite of the bunch. I just really didn’t love the storyline or any of the characters. There have been too many mass shootings and general gun violence for me to enjoy reading this story.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Winter TBR

Let's see how I did with my Fall TBR (6/10):

1. Stealing Fire by Jo Graham

2. An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin ✓

3. Bellman and Black by Diane Setterfield

4. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer ✓

5. Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye

6. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde ✓

7. Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant ✓

8. Strange Weather by Joe Hill ✓

9. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

10. One more comic! ✓

Winter TBR: I’m going with some of the books that I meant to read in 2018 and didn’t quite get around to it!

1. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

2. In the Hurricane’s Eye by Nathaniel Philbrick

3. The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton

4. The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar

5. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

6. Zorro by Isabel Allende

7. Chronicles of St. Mary’s series by Jodi Taylor

8. Ghostland by Colin Dickey

9. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

10. Eruption by Steve Olson

Next up on the TBR pile:

Videos for the Holidays

Very haunting score. Love it.

These little videos kill me!

Hahahahahaha

I’m always here for a giant monster movie, especially Godzilla!

Hmm… This could be interesting

De Niro is just lovely as Mueller

And for the big one:

A Town Called Christmas by Stella Wilkinson

Title: A Town Called Christmas

Author: Stella Wilkinson

Publisher: Amazon 2017

Genre: Romance

Pages: 68

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Christmas Spirit

Returning home for the festivities isn’t high on Dulcie’s wish list. But it soon becomes obvious that she's needed, mainly to sort out the love lives of the boys she grew up with. They all seem to be involved with exactly the wrong person. Can Dulcie untangle them in time for Christmas, and maybe even find love herself?

Very cute little Christmas story. I loved the all the characters and the plotline. It was a little week on really fleshing out the characters, but it is a short story. Still an enjoyable read!

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Christmas Gift by Stella Wilkinson

Title: A Christmas Gift

Author: Stella Wilkinson

Publisher: Amazon 2014

Genre: Romance

Pages: 32

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Christmas Spirit

Holly and Caleb had been best friends as children, growing up on the same street, but as teenagers they couldn't be further apart. When Caleb unexpectedly asked Holly to help him pick out a Christmas gift for his girlfriend, neither of them anticipated where it would lead.

Such a cute little short story. I love these short Christmas themed romances in December. I picked this one up for free on Kindle, but I would definitely continue reading these sweet stories from Wilkinson.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Winter Stroll by Elin Hilderbrand

Title: Winter Stroll (Winter #2)

Author: Elin Hilderbrand

Publisher: Brown and Company 2015

Genre: Romance

Pages: 261

Stars: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Christmas Spirit Readathon

Another Christmas on Nantucket finds Winter Street Inn owner Kelley Quinn reflecting on the past year as he writes a holiday letter to friends and family. Though the year has had its share of misfortune and worry, the Quinns have much to celebrate. Kelley, now single, at least is on better terms with his first wife Margaret, who is using her celebrity to lure customers to the inn in record numbers. Their son Kevin has a beautiful new baby, Genevieve, with the Inn's French housekeeper, Isabelle; and their daughter, Ava, is finally dating a nice guy--her devoted colleague, Scott. 

Now the Quinns are looking forward to celebrating Genevieve's baptism, welcoming Isabelle to the family, and enjoying the cheer of Nantucket's traditional Christmas Stroll. But just when a peaceful family gathering seems within reach, Kelley's estranged second wife, Mitzi, shows up on the island after souring on her relationship with the inn's former Santa Claus. Soon Kelley isn't the only Quinn entertaining a surprise guest from Christmases past as lovers old and new gather beneath the mistletoe. With jealousy, passion, and eggnog consumption at an all-time high, it's going to take a whole lot more than a Christmas miracle to get the Quinns--and the inn--through the holidays intact. 

Another Christmas themed book that I sped through in two days. I really am falling for the Quinn family. I felt so bad for Isabelle and Kevin in this volume. Ava annoyed the crap out of me.(Seriously woman! Get it together!) It was nice to hear from Jennifer and even Mitzi (although she’s is definitely not a favorite). I think my favorite character of this volume was Margaret. Really loving her. I can’t wait to see what happens next in the series!

Winter:

• #1 Winter Street

• #2 Winter Stroll

• #3 Winter Storms

• #4 Winter Solstice

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Grace Carter "Why Her Not Me"

Oh my! Her voice is just amazing!

Christmas Bucket List Update #2

We’ve been knocking out some fun holiday items this past week.

1. Make Christmas Cookies

2. Watch 5 Christmas movies

3. Decorate our new house

4. Make hot cocoa

5. Buy fun candy canes

6. Read “A Christmas Carol”

7. Build a snowman

8. Create snow angels ✓

9. Create a popcorn garland

10. Create paper snowflakes

11. Have a snowball fight

12. Donate to a toy drive ✓

13. Sing Christmas carols

14. Build a gingerbread house - We made a gingerbread train and it actually stayed up for a few minutes before the kids destroyed it. ✓

15. Drive around and see the lights

16. Go visit Santa

17. Send out Christmas cards ✓

18. Read 5 Christmas stories - In progress! So far, I’ve read 4 stories set in winter/Christmas.

19. Leave out cookies for Santa

20. Go to Christmas at the zoo

21. See a Christmas performance

22. Buy a special ornament

23. Take a photo of all four boys together

24. Try a new holiday coffee drink

25. Find a new holiday album ✓ — I grabbed the newest Pentatonix Christmas is Here! and am really digging it.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Christmas Spirit Update #2

My Goals:

• Read 6 Christmas related books (3/6)

• Review all books read (3/3)

• Watch 5 Christmas movies (0/5)

My TBR:

• Alaskan Holiday by Debbie Macomber ✓

• That Mistletoe Moment

• Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand ✓

• Winter Stroll by Elin Hilderbrand (in progress)

• Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe by Melissa de la Cruz ✓

• Bell, Book, and Candlemas by Jennifer David Hesse

• Married for Christmas by Noelle Adams

• A Family for Christmas by Noelle Adams

• Christmas with You by Tracey Alvarez

• Christmas Lovebirds by Rachelle Ayala

• Christmas Light by Jolyse Barnett

• Christmas with the Black Sheep by Natalie Nicole Bates

• Once Upon a Royal Christmas by Robin Bielman

• A Match Made at Christmas by Patty Blount

• A Pirate for Christmas by Anna Campbell

• Her Christmas Bonus by Rain Danvers

• A Kiss of Christmas by Jillian Eaton

• Santa Baby, I Want a Bad Boy for Christmas by Justine Elvira

• My Christmas Curse by Joan Gable

• The Christmas Bargain by Shanna Hatfield

• A Cotswold Christmas by Kate Hewitt

• Melody’s Christmas by ID Johnson

• Once Upon a Christmas by Lisa Plumley

• A Christmas Gift by Stella Wilkinson (in progress)

• A Town Called Christmas by Stella Wilkinson (in progress)

Life Right Now #39

As I look outside my window: The sun is shining and the snow is melting. Now our streets and yards look gross instead of a pretty winter wonderland.

Right now I am: Trying not to cough over breakfast. This sickness is just sticking around… Hoping it’s gone before we travel on Wednesday.

On my bedside table: A Poisoned Season by Tasha Alexander; That Mistletoe Moment; The Night Before Christmas; The Firemaster’s Mistress by Christie Dickason

On my tv this week: We finished this season of Doctor Who; sad it was a short season. I’ve almost finished S1 of Riverdale. Seriously I love it so much! Hoping to knock out that last few episodes before we leave on Wednesday. J and I started watching The Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj. One big topic each show. Really digging it, but I have to say the Amazon episode depressed me.

Listening to: Catching up on my current podcasts (NPR Politics, Pod Save America, What Should I Read Next, Reading Glasses), starting a new one (This Podcast Will Kill You), and downloading a favorite to relisten on our drive to Indiana (Presidential).

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Apple Bacon Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

• T uesday - Chicken Parmesan

• Wednesday -Sunday - We will be in Indiana for Christmas. Not sure of dinner plans yet.

On my to do list: Packing!!! We leave on Wednesday after school. I need to get everything sorted and packed. Plus I have a few travel tasks to complete before we leave: wrap presents, make cookies, clean out the van, stop at Trader Joe’s for specials, and drop off the library books.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Arthur school; Quentin Romp n Roll Class

• Tuesday - Arthur and Quentin Romp n Roll Classes

• Wednesday - Arthur school; we leave for Indiana

• Thursday - Still traveling; Putnam Museum in Davenport IA

• Friday - Possible Science Central Visit

• Saturday - Get twins; Fantasy of Lights drive thru

• Sunday - Chill day

What I am creating: I finished all of the Christmas cards last week, so now I’m on to prepping the Holiday Albums and my December Daily. I was going to put my DD in the big family Project Life album, but at the minute I switched it up to a separate 6” x 8” album. So now I’m back to rearranging my supply box.

My simple pleasures: Being able to breath for five minutes without coughing.

Looking around the house: Our basement has drywall again, but no flooring yet. Beyond the basement, I need to do a cleaning sweep of the house before we leave.

From the camera: Cookie decorating at Romp n Roll on Friday night. It was fun until Q had enough and lost it.

Z-Burbia by Jake Bible

Title: Z-Burbia (Z-Burbia #1)

Author: Jake Bible

Publisher: Severed Press 2013

Genre: Horror

Pages: 228

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: What’s in a Name - Starts with Z; A to Z - Z; Seasonal Series - Break My Heart

Whispering Pines is a classic, quiet, private American subdivision on the edge of Asheville, NC, set in the pristine Blue Ridge Mountains. Which is good since the zombie apocalypse has come to Western North Carolina and really put suburban living to the test! 
Surrounded by a sea of the undead, the residents of Whispering Pines have adapted their bucolic life of block parties to scavenging parties, common area groundskeeping to immediate area warfare, neighborhood beautification to neighborhood fortification. 

But, even in the best of times, suburban living has its ups and downs what with nosy neighbors, a strict Home Owners’ Association, and a property management company that believes the words “strict interpretation” are holy words when applied to the HOA covenants. Now with the zombie apocalypse upon them even those innocuous, daily irritations quickly become dramatic struggles for personal identity, family security, and straight up survival.

Welcome to normal life in Z-Burbia!

Eh. I’m going to say this one is pretty boring. Not enough character development. Not enough zombies. Too much swearing (and this coming from someone who curses like a sailor). I was just pretty bored through most of this story. I know it’s the first in a series, but I’m going to say that this series will not be one I will be continuing. Just pretty boring to me.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand

Title: Winter Street (Winter #1)

Author: Elin Hilderbrand

Publisher: Back Bay Books 2014

Genre: Romance

Pages: 249

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Seasonal Series - Leaf as Bookmark; Christmas Spirit Readathon

Kelley Quinn is the owner of Nantucket's Winter Street Inn and the proud father of four grown children: Patrick, a hedge fund manager; Kevin, a bartender; Ava, a school teacher; and Bart, who has recently shocked everyone by joining the Marines. As Christmas approaches, Kelley looks forward to spending the holidays with his family at the inn. But when he walks in on his wife Mitzi kissing another man, utter chaos descends, and things only get more interesting when Kelley's ex-wife, news anchor Margaret Quinn, arrives on the scene. 

Before the mulled cider is gone, the delightfully dysfunctional Quinn family will survive a love triangle, an unplanned pregnancy, a federal crime, and endless rounds of Christmas caroling in this heart-warming novel about coming home for the holidays.

Going into this book, I thought it was going to be a fun and fluffy romance. Not quite. This volume had much more serious topics, plot points, and issues. Once i got into the story, I was very interested in seeing the progress of each character. I especially fell for Margaret. Such a contradiction! Now I’m intrigued as to what happens next with the Quinn family.

Winter:

• #1 Winter Street

• #2 Winter Stroll

• #3 Winter Storms

• #4 Winter Solstice

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• Feels good to have our travel plans set! Now to get on with packing…

• Our basement is still in shambles after flooding two weeks ago. Hope it gets down by the time I return from Indiana.

• Finishing out the year strong with my reading. I’m already over my big GoodReads goal of 200 books. Shooting for 210!

• Looking forward to getting my TBR pile for 2019 ready.

• Loving getting Christmas cards from lots of friends and family.

• After yesterday’s Costco trip, our pantry is bursting. I need to get a better organizational system in place.

• I think I need to pick up one more small presents for the littles.

Next up on the TBR pile: