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I hope everyone enjoys their day and that the new year is even better. Happy Holidays! I'm very thankful that I get to share in the joy of reading with all of you. Looking forward to so many new posts in the new year.
"I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year"
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
This tag was created by Hailey in Bookland on her YouTube channel.
These books are going to all be books that I physically own.
1. A book set during Christmas
🌟 Father Christmas’s Fake Beard by Terry Pratchett- A short story collection filled with stories based around Christmas and winter.
The Christmas Story by Jean Shepherd- The book that the movie is based on.
The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand- A modern retelling of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.
Letters from Father Christmas by J. R. R. Tolkien- A great book to read to celebrate the holiday season. It is a collection of letters that Tolkien wrote to his children for 23 years, as Father Christmas. He created a world for Father Christmas, the elves, and the North Polar Bear. Along with the letters the book includes his stunning illustrations.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (The Herdmans #1) by Barbara Robinson- One of my absolute favorite Christmas stories. It's so great!
2. Five cold words
❄️ Ice: The Ice Dragon by George R. R. Martin- A novella for younger readers that I want to finally read next year.
Snow: Snow White and Other Grimms' Fairy Tales (MinaLima Edition) by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm- I love the MinaLima classic editions and this is one of my favorites. Such a beautiful edition of some of my favorite fairy tales.
Frost: Soul as Cold as Frost (The Winter Souls # 1) by Jennifer Kropf- A book I found at a book sale this year that is a fantasy Christmas book.
Cold: The Cold Is in Her Bones by Peternelle van Arsdale- This book is inspired by the myth of Medusa.
Winter: Wintersmith (Discworld #35) by Terry Pratchett- The 3rd book in the Tiffany Aching subseries. The Tiffany Aching books are some of the only young adult books in the Discworld series and they follow a young witch named Tiffany who is coming into her powers. She is being taught by many of the other witches in the series including Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg.
3. A red and green book cover
🕯️ The 13th Day of Christmas by Jason F Wright- A new book I just picked up at a book sale.
Castle Waiting Volume 1 by Linda Medley- I have to reread this series next year.
4. A character with a festive name
🔔 Belle from Rewitched (Rewitched #1) by Lucy Jane Wood- The main character's full name is Belladona but she goes by Belle.
5. A festive object
🎄The Christmas Tree on the cover for Miracle on 34th Street by Valentine Davies- I adored both versions of the movie growing up and I'm highly enjoying reading this novella today.
6. A book with baking in it
🍪 Heartless by Marissa Meyer- The first book that came to mind with this question. One of my favorite books with baking in it.
7. A book cover with a wintery scene
☃️ The Last Hero (Discworld #27) by Terry Pratchett- This is a book in the Discworld series that deals with the character Cohen the Barbarian who is a play on the character Conan the Barbarian.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia #2) by C. S. Lewis- One of the first covers that I thought of with a winter scene on the cover. Mr. Tumnus walking through the snow is one of the most iconic scenes.
Midnight in Everwood by M. A. Kuzniar- An adult retelling of "The Nutcracker."
Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan- I adore this book. It is a beautiful story about the love between a sister and a brother and the lengths she will go to for him. Megs' little brother George falls in love with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and wants Megs to find out where Narnia came from for C. S. Lewis. Megs goes to meet C.S. Lewis (who goes by Jack) to find the answer to her brother's question. Throughout the novel, Jack tells Megs about his life, and she tells her brother the story. I adored this novel with all my heart and soul.
8. A book cover with silver and gold
🧦 A Branch of Silver, a Branch of Gold (The Family of Night #1) by Anne Elisabeth Stengl- This is a retelling of the fairy tale "Twelve Dancing Princesses."
Hekate: The Witch (Goddesses of the Underworld #1) by Nikita Gill- One of my favorite books of the year. I adored this story and look forward to the rest of the books in the series.
9. A book that was a gift
🎁 The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien box set- I just received this box set for my Christmas gift from my parents a few years ago.
10. A title that describes how Christmas shopping feels
🦌 The Giver by Lois Lowry- A great book I read back in Middle School. I have to reread this sometime soon.
11. Spell Santa Claus using book titles
🎅 Searching for Dragons (The Enchanted Forest Chronicles #2) by Patricia C. Wrede- I just found out about this series very recently and then found this book at a book sale for 25 cents two days afterward. Guess it was fate. I hope to find the other books in the series too. I will definitely be reading this series next year.
Apprentice Needed (Wizard for Hire #2) by Obert Skye- I love the Wizard for Hire series by Obert Skye, especially the character Rin. My hope is that the author will return to this world someday. I'd love more adventures with Rin.
North is the Night (The Tuonela Duet #1) by Emily Rath- A winter book that I would like to read sometime soon.
Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher- Such an interesting take on the fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty." I adore T. Kingfisher's writing.
As You Wish by Cary Elwes- Makes me sad putting this in here after what happened to Rob Reiner and his wife. This is a wonderful book about the making of one of my favorite movies The Princess Bride.
Caught Running by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux- One of my favorite comfort books.
Landline by Rainbow Rowell- One of my favorite Rainbow Rowell books. It actually takes place right around Christmas. I cannot believe I read this almost ten years ago now. It doesn't feel like it's been that long.
At Midnight edited by Dahlia Adler- A short story collection of retellings of many different fairy tales written by popular young adult authors. It also includes a new fairy tale.
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune- I absolutely adore this book.
Secrets of the Looking Glass (The Lost Wonderland Diaries #2) by J. Scott Savage- The second book in one of my favorite series. It is a new take on the Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass books. They are wonderful and I highly recommend them to fans of the Lewis Carroll. I'm hoping J. Scott Savage eventually returns to this world.
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
Books On My Winter 2025-2026 TBR
I cannot believe this year is almost done and that we're already on the 2025-2026 Winter TBR. Here are ten of the books I would like to read during this season.
1. Newt's Emerald by Garth Nix
- A cozy Regency fantasy which I have owned for many years. This list is going to have many cozy fantasy stories. One of the many books on my 26 books to read in 2026 list.
2. Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett
- I fell in love with Heather's writing style earlier this year with the Emily Wilde series. This is another one of the books on my 26 in 2026 list. I have a physical ARC that I won from Heather Fawcett's newsletter and cannot wait to pick this up.
3. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
- Another classic I would like to read very soon.
4. The Great Disillusionment of Nick and Jay by Ryan Douglass
- This is a YA queer retelling of The Great Gatsby that I am so excited to get to in the winter. I have an ARC of it and will be reading it soon.
5. This Wretched Beauty: A Dorian Gray Remix by Elle Grenier
- I have loved the remixed classic series and have been hoping they would do a retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray for years! This book sounds absolutely incredible and I cannot wait to get to it.
6. Into the Midnight Wood by Alexandra McCollum
- A contemporary queer fairy tale that sounds like it is going to be so good.
7. The East Wind (The Four Winds #4) by Alexandria Warwick
- The final book in The Four Winds series. I cannot wait to finally finish this series and will be doing so soon with my ARC. This is a series I have enjoyed so much over the years.
8. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
- I have been wanting to read this book for many years and found it at a book sale just recently. It sounds absolutely wonderful and I cannot wait to finally read it. This is another book on my 26 in 2026 list.
9. S. by J.J. Abrams & Doug Dorst
-A book I have owned for a long time and plan on finally reading it next year. It is such an interestingly constructed book. Another book that is on my 26 in 2026 list.
10. Paladin's Grace (The Saint of Steel #1) by T. Kingfisher
- Next year, I plan on reading the entire The Saint of Steel series and will definitely read this book sometime in the winter.
This tag was created by The Artsy Reader Girl on her blog.
She created this tag in 2015 and does it on her blog every year. I decided to answer these questions based on the books that I read in 2025. You can do this or answer them with any books. Whichever you prefer.
1. “All I Want for Christmas Is You”: Favorite bookish couple.
🎄 Benny and Río from When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley- One of my favorite romances of the year. I absolutely adored the relationship between Benny and Río.
2. “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”: Name a book where a character is away from home (school, vacation, etc.).
🎶 Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery- I read this book in November and I absolutely adored it. Cannot wait to read the rest of the series next year.
3. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”: Name your favorite “little” book (children’s book, short story, novella, etc.).
🕯️ Daedalus is Dead by Seamus Sullivan- This book focuses on the aftermath of the myth of Icarus and Daedalus and how it affects on everyone. It is a brilliant retelling. One of my favorite aspects of a retelling is seeing the directions that a writer chooses to take such a well-known story. Seamus Sullivan did a wonderful job breathing new life into a myth I have loved most of my life. Utterly brilliant novella.
4. “Santa Claus is Coming to Town“: What book(s) do you hope Santa brings you this year?
☃️ The Collected Poems of J. R. R. Tolkien Box Set- I have been wanting this box set ever since it first came out last year. It has all of Tolkien's poems that span almost a 70 year time period.
5. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”: Which book turned your nose red (made you cry)?
🌟 The South Wind (The Four Winds #3) by Alexandria Warwick- This book had a lot of family trauma in it and made me emotional. I did not expect that it was going to make me cry.
6. “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”: Your favorite book/kind of book to read during the holidays.
🎅 Hogfather (Discworld #20) by Terry Pratchett- It has become a tradition for me to reread this book each year at Christmastime. Terry's writing always brings me such joy, especially this story. I will be reading this today for my birthday. Cannot wait!
7. “We Three Kings”: Your favorite trilogy/book from a trilogy (or feel free to fudge it and pick a book from a series).
❄️ Holy Terrors by Margaret Owen (Little Thieves #3) - The third and final book in the Little Thieves trilogy came out earlier this year and I adored it. It is one of the best trilogies I have ever read. Vanya became a favorite character of mine from her first introduction in Little Thieves many years ago. It has been a joy to see her growth throughout this trilogy.
Some of my favorite parts of these books are the little stories Vanja tells throughout and her relationship with Emeric. It was great to see them begrudgingly having to work together in this book. Their banter is my favorite and I will never get enough of it. Emeric is such a sweetheart. Their romance is everything to me.
I cannot recommend this series enough. It would definitely get six stars out of five from me. Perfect in every single way. Including Margaret's beautiful illustrations and the wonderful narration from Saskia Maarleveld. She has done a wonderful job narrating Vanya's world and her voice.
8. “Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow”: A character you would love to be snowed in with.
🔔 Hoid/Wit from the Cosmere books by Brandon Sanderson- I would love to have Hoid/Wit telling me stories while we are snowed in together. He is my favorite character that I read about this year, just like last year.
9. “Last Christmas”: A book that seriously let you down.
🎁 Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil by Oliver Darkshire- I went into this book believing I would absolutely adore it, but it just wasn't what I thought it would be. The interesting premise drew me in. Isabella is a protagonist who kept me invested in her story throughout the entire book, along with her grimalkin companion.
I just wish it would have solely focused on her learning magic instead of the goblin side plot. Also, I did not enjoy reading from the perspective of Mr. Nagg in the slightest. I'm not a fan of reading about men hating their wives so vehemently. He was just terrible to read about.
10. “White Christmas”: An upcoming release you’re dreaming about.
🦌 Seasons of Glass and Iron by Amal El-Mohtar- One of the many 2026 releases that I have been dreaming about is Amal El-Mohtar's story collection Seasons of Glass and Iron. I read her novella: The River Has Roots this year and highly enjoyed it. This short story collection sounds like it is going to be perfect.
