Quote of the Month:

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Wednesday, January 1, 2025

December Reads

 🎄 December Reviews 🎁

December 1st-31st

Ended the year with 23 reads and many new favorites.

Book 133: Snowed In For Christmas

By F. A. Ray

Read November 30th- December 1st

Pages: 191

Release Year: 2024

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I will always be a sucker for stories about two characters being snowed in together and falling in love. It did take me a bit to get into this book because of Ben and Jett’s personalities. I wasn’t so sure about them starting a relationship, especially with how they were with each other. But that all changed as they both let their guards down and shown their true selves. This was such a sweet enemies-to-lovers story. Definitely a great book to kick off my holiday reads. 

*Thank you to the author for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*

Book 134: I Shall Never Fall in Love

By Hari Conner

Read December 2nd

Pages: 288

Release Year: 2024 

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 I have read many of Hari Conner’s stories over the years and have loved each of them. When I saw that they wrote a trans Regency era romance, I knew I had to pick it up. This was an absolutely wonderful story. Hari’s illustrations are stunning and I could not get enough of Eleanor and George’s story. I also enjoyed the inclusion of LGBTQ history at the end of the story. Definitely, highly recommend picking this one up.  


*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*

Book 135: Lore Olympus: Volume Six

By Rachel Smythe

Read December 3rd

Pages: 432

Release Year: 2024

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Love this series so much! Another great volume and I really love Hera's story in this.

Book 136: Lore Olympus: Volume Seven

By Rachel Smythe

Read December 4th

Pages: 416

Release Year: 2024

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Lore Olympus is one of my favorite takes on Greek Mythology. I love how Rachel has taken Hades and Persephone’s story in each of these volumes. They just keep getting better as they go.

Book 137: The Marvelous Land of Snergs

By Veronica Cossanteli

Read December 5th

Pages: 307

Release Year: 2022

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Such a fun story. I had a great time listening to Stephen Fry’s narration of this book. I haven’t read the original but I enjoyed this version of it. The original was where Tolkien got the idea for The Hobbit. This also had me thinking of other fantasy classics such as L. Frank Baum’s Oz books, Diana Wynne Jones, and so many others.
 
Book 138: Snowed In: 
A MM Romance Charity Anthology

By Kiki Clark, Nora Phoenix, EM Lindsey, Nicole Dykes,

Crea Reitan, A.M. Johnson, Dianna Roman, Cora Rose,

Kelly Fox, and Lark Taylor

Read December 6th-7th

Pages: 514

Release Year: 2024

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A collection of one of my favorite tropes. I enjoyed almost every single story in this anthology.
 
Book 139: Home Between Homes

By Flynn Woods

Read December 7th-8th

Pages:186

Release Year: 2024

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Such a sweet book! I adored Noah and Jack’s story and will definitely be picking up the other books in the Seastone Seasons series.
 
Book 140: A Kiss for the Holidays

By C.S. Autumn

Read December 8th

Pages: 113

Release Year: 2024

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I enjoyed Asher and Dalton’s story quite a lot but I do wish there was a bit more time spent building up their relationship in this. Definitely enjoyed the friends to lovers aspects of this story. Also, the ending was perfection.

Book 141: A Baby For Christmas

By Keira Andrews

Read December 9th

Pages: 152

Release Year: 2024

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An adorable story with the cutest baby.

Book 142: Several People Are Typing

By Calvin Kasulke

Read November 18th- December 9th

Pages: 256

Release Year: 2021

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One of the weirdest stories I have ever read, but it was worth every minute of it.

Book 143: Holiday Heart Strings

By N. R. Walker

Read December 12th-13th

Pages: 342

Release Year: 2023

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The magic of the Harbridge Christmas books hits me hard every year with so many joyful feelings. This time around was a bit different for me. Maybe because I relate heavily with what Colson is dealing with throughout most of the book. I laughed just as much as usual but this also had me crying quite a bit because of the emotions it was bringing up for me. 

Holiday Heart Strings might just be my favorite of the series so far and that’s saying something because I adore these books. N. R. Walker has created a little town that is great visiting every year. I loved Colson and Braithe’s story. They were a sweet couple and I adored watching them fall in love.

There were a lot of emotions in this, especially Colson dealing with coming out. He’s grappling with that along with falling for a man who is only supposed to be in town for a month. Braithe is such a lovely character, who is so supportive in everything Colson is going through. I could feel their chemistry instantly and loved watching their romance grow.

It was great to get more of the previous couples from the other books. Hamish will always be an absolute joy to read about in these stories and I’m glad he is featured so much in this book. I will always love the running joke of Gay Cupid and Santa working together to get these men to fall for each other every year in Hartbridge. Their friend group is such a great example of found family. Beautiful!

I’m looking forward to reading the next book very soon, especially after meeting one of the love interests in this. Great intro to Soren.

Book 144: A Christmas Story

By Jean Shepherd

Read December 15th

Pages: 144

Release Year: 1983

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A humorous collection of autobiographical short stories based on Jean Shepherd’s life, from the fictional perspective of Ralph Parker. It is told through vignettes of various events during Ralphie’s childhood, from the perspective of his older self thinking back to the time. Through Ralphie’s stories, Jean shows the magic of Christmas (along with some other times) from the viewpoint of a child.

They are not told in sequential order as you would think going into to this from the movie. That didn’t bother me in the slightest but it may for those who do not know. It makes sense in the case of this book because it is meant to be memories that the older Ralphie is reminiscing about. This made me nostalgic, especially for Christmas past. It had me laughing but also made me miss my own dad.
 
Book 145: Snowed In: Anthology

Edited by J. M. Snyder

Read December 14th-15th

Pages: 377

Release Year: 2021

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Ross and Ashton- ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~ I read this story about five years ago, but didn’t remember it at all. This was probably my least favorite from the collection. I did enjoy the ending of it though.

Jude and Cal- ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~ I like that this collection wasn’t just contemporary romance stories. Jude and Cal’s story was a science fiction romance that I enjoyed.

Kit and Harry-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~ This is a great historical fiction story with paranormal aspects. Loved the world building and the budding relationship with Kit and Harry. Only reason it wasn’t five stars is because it was too short. Would have loved more of their story.

Sam and Lincoln- ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~ Another story I liked but didn’t love. I do like the friends-to-lovers aspects of this though.

Jonah and Cooper- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~ The best story from this anthology. I absolutely loved Johan and Cooper’s story. Their dynamic was my favorite out of this collection and I adored reading about them.

Shawn and Logan- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~ A cute story, with the daughter, dog, and hamster helping get these two together.
 
Book 146: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

By Barbara Robinson

Read December

Pages: 81

Release Year: 1972

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An absolutely charming and hilarious story. I read this story for the first time back in middle school and I definitely remembered it as the story continued. Loved the Herdman's take on the Christmas story.
 
Book 147: The Story of Gumluck The Wizard: Book One

By Adam Rex

Read December 16th

Pages: 140

Release Year: 2023

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One of the cutest books I have read in a long time. I loved following the little wizard, Gumluck’s adventures as he tries to help out the townspeople in the best way he can. Helvetica, the sarcastic raven, was a perfect narrator for the story. Also, the little nods to other classic stories were great. I am looking forward to picking up the rest of this series. A perfect book to pick up for your younger readers.

*Thank you to Edelweiss for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*
 
Book 148: Slaughterhouse-Five

By Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Read December 19th

Pages: 275

Release Year: 1969

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The parts of this review that are in red are semi-spoilerly.
 
One of the strangest and most thought-provoking books I have ever read. Part autobiographical, part historical fiction, and part science fiction. Billy's story deals with the horrors of war, a search for meaning in life, being displaced in time, and alien abduction. The non-chronological storytelling made this a masterpiece.
 
I love how the reader is never quite sure if the displacement/alien abduction was all a creation of Billy's mind to help cope with the horrific events he dealt with or if it was all real. Vonnegut never gives a definitive answer and I like that a lot. 

I believe he is showing through Billy's story, how he (Vonnegut) was never able to move on from what occurred in Dresden. It's why he spends over 20 years trying to write this book and why it was so important to him.

A month ago today, my father passed away and I couldn't stop thinking of him while reading this book. He was a big history buff and I wish I could have discussed it with him. This is an antiwar book, but there is so much more to the story. I loved the discussions Billy has, especially with the aliens. Yes, my father is no longer here physically but his memory lives on with all who loved and knew him. All those memories still exist and just like Billy, it feels almost like I'm there with Dad. Such a beautiful sentiment. 

This book is absolutely brilliant and I know I will be thinking about it for a long time. It has made me want to pick up more of Vonnegut's works.
 
Book 149: Harvey Kurtzman's Marley's Ghost

Expanded by Gideon Kendall, Josh O'Neill, and Shannon Wheeler

Based on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Read December 21st

Pages: 136

Release Year: 2024

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A Christmas Carol is a story I have loved for most of my life. My first introduction to the tale was with Mickey’s Christmas Carol when I was a child. Over the years, I have read and watched countless renditions and I just love the story even more each time.

I had a great time reading through this graphic novel adaptation of the story. The illustrations were stunning and fit very well with Scrooge’s adventure. It keeps with the story beats for the most part and also has many of the famous original lines. My favorite graphic novel adaptations are ones like this which are able to keep the story intact but make it fit for the medium. This does a great job.

A beautiful rendition which I highly recommend. I know this will be a book I will pick up again in Christmases yet to come.

*Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*
 
Book 150: The Dog Who Followed The Moon

By James Norbury

Read December 27th

Pages: 176

Release Year: 2024

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This is my favorite of James Norbury’s books so far. The story was beautiful, heartwarming, and heartbreaking. His illustrations are always stunning and they were just as much this time around. James’s books are a piece of heart that I highly recommend.
 
Book 151: And So This is Christmas: 
51 Seasonally Adjusted Poems

By Brian Bilston

Read December 28th

Pages: 83

Release Year: 2023

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A great collection of poetry. I love Brian’s wit and way he formats many of these poems. These are festive, funny, and often times touching.
 
Book 152: A Christmas Carol

By Charles Dickens

Read December 4th- 29th

Pages: 160

Release Year: 1843

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December 4th-29th, 2024 reread- 
I had a great time listening to the audio advent calendar (made by The Merry Beggars) throughout this entire month and following along with the book. It will always be one of my favorite traditions to revisit A Christmas Carol every year.

December 23rd, 2022 reread- 
I do not know how many times I have heard/read/ or seen this story over the years, but it is and always will be one of my absolute favorite stories. It is the quintessential Christmas story I have to experience at least once every year. There are so many incredible movie versions of this tale. I love this visual journey through the story. It was wonderful.

December 15th, 2021 reread- 
This is not the second time I have read or experienced this incredible story. I don't know how many times I have, but I adore it more and more every time I do. This time around, I listened to a version done by the BTE (a theatre from where I live), which was absolutely amazing. I cannot get enough of this story.

December 7th, 2017 reread- 
I have read, watched, and listened to this story so many times I could probably recite every plot point. It will never get old for me. I first fell in love with this story when I was a child with Mickey's Christmas Carol. I do not know how many times I have consumed A Christmas Carol, but most likely, it's been over thirty.

You have probably heard of this story before, but for those that have not, I'll give a quick synopsis. We follow Ebenezer Scrooge and his encounters with four ghosts on Christmas Eve. Scrooge has lived a good part of his life mean-spirited. He is an arrogant, insensitive, and quite a cold miser, who spends every day miserable at the world around him. His old friend Jacob Marley (who has been dead for seven years) comes as a ghost that night to give Scrooge a chance to change his ways, so he doesn't end up like Marley. Marley has been doomed to wander the earth as a spirit, to carry the burden of his sins in the chains on his back forever.

The other three ghosts that Scrooge encounters are Christmases past, present, and future. They each help him see the errors in his actions and help show the overall message of this story. A Christmas Carol is known for its story and Scrooge's redemption. We want him to succeed; at least, I know that I do. Yes, he is a curmudgeon, but that does not mean there is no room for change. Like I have said before, I grew up with Mickey's Christmas Carol. One of my favorite characters from Disney cartoons was Scrooge McDuck. It was great getting introduced to this famous literary character through him, especially since Scrooge McDuck is based on Ebenezer.

As we follow Scrooge through his journey through his past, present, and a possible future, we learn a good amount about him. He is never really as cold-hearted as he seems. There are many glimpses of a softer side to Scrooge that shows that he really could change. Our other characters, such as Bob Cratchett and his family, are also a joy to read about. This is a family that has hardly any money, but they can still see the joy of Christmas. Spending time with their family is the most important thing to them. The ghosts are also each distinct from each other and bring about some quite interesting scenes.

This novel just brings a warm feeling to my heart every time I read it. This story is a favorite of mine that I know will never change. It's a classic for a very good reason. If you have not taken the time to enjoy this before now, please pick it up in some fashion. I believe that you will enjoy the overall message and get something out of it.

 
Book 153: Hogfather

By Terry Pratchett

Read December 29th

Pages: 357

Release Year: 1996

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December 29th, 2024 reread-  
Hogfather is one of my top 10 favorite books of all time and each time I reread it, that is made even more clear. I adore this story with all my heart, especially the humor and the messages. This book focuses on Death, the wizards of the Unseen University, and Susan. I love how each of these subplots makes up the story and the hilarity that ensues from the part they play. It has become the quintessential book I have to read at this time of the year. 
 
“She'd become a governess. It was one of the few jobs a known lady could do. And she'd taken to it well. She'd sworn that if she did indeed ever find herself dancing on rooftops with chimney sweeps she'd beat herself to death with her own umbrella.” - One of my favorite Discworld quotes. Makes me laugh every time.

December 22nd-23rd, 2022 review-
Now, after reading every one of Terry Pratchett's books, I can say with great certainty that this book is my favorite from the series. It is one of the books that I could read over and over again. And I still never get tired of it. Terry has written what has become one of the quintessential books I feel like I have to reread every year around Christmas. I love how into Hogswatch Death gets and how he wants to make it better for everyone. The references are wonderful and always a joy to read. This is just a perfect book for me in every single way.

December 23rd, 2020 review-
This is the second time I have read this book, and I can confidently say this is still my favorite book in the series. The humor, discussions on life, humanity, belief, and countless references make this book perfect. Terry had such a way with words that was just amazing. Everything fits perfectly.

His discussions on belief throughout the series are some of the best sections of his writing. Whether that be about Gods or in this case the amphomorphic figures such as the Hogfather (the "Santa Claus" of the Discworld). Death especially has a lot of great lines about the importance of belief to humanity. He gets a lot wrong when he is trying to understand humans in general, but he understands them in a way that a lot never will. I always find the Death series books so interesting from his perspective. His enjoyment of the holiday and his journey with Albert are some really great parts of this book. He wants to make Hogswatch better for those that need it. I loved seeing him get excited about gift-giving, especially in the store. His determination to get his Ho Ho Hos right was just so sweet.

Susan is such a great character too. It's enjoyable following her as she tried to solve what was going on with the Hogfather and her grandfather. I loved reading about her going after the monsters that are scaring the children. She is a strong character that I believe is one of the best in the series. Her perspective is just another great part of this book. Also, seeing her use her abilities, which she somehow inherited through her adoptive grandfather, just makes her scenes even better. She does not like getting in touch with these aspects. She would much rather be normal even though she is nothing close to normal.

The scenes in this book with the wizards at the Unseen University are just some of the best. I found it absolutely hilarious that they kept conjuring fairies and gods out of thin air by just talking about these ideas. Especially the Cheerful Fairy. I don't think I have laughed so hard in a long time.

One final aspect I would like to touch on is the references to other Christmas properties throughout the book. I love Terry's use of pop culture throughout the entire series, and this definitely did not disappoint. We get references to "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus", "The Little Match Girl", A Christmas Carol, so many songs, and many other properties. Some were comical, and others were just so touching, especially "The Little Match Girl". There are many writers that use pop culture in their books, and it just doesn't work. That doesn't happen with Terry's. 

One of the best quotes from the entire series (let alone this book) 
"All right," said Susan. "I'm not stupid. You're saying humans need... fantasies to make life bearable."

REALLY? AS IF IT WAS SOME KIND OF PINK PILL? NO. HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN. TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE.

"Tooth fairies? Hogfathers? Little—"

YES. AS PRACTICE. YOU HAVE TO START OUT LEARNING TO BELIEVE THE LITTLE LIES.
"So we can believe the big ones?"

YES. JUSTICE. MERCY. DUTY. THAT SORT OF THING.

"They're not the same at all!"

YOU THINK SO? THEN TAKE THE UNIVERSE AND GRIND IT DOWN TO THE FINEST POWDER AND SIEVE IT THROUGH THE FINEST SIEVE AND THEN SHOW ME ONE ATOM OF JUSTICE, ONE MOLECULE OF MERCY. AND YET—Death waved a hand. AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME...SOME RIGHTNESS IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED.

"Yes, but people have got to believe that, or what's the point—"

MY POINT EXACTLY.”

 
Book 154: Helen of Troy, 1993

By Maria Zoccola

Read December 26th-30th

Pages: 96

Release Year: 2025

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Maria Zoccola has done an incredible job reimagining one of the most famous figures from Greek Myth into a 1990s Southern housewife. Helen of Troy, 1993 is a beautiful collection of narrative poetry which is a retelling of Helen from Greek antiquity. I will forever be drawn to new takes on these tales. Each piece has such a distinct and powerful voice and the volume holds a lot of wit. I didn't love them all, but the whole work stands out. 

This works so well as a story in itself but those that know the myths will definitely get more out of it. Maria does explain Helen's story (from Greek Mythology) in her afterward for those that need more context. Along with that, her notes section lists some of her poems and the myths they are derived from.  

I highly recommend this collection to Greek myth and poetry fans in general. I will pick up anything Maria writes after this. What a great debut. 

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.*

Book 155: The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for
Surviving Medieval England

By Brandon Sanderson

Read December 31st

Pages: 399

Release Year: 2023

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I love the idea behind this book and how it is formatted. It’s great having the main storyline, the parts of the handbook that are interjected into the plot, along with the illustrations in the margins. The little wizard’s adventures are a perfect addition to this novel.

This had me thinking somewhat of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, especially with the parts of the guidebook throughout the entire story. I love when an author gives interesting pieces of world-building similar to this. We learn so much from the guide’s inserts. Also, I love how Brandon used aspects from our own world (Norse Mythology and so on) to build this other dimension, changing parts of it along the way. It was so clever.

I highly recommend picking up the hardcover copy of this book from the Dragonsteel website if you can. It is such a wonderful edition with the design and illustrations.

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