Making a list and checking it thrice for the Christmas Spirit readathon

 

With Thanksgiving about a week away, it’s close enough to start making those holiday plans and that includes reading for me. Once again, I’m signing up to partake in the Seasons of Reading Christmas Spirit readathon (hosted by the awesome Michelle Miller).

The readathon and its  adjacent challenge has a great time span, starting on November 22 and ending in early January, which grants you plenty of page turning hours to have during this busy season.

My TBR will be small but sweet here, beginning with a very cozy stocking stuffer of a read:

EGGNOG MURDER: Having enjoyed Halloween Party Murder by this trip of cozy mystery authors-Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis and Barbara Ross-I thought that it might be fun to see how one of their happy holidays collections would be.

The title tale belongs to Meier’s Lucy Stone as she fears the recent demise of Dorcas Philpott via an allergic reaction to the classic seasonal drink may have been meant for the spouse of a good friend. Death by Eggnog from Hollis has Hayley Powell trying to discover who wanted eternally cranky librarian Agatha to  check out for good.

Barbara Ross wraps things up with Nogged Off as her crime fighting heroine Julia Snowden finds herself hosting an unexpected guest for the holidays and a deadly trip to take as well.

While I’m not a fan of eggnog, I can appreciate the nostalgic joy folks take from imbibing this occasionally spiked drink around this time of year. Much like the drink itself, this set of savvy sleuthing ladies can be entertainingly versatile when the situation calls for it:

IN A HOLIDAZE:  Writer Christina Lauren introduces us to Maelyn Jones, who is spending her holidays with her family at the cabin they share with the Hollis family 

As it turns out, Maelyn has had a longtime  crush on one of the Hollis sons, Andrew. Instead of finally telling him how she feels, Maelyn winds up sharing a kiss with his brother Theo and following the news that the elder Hollises want to sell the cabin, Maelyn is convinced that this is the worst Christmas of her life.

However, on her way home, she finds herself caught in a time loop that allows her to relive that holiday week and perhaps get a chance to change her life for the better. 

I remember hearing a lot of good word about this book and I’ve never read Lauren before, so this should be a real delight of a seasonal story there. After all, after the past couple of years, plenty of us would welcome the opportunity to have a redo of last Christmas:

CANDLELIGHT CHRISTMAS:  Part of the Lakeshore Chronicles series by Susan Wiggs, this holiday romance brings together two people not quite sure of heading into that heartfelt fire of emotion.

Darcy has just gotten out of a bad marriage when she meets Logan, a single father who wants to focus on turning the ski lodge that he bought into a viable business.

Thanks to India, Logan’s sister and Darcy’s friend, the two of them find themselves meeting up again and again. With a visit to his ski lodge during the holiday season, Logan and Darcy slowly realize that denying the chemistry they share together could be a huge mistake on both their parts.

I have to say that discovering the novels of Susan Wiggs this year has made my reading life a bit brighter and that makes me look forward to this book as much as any kid waiting for that special gift on Christmas Day.

Not to mention that the whole single parent falling in love during the snowy season theme makes me want binge some classic Gilmore Girls episodes (which I may do!):

There is still time to sign up for this readathon and thanks again to Michelle for keeping that reading spirit alive and well all year long.

Diving into the Christmas Spirit readathon does not mean that I’m fast forwarding Thanksgiving at all.

 On the contrary, my ThankFall Reading is going along quite nicely as I am now reading the second book on my list(A Cookbook Conspiracy) and had so fun with Ellery Adams’ Murder in the Cookbook Nook that I picked two more books in that particular series!

When it comes to the holidays, a little friendly feasting is fine whether it’s food, books or fun. Just be sure that in the food department, you take care where your recipes come from for a more deliciously digestible day: