Enjoying some Happy Holidays of Reading

We’re a couple of weeks away from Christmas (as well as in the midst of Hanukkah) and honestly, I wasn’t planning on doing any seasonal reading this year.

However, the holiday fates thought otherwise so here I am with a trio of books that are sure to keep my spirits bright indeed.

It started off with one of my Book of the Month Club selections having their plot line tied into New Year’s Eve, 
 The Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner. New York pastry chef Sophie is dreading New Year’s as this past twelve months have been the worst of her life.

She lost her job, her boyfriend Alex and her apartment in one fell swoop, leaving her nearly broke and staying in a spare room at Jacob’s(her brother’s best friend) place. When one of Sadie’s gal pals drags her to a New Year’s party, she expects very little to happen but so much does.

Using a spell that the party fortune teller gives her, Sadie wakes up the next morning on January 1…but not in the new year! Instead, her wish to have a do-over and fix those mistakes from last year comes true, an opportunity that she doesn’t want to waste.

As time goes over, though, Sadie starts to wonder if those mistakes really were mistakes to begin. Perhaps she should try to make newer and better changes for herself, including taking a romantic chance with Jacob who she surprisingly kissed before the spell kicked in.

So far, this book has been a lively page turner yet it’s also thoughtful about Sadie’s situation and her indecision about where her path in life should be headed towards. While the rest of my BOMC picks are going to be saved for under my Christmas tree, it just made sense to read this one sooner and it’s definitely making the upcoming New Year’s Eve worth looking forward:

Then, I wound up making a last minute holiday purchase and couldn’t resist adding a nice Christmas themed mystery into that mix.

God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen is the second holiday related book in Rhys Bowen’s Her Royal Spyness series (as well as being the fifteenth entry) and here we have the newly married Georgiana “Georgie “Rannoch getting to celebrate her first Christmas with her beloved husband Darcy O’Mara.

As the two of them are having trouble settling up a house party on their own, an invitation from Darcy’s Aunt Ermintrude sounds ideal. The guest list, however, includes many of Georgie’s royal relatives, including her cousin Prince David and his unsuitable date, Mrs. Wallace Simpson.

Even more hectic than annoying relations is murder which takes down one of David’s friends but was the heir to the throne the real target? Georgie, as per usual, is asked to help solve the crime before a truly deadly blow strikes the future of the British crown.

I’ve been reading five of these books in a row to complete my Series-ous Reading challenge for the year(actually on the fifth one in that batch as you’ll see on the sidelines here) and was going to take a break from them but picking this one up now felt as picture perfect as a holiday postcard. 

Plus, a holiday house party murder mystery is as British as you can get this time of year without leaving the comfort of your home indeed:

At this point, I figured why not make this a proper reading list and add a third title onto this TBR.

With rewatching holiday being part of the season, choosing a book to reread sounded ideal and Sophie Kinsella’s Christmas Shopaholic  was my instant go-to.

Rejoining Becky Bloomwood as she attempts to host her own Christmas party with her parents off living in a very trendy for younger people neighborhood is grand fun to be sure. Whether she’s scheming to get the hottest holiday ornament, inventing a new buying trend to help her friend’s gift shop or getting hooked on Christmas romance movies, Becky tends to give it her all, even if she goes past the point of return.

I’ve read this book a couple of times already and for me, it’s become a charming treat to go back again and again. Becky Bloomwood is as iconic as Mr. Bean to me when it comes to holiday specials, well worth visiting at least once a year:

I am going to take a bit of blog break for the rest of the season although my Series-ous Reading wrap-up will be posted before the end of the year (with the special announcement of a new reading challenge that I am just about ready for in 2024!). 

I just want to say thank you to everyone who takes the time to read this blog and I do hope that my small book space here does some good in encouraging folks to read and think for themselves (something that’s in short supply these days). I do appreciate it more than you can know.

With that, I wish you all happy holidays and season’s greetings for the remainder of this year, along with great promise of better things to come next year. After all, a page turn is sure to bring something new into our continuing story that we share together: