Brightening up my holiday spirits with a new BOTM box!

I ended my No-Buy November on books the day before Thanksgiving as it happened to be the exact same time that Book of the Month Club dropped their December selections online.

That works out well for my holiday shopping as I tend to give most of the box over to a family member to give to me as a Christmas present (trust me, it’s much easier this way).

I do however take one book out early, since it’s usually a seasonal read and therefore, better suited to enjoy before Christmas. This year, though, I chose two holiday flavored fictions and choosing between them is as hard as picking just one cookie off of the holiday dessert platter at your favorite relative’s house party.

A tough choice yet I think that Ally Carter’s The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year should be savored now.  Cozy mystery writer Maggie Chase is not looking to the holidays due to this one being fresh off of her husband’s running off with her best friend;quite the lump of coal there to say the least!

Getting the chance to spend Christmas at the English home of renowned author Eleanor Ashley promises to be a true delight, even if one of the other guests is obnoxious thriller writer Ethan Wyatt(who always gets her name wrong!). Yet, when the hostess herself goes missing, at first it seems like an elaborate party game but all too soon  ,it becomes clear that this is not meant to be a frivolous activity-rather it’s a dangerous test of the group’s detective skills.

Maggie finds herself teaming up with Ethan, hoping that her worst fears aren’t true, especially since she seems to be finding her new partner in crime solving a bit more entertaining than she’d like. Can this Christmas gathering be saved and will someone find heartbreak or happiness under the mistletoe?

This does sound like festive reading and an English country house mystery during Christmas feels like a warm cup of cocoa for my spirit right about now:

The other holiday themed novel , Most Wonderful by Georgia Clark, seems to be a fine storytelling feast that will sustain me throughout the winter months up ahead.

It’s the tale of the Belvedere siblings who are reuniting at their celebrity mother Babs’ house for the holidays, hoping to take this time away from their emotionally complicated lives to reassess their next steps in life.

Big sister Liz is hoping that her hit TV series is not a one and done for her show runner career (not to mention having a bit of a crush on said show’s leading lady) while younger sister Birdie is a rising stand up comedy star that appears to be burning out faster than expected.

Their brother Rafi seems to have the most ordinary life but when he proposes to his co-worker girlfriend in front of the entire company, the response he gets becomes rather epic.

By taking this break from their current reality, the Belvedere trio hope for just a nice quiet time together but fate and their rambunctious mother have other plans for them…

I have heard this book compared to Schitt’s Creek and that is more than enough to make me want to read this! A funny, heartwarming book about family and finding love is truly something we all need these days indeed:

Fortunately, the book that rounds out this triple decker gift set is a cozy fantasy affair.

Julie Leong’s  The Teller of Small Fortunes introduces us to Tao, a traveling fortune teller who can predict things such as when a farmer’s crops will get the rain that’s needed or how to find a lost household item thought missing for good. However, her true talent is greater than that and well kept under wraps for her own safety.

One day, Tao stumbles across the path of a missing girl thought dead yet is still very much alive. The girl’s father, a former mercenary named Mash, insists upon Tao’s help in finding his long lost daughter and since she does want to do the right thing for an innocent person, she agrees. However, more than one risk is assumed but hopefully, Tao can use her abilities to bring about some good in the world instead of increasing the harm others delight in.

I wanted to get this book sooner but I think that saving it for the holidays was a better idea. Such an interesting and enchanting story of finding your true path in life ought to be a good guide for our collective new year:

I will be getting more books for Christmas (and will highlight them here) and other things that will no doubt be just as fun. Speaking of fun, my BOTM box also includes a reading prize(a year long challenge for Book Club members; this year’s a hat) and some cool holiday stickers-you’re never too old for stickers, if you ask me.

And yes, I am giving a book or two to folks as well. Look, we all know that what lies in waiting for next year alone is not going to be pretty to say the least but regardless of that, a good way to recharge our spiritual batteries is to embrace the spirit of the season-Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza ,all celebrations are welcome and good for the soul here.

So, enjoy your holiday treats , whether it’s a holiday romantic movie or cookie baking or a holiday  romantic movie about cookie baking (they do exist!). However you indulge, let it be a way to bring you towards future joy as books tend to do for many of us, one page at a time: