BW51: Books, Christmas, and Winter! Oh My!

 

“I am pieces of all the places I have been,

and the people I have loved. I’ve been stitched together 

by song lyrics, book quotes, adventure, late night 

conversations, moonlight, and the smell of coffee.” ~ Brooke Hampton

Happy Sunday! We have much to celebrate as we approach the end of the year: Christmas, and the beginning of Winter, which of course, leads us to books, books, and more books. 

Speaking of books, the interweb is abuzz with the best books of 2025, and fortune was upon me when I clicked on Literary Hub's Ultimate Best Books of 2025 List.  They did the work for me as they checked out all the lists, compared who and what and which books were repeated multiple times, then linked to all the sites. Oh Boy!  I fell down the proverbial rabbit hole yesterday, exploring all the links and  adding several books to my year end wish list to purchase before my new year buying ban goes into affect. 

Plus it's time to cozy up to the fire with a hot toddy and read books about Christmas and/or set during Winter.  

Read a Cozy Christmas book or  with Christmas in the title, 

Read a book set during Winter, or with Winter in the title. 

A proverbial rabbit holes had me adding to my stacks the young adult science fiction story, Claus: Legend of the Fat Man which fills the bill for a Christmas read as well as Winter. 

"In the early 1800s, Nicholas, Jessica and Jon Santa attempt the first human trek to the North Pole and stumble upon an ancient race of people left over from the Ice Age. They are short, fat and hairy. They slide across the ice on scaly soles and carve their homes in the ice that floats on the Arctic Ocean. The elven are adapted to life in the extreme cold. They are as wise as they are ancient.

Their scientific advancements have yielded great inventions -- time-stopping devices and gravitational spheres that build living snowmen and genetically-modified reindeer that leap great distances. They’ve even unlocked the secrets to aging. For 40,000 years, they have lived in peace.

Until now.

An elven known as The Cold One has divided his people. He’s tired of their seclusion and wants to conquer the world. Only one elven stands between The Cold

One and total chaos. He’s white-bearded and red-coated. The Santa family will help him stop The Cold One. They will come to the aid of a legendary elven

known as...Claus."

Have fun exploring all the titles! 

Note:  Week 52 is going to be really short with only four days  so if you need more time to do a reading wrap up, they may be posted in the new year as L.E.S.T.E.R  begins January 1st.  And if you want to continue with your 52 books goal, the links will be available each week.  

Merry Christmas!  ~Clink~

BW52: A is for Adventure

 

“He held up a book then. “I'm going to read it to you for relax.”

“Does it have any sports in it?”

“Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True Love. 

Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. 

Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest Ladies. Snakes. Spiders... 

Pain. Death. Brave men. Cowardly men. Strongest men. 

Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles.”

“Sounds okay,” I said and I kind of closed my eyes.”

― William Goldman, The Princess Bride

Happy Sunday! Our wild and whimsical reading quest is winding down for the year but that doesn't mean it is the end of our reading.  Reading is a never ending adventure because there is always another tale to explore that fills you with emotion, or teaches you something new, or helps you discover a different perspective, and or gives you something to ponder long after the story has ended.  Reading is as necessary as breathing, vital to our lives, minds, and imaginations. 

We've been counting down the days to Christmas with our advent calendars as well as anticipating  the annual book flood Jólabókaflóð.  However, we started a little early and our shelves and stockings are filling up.  But nevertheless, we'll spend Christmas Eve curled up on our cozy couch reading until the thought of Santa coming down the chimney drives us to our beds.  Winter also officially started on Saturday, the 21st, which means plenty of cold weather books to keep us company.  

Somebody reminded me the other day, it isn't the quantity of books we read that's important, but the quality.  With that in mind, how was your reading year?  

Tell me about any new authors discoveries you'd like to continue reading. Or ones you disliked and will never read again.  

Where did your armchair travels take you?  

Which books made you think and ponder and leave you with a big book hangover.  Or which books made you want to throw it across the room in frustration because of the characters choices.  

Share book quotes that stood out, beautiful book covers, or anything else that stood out for you. 

How do you feel about cathartic reads? The ones that hit you in all the feels? Do you avoid them or dive in, let the words wash over you and pull you into the characters lives and emotions.  

Do you annotate your books, write in the margins, engage with the book, talk back to the characters?  

Maybe it's an age thing but my reading slowed way down this year and I engaged way more that I usually do with stories. Some made me angry, others made me pause, a few made me cry.  I used to read only to be entertained, now I find myself delving into deep and dense stories.  

To that end, I'll be reading Les Miserables starting January 2025, so please join me if you haven't read it yet.

Thank you for sharing your reading adventures with me. Merry Christmas and may you have a blessed New Year! 

BW49: Crime Spree Recommendations

 

Happy December! It's cold and rainy and we're tucked up, nice and cozy with books and family. The best place to be, whether it be physically or virtually.  Thanks to Sandy and Amy we've had a grand year, going on a crime spree.  

Let’s end the year with a feeling of festivity, joy, and a reminder that rich uncles frequently change their wills during the Holidays so be on your best behavior.

 What have been your favorite categories this year? Have you discovered any new genres to love?

 

·  Grandparents of Crime: The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

· Romantic Suspense: Holiday in Death by JD Robb

· Golden Age: Mystery in White by F. Jefferson Farjeon or Nine Tailers by Dorothy Sayers

· Classic Children’s Mysteries: I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley

· Historical Mysteries: The Queen’s Christmas by Karen Harper (Tudor) or Silence in the Sanctuary by Deanna Rayburn (Victorian)

· Religious Characters: The Raven in the Forgate by Ellis Peters or Twelve Drummers Drumming by CC Bennison or Saturday the Rabbi Went Hungry by Harry Kemelman

· The Americans: And Four to Go by Rex Stout or The Finishing Stroke by Ellery Queen

· True Crime: The Meaning of Our Tears: the True Story of the Lawson Family Murders of Christmas Day 1929 by Trudy Smith

· Police Procedural: Water like a Stone by Deborah Crombie

· Around the World: Maigret’s Christmas by Georges Simenon or Voices by Arnaldur Indriðason

· Hanukkah: Festival of Deaths by Jane Haddam

 

Challenge: Give up your life of crime by recommending a favorite mystery book to a BaW friend.

Our A to Z and Back Again letter and word of the Week are D and Delight.

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Please share your book thoughts reviews and link to your website, blog, Goodreads, Google+, Tumblers, or Instagram page. If you do not have a social media account, please leave a comment to let us know what you are reading. The link widget closes at the end of each book week. 

In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field paste a link to your post, then check the privacy box and click enter.

BW51: Welcome to Winter

 

Winter Dreaming by Josephine Wall

Happy Sunday, my lovelies. Although Winter in our part of the world officially begins on Tuesday, the 21st, it seems to have arrived a couple days early.  Jack Frost was nipping at our toes this morning when we woke to a coating of frost on the ground.  It's the first real freeze we've had in a couple years and I'm hoping its enough to make our morning glory turn dormant for the winter.  The plant is the gift that keeps on giving as we're now sharing it with all our neighbors.  Unintentionally of course.  Fortunately, they all love us.  

Wintertime always puts me in the mood to read about blizzards, icebound explorers, and arctic adventures,  while I hibernate inside my warm house, cozy on the couch with a warm blanket and one of my lap cats. Join me in reading a book that takes place during winter, is set in an icebound location or is about battling the elements.

21 Books Set in Cold and Snowy Destinations to Read This Winter

26 Cozy Winter Reads for 2021

21 authors pick their favorite winter reads

17 Beautiful Icelandic Novels To Inspire a Trip to Iceland

14 Books Set in Greenland That Will Put It At The Top Of Your Bucket List

Winter Science Fiction And Fantasy

And since Christmas is coming up, maybe a Christmas Story or two. 

Classic Christmas Short Stories You Can Read Right Now

33 Best Christmas Books to Read Around the Holidays

Christmas Reads for Adults: 20 Best Books You Must Read This Christmas

Merry Christmas to you and yours! 

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 Please share your book reviews and link to your website, blog, Goodreads, Google+, Tumblers, or Instagram page. If you do not have a social media account, please leave a comment to let us know what you are reading. The link widget closes at the end of each book week.

In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field paste a link to your post, then check the privacy box and click enter.