It's Monday! What Are You Reading? & Mailbox Monday - Feb 8

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are, and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit, comment, and add to that ever-growing TBR pile! So welcome, everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and was then taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.

Welcome back to Monday! My weekend went by in a flash. How about yours? I knew last week would be full, and then the Lil' Princess came home for the weekend! I would share photos from her time here, but I practiced being present and didn't take any. She flew in on Friday night, and we spent Saturday together shopping and hanging out. Then, we drove her back to the airport on Sunday afternoon. She might try flying home for a couple of days in March. If not, we won't see her again until the end of April. 

Travis and Dwight took over within moments

of me putting clean sheets and blankets on the bed

I made a strawberry and blueberry crisp

on Friday night

Shifting to reading, I finished Chapters and Second Chances by Evelyn Grace Berry. Look for my review soon. 

I finished I Heard the Bells. Look for my review soon. 

I did not listen to Before Dorothy by Hazel Gaynor this week, but I have appointments that will keep me in the car, so I plan to put this back on. 

I started reading Creepy Kid by Caleb Roehrig. Love it! 

I need to start Dream Facades: The Cruel Architecture of Reality TV by Jack Balderrama Morley soon. I only have it on NetGalley for 41 more days. It sounds fascinating! 

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books they added to their shelves the previous week. This weekly meme is now hosted by Vicki at I'd Rather Be At The Beach. 

Since I am totally disregarding my promise not to buy more books, I might as well keep going. I pre-ordered This is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman for Audible based on its description. 

Dr. Holstein sent me her latest book, Women's Freedom: The Dawn of Possibilities, to review. 

Two Bodies Are Better Than One by Erica Ruth Neubauer is the first in a series. I grabbed this as an Amazon First Reads. 

At least I am keeping my promise not to overcommit to book reviews. :) 

Upcoming Events

Winter's Season by R. J. Koreto - Feb 13 (Spotlight)

I Heard the Bells by Darlene L. Turner et al - February (Review)

Chapters and Second Chances by Evelyn Grace Berry - February (Review)

Hook, Line, and Murder by GG Calpo - Mar 2 (Interview)

Agatha Christie, She Watched by Teresa Peschel - Apr 15 (Review)

Christmas Year Round

Christmas Year Round's latest "Journey through Christmases Past" reflects on Christmas 1865 and how the Civil War changed Christmas, and led to it being named an official holiday. You can find that here.

The Children's and Teens' Book Connection

I reviewed Evan's Gift by Karen Charles at my kid's book blog. You can read that here. I also decided to join the Grow Your Writing Challenge. You can read the details of this challenge here.

Laura's Little Houses

We wished Laura Ingalls Wilder a happy 159th birthday this weekend. You can read my post here. 

That's it for me this week. I look forward to checking out your blogs today. 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Dec 8

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are, and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit, comment, and add to that ever-growing TBR pile! So welcome, everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and was then taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.

Happy Monday, everyone! Hope you had a great weekend. Mine was filled with work, watching the holiday show put on by the dancers where the Lil' Diva teaches, and a holiday party. Here are a few photos:

Theo got a candy cane toy from the groomer

This lovely piece was gifted to me by one of my clients

My daughter has gotten me into simmer pots to make the house smell lovely

The Lil' Diva getting ready for the dance show 

My recent giveaway win from author Evelyn Grace Berry

The only book I have read lately is this Advent devotional by Cynthia Ruchti. 

I need to get my review of Captain LOL and Rubber Chicken by Craig Yoe posted soon.

Need to finish The Man Next Door by Sheila Roberts. 

I also need to finish  Crescent City Christmas Chaos by Ellen Byron.

Not likely I will read Old Flames, New Beginnings by Lea Schizas during the holiday season... or much else either. 

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books they added to their shelves the previous week. This weekly meme is now hosted by Vicki at I'd Rather Be At The Beach. 

In addition to the book that I won, Chapters and Second Chances by Evelyn Grace Berry, I also picked up a couple of other books this past week.

Christmas on Reindeer Road by Debbie Mason was a freebie with a reward from ThriftBooks. 

The Secrets of Palmerston House by Phillip Nefri Clark was a freebie from Chirp. 

Upcoming Events

• Christmas in Newfoundland 3 by Mike Martin - Dec 15 (First Chapter Review)

This week's Christmas... in the news post is up at Christmas Year Round. We are discussing unexpected happenings at a Christmas parade, ornaments at the White House, and the Christmas tree in Bethlehem this week. Check it out here.

In preparation for this week's Author Stroll, I shared my early chapter reader, A Christmas Kindness. Click here for that post. On Monday, I shared "Three Things to Do in December to Prepare for Christmas." That post is here.

At Laura's Little Houses, I shared the Christmas Little House on the Prairie episodes. You can find that post here. 

I am in and out today, but I will check in with your blogs as I can. Hope you have a fabulous day!

Release Day: I Heard the Bells by Sara Davidson Et al.

 

Four authors, four Christmas novellas of peace, joy, love (and red pickup trucks)

A Christmas Wedding to Die For by Darlene L. Turner

’Tis the season for deadly secrets.
Photographer Adelaide Fox thought she had the perfect assignment—capturing the winning shot at a high-profile Yukon wedding. But when the bride vanishes and a guest is found dead, holiday cheer turns to mystery. As a blizzard approaches, Adelaide teams up with the bride’s rugged brother, tracker Declan Stone. With danger closing in, suspicious guests, and threatening messages, Adelaide must unravel the truth—and maybe open her heart—to find peace on earth this Christmas.

Season of Forever by Helena Smrcek

Past meets present. Two hearts, WWII secrets, and a Christmas of second chances.
Past and present entwine in a story of love, loss, and second chances. In the shadows of WWII, a fragile romance is tested by sacrifice and distance. Decades later, in St. Jacobs, Ontario, Faith helps at her grandmother’s sweater shop, while next door Joseph acquires a charred WWII Bible marked with a red ribbon. Despite their rocky first encounter, will Faith and Joseph give their budding relationship a chance—and uncover the hidden story within the Bible’s pages?

Falling for You by Melanie Stevenson

A broken engagement, a broken rib, and a broken heart.
Author Laurel Bennett hadn’t planned to spend Christmas this way. Her escape to Banff was meant to avoid her ex-fiancé’s wedding, not land her in recovery at the Banff Springs Hotel. But when she crosses paths with Dr. Ethan Pine—the charming stranger who saved her on the slopes—everything changes. A whirlwind of magical days sparks undeniable chemistry, and they must decide if love can bridge both the distance and the wounds that threaten to keep them apart.

Merry Christmas, Mr. Potter by Sara Davison

He thought he knew exactly what he wanted.
Jack Miller is determined to make it big in the Big Apple. So why does he keep getting dragged back to the place—and the woman—he’s trying to leave behind? Playing the lead in his tiny Nova Scotian town’s production of It’s a Wonderful Life gives Jack a glimpse into the life that could have been his. Good thing it’s not the one he wants, since it’s clearly too late for him to get it back.

Purchase here!

Coming October 7: The Christmas Book Flood by Roseanna M. White

 

In this charming World War II historical romance novella inspired by Jolabokaflod, Iceland’s Christmas Book Flood, an author falls in love with a man who doesn’t know he is her editor. 

Iceland. December 1944. Tatiana Eliasdottir is looking forward to welcoming her niece Elea for Christmas. She’s determined to give the little girl a joyful holiday and take her mind off troubles at home. Soon, however, the publishing house where Tatiana works is flooded with orders thanks to the first issue of a seasonal book catalog. With the war causing so many shortages, Icelanders are eager to give their loved ones something that isn’t rationed, and books are the perfect solution to their dilemma.

Anders Johannsson is an editor who shares Tatiana’s love for stories. While he wishes to know her better, he’s never dared pursue more than friendship. They are first and foremost colleagues. But when Tatiana’s attempts to cheer Elea fail, Tatiana recruits him to help, a plea he can’t refuse. He is, after all, not only an editor but a beloved children’s book author and devoted uncle to his adoring nieces and nephews.

As the two creatively bring Icelandic Christmas traditions to life for Elea and frantically work to meet the demands of the publisher’s holiday rush, Tatiana finds herself increasingly drawn to kind, thoughtful Anders. But if a love is to grow between them, she will need to reveal her closely held secret: she is the mysterious author of a popular new novel . . . and Anders is her editor.

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0FDJM4K83
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tyndale Fiction
• Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 7, 2025
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 5.0 MB
• Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled 
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled 
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 175 pages
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8400501883

Pre-order here!

BookBub Shares 16 Charming Books Set at Christmastime

 

Yesterday, BookBub shared a list of 16 books set at Christmastime. Check out there post at Festive Holiday Books Perfect for Christmas 2023 from bookbub.com

Have you read any of these? Which ones are in your TBR pile? Which ones are you adding to your wish list?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Nov 13

Welcome to It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday.   

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.     

Happy Monday, everyone! Hope you enjoyed your week. We had fun visiting the Lil' Princess. Weather was mid-70s, which made walking the beach nice. Had some great food, too!

Wrightsville Beach

Baked potatoes from McAllister's

Tree going up in downtown Wilmington

Lil' Princess opening her gifts

We returned home on Tuesday afternoon. It was much cooler. By Thursday it was damp, rainy, and cold enough that I could see my breath in the morning. We still have some nice colors, though. And proving that the holidays are coming, our gift tree is up at the real estate board office. 

Woods behind our house

Goofy me grabbing some gift tags

My NaNoWriMo project is moving along. I've already written through the twelve scenes I had created, so now I am creating new scenes while I am writing. Luckily, I'm a little bit ahead of where I need to be. My hope is to hit 25,000 words by tomorrow or Tuesday. 

Here is what is going on in my reading world. Since I finished Sheila Roberts' book early (look for my review here on November 21), I started Jill Kemerer's latest cowboy romance. 

This review will go live on November 20.

Didn't read either of these this week and might not finish the first one. It's good, but not fabulous. I think if I had it in paperback, I would get more out of it. 

I started this one over the weekend.

Upcoming virtual book tours:

• Resparking Creativity by Fatemah Mirza & Sumayyah Rafiq - November 20 (review)
• The 12 Months of Christmas by Sheila Roberts - November 21 (review)
• The King Who Lost His Colors by Glen Liset - November 27 (review at TC&TBC)
• Scrapper's Christmas Story by Maria J. Andrade - December 4 (review at TC&TBC)
• The Location Shoot by Patricia Leavy - January 31 (interview)  

At Christmas Year Round last week:

• Giveaway winners announced for Read and Rhyme The First Christmas
• Christmas Errors, Flubs & Fails: Mrs. Brown's Christmas Tree Disasters (2011-2016)
• Christmas Women's Fiction Review: The Twelve Months of Christmas by Sheila Roberts

I will be running a giveaway of my books there soon. 

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Amazon offered a great deal on the annual Audible subscription for the first year, so I grabbed it. The offer came with credits, so I picked up these books to start 2024 off right.

I own Start With Why in hardcover, but I find non-fiction is best for me on Audible these days. I simply read more of it in audiobook format than any other. 

That is it from my neck of the woods. Please say a prayer for the Lil' Princess. She has a rigorous schedule this week with tests and then her nursing exam on Saturday before she flies home for Thanksgiving. I look forward to reading your blog posts today.