2018 Holiday Books and Movies

HOLIDAY BOOKS ON MY TBR PILE: I knew Snow in Love was going to make my list this year since it features a story by one of my favorite authors, Kasie West. Mutts and Mistletoe has cute dogs on the covers so I couldn't pass that up and Christmas Camp is written by the person who wrote the Netflix hit A Christmas Prince, which was horrible yet entertaining, making it another must read. Carols and Chaos offers a historical fiction Christmas story by an author I love while Moonlight Over Manhattan and Love & Other Train Wrecks just sounded like enjoyable reads.

NEW TO ME: With Vanessa Hudgens playing the main character I couldn't say no to The Princess Switch (Netflix). A sequel to A Christmas Prince? Of course I will be watching A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding (Netflix). Switched for Christmas (Hallmark) features Candace Cameron Bure while Road to Christmas (Hallmark) stars Chad Michael Murray. The Holiday Calendar sounds like another Netflix Christmas hit and The Grinch is a favorite of mine.

OLD FAVORITES: As a fan of musicals and musical competitions, The Mistle-tones (Freeform) had to make this list. I watch The Holiday and Love Actually every single year, they both have a great cast! I haven't watched Olive the Other Reindeer in quite some time, but I am hoping to change that this year. Rise of the Guardians is such a well-made movie and I didn't get around to watching it last year. Yes. Die Hard is one of my all-time favorite Christmas movies. Yes. It is a Christmas movie. Fight me in the comments! ;)

Puppies Crash Christmas is both a wonderfully adorable delight, and gives me great anxiety. This video is only available on Hulu. It is 30 minutes of adorable puppies wrecking a cute Christmas scene with Netflix show Easter eggs scattered throughout.

Tell Me in the Comments: What holiday books are you planning to read? Do you have a favorite Christmas movie?

Short & Sweet Holiday Review: Miracle on 5th Avenue

Miracle on 5th Avenue by Sarah Morgan (Nov. 2016)
Length: 384 pages
Genre: Adult Romance/Holiday
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Source: I bought an ebook copy of the book!
My Rating:

Goodreads Summary: It will take a Christmas miracle for two very different souls to find each other in this perfectly festive fairy tale of New York! Hopeless romantic Eva Jordan loves everything about Christmas. She might be spending the holidays alone this year, but when she's given an opportunity to house-sit a spectacular penthouse on Fifth Avenue, she leaps at the chance. What better place to celebrate than in snow-kissed Manhattan? What she didn't expect was to find the penthouse still occupied by its gorgeous—and mysterious—owner. Bestselling crime writer Lucas Blade is having the nightmare before Christmas. With a deadline and the anniversary of his wife's death looming, he's isolated himself in his penthouse with only his grief for company. He wants no interruptions, no decorations and he certainly doesn't appreciate being distracted by his beautiful, bubbly new housekeeper. But when the blizzard of the century leaves Eva snowbound in his apartment, Lucas starts to open up to the magic she brings…This Christmas, is Lucas finally ready to trust that happily-ever-afters do exist?

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My Review

If you want to squeeze in one more holiday book this winter then I suggest you give Miracle on 5th Avenue a try.

Eva Jordan is a romantic who although is rather happy with the success of her up and coming business she runs with her friends, is actually struggling with the grief of her grandmother's passing. With the holidays approaching she tries to get into the festive spirit. There is also Lucas, a horror fiction author who is having a hard time believing in love after losing his wife three years before. These two are alike and yet completely different. Readers will enjoy watching them go from barely tolerable towards each other to falling in love.

Christmas is present in this novel, but that isn't all what it is all about. It centers on love, friendship, and family. One other big thing I enjoyed was the snowy NY setting. I was immersed in the setting while reading. I could close my eyes and just see the snowy wonderland.

Miracle on 5th Avenue will make you giggle, smile, tear up, and make you just want to smoosh the two main characters faces together. Yeah, I went there.

Short & Sweet Holiday Review: 12 Days of Christmas

12 Days of Christmas by Debbie Macomber
Length: 304 pages
Genre: Adult/Holiday/Romance
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Source: The library.
Purchase: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository
My Rating:

Goodreads Summary: Friendly and bubbly, Julia Padden likes nearly everyone, but her standoffish neighbor, Cain Maddox, presents a particular challenge. No matter how hard she’s tried to be nice, Cain rudely rebuffs her at every turn, preferring to keep to himself. But when Julia catches Cain stealing her newspaper from the lobby of their apartment building, that’s the last straw. She’s going to break through Cain’s Scrooge-like exterior the only way she knows how: by killing him with kindness. To track her progress, Julia starts a blog called The Twelve Days of Christmas.

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My Review

I wasn't a big fan of Debbie Macomber's holiday book last year, Dashing Through the Snow. From what I remember it was somewhat predictable and a little too cheesy for me. Well what about this year's release you ask? I adored it! I found 12 Days of Christmas to be sweet and funny. I was charmed by Cain as much as the main character Julia.

I loved the idea that Julia had to write a blog and get a lot of followers to get a social media job. Not only did I find this interesting, but it does make sense, it works. So when her very grumpy neighbor really pushes her buttons one morning her friend suggests that she kill him... with kindness. I loved it! Not only does the book send a great message about kindness, which I think we all need lately, the author managed to make a believable enough story and changing/complex characters over the span of  just 12 days. That takes some skill.

12 Days of Christmas is a great book for this holiday season. It's a quick read that you can easily sit down with in between your holiday parties, wrapping, shopping, and baking. It will be the perfect little escape.

Stacking the Shelves (1) - Holiday Edition

Hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

This is my first time participating in this meme and I am not sure how often I will in the future, but I just had to share all the books I got this Christmas. I am just too excited not to share! These are the books I received from my TBTBSanta, my husband, my parents, my brother, and my in-laws. :D

The Books I Received This Christmas

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Illustrated Edition) by J.K. Rowling

Cinder by Marissa Meyer 

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Cress by Marissa Meyer

Fairest by Marissa Meyer

Winter by Marissa Meyer

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Magnolia by Kristi Cook

The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey

The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

Did you get any new books this holiday season?

I Feel Like Gabbing Today

THIS POST WAS INSPIRED BY BOOKISH (AND NOT SO BOOKISH THOUGHTS) @BOOKISHLY BOISTEROUS

AND THOUGHTS FOR THURSDAY @THE QUIET CONCERT.

**I have no idea how often I will have this post or when exactly I'm going to post it. This is a work in progress. I do however know that I want to share my very random thoughts that pop into my head with you. Many are bookish thoughts and many are not. Sometimes these posts will be one topic and sometimes just a list of random ideas, who knows. This week it is a list. I feel like I don't have enough discussion type posts on the blog so I am giving this a whirl.

1. I had this really nasty cold two weeks ago that just wouldn't let up. It was very frustrating. I can finally say that after three whole weeks I am finally 100% better!

2. I yet again have a million reviews to write... and I'm just not.

3. I will be gone on vacation (to Colorado) for a few days this week to visit family for the holidays so I won't really be around blogging until next week. I'm sure I won't be the only person that is just a little busy this week.

4. Packing for a trip is fun and yet also frustrating.

5. I have so many half written blog posts for end of the year stuff... I really hope I can get it together and get them all up by the time I want them to be posted.

6. One of my very close book blogger friends, Nicole, sent me a surprise present in the mail for Christmas! Best. Surprise. Ever.

7. I hate when it takes me forever to read one book not because it is bad, but because for whatever reason I'm just not making time to read. I don't think it is a sign of a slump so much as just not being in the mood. Wait... is that the same thing? lol

8. I've been in a Christmas movie watching funk lately. I enjoyed the ones I watch every year, Love Actually and The Holiday, along with many others. Then I decided to give this Hallmark Christmas movie (A Very Merry Mix-Up) a chance... it was too corny, too blah, too unbelievable, and I couldn't stand the characters. I hate to say this but I actually regret watching this Christmas movie. I usually don't mind corny. I'm a big fan of the ABC Family Christmas movies, but this one just wasn't doing it for me. I was very disappointed.

9. I hope everyone has a wonderful (and hopefully bookish) holiday! :D

Ho-Ho-Ho Holiday Read-a-thon Sign Up & Goals

This read-a-thon is hosted byCaffeinated Book Reviewer and The Book Shelfery

Details HERE//Start Date: 11/6/2014 // End Date: 11/11/2014

Every year I say I want to read some holiday themed books and for whatever reason I never get around to it. Probably because there are just so many books I want to read and there will never be enough time for me to read them all. Anyway, this year I really do want to read some holiday books so I decided to take the first step and sign up for the Ho-Ho-Ho Holiday Read-a-thon.

Reading Goals

~ Read three holiday books.

Social Goals

~ Participate in the Twitter Party.

~ Participate in at least one challenge.

~ Discover at least two new book blogs.

The Books

~ My True Love Gave To Me by: Stephenie Perkins and various authors

~ Let It Snow by: John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myrcle

~ Starry Night by: Debbie Macomber

Day 1 / November 6th

Book I started: None. :(

Mid-Point / November 8th

Books I’ve finished: None. :(

Book I’m reading now: My True Love Gave to Me

End Wrap-Up / November 11th

Books I’ve finished: Three!

Book I’m still reading: None. I finished all three!