Christmas Fun Day 19: The Joy of Christmas Book Tag

Hello and Happy Holiday season everyone! In addition to my Advent Reads event this holiday season, I thought I would post earlier in the day with different things we do each day to have fun and celebrate this season. I hope you will join us and also maybe share some of your own traditions or ways you celebrate.

 

 

I have another tag for you today (and of course if you want to join feel free, just make sure you link back to the original tag).  I discovered the Joy of Christmas tag by Sam's Nonsense on youtube when I was searching for a Christmas tag to do, I thought it was fun so decided to post my own answers. . .

 

 

1) Anticipation: The Christmas excitement is real, what book release(s) are you most anticipating?

This is tough because there are a lot of really great books coming out very soon that I cannot wait for but the one that I have actually pre-ordered (and entered every contest there is for it but haven't won) is A Breath of Fire by Amanda Bouchet, the second book in the Kingmaker Chronicles (A Promise of Fire was the first book and if you haven't read it you must do so ASAP)!

 

2) Christmas Songs & Carols: What book or author can you not help but sing it's praises?

There are so many books and authors that I have discovered this year that I love but I have to go with my favorite book this year (you guys are probably getting sick of hearing about it), There Was a Fire by Nancy Roy.  I don't even have the words to fully encapsulate my feelings about this book it was so fantastic! Any book that you can read at the beginning of the year and leave you still thinking about it after reading 300 more in the year deserves to have some praises!

3) Gingerbread Houses: What book or series has wonderful world building?

I have a couple options for this answer, and I already used Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir in another tag so for this one I am going with The Selection by Kiera Cass. Some may disagree but I felt like the world building was so smooth that you just slid right into the books, granted you didn't see much of the world but there was still a lot of social class and government to understand.

4) A Christmas Carol: Favorite classic or one that you want to read

I think you all know by now that Frankenstein is my all time favorite book, so of course it is my favorite classic as well. So I thought I would share a classic that I want to read some time soon (or I guess I should say re-read). I read The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri in my first semester of college and loved it but I haven't picked it up since then and I think it is about time to revisit it.

5) Christmas Sweets: What book would you love to receive for Christmas

There were several books I requested for Christmas but I would be thrilled to receive the Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo I keep hearing great things about it and I also heard that, while not necessary, it is best to read these before the Six of Crows duology.

 

6) Candles in the Window: What book gives you that warm fuzzy feeling

Fire by Kristin Cashore is like coming home for me but it isn't really the warm fuzzy holiday feeling, it is actually a rather emotional and dark book. I obviously read a lot of great holiday books for Advent Reads each year, but there is one book I save just for myself for the holidays because it holds so many memories and that is Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder. This really is coming home, my mom would read this book to us every year and we even tried to make a lot of the goodies (like the candies in the snow) during the holidays. A close second is The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.

7) Christmas Trees & Decorations: What are some of your favorite book covers?

I swear the publishers have really upped their game recently, I have been drawn in by pretty covers so much this year. I don't know if I am just browsing more or if they really are so much more stunning than in the past but I picked up some really great ones this year (I am just going to post some of the best ones I have bought this year because there are so many that I love but couldn't add to my shelves, yet or that were already decorating my shelves).

  

 

 

 

 

 

Okay so looking at that list, I clearly like books with sharp pointy things on the cover and really wispy images, clearly fantasy books are key for me. Well now everyone knows how to grab my attention with a cover!

 

8) Christmas Joy: What are some of your favorite things about Christmas And/Or some of your favorite Christmas memories?

 

All growing up it was just my mom, dad, brother and myself, sometimes my best friend would come over because she was basically family. Now, my husband's whole family (granted it is small) converges on my house, while I absolutely love having time with so many of the people I love, I kind of miss those quiet Christmases of when I was a kid. We never had to get out of our pjs and we would eat a big breakfast so the rest of the day you were just picking at snacks you could find (so no stress over dinner for my mom) and it was always so quiet, we could play with new toys or I could dive right into those new books I had received. But all in all for me Christmas is about being surrounded by loved ones, laughing, talking, singing, and just enjoying each others company, I do love it!