Advent Reads Day 1: Christmas Stories by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Read for: Advent Reads & Newly Added

Synopsis: "Join the original pioneer girl in this Little House chapter book, adapted for younger readers from Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved classics.

Illustrated with beautiful new black-and-white artwork, this repackaged edition includes bonus material such as games, activities, and more!

For Laura Ingalls, Christmas means good things to eat, visits from friends, and special gifts to give and receive. As Laura grows up, every Christmas is better than the one before."

My Review: I really enjoyed the Christmas parts in the full length novels of the original series, and this is a great way to condense them and make it easy for young readers to enjoy. I loved being able to revisit some of my favorite Christmases with Ma, Pa, Laura, Mary, Carrie and even Grace. This will be a great book to read with Munchkin over the holiday season and introduce him to their stories. It is also great that you don't have to read this series of chapter books in order as they take bits and pieces throughout the series on a common theme and puts them together. So each book is chronological and can be read on its own.

My Rating: I really enjoyed this one, and love how it condensed all the holiday stories into one book. It is short enough for young readers to follow and enjoy but still long enough to have the same feel as the original books.  I give it a rating of Four Paws!

Do you have a favorite holiday tradition your Grandparents or even Great Grandparents have handed down? Or is there a story they tell every year?

Advent Reads 2018 Announcement!

Happy December Everyone!!

It has finally arrived (or in my opinion suddenly arrived) and it is December 1st and officially the Christmas season in my world.  As it is now December, it is time to kick off my annual Advent Reads event.  As with the past 6 years (yes, this is my 7th year running this event) I will be posting a new holiday story every day leading up to Christmas.  I have a variety of genres to appeal to everyone from Children's Books to Graphic Novels, from Classics to Romance and even a few Fantasy and a Horror in the mix.  The posts will go live every day between 6pm and 10pm (later for the more adult novels and the rest earlier).

In past years I have also posted a little holiday tidbit each morning from ways to have a less stressful holiday season to family traditions and fun things to do with children, favorite songs and ornaments, etc.  This year however I am going to let that slide.  I am already a little overwhelmed and it is only the 1st.  We recently got my husband's schedule for this month and between now and Christmas Day he only has 1 day off and many of those days he will be working doubles. So the bulk of Christmas prep and creating the magic of the season for 6 year old Munchkin land squarely on my shoulders. I will however be posting a lot of our fun and events on my Instagram so be sure to check that out (you may also get a sneak peek at upcoming books) - @EasternSunset9

I hope you will come back and visit throughout the month and discover your next favorite Christmas story!

Early Reader Bedtime Story: The Berenstain Bears and the Wishing Star by Stan & Jan Berenstain

Read for: Early Reader Challenge

Synopsis: "Sister Bear is thrilled by the magic of the wishing star, but Brother Bear teaches her that hard work is important, too."

My Review: Munchkin learned about the wishing star earlier this year and I thought this would be a fun book for him. As with all Berenstain Bears books it also has a great lesson to learn. It is a level one book which is great for those young readers, the words were all pretty easy and the sentences short. The repetitiveness of the story will also help emerging readers gain confidence. This was also a great book for gearing up for the holiday season as Sister doesn't get everything she wished for, and is a good thing for those with a mile long Christmas wish list to hear.

My Rating: We really enjoyed this book, Munchkin hasn't always been a fan of the Berenstain Bears books, but they have such a great lesson in them that I keep reading them. This one really worked for us and it started a great conversation right before the holiday. We give it a rating of Four Paws!

Good Night! Sweet Dreams!

November 2018 Challenge Update & December TBR

What happened to this year?! I really am struggling to believe it is already almost 2019! Luckily, I have completed nearly all of my challenges for this year! I am still behind on my requested reviews, but I definitely took on more than I had set as my limit, I need to learn to say No more often.  I also have no hope of reading all the books I purchased this year but I am definitely way ahead of last year and plan to continue working hard on that challenge.  I am planning to be under 50 books (other than the ones I purchased planning to read next year); I do have a big book function tomorrow that I always end up picking up a pile of books and hopefully some books wrapped under the tree, things could get out of control rather quickly!  But as of right now here is my challenge update, I am behind on writing reviews but will link as many as I can.

Children's Book Challenge: COMPLETE

30 - 40 books

46. Olaf Gives Thanks

47. Turkey Trouble

48. I Got the Christmas Spirit

Early Reader Challenge: COMPLETE

30-40 books

32. Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer

33. Berenstain Bears & the Wishing Star

34. Secret Santa

Graphic Novel Challenge: COMPLETE

23-28 books

28. Northstars Vol. 1.5

Audio Book Challenge: COMPLETE

28-32 books

61. Only Human

62. Hope at Christmas

63. Beartown

64. Alaskan Holiday

65. Mammoth

66. The Christmas Secret

Classics Challenge: COMPLETE

5 books (1 re-read)

None

Series Challenge: COMPLETE

4 full series & 6 duologies

Memoirs of Lady Trent Series (5 books & 1 novella): Book 1, Book 2, Book 3, Book 3.5, Book 4, Book 5 - COMPLETE

Butler VT/Green Mountain Series (9 books & 2 novellas): (Books 1-3 read in 2017) Book 4, Book 4.5, Book 5, Book 6, Book 7, Book 8,  Book 9 - COMPLETE (currently through 2018)

Nevernight Chronicles (2 books so far): Book 1, Book 2, - COMPLETE (currently through 2018)

Winternight Trilogy (3 books): Book 1, Book 2 - COMPLETE (currently through 2018)

Ree Verakai Duology (2 books): Book 1, Book 2 - COMPLETE
Kingdom of Wrenly (13 books so far): Book 1, Book 2, Book 3, Book 4, Book 5, Book 6, Book 7, Book 8, Book 9, Book 10, Book 11, Book 12, Book 13 - COMPLETE (currently)
Compass Boys Series (4 Books): Book 1, Book 2, Book 3
Daughter of the Pirate King ( 2 Books): Book 1, Book 2 - COMPLETE
Six of Crows (2 Books): Book 1, Book 2 - COMPLETE
Mask of Shadows (2 Books): Book 1, Book 2 - COMPLETE
Sin du Jour Series (7 books & 1 novella): Book 1, Book 2, Book 1.5, Book 3, Book 4, Book 5, Book 6, Book 7 - COMPLETE
Wayward Children Series (3 books currently): Book 1, Book 2, Book 3 - COMPLETE (through 2018)
Girl from Everywhere Duology (2 books): Book 1, Book 2 - COMPLETE
High Seas & High Stakes (2 books): Bind Up - COMPLETE
Assassin's Curse Series (2 books): Book 1, Book 2 - COMPLETE
The Conqueror's Saga (3 books) - Book 1, Book 2, Book 3 - COMPLETE
Stalking Jack the Ripper Series (3 books currently) - Book 1,  Book 2, Book 3 - COMPLETE (through 2018)
The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein (2 Books) - Book 1, Book 2 - COMPLETE
The Themis Files (3 books, 1 novella) - Book 0.5, Book 1, Book 2, Book 3 - COMPLETE

Requested Reviews:

No more than 25

33. Aversion

34. Outrun the Wind

35. The Snow Witch

TBR Challenge: COMPLETE

50-75 books that I already own as of 12/31/2017

47. The Christmas Spirit

48. Christmas Around the World

49. Stupid Christmas

50. Hope at Christmas

Books Added to Shelves in 2018:

As I read the books I purchase this year I will add a link (I will also note the month they were purchased/ read)

1. Plague of Giants (Jan./April)
2. Moonsilver (Jan./ Jan.)
3. Silver Thread (Jan./Jan.)
4. The Silver Bracelet (Jan./ Jan.)
5. Mountains of the Moon (Jan./ Feb.)
6. Practical Magic (Jan./ Oct.)
7. I Love My Love (Jan./ Feb.)
8. The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry (Jan./ Feb.)
9. Gods of the North (Jan./March)
10. We Have Always Lived in a Castle (Jan./Sept.) *
11. Life Changing Manga of Cleaning Up (Jan./Jan.)
12. Heart on Fire (Jan./ Jan.)
13.To the Sky Kingdom (Feb./ )
14. Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage (Feb./Feb )
15. Letters from Wolfie (Feb./March )
16. Ketchup Clouds (Feb./Oct)
17. Dead Man's Walk (Feb./ ) - 2019 Series
18. Luck Love and Lemon Pie (Feb./ ) UNHAUL
19. Beartown (Feb./Nov. )
20. The Coincidence of Coconut Cake (Feb./ Feb.)
21. Listen, Slowly (Feb./March) - DNF
22. Ravenous (Feb./ ) - UNHAUL
23. Monstrous (Feb./March )
24. The Astounding Broccoli Boy (Feb./March )
25. Terrier (Feb./ ) - 2019 series
26. Lonesome Dove (Feb./ ) - 2019 series
27. As Brave as You (Feb./ March )
28. Smuggler's Run (Feb./Feb. )
29. The Lost Stone (Feb./March )
30. The Scarlet Dragon (Feb./ March)
31. Sea Monster (Feb./March )
32. Daughter of the Pirate King (Feb./May )
33. The Wolves of Winter (Feb./ May )
34. Heaven on Earth (Feb./ Feb. )
35. Into the Fire (Feb./ March)
36. Still Waters (Feb./April )
37. Red Sister (March/March)
38. Reflections of Yesterday (March/)
39. Sleeping Giants (March/May)
40. Heir to the Jedi (March/April)
41. Jedi Search (March/)
42. Heart of Iron (March/April)
43. Here Comes the Sun (March/April)
44. Hermes: Tales of the Trickster (March/ March)
45. The Witches Curse (March/March)
46. Emma's Dream (March/May)
47. Eko (March/June)
48. Star Wars: Moving Target (March/May)
49. Caging Merrow (March/) - 2019 series
50. The Fifth Season (March/) - 2019 series
51. His Dark Endeavor (March/ Oct.)
52. The Traveling Cat Chronicles (March/July)
53. Greedy Pigs (March/ July)
54. Lustlocked (March/June)
55. Black Powder War (March/) - 2019 series
56. Throne of Jade (March/) - 2019 series
57. The Scandalous Mackenzies (March/) - 2019 series
58. The Stolen Mackenzie Bride (March/) - 2019 series
59. The Wicked Deeds of Daniel Mackenzie (March/) - 2019 series
60. Lady Castle (March/May)
61. Frankenstein Alive, Alive #4 (March/ Sept)
62. Frankenstein Alive Alive Trio (March/ Sept.)
63. Long Walk to Valhalla (March/April)
64. Hard to Serve (March/)
65. Mastering Her Senses (March/)
66. Theirs to Take (March/)
67. The Sapphire Affair (March/May)
68. The Joy of Less (April/May)
69. Nightblade's Vengeance (April/)
70. Circe (April/ May)
71. Tomorrowland (April/)
72. The Wolf (April/)
73. My Lady's Choosing (April/)
74. Sweet Dreams, Sweet Death (April/May)
75. Sky in the Deep (April/April)
76. Beyond the Darkened Shore (April/)
77. Defiant Heir (April/)
78. True North (May/)
79. The Sorting Room (May/ )
80. Lost Stars (May/ )
81. Down Among the Sticks and Bones (May/July)
82. Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day (May/August)
83. Frankenstein Dreams (May/)
84. The Belgaraid (May/)
85. The Rhode Island Short Story Club presents The Club (May/June) *
86. Death Sworn (May/)
87. Sherlock Holmes and the Army of Dr. Moreau (May/)
88. A Court of Frost and Starlight (May/May)
89. Prince of Persia (May/July)
90. Zenith (May/ )
91. In the Heart of the Sea (May/ )
92. The Queen of Sorrow (May/ )
93. I Capture the Castle (May/ June)
94. Cruel Prince (May/)
95. Onyx & Ivory (May/) Unhaul
96. Princesses Behaving Badly (May/)
97. Fight for Everything (May/)
98. Catching Stars (May/) Unhaul
99. Light as Air (May/)
100. Marriage Arrangement (May/May)
101. Furyborn (May/)
102. Sweet Tea & Sympathy (May/)
103. Half Drowned King (May/) - 2019 series
104. A Reaper at the Gates (June/June)
105. The Orphan Queen (June/ )
106. The Mirror King (June/ )
107. The Thief (June/ ) - 2019 series
108. The Queen of Attolia (June/ ) - 2019 series
109. King of Attolia (June/ ) - 2019 series
110. A Conspiracy of Kings(June/ ) - 2019 series
111. Pride's Spell(June/June)
112. Idle Ingredients(June/June)
113. Guardian of Whills(June/Sept. )
114. Such Wicked Intent(June/Oct )
115. The Girl From Everywhere(June/July )
116. The Ship Beyond Time(June/July )
117. And I Darken(June/August)
118. Frostbite(June/Oct. )
119. The Assassin's Curse(June/August)
120. The Pirate's Wish(June/August)
121. Pirateology(June/July)
122. Polly and the Pirates: Vol. 1(June/July )
123. Memoirs of Elizabeth Frankenstein(June/ )
124. Every Heart a Doorway(June/ July)
125. The Tiger's Daughter (July/July)
126. Grace & Fury(July/July) 
127. LifeL1k3(July/) Unhaul
128. Sweet Black Waves(July/) Unhaul
129. The Bird and the Blade(July/)
130. The Slow Regard of Silent Things(July/) - 2019 series
131. The False Fairy(July/July) 
132. The Sorcerer's Shadow(July/July) 
133. The Thirteenth Knight(July/July) 
134. Waking Gods(July/Sept.)
135. Alone(July/July) 
136. You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone(July/) DNF
137. Now I Rise (July/Sept. )
138. Gunslinger Girl (July/)
139. The Pirate (August/August)
140. Unhooked (August/)

141. Bob (August/ Sept.)
142. George (August/Sept)
143. These Rebel Waves (August/) Unhaul
144. All Systems Red (August/Nov.) *

145. Uprooted (August/)

146. Spinning Silver (August/)

147. Ruin of Stars (August/Oct.)
148. Peace Like a River (Sept./)
149. Lies of Locke Lamora (Sept./) - 2019 series
150. Red Seas Under Red Skies (Sept./) - 2019 series
151. Assassin's Gambit (Sept./)
152. Refugee (Sept./)
153. And The Ocean Was Our Sky (Sept./ Sept.)
154. Bright We Burn (Sept./ Sept.)
155. Forest of a Thousand Lanterns (Sept./)
156. Isle of Blood and Stone (Sept./)
157. Heretics Anonymous (Sept./Oct.)
158. None of the Above (Sept./)
159. Words We Don't Say (Sept./)
160. The Light Between Worlds (Sept./)
161. Misty Inn Collection Books 1-4 (Sept./Nov.) *
162. Adventures of Laura and Jack (Sept./Oct)
163. Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas (Sept./ Sept.)
164. The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein (Sept/ Sept.)
165. Escaping from Houdini (Sept/Oct.)
166. Not Even Bones (Sept./)
167. Fierce Fairytales (Sept./Oct.)
168. May B. (Oct/Nov.)
169. Home of the Brave (Oct/Nov.)
170. The Dogs of Christmas (Oct/Oct.)
171. The Christmas Light (Oct/)
172. Young Scrooge (Oct/Oct.)
173. Phoenix Empress (Oct/)
174 Royals (Oct/)
175. Boneless Mercies (Oct/)
176. Kill the Farm Boy (Oct/)
177. 14,000 Things to be Happy About (Nov./Nov.) *
178. Alaskan Holiday(Nov./Nov.) 
179. Monster: The Story of a Young Mary Shelley(Nov./)
180. Mammoth(Nov./Nov.) 
181. Seasons Galloping(Nov./Nov.)
182. Anything but Okay(Nov./)
183. The Storyteller(Nov./)
184. The Last Unicorn: The Lost Journey(Nov./Nov.) *

March Reading Stats:

I read a total of 27 books this month

2,725 pages read and 2 days, 3 hours and 58 minutes of listening

Resolutions Check in:

1. Read Less Books: I didn't keep count last  November but judging by a quick count of at least 33 on the wrap up I did actually read less this month. - CHECK

2. Be More aware while reading: I wasn't good about that this month, I only marked one book but it is something- CHECK

3. Read More Chunky Books (12 books over 450 pages in 2018): For the second month in a row I didn't read any chunky books. This is definitely a theme for me this time of year, I reach for shorter lighter books during this busy and stressful time period.

4. Use Library & Overdrive more: I did actually borrow a couple of books this month, YAY! - CHECK

5. Purge & Re-organize shelves: I traded a couple of books and added some to the donation pile.  I also purged our cookbook shelf which was a massive undertaking. - CHECK

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is my final TBR of the year! Can you believe that, and clearly I will not be reading everything I had hoped to this year, all those shiny new books get all the attention. But I have a few more books to finish up the year and the Advent Reads posts for December.  I am still super behind on my requested reviews, but I am working on them as quickly as I can and will post throughout December.

Beneath the Same Stars  * currently reading
Boots on the Ground
The Phoenix Empress
Fire and Heist * currently reading
Light as Air
The Christmas Note
Kill the Farm Boy * currently reading
Nightchaser
A Gift to Remember
Merry Christmas and Other Christmas Stories
Uprooted
Assassin's Gambit
The Carols of Christmas
Blasphemy Series

Do you have books you read every holiday season? 

Review of Outrun the Wind by Elizabeth Tammi

Read for: Requested Review

Synopsis: "The Huntresses of Artemis must obey two rules: never disobey the goddess, and never fall in love. After being rescued from a harrowing life as an Oracle of Delphi, Kahina is glad to be a part of the Hunt; living among a group of female warriors gives her a chance to reclaim her strength, even while her prophetic powers linger. But when a routine mission goes awry, Kahina breaks the first rule in order to save the legendary huntress Atalanta. 

To earn back Artemis’s favor, Kahina must complete a dangerous task in the kingdom of Arkadia— where the king’s daughter is revealed to be none other than Atalanta. Still reeling from her disastrous quest and her father’s insistence on marriage, Atalanta isn’t sure what to make of Kahina. As her connection to Atalanta deepens, Kahina finds herself in danger of breaking Artemis’ second rule.

She helps Atalanta devise a dangerous game to avoid marriage, and word spreads throughout Greece, attracting suitors willing to tempt fate to go up against Atalanta in a race for her hand. But when the men responsible for both the girls’ dark pasts arrive, the game turns deadly."

My Review:  I was really intrigued by this synopsis, there are not nearly enough re-telling/ adaptations of the myths around Artemis. It is told from 2 perspectives of Atalanta and Kahina, and it was a little confusing at first until the character's voices defined themselves. I was a bit familiar with Atalanta so it was nice to be able to reference the relation to the myths. The writing was pretty simple and easy to read and may make it more approachable. I think if you struggled with Song of Achilles but like the idea, this might be a great book to start with instead; on the other hand if you loved Song of Achilles and the epic poems and mythology of the past, you might find this to be a bit too simplistic. I loved the friendship and the development of the relationships throughout this book, that is what drew me into the story. A great book for those wanting to get more into mythology and re-tellings.

My Review: While I did enjoy this one, and love the focus on Artemis and Atalanta, I did find it a bit tedious.  The story and writing was almost a bit to simple for me, as a fan of Epic Poetry and the old myths, I would prefer a bit more to the writing itself. I give it a rating of Two Paws and a Stump Wag.

I received Outrun the Wind via Netgalley, the above is my unbiased opinion and review.

You can find out more about Elizabeth Tammi and her book in her Goodreads Page or Website.

Outrun the Wind was just released on Tuesday, November 27th so  you can now get your hands on this new release in either print or digital format from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Review of Beartown by Fredrik Backman

Read for: Recent Purchase/ Audio Book

Synopsis: "The #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Overeturns with a dazzling, profound novel about a small town with a big dream—and the price required to make it come true.

People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.

Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected.

Beartown explores the hopes that bring a small community together, the secrets that tear it apart, and the courage it takes for an individual to go against the grain. In this story of a small forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world."

My Review: After reading A Man Called Ove last year, I have been trying to read as many of Fredrik Backman's books as I can. Having come from a small town, I thought I would really be able to connect with this book. It definitely was something that maybe my own parents would have connected to more having grown up in small hockey towns. While I didn't really connect with the characters like I did with A Man Called Ove, I really appreciated the dilemmas presented in this story. There are a lot of moral questions throughout the story as well as some tough subject matters. I did struggle a bit with the writing style with this one, the world and character building was done in chunks instead of interwoven in the story, we are presented with details about each character before the story got moving and we found out how they each were part of the story. By the time the story got started I was so confused as to who was who that it took me about half the book before I started figuring it out. I did finally manage to really enjoy some characters, particularly Amat, his mother, Benji and Kira. I did also like Maya until closer to the end of the story when she became a bit too fictional with reactions to situations that don't really fit her age or position. It was a good book, a difficult book to read but a good one and I do plan to read the next book just to find out how the town and team changes.

My Rating: While I did struggle quite a bit with this book, I did end up enjoying much of it.  I love the setting and the realistic portrayal of a small town struggle. I give this one a rating of Two Paws and a Stump Wag.  

Review of May B. by Caroline Starr Rose

Read for Recent Purchase

Synopsis: "I’ve known it since last night:

It’s been too long to expect them to return.

Something’s happened.

May is helping out on a neighbor’s Kansas prairie homestead—just until Christmas, says Pa. She wants to contribute, but it’s hard to be separated from her family by 15 long, unfamiliar miles. Then the unthinkable happens: May is abandoned. Trapped in a tiny snow-covered sod house, isolated from family and neighbors, May must prepare for the oncoming winter. While fighting to survive, May’s memories of her struggles with reading at school come back to haunt her. But she’s determined to find her way home again."

My Review: I picked this book up on a whim while searching for holiday themed books, and I love books written in verse. I really enjoyed this book, though it wasn't exactly a Christmas book. It makes me really appreciate the luxuries we have today and the resilience of young people in particular during the time period. The format of writing in verse takes a bit away from the harsh situation May found herself in and it does gloss over a bit what she had to do to survive, but it does a beautiful job of portraying her internal struggles. The beautiful writing keeps you engaged in the story even though not a whole lot happens as May spends months on her own. I would definitely recommend reading this in the fall and winter as it was wonderfully atmospheric.

My Rating: I really enjoyed this book even though it wasn't quite what I was expecting.  Even with all the beauty of this book, it does face some rather harsh subject matters, especially the way that individuals with learning disabilities were treated. It makes me glad that we have come such a long way in understanding the struggles individuals face.  This is definitely a beautiful story and one that young readers and adults alike can really enjoy.  I give it a rating of Four Paws!

Monday Reading List

Its Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Shelia at Book Journey. Share what books you have finished in the last week, are currently reading and what might be coming up next!

Reviews Posted Last Week:

Links will take you to my review

Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Nuevel (Series Review)
Waking Gods by Sylvain Nuevel (Series Review)
Only Human by Sylvain Nuevel (Series Review)
File No. 002 by Sylvain Nuevel (Series Review)
Olaf Gives Thanks by Colin Hosten (Bedtime Story)
The Cookie Fiasco by Dan Standat (Bedtime Story)

 Books Finished Last Week:

Reviews will be posted at a later date

Alaskan Holiday
Seasons Galloping
The Snow Witch
I Got the Christmas Spirit
The Last Unicorn: The Lost Journey

Currently Reading:

Beneath the Same Stars by Phyllis Cole-Dai - Kindle - 15%
 Mammoth by Jill Baguchinsky - Audio - 63%
Outrun the Wind by Elizabeth Tammi - Kindle - 10%

Pages Read/ Time Listened
578:20 Hours Listened (4:50 listened this week)
38,753 Pages Read (525 this week)

Books Added to Shelves Recently: TBR
To the Sky Kingdom by Tang Qi
Dead Man's Walk by Larry McMurtry
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
Terrier by Tamora Pierce
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Reflections of Yesterday by Debbie Macomber
Jedi Search by Kevin J. Anderson
Caging the Merrow by Heather Rigney
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
Black Powder War by Naomi Novik
Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik
The Scandalous MacKenzies by Jennifer Ashley
The Wicked Deeds of Daniel Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley
The Stolen Mackenzie Bride by Jennifer Ashley
Hard to Serve by Laura Kaye
Mastering Her Senses by Laura Kaye
Theirs to Take by Laura Kaye
Nightblade's Vengeance by Ryan Kirk
Tomorrowland by Steven Kotler
The Wolf by Leo Carew
My Lady's Choosing by Kitty Curran & Larissa Zageris
Beyond the Darkened Shore by Jessica Leake
Defiant Heir by Melissa Caruso
True North by Marie Force
The Sorting Room by Angelina Singer
Lost Stars by Claudia Gray
Frankenstein Dreams by Michael Sims
The Belgaraid by David Eddings
Death Sworn by Leah Cypess
Sherlock Holmes and the Army of Dr. Moreau by Guy Adams
Zenith by Sasha Alsberg & Lindsay Cummings
In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick
The Queen of Sorrow by Sarah Beth Durst
Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Princesses Behaving Badly by Linda Rodriguez McRobbie
Fight for Everything by Laura Kaye
Light as Air by Mari Carr
Furyborn by Claire Legrand
Sweet Tea and Sympathy by Molly Harper
Half Drowned King by Linnea Hartsuyker
The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows
The Mirror King by Jodi Meadows
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner
Memoirs of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Theodore Roszak
The Bird and the Blade by Megan Bannen
The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss
Gunslinger Girl by Lyndsay Ely
Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch
Assassin's Gambit by Amy Raby
Refugee by Alan Gratz
Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao
Isle of Blood and Stone by Makiia Lucier
Heretics Anonymous by Katie Henry
None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio
Words We Don't Say by K.J. Reilly
The Light Between Worlds by Laura E. Weymouth
Misty Inn Collection Books 1-4 by Kristen Earhart
Not Even Bones by Rebecca Schaeffer
May B. by Caroline Starr Rose
Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate
The Christmas Light by Donna VanLiere
The Phoenix Empress by K. Arsenault Rivera
Royals by Rachel Hawkins
Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke
Kill the Farm Boy by Kevin Hearne and Delilah S. Dawson
14,000 Things to be Happy About by Barbara Ann Kipfer
Alaskan Holiday by Debbie Macomber
Monster: The Story of a Young Mary Shelley by Mark Arnold
Mammoth by Jill Baguchinsky
Seasons Galloping by Chloe Rider
Anything but Okay by Sarah Darer Littman
The Storyteller by Traci Chee
The Last Unicorn: The Lost Journey by Peter S. Beagle



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So as usual with holidays, vacations and long weekends, I did not get to read as much as I would have liked. Also, I nearly completely failed at the Fall into Fantasy, but luckily I read the Last Unicorn: The Lost Journey this week.  I am also not doing so hot on my Tome Topple either. I have completely blown my planned TBR out the window and have been picking up some much shorter and lighter reads. I do tend to reach for lighter reads this time of year, especially romance, because with all the hustle and bustle and stress of this time of year, I can't mentally handle big fantasy books that require a lot of investment. I did try to start The Storyteller, but for some reason the first two chapters aren't really lining up with what I thought happened at the end of The Speaker. I think I need to go back and do a re-read of the whole series.

I am not expecting to get a whole lot of reading done this week either, I have gone full charge into a deep house cleaning before decorating. (I feel like I am pregnancy nesting without the being pregnant part). Over the long weekend I gave the bathroom, hallway and dining room a deep cleaning including scrubbing walls and purging. I will tackle the living room next so we can get our tree up.  I also have a bunch of cards to make for the next Craft Bazaar since the one earlier this month pretty much wiped me out. So more audio books here I come!


How do you find your reading changing during busy holiday times? Do you read less? Shorter books? Different genres?