Advent Reads Day 5: Happy Narwhalidays (a Narwhal & Jelly Book) by Ben Clanton

   Welcome to Advent Reads!

This is an event I have had on my blog for several years running now.  Each evening I feature a different holiday themed book. Think of it as your Book Advent Calendar! I post a variety of holiday books including romance, children's, middle-grade, mystery, paranormal, and I try to find some that are other holiday celebrations than Christmas too. I hope you will stop by each evening to see what new book I have for you!

Read for: Requested Review/ Netgalley/ We LOVE Narhwal & Jelly

Synopsis: "Narwhal and Jelly spread some holiday cheer (and warm waffle pudding)!

It's the festive season in the world wide waters, and Narwhal is looking forward to cozying up with a good book, singing and partying with his pod pals and enjoying some warm waffle pudding. But most of all he's excited about the arrival of the Merry Mermicorn! According to Narwhal, she's part mermaid, part unicorn and completely mer-aculous! Jelly is of course skeptical about the existence of the "Mira-Miny-What-A Corn" . . . even when he receives a mysterious present. It must be from Narwhal. Now Jelly has to get the perfect gift, but finding a present for someone as unique as Narwhal is no easy feat, even when you have six tentacles. How will Jelly ever come up with a whaley great gift for a best pal who spreads cheer all through the year?"

My Review:  Munchkin is a huge fan of the Narwhal and Jelly books and I have to admit so am I, so I was very excited to see a new one coming out. The creativity in these books is fantastic, to come up with carols that work for undersea creatures is something to behold. In classic Narwhal & Jelly manner, we have a great story about friendship and of course a few facts and a lot of laughs. This is a great book for young readers, the images are bold and minimal with limited text on the page. The fun characters and details with will keep even the most reluctant readers coming back for more. This book also has a great message about the magic of gift giving, a perfect read for the holiday season.

My Rating: This was such a great addition to the Narwhal & Jelly series, and a fun holiday book on top of it! There was so much creativity in this book, the classic Narwhal & Jelly fun and silliness but with a great message about gifts and the season, even some facts mixed in.  We give this one a rating of Four Paws and a Stump Wag!

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. The above is my honest review and opinion.

You can find out more about Ben Clanton and the Narwhal & Jelly series on his Goodreads Page or Website.

Happy Narwhalidays was released earlier this fall so you can obtain your own copy now in print or digital format from Amazon or Barnes & Noble or request it at your local library or bookstore (or I got our copy from Scholastic Club flyer).

Advent Reads Day 4: Bedtime Story: Christmas Cookie Day by Tara Knudson & Illustrated by Pauline Siewert

  Welcome to Advent Reads!

This is an event I have had on my blog for several years running now.  Each evening I feature a different holiday themed book. Think of it as your Book Advent Calendar! I post a variety of holiday books including romance, children's, middle-grade, mystery, paranormal, and I try to find some that are other holiday celebrations than Christmas too. I hope you will stop by each evening to see what new book I have for you!

Read for: Children's Books

Synopsis: "Celebrate the tradition of making Christmas cookies with family and friends by sharing this delightful board book, Christmas Cookie Day! Cute, simple, easy-to-read, and includes a yummy cookie recipe on the back cover!

Readers young and old will love the sweet rhymes and colorful illustrations that remind us all of the tradition of baking cookies and giving them as gifts during the holiday season.

Christmas Cookie Day:

Features fun, rhyming text written for children ages 0 to 4

Is perfect for building new memories, great for family reading, and ideal for Christmas gift-giving

Is a durable board book that fits into little hands, with a festive glittery cover and adorable illustrations

Cookie day.

Time to bake,

Aprons on,

Lots to make!"

My Review: Even though Munchkin is done with picture and board books, I still look for great ones for my nieces, and this is one of those. This has simple lines and rhyming with bright pictures. It tells of a great day making Christmas cookies. It can create a wonderful tradition of reading this book and then making the cookies, connecting the story with real life. There is also a sugar cookie recipe on the back cover for even more fun.

My Rating: This was such a cute book, I wish I had discovered it when Munchkin was really little (not that it would have improved my baking skills at all). It is a fun book and can lead to a fun family tradition.  I give it a rating of Four Paws and a Stump Wag!

 

Advent Reads Day 3: Scrooged by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward

  Welcome to Advent Reads!

This is an event I have had on my blog for several years running now.  Each evening I feature a different holiday themed book. Think of it as your Book Advent Calendar! I post a variety of holiday books including romance, children's, middle-grade, mystery, paranormal, and I try to find some that are other holiday celebrations than Christmas too. I hope you will stop by each evening to see what new book I have for you!

Read for: Recently Added/ Audio book

Synopsis: "NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHORS VI KEELAND AND PENELOPE WARD BRING YOU THREE SEXY SHORT STORIES TO HEAT UP YOUR HOLIDAYS!

SEXY SCROOGE

The Last thing I needed was to share an Uber with Scrooge - a cocky lawyer on a snowy Christmas Eve. It was bad enough I was on my way to court for the gift of eviction.

Although maybe today wouldn't turn out so bad after all.

The Sexy Scrooge and I started to connect as we trudged our way through a storm. Our ride was about to end. But would I ever see him again?

THE MERRY MISTAKE

Note to self: Ask Santa for glasses this year. When I accidentally mistook a gorgeous man resting outside my building for a homeless person in need of a lunch, we got into it. I'd only been trying to do a good deed around the holidays, but he called me righteous. I called him something far worse. If only I didn't have to see him again. But fate had other plans.

KISSMAS IN NEW YORK

It was just supposed to be a simple kiss with a stranger. I'd done it to prove a point - that I hadn't lost my sense of adventure. But you know what they about the best laid plans. Maybe I'd get something in my stocking after all this holiday season. . "

My Review: This was a fun book for the holiday season. It contained 3 short stories that give you all the hallmark Christmas feels but will fit into a busy schedule. I listened to the audio book and it was a quick listen. I think my favorite story was the second, Merry Mistake, it made me laugh so hard. Each story had a mistaken identity theme that leads to a comedy of errors, surprises and of course romance. I would love more for each of these stories but they are each an individual story that is satisfying to read. Each story also gives you all the cozy feelings with HEA endings.

My Rating: I really enjoyed these books, while I wish they were longer, they were still satisfying reads and fit perfectly in a busy holiday schedule. Definitely a book to listen to while gift wrapping or to read while waiting in the long post office lines.  I give it an overall rating of Four Paws!

Advent Reads Day 2: A Dog's Perfect Christmas by W. Bruce Cameron

  Welcome to Advent Reads!

This is an event I have had on my blog for several years running now.  Each evening I feature a different holiday themed book. Think of it as your Book Advent Calendar! I post a variety of holiday books including romance, children's, middle-grade, mystery, paranormal, and I try to find some that are other holiday celebrations than Christmas too. I hope you will stop by each evening to see what new book I have for you!

Read for: Requested Review/ Netgalley

Synopsis: "The perfect, feel-good holiday gift from W. Bruce Cameron, the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the A Dog’s Purpose series

The problems fracturing the Goss family as Christmas approaches are hardly unique, though perhaps they are handling them a little differently than most people might. But then a true emergency arises, one with the potential to not only ruin Christmas, but everything holding the family together.

Is the arrival of a lost puppy yet another in the string of calamities facing them, or could the little canine be just what they all need?

A Dog’s Perfect Christmas is a beautiful, poignant, delightful tale of what can happen when family members open their hearts to new possibilities. You’ll find love and tears and laughter—the ideal holiday read."

My Review:  You combine dogs and Christmas and I am so there! I was really excited for this book, I read one of the author's other dog Christmas books last year and enjoyed it. It was a bit confusing at first because there are multiple POVs, including one from the dog, Winston, but you quickly grow accustomed to them. Each character has clear voice and personality which makes them easy to distinguish. The first quarter of the book or so I was a bit worried that it was going to be a bit too dark and dreary of a holiday story this year but it was so worth it to continue. It was definitely an emotional journey with a lot of very relatable situations. I absolutely adored Winston and Ruby's simplistic perspective as compared the the much more complicated emotions and trials of the family. I love the way the story progressed and I ended up with such cozy happy feelings, definitely a great book for animal lovers during the holiday season.

My Rating: I was a bit unsure about the book at the beginning but the family really captured my attention and drew me into the story and the emotions. I give it a rating of Four Paws!

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. The above is my honest review and opinion.

You can find out more about W. Bruce Cameron and his books on his Goodreads Page or Website.

A Dog's Perfect Christmas was just released on October 20th so you can pick up your own copy today in print or digital format from Amazon or Barnes & Noble or request it at your local bookstore or library.

Advent Reads Day 1: Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy by Janice Lynn

 Welcome to Advent Reads!

This is an event I have had on my blog for several years running now.  Each evening I feature a different holiday themed book. Think of it as your Book Advent Calendar! I post a variety of holiday books including romance, children's, middle-grade, mystery, paranormal, and I try to find some that are other holiday celebrations than Christmas too. I hope you will stop by each evening to see what new book I have for you!

Read for: Requested Review/ Netgalley/ Audiobook

Synopsis: "When a quilt shop owner 

finds a former Marine’s journal,
she longs to heal his heart…

 

When Sophie Davis sorts through a box of donated books to her church, she’s surprised to discover a soldier’s journal. As the daughter of a veteran who watched her father struggle over the years, she feels a deep connection to the man who wrote the emotional entries.

Former Marine Cole Aaron battled to find peace after returning to civilian life. He’s always needed to protect others. Now, fighting fires in Pine Hill, Kentucky helps him put out the demons within him. When Sophie shows up at the fire hall with his journal from when he’d first returned stateside, Cole can’t believe it was in the box he’d donated. Not wanting to face painful memories, he tells her to trash it.

Sophie and Cole are drawn together as they both volunteer for their community, but it’s hard for Cole to let down his guard, and he doesn’t need anyone’s pity. After all he’s been through in the past, can he find faith in a more hopeful future…one touched by joy?

This heartwarming romance includes a free Hallmark original recipe for Dilly Duchess Potatoes."

My Review: As I am sure you know, I am all about the cozy holiday books and jumped at the chance to read this one. My interest was definitely piqued with the combination of a quilter (my mom has her own quilting business) and a Marine (many of my family members are members of our armed forces). This was exactly what I was looking for in a holiday book, a character with an internal struggle and one who just wants to love and bring comfort and joy to those around them, you add in a stray cat needing love and I am all for it. I do have to say that while Cole is struggling with some pretty big demons, we never get to fully see what all he is fighting internally, we get bits and pieces but not the full story, which I am okay with because it might make this book a bit too heavy. I loved Sophie, she just has so much love to give and while her upbeat personality would drive me nuts in person, it is just what this book needed. This does seem to be a second book in a series but you really don't notice, I do think I will be going back and reading the previous book though as I love the Quilts of Valor are the main theme in the series. This is definitely a book to pick up if you are looking for a book with comfort and hope in them to give you the warm fuzzies.

My Rating: I enjoyed this story, I was able to connect with the quilting aspect and the love that goes into a handmade quilt.  The story was so heartwarming, and I do appreciate the fact that we didn't dive too deep into Cole's PTSD and Survivor Guilt, as I really wanted a light holiday story to get me in the joyful mood.  I give it a rating of Three Paws and a Stump Wag.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. The above is my honest review and opinion.

You can find out more about Janice Lynn and the Wrapped Up in Christmas book on her Goodreads Page.

Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy was just released on October 27th so you can get your own copy and enjoy it now in digital or print format from Amazon and Barnes & Noble or request it at your local library or independent bookstore.

9th Annual Advent Reads Kickoff

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.  This is the 9th year I am having this season long event here at Eastern Sunset Reads! As usual, 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 Romance to Cozy Mystery 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.  Like last year I am not going to add those tidbits.  Like so many others I am already a little overwhelmed and it is only the 1st.  My husband works in the package delivery system and this is normally a busy season but with the addition of Covid struggles and everyone pretty much having to shop online, it has been so much worse. So the bulk of Christmas prep and creating the magic of the season for 8 year old Munchkin land squarely on my shoulders. I will however be posting as much as I can on Instagram, little tidbits of books, decorating, fun holiday traditions, etc.- @EasternSunset9

I hope you will come back and visit throughout the month, starting tonight at 6:00pm EST with our first book and discover your next favorite Christmas story!

November 2020 Wrap Up & December TBR

 Tomorrow is December, 2020 is nearly at an end! I have so many books I still want to read this year and so much I still need to get done before Christmas! I didn't feel like I accomplished much in November but looking back it wasn't so bad, I handmade 9 gifts, cleared the leaves from both our yard and the neighbor's, kept my house and office running relatively smoothly and read a few books! I have to start looking at the whole picture so I don't get so discouraged, and really it is about the whole picture, not just about the books. I don't just read books all day, I have so much else going on. Shall we check out the books I managed to read this month?!

First and foremost is my only actual challenge for the  year . . .

TBR Books from the Past 3 Years:

 I didn't manage to read a single book off my list from previous years :(

But I did read 2 books off my older TBR (not included in the last 3 years of hauls):

  

2020 Books added to TBR & Read:

I didn't do as great of a job with reading all the books I have purchased this month but in my defense I also added a lot less books to my TBR.  I also decided to really take a critical look at those books I have added and while I only read 4 books I purchased this year, I did also unhaul 7 more books I am unlikely to get to anytime in the next 2 to 3 years.  So in total I got 11 books off my books purchased this year, bringing my total unread, purchased books to 41. I do hope to get a good chunk more off that list by the end of the year since I made the promise to myself to remove 2 books off my current TBR shelves for each book I added this year but didn't read (up until today's date, I am not counting books added in December since there will be very little time to read those).

 

November Additions:

I am so, so proud of myself this month! I only picked up 2 books and of those 2 I read one of them! This is by far the best month I have had at sticking to my goals of purchasing less books. I am hoping to get a few books for Christmas and I asked for some pretty chunky ones, so I was hoping to keep my purchases down more. 

  

 

In other reading I am tracking this year, I read . . .

Re-Reads:

None

Borrowed Books:

28. Stepping Stones

29. A Likely Story

Books Over 500 Pages:

12. The Ranger of Marzanna (528)

Requested Reviews: 

Christmas in the Rockies (Pump Up Your Book)

Selling Christmas  (Pump Up Your Book)

Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy (Netgalley)

Camelot's Betrayal (Netgalley)

A Dog's Perfect Christmas (Netgalley)

Tom and Jerry Wordless Graphic Novel (Netgalley)

November Reading Stats:

I read a total of 16 books this month

1,612 pages read and 1 days,18 hours and 50 minute of listening

Resolutions Check in:

1. Read that TBR: I have pretty much given up on this goal, if I can just focus on not adding to it at this point I will be happy. - :(

2. Purchase Less Books: Last year I only purchased 4 books in the month of November, I doubted I could beat that but managed to only pick up 2 books!  - CHECK

3. Read Big Books: I didn't manage to squeeze in any big books this month, I had every intention to participate in Tome Topple but I just didn't get it done.  With that said, I am still super happy with the 14 that I have read already this year. - :(

4. Interact: Still struggling with balancing in person life and online life. I haven't even posted on Instagram in ages. I just need to find that balance again.  The good news is that we made a ton of progress on a whole house purge and organize, so I feel like I don't have as much hanging over my head constantly. - :/ 

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I haven't had a whole lot of reading time lately but with that said; I still have a few more books to get read for my Advent Reads event, so I will be reading a bunch more holiday books over the next 2 weeks. I also have a lot of review books to get caught up on, I have fallen a bit behind schedule but hope to be caught up by the middle of January. Finally, there are a few books I picked up this year that I really, really want to get to soon. Hopefully the holiday books won't take long since they are so light and fluffy and I can get into some of these other books on the list.

For TBR List

Marshmallows & Mistletoe

Cocoa & Carols

An Unexpected Christmas

Royal Holiday

Kingdom of the Wicked

Anxious People

A Touch of Snow and Stone

The Empire Strikes Back

My Kind of Cowboy

Better Late than Never

Death in the Stacks

Midnight Sun

and for requested reviews

Christmas Under the Northern Lights

The Kiss that Saved Christmas

The Princess Knight

This Cowboy of Mine

On a Blue Moon

Hush

Boone

The Great Unicorn Race

Unplugged

What are the last books you hope to read before the end of the year?

Monday Reading List

    It is Monday again and it is time to update with what I read last week, what I am currently reading and what to look forward to next week.

Reviews Posted Last Week:

Links will take you to my review

The Camelot Betrayal by Kiersten White

Nate the Great Talks Turkey by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat (Bedtime Story)

 Books Finished Last Week:

Reviews will be posted at a later date

A Dog's Perfect Christmas

A Likely Story

Christmas Cookie Day

An Almost Perfect Christmas

Currently Reading:

Pages Read/ Time Listened
892:58 Hours Listened (16:17 listened this week)
28,081 Pages Read (208 This week)

Books Added to Shelves Recently: TBR
The Eyes of Tamburah (gift)
The Wolf in the Whale
~~~~~~~~~~March Birthday Waiver Books ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Rain Dragon Rescue
The Order of the Unicorn
All the Wandering Light
Life on the Leash
Phoenix Unbound
The Caged Queen
The Mum Who'd Had Enough
The Voyage to Magical North
The Overdue Life of Amy Byler
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~End Birthday Waiver~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scavenge the Stars - UNHAUL
Beefcakes
Hades & Persephone
Dark Skies
No Country for Old Gnomes (gift) - UNHAUL
About That Kiss
The Girl and the Stars
A Choir of Lies
Loving Cara
Girl of Fire & Thorns (gift)
Fury of a Phoenix
Homicide in Hardcover (gift)
Unravel the Dusk
Ruthless Gods - UNHAUL

A Touch of Stone and Snow (gift)

Ember and the Ice Dragons

Midnight Sun

On the Hunt

Tis the Season

An Almost Perfect Christmas - READ

The Christmas Quilt - UNHAUL

Captive Heart

Sword of the Six

Sacrificed to the Dragon

Guenevere Queen of the Summer Country

Knight of the Sacred Lake

The Unicorn War - UNHAUL

Lady of Light and Shadows

Anxious People

Piranesi - UNHAUL

Her Lucky Cowboy

Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen

Holiday Murder

The Forgotten Kingdom

Blind Search - READ

Selling Christmas (gift) - READ

Death in the Stacks

The Cranky Mom Fix - UNHAUL

Kingdom of the Wicked

Camelot Betrayal - READ

From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back

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Can you believe tomorrow is December already?! I have so much more I wanted to get accomplished this month and year! Oh well, 2020 seems to be the year of not meeting expectations LOL! On a happy note, tomorrow starts my annual Advent Reads event! I can't believe how many years I have been doing this and still have so many holiday books I want to read and share with you.  This year in particular I have a lot of new releases, something I don't often get a chance to share with trying to catch up on backlist books.  I will have a full announcement tomorrow morning with all the details but if you have been following me for all these past years (over 10 now) you probably know the drill.