Confession time: this absolutely adorable book arrived in my mailbox, and it was met with a very Grinch-like attitude. 

Normally, the calendar rolls over to November 1st and I become the embodiment of Buddy the Elf. (Minus the syrup.) But this Christmas season... I just wasn’t feeling it. 

Thankfully, Walsh KNOWS how to spread Christmas cheer and saved me from being a crank. 

Truly, this book is Christmas magic in paper form. 

🎄 A family-owned Christmas tree farm
🎄 A small town setting 
🎄 A cranky, Grinch-like character
🎄 Opposites attract
🎄 Rekindled young love

This is one of those reads that had me fully engaged— the setting was utterly charming, the characters were endearing and full of complexity, the plot had me invested and hopeful that the farm would be saved, and the romance had me cheering and swooning in equal measure. 

But where this read really shined for me was in its determination to showcase the joy of the season. The festivity! The togetherness! The yule tide spirit! This book OOZES tradition and merriment. (I think my heart grew 3 sizes. 💗)

Many thanks to my friend Courtney Walsh for the free #gifted copy of this book. 

What a DELIGHT!  

 

The festivity! The mystery!  The banter!  The wit!  The chemistry!  It’s like Carter asked me which key elements would make for a proper mystery/romance mashup, and then FULLY DELIVERED.  

 

Decades ago, Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days with no explanation.  There have been plenty of wild theories about what happened.  But none have provided the entertainment that Carter’s fictionalized envisioning did in this novel.

 

Well written and cleverly plotted, the mystery was both twisty and surprising.  The dash of family drama on the side added an extra spectacle, and I appreciated the nods to Christie’s storytelling as well as the fast pace of the plot.  

 

But where this book really shined for me was the SWOON worthy romance.  Every time Ethan told Maggie to believe in herself, I melted.  The banter was top notch, and the chemistry was undeniable.  I cheered for these rivals as they became lovers.    

 

This was a wildly entertaining holiday read, and I will recommend it with abandon every year.  A favorite, for sure!

 

I am a total devotee of Feeney's writing.  And in her newest... she does not disappoint. 

It’s ominous and chilling with tension so thick you could cut it with a knife.  I found myself constantly questioning what was real.  

The way the narrative and location worked together gave the story a truly suffocating feel.  And those twists!!!  They don’t call Feeney the “queen of twists” for no reason!  

But what everyone is going to be talking about—that ending!  WOW. 😱

In a society focused on billionaires and broligarchs, where profit margins and power matter more than people—this book gave my soul a needed reminder of the beauty and prosperity found in the natural world. 

Kimmer explains the symbiotic relationship between the serviceberry tree and its environment as a potential shift in thinking from modern capitalistic practices to one of a gift economy. 

I particularly appreciated the focus on Indigenous wisdom related to gratitude, community, and seeing the abundance around us. 

While the message felt overly simplistic, maybe even too idealistic, I still found it to be a tender read that allowed me a reprieve from the demands of overconsumption and capitalism. 

🎧 The audiobook is narrated by the author, and her passion for this message came through in her reading. I found it to be a lovely listen. 

Many thanks to my friends at @scribner and @simon.audio for the free #gifted copy of this book.

Have you ever considered getting chickens? I can definitively say that I have not. The pecking. The poop. The cock-a-doodle-dooing. 

But... Montgomery almost convinced me differently. 

I love quirky books. Make it a quirky book full of fun facts about animals, and it’s a double treat! But it still surprised me when this short read about my (formerly) least favorite bird completely charmed me. 

Montgomery had a flock of chickens, her Ladies, for nearly 2 decades. Over that time, she gleaned fascinating insights into their intellect, memory, spatial awareness, relationships/bonds, and curiosities. 

Her anecdotes were often laugh out loud funny, and it was apparent she held great affection for the birds. 

Quite simply, Montgomery’s musing on the chicken held me spellbound and fully delighted even as it informed. Such a lovely surprise.

🎧 A short listen narrated by the author. Her devotion and love for chickens shines through in every word she reads. Definitely the way to go!

Many thanks to my friends at @atriabooks for the free #gifted copy. #atriapartner 

Competitive Grieving by Dahlia-Zelevansky is one of my forever favorite contemporary fiction books.  I read it not long after my dad passed away, and it was so cathartic and so uplifting but also very, very funny.  It was exactly what I needed in the moment.  

 

So, as soon as I saw she had a new book—this time a mature romance—coming out, I knew I needed to grab it.  

 

And while the tone here is very different from the aforementioned, many of the elements I loved in her writing there easily translated here—in particular, the wit and humor.  

 

This mature romance delved into some of the harder aspects of midlife (divorce, being a single parent, balancing life, work, and home) while also providing a fun escape.

 

💋 Single mom/single dad

💋 Enemies to lovers

💋 Quick witted dialogue

💋 Everyday life

💋 Quality chemistry

 

🎧The audiobook has a full cast (3 narrators) and had me eager to keep reading.  Teddy Hamilton had me swooning (even when rolling my eyes) over Ethan.  Gilli Messer was easily relatable as a single mom, and the sarcasm she infuses into her dialogue is 👌🏻.  Eunice Wong is one of my favorites, and here she worked well as an outside observer.  

 

Many thanks to my friends at @gallerybooks and @librofm for the free #gifted copies of this book.

 

Beautiful and cathartic.  Just what my heart needed.  Joella ALWAYS delivers.  Full review to come.  

An absolute masterpiece.  I can't stop thinking about this stunning book.  Favorite of this year and next?  Quite possibly.  Full review to come. 

"I washed my hands every day, Jojo. But that damn blood ain't never come out.

Profound and poetic. This story demands an audience. 

From the graphic opening scene to the sob inducing ending, this novel exposes the plight of living a poverty driven Black experience in the rural south. 

Powerful scenes blended with beautifully evocative prose. The lushness of the writing amplified the ever-present, gut-wrenching sense of danger and neglect. The steady pace of the narrative allowed me the necessary time to contend with dire circumstances, past and present. But Ward didn’t leave us to languish in the doom. The elements of magical realism evoked the potential of hope even as they dissected the ghosts of generational trauma. 

Ward’s ability to capture the complexities of the south and its heritage of racism makes this short but powerful novel a true literary masterpiece. 

Many thanks to my friends at @scribnerbooks for the free #gifted copy of this book.

Sweeping family saga that needed a bit of an edit to really shine. Full review to come.