I was listening to this as an audiobook. It is incredibly long and it is hard to tell an audiobook when the author is themselves is speaking, when they are quoting somebody else, or when they are describing another source. There were many interviews or sources used that they quoted heavily and that became hard to pay attention to. I think this book works better as a book than as an audiobook.

 

This is not a children’s book. I repeat this is not a children’s book. However, adults are going to love a picture book just for them. This is comedic horror in picture book format. That is quick and simple to get through. This story is interesting. The illustrations are entertaining, and it puts a big smile on the face of the reader. I love this and I want more of it. At the end, it says 10 will be coming for revenge! Yes, I need that book! 

 

This was adorable. This is my first Ally Hazelwood, but she’s gained popularity very quickly and I see why. This book takes place mostly in California and northern Chicago. This is about two people who grew up together. One’s been in love with their entire life and the other had to come to the realization that this beautiful man is more than her best friend’s little brother, but the love of her life. This was a heartfelt short story that made a great lazy morning. 

 

This book is a DNF. We start with a young woman who does store windows getting told that she will be laid off in the coming year. And this is after she already feels embarrassed from falling over her tall shoes, dropping multiple things out of her purse and running into the security guard. This book is a set up to find love between her and the security guard and that’s perfectly OK. I think for me it’s the reader that is getting to me. I think I would like this story as a Hallmark movie but as a book it feels to drawn out. I am DNF thing at 5.2%. 

 

This book was a very short DNF. I love a good holiday romance novel. They’re like a Hallmark movie for the ears. And while yes, I should understand a couple trying to find each other. I just don’t find it something I want to listen to at the holidays. This book starts out with our two misters. Their relationship is on the rocks because they’ve been married, but don’t make time for each other. Well, I know the description tells me that they end up taking over for Santa Claus and decide to give each other a year to make the relationship work. I never got to any of that because them not having time for each other was a depressing way to start a romance novel. 

 

This is a sequel to Huda F cares, and this was as entertaining as the first book and second book. While I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I wouldn’t say it’s fun. We follow Huda through her junior year as she finds out her parents are getting a divorce. This affects her mental health and her life. She has to learn how to deal with this in a Muslim family where seeking mental health help almost never happens. This is handled in an intelligent and thoughtful way that teens who need it will fully understand. It also gives insight into the lives of a Muslim teenager that might be helpful to their non-Muslim friends. 

 

The only thing I don’t like about this book is it an Amazon original. Which means it’ll be impossible for libraries to buy for their patrons if they’re not using Libby. In this book, we have a woman who finds out that her aunt is dying and her aunt wants one thing , a book from her childhood. A particular book of verse by Robert Lewis Stevenson illustrated by a particular artist. Our main character decides she’s going to try her best to find a copy of this book. Along the way she makes friends with a handsome young bookseller and the two of them are going to see if they can’t find this unique, rare, and eventually very expensive phantom copy of a book. This book was very sweet and heartfelt. It was a perfect read for Christmas. It does have romance in it, but the romance isn’t the main part of the story. The main part of the story really is the hunt in these old British book shops for a book so rare most people don’t believe it to exist. I loved almost everything about this if only it was put out by a publisher, other than Amazon. 

 

This was a fun story to get one in a holiday mood. It’s the book equivalent of a Hallmark Christmas movie. In it, we have a very handsome tall and built baker trying to save his small business and an artist who works for a mega cookie company who is just trying to do her job. The two butt heads then fall in love in a book, that’s exactly what you think you’re going to get from the title in the cover. I quite enjoyed this book and only have one complaint. I don’t know why I find it odd when the heroes or the men in the books use endearing terms like “baby” and “sweetheart”. It just seems grading. It seems old-fashioned. I have. I really did enjoy this book. Thought it was great fun and look forward to seeing the movie if Hallmark ever picks it up. 

 

This shorter book was exactly what you want in a cozy holiday romance. It’s grumpy sunshine. It’s fake dating. It’s holiday disasters in achieving your dreams. It’s just a good time. While I enjoyed this book, it did feel like the main character had a big personality flip. This is plausible for a Hallmark style romcom, but normally, that big a change in two months would be annoying and unexpected.  But the point was to make you feel warm, happy and cozy and it did exactly that. 

 

Edie O’Sullivan is a curmudgeon, who doesn’t like the holidays, or people, or even her own family.  She is a retired teacher in her 80s who spends her days doing jigsaw puzzles and creating crosswords for the London times.  But someone is out to ruin her already dreary holidays.  Evil shenanigans are afoot when Edie receives a package of puzzle pieces with a note to solve the mystery or else.  She gets the neighbor, and her nephew involved, and the story progresses.  This is no Angela Lansbury.  This is not a cozy festive read, but rather a slog through various parts of Edie’s history, and the stories of those around her.  It is terribly slow, and I find myself not wanting to start out on the story again after I turn it off each night.  I need something more fun and uplifting for Christmas.  Or something with more blood and guts.  Let’s save Ebeneezer for the TV as the story is told better there.