Originally intended to be a mid-month update in December, I’ll go ahead and add my wrap-up thoughts to my final mini reviews {getting sick really messed with so many plans}. First up: the last handful of books I managed to squeeze in to my festive reading.
The Holiday Mix-Up | Ginny Baird | 2023 | Sourcebooks Casablanca | DNF
It happened. One of my highly anticipated Christmas reads failed me. It’s got a fun premise, and started out cute – but then everything just … stagnated? There was a lot of repeated internal monologues/thought processes/etc. from both main characters, and it was too much circling and not enough moving forward.
Eight Dates and Nights | Betsy Aldredge | 2023 | Underlined| ✨✨✨✨
This was a bonus festive read: a Hanukkah book! And I actually read it during Hanukkah, which was nice. A quick-paced YA story, full of small-town Texas quirks and a lot of heart. It was a fun read, and I loved Hannah’s journey to realizing that just because someone celebrates Hanukkah in a different (aka “more boisterous”) way than she does, it is no less meaningful.
Fun fact: The author co-wrote a very fun YA read combining Pride & Prejudice with Bigfoot hunting.
So This is Christmas | Jenny Holiday | 2022 | Avon | 🎄🎄🎄🎄
I read this one while slowly coming out of fever-fog, so the particulars are a wee bit fuzzy. But I know that it was a fun read, and this might be the best book in the Eldovian Christmas series. It was so good to finally see Mr. Benz get his own story – his own life. I also enjoyed seeing more of the Eldovian country, and really hope Imogen gets her book soon.
Three Holidays and a Wedding | Uzma Jalaluddin & Marissa Stapley | 2023 | G.P. Putnam’s Sons | 🎄🎄🎄🎄
This was the best book to end my year’s reading with! It’s really sort of “four holidays” and a wedding, since for the most of the book, Ramadan is taking place (and Eid began at its conclusion), but overall this was such a fun read. I loved the town of Snow Falls, and how eclectic and welcoming the residents were of the snow-stranded travelers. Anna and Maryam both experience a lot of personal growth, in journeys that are relatable and well-written. The secondary characters (including the town itself) add color and flavor. Overall, truly a wonderful last book of 2023, and I’m glad I managed to get it read this year.
Now, for some concluding thoughts about My Christmas is Booked:
I enjoyed having an official capacity for reading/tracking my festive reads, as opposed to just reading them. It helped me feel more organized, and while I definitely did not read everything on my list, I feel like I read more. At the end of the season, I’ve read 7 of my original 14 books – and added 1 bonus book. I call that a successful venture!
Other successes include thinking through what was coming out – and what I missed in years past – and deciding which books to focus on. I also left myself some flexibility and wiggle room, which I’ve been working on in general. When one of my highly anticipated books didn’t pan out? DNF. When something not on my list caught my eye? Read it! See a whole bunch of other new releases I somehow missed before when making my list? Add them to my general TBR and come back to them next time. Because I will definitely be doing this again.
