Time is flying by at a crazy pace, and it’s somehow time for the first My Christmas is Booked Check-In post! {That also means we’re 2 months from Christmas. Yikes!}. As mentioned, I kept my official Festive TBR much smaller this year, which leaves me a lot of flexibility for impulse/bonus reads. Let’s see what kind of progress I’m making so far …

Kiss Me at Christmas | Jenny Bayliss | GP Putnam’s Sons | 2024 | 🎄🎄🎄🎄
Every year finds me eagerly waiting for the new Jenny Bayliss holiday read. As expected, this year she had another solid offering. This one did take a minute to get into, but once I did and things got rolling, they were rolling. I loved the chaos and community that developed with the theatre crowd, and the celebration of found family. Honestly I was more invested in the supporting cast than I was the main stars Harriet and James – everyone was so fleshed out and had so much color and flavor.

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year | Ally Carter | Avon | 2024 | 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
I’ve read one or two of Ally Carter’s YA stories, but absolutely loved Blonde Identity when I read it earlier this year, so was very excited to get my hands on this one. There’s so much to love here: the mysterious invitation to spend Christmas at a British manor house; the eclectic cast of characters – including the famous hostess; the locked room disappearance. But most of all? The banter. Oh my stars, the banter. Yes please! I loved Maggie and Ethan, individually. But I especially loved them together. The flashback glimpses into the past that led Maggie and Ethan to this moment added so much to the story. Did I mention the banter? The mystery itself is masterfully done – I picked up on pieces of it, but couldn’t figure out exactly how it all worked until the rest of the pieces came together. All in all, I really loved this book.

For the first check-in I’ve managed to read one book from my official TBR, and one bonus book. I’m also about halfway through an impulse-pick audio, so not a bad start to the festive reading season at all! If they’re all as good as these first 2 have been, it’s going to be a sparkling season for sure.

Have you started your festive reading yet? If so, what’s been the best one? If not, what are you most looking forward to reading?

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