The holiday season is the perfect time to cozy up with a book that captures the magic, warmth, or reflective spirit of this time of year. Whether you’re looking to embrace the festive mood, find inspiration, or simply relax amidst the hustle and bustle, I hope that you can find a book or two that will bring you joy and inspiration during the holidays.
Until Next Month!
Happy Reading! 🤓📚 🍂
Society of Lies By: Lauren Ling Brown
As the leaves started changing and fall weather set in, I was interested in reading a dark academia book. Society of Lies was Reese’s Book Club pick for October and it definitely fit the bill. Set on the campus of Princeton, Maya attends her 10 year college reunion while also excited to be there for her younger sister’s graduation. Within 24 hrs. of arriving, Maya receives the devastating news that her sister has been found dead. As Maya starts piecing everything together, she starts realizing that her own past is what may have gotten her sister killed. If you like books told from dual timelines, set in the world of academia, and plots filled with revenge, then this is a book for you. I gave it 🤩🤩🤩1/2 on the devour scale.
Here one Moment By: Liane Moriarty
If you were told you only had a certain amount of time left to live, would you do things differently? Would you try to dodge your destiny? In Moriarty’s newest book, she sets the opening scene on a airplane,where upon take off, a woman starts going down the aisle pointing to each person as she says the age they will die along with what will cause their death. The remainder of the book follows a few of the passengers and how they deal with the news they’ve been given. As the chapters are told from alternating viewpoints, the backstory of the mysterious woman, that made the predictions, are also intertwined. If you like books that make you think about free will and destiny, along with grief and love, then this is a book for you, I gave it 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 on the devour scale.
There There By: Tommy Orange
This book was on my shelf for quite some time. To get the full effect of this book, I read it both in paper form and listened to it at the same time on audio. As this book is made up of 12 unique characters, traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow, I felt my reading was enhanced by listening to the audio voices change for the different characters. In the first part of the book, we hear from each character, while also learning about each of their identities and strifes in life as a Native American. The second part of the book, takes place at the Powwow, where all of the piece come together and connections between the characters are made. If you like books that make you grapple with our complex and sometimes painful history, books told from multiple perspectives, and end leaving you wanting to know more, then this is a book for you. I gave it 🤩🤩🤩🤩 on the devour scale. I am also glad to report that the sequel, Wandering Stars, came out in February of 2024. (Many trigger warnings are found throughout this book.)
Bonus Backlist Book - Calm Christmas By: Beth Kempton
A delightful guide to a holiday season filled with mindfulness, self-care, and joy.
At the end of a difficult year, what if this December were soothing instead of stressful? Celebrate a new kind of holiday season this winter--one where you radiate calm and cultivate delight. A calm Christmas is filled meaningful interactions, special gifts, and thoughtful observations of annual traditions.
This enchanting guide embraces festive preparations and authentic celebrations, and then ushers in the New Year in a holistic, nurturing way. Author Beth Kempton gently encourages readers to prioritize holiday hopes and take a slower, more mindful approach. Kempton also provides helpful suggestions for making the most of the hush of winter and recommends using this quiet period to retreat, reflect, set goals, and aspire toward a better year ahead.
Filled with personal stories, tips, and advice for staying serene, Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year offers a cozy retreat from the pressure of striving for perfection. Instead of starting the New Year exhausted, in debt, and filled with regret, you will rejoice in the memories of the season and feel rested, rejuvenated, and inspired. See below to learn more about Beth Kempton's Calm Christmas Podcast.
Blog post from The Literacy Lifestyle~
Have you ever finished a book so intoxicating that you can't even think about reading something else next?
Sometimes, the best and worst things about a book are how deeply we can become invested in it.
It's called a book hangover!
Fortunately, there are remedies. And, I'm your literary "doctor" guiding you to your cure.
On The Literary Lifestyle, I share my favorite strategies for transitioning smoothly from one great read to the next. Cure Your Book Hangover. In this blog, be sure to check out Julianne's 15 books that caused her to have a book hangover, I agree with many of her selections.
Bad Sisters (Apple TV+)
A delicious blend of both dark comedy and thriller, “Bad Sisters” follows the lives of the Garvey sisters, who are bound together by the premature death of their parents and a promise to always protect one another. The five Garvey sisters—Eva, Grace, Ursula, Bibi, and Becka—live in present-day Dublin. After Grace's abusive, controlling husband John Paul dies unexpectedly, the sisters find themselves at the centre of a life insurance investigation. The series flips between timelines—one before John Paul's death, in which Grace's sisters plot to murder their brother-in-law, and another after his death, in which a determined insurance agent tries to prove the sisters' malicious involvement in order to save his struggling business.
Calm Christmas Podcast
A beautiful seasonal Substack publication by Beth Kempton (bestselling self-help author and host of the UK's #1 favourite Christmas podcast)🌟 intended to be a lantern leading you through the darkness of winter ❤️ (Nov-early Jan only). Link to podcast here
