This Week: December 14th

News and Updates

Are you following us on Instagram or TikTok? I’ve been posting videos and pictures of all our holiday shenanigans over there this week – making gingerbread cookies, driving around to look at Christmas lights, and more. Keep an eye out for the red velvet cookies we’re making today!

This Week

This week’s book could have worked for last week’s prompt (RomCom), too – that’s the case with a lot of the novels set around the holidays. What are you reading with a holiday theme this week?

Reading Challenge: Set around the holidays

I’ve been hearing about this one for a while and wasn’t disappointed. Two hometown loves breakup when they get to college but decide to hide it from everyone back home to avoid the drama. Their parents are best friends and business partners…and these two were supposed to cement the family connections with marriage. But when it’s time to go home for the holidays, hiding it gets complicated – especially when the parents hinge an entire marketing campaign on the kids’ love story. One note – I have never read a more made-for-Hallmark novel. If that’s not your style, this one may be a “skip” for you.

If you’re looking for other great books for this prompt, try one of these:

• Christmas at the Ranch, Julia McKay
• I’ll Be Home for Christmas, Jenny Bayliss
• A Sea Glass Christmas, Davis Bunn
• The Twelve Topsy-Turvy, Very Messy Days of Christmas, James Patterson & Tad Safran

New This week

There are some really great books hitting shelves this week – here’s what’s on my wish list for Santa to bring me!

• The #1 Lawyer, James Patterson & Nancy Allen
• Meet Cute, Armentrout, Cotugno, Davies, Fitzpatrick, & LaCour

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In Case You Missed It

Last Week’s Prompt

Jacob is having the absolute worst first day ever. He was the top doc at his last ER – the one everyone turned to, the one everyone looked up to. But now? He’s just had his 5th patient of the day die, the nurses are whispering about him being “Doctor Death”, and the hot senior doctor on his shift just screamed at him to get out of a patient’s room. This really could not be going any worse. Wait – yes it could. He has to meet his ex and his younger brother for drinks tonight…so they can announce their engagement in person.

I give Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez 4.35 out of 5 stars. This cute rom-com has something for everyone – family drama, medical hotties, and a fake dating situation for enemies-turned-lovers. The second book in Jimenez’s Part of Your World series won the Book of the Month Book of the Year award in 2023 and was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award in the same year for the romance category. It’s no wonder it became a fast fan favorite! If you enjoy works by Emily Henry or Ali Hazelwood, this book will be perfect for your next read!

Last Week’s Articles

Christmas traditions in our house have taken a bookish turn the past few years – from gifts to decor to activities, they all seem to have a very book-themed vibe. We shared our favorites of each (with links to grab your own!!) in Thursday’s Bookish Christmas article.

While it might be too late to order things to have on hand for Christmas Day, our list still has some cute inspiration for your holiday decorations you can pull off with plenty of time!

Non-Fiction Read

Our December Non-Fiction Read is Zachary Taylor – an audiobook by Brilliant Bio available on Audible.

Zachary Taylor was a soldier, a war hero, and a family man well before being elected as our 12th President of the United States. One of America’s shortest reigning leaders, Taylor lived a full life before entering politics. Brillian Bio explores his origins in this great biography – Zachary Taylor: the complete life story.

I give this book 4.15 out of 5 stars. Engaging and fast-paced, this biography is a great starting point for anyone looking to learn more about Taylor’s history. As a descendant, I found it interesting to hear more about his time away from the military and politics and see the similarities between Taylor and later generations. Coming in under 2 hours, this is a quick read and a fantastic audiobook!

Last Week’s Preview

St. Medard’s Bay is a community of survivors, having remained standing through several hurricanes over the past 100 years.  But it was the political storm that nearly brought her down when the son of the state’s most loved politician was found dead after one of the hurricanes.  His family, and most of the town, blamed one low-class woman the man had been in town to see.  Their affair was the worst kept secret around, but she was still acquitted of his murder.  It was another of his secrets, though, that caused a stir in the middle of yet another storm and nearly saw the end of life as the community knew it.

I give The Storm by Rachel Hawkins 5 out of 5 stars! It was one of the best preview reads I’ve had in a while and I’m so excited we were able to feature another of Hawkins’ books here!

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Reading Challenge Prompts

Are you reading along with us for December? Here’s the full list of our upcoming weekly prompts. Not up for reading a book every week? That’s ok – we have a once-a-month prompt, too! Our monthly theme for December is RED – look for a book with a red cover or red in the name.

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What I’m Reading

• Current print book: The Dark Lord’s Guide to Dating (and other war crimes), Tiffany Hunt
• Current audio book: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
• Book I’m most looking forward to: How to Be Okay with Nothing is Okay, Jenny Lawson