5 Books To Get You in the Holiday Mood

Halloween has come and gone which means it’s time for Thanksgiving! Which is followed quickly by Christmas and Chanukkah and all the wintery wonderfulness. Now, I know some people don’t like even considering Christmas related things until Thanksgiving is over, but if Hallmark is allowed to start their Christmas movies, then I can give some holiday book recommendations. So, here are five books I believe will help you get in the mood for the holiday season.

1.       The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well By: Meik Wiking- This is the perfect book if you’re ready to feel warm and cozy but don’t want anything specifically holiday related. It’s all about how to incorporate cozy into your life the way that the Danish do. Hygge is the perfect way to start your holiday season and I think this book is just what you need. Plus, it’s on sale! Review

2.       Winter Street (Winter #1) By: Elin Hilderbrand- This is a winter series with the fourth book having just come out this past October. The series follows the Quinn family and their lives throughout the holidays at Nantucket’s Winter Street Inn. There is a lot of family drama and complications, but in the end there is always that holiday spirit and love of family. I’ve enjoyed each of the first three books and will have a review for the fourth coming soon.

3.       What Light By: Jay Asher- If you’re more of a contemporary YA reader, this book will be right up your alley. Sierra’s family runs a Christmas tree farm in Oregon and every year they move their trees to sell in California. She spends that month at school with her friend Heather where she meets Caleb. It’s a very sweet and quick romantic read. Review

4.       My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday stories By: Various YA Authors- If you want a holiday story but you don’t want to commit, I’d recommend checking out these short stories. They are all so different from one another and that’s what will make this great for almost any reader. There are some fantasy Christmas stories and some that are romantic. While I wasn’t crazy about every story in this book, there were a lot that I really enjoyed. It was also fun to try new genres without having to commit!

5.       Christmas at Tiffany’s: A Novel By: Karen Swan- This book is a bit more of a commitment than the others and is a perfect choice if you want that slow burn story. Christmas at Tiffany’s follows Cassie through a year of her life after it implodes. She stays with each of her friends around the world and tries to figure out her life and who she is now.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for you! Do you have any holiday story recommendations? I always love reading books about the holidays this time of year to help get me in the mood.

Teammate: My Journey in Baseball and a World Series for the Ages

By: David Ross
Published Year: 2017
Publisher: Hachette Books
Pages: 272

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): An inspiring memoir from David Ross, the veteran catcher dubbed "Grandpa Rossy," who became the heart and soul of the Chicago Cubs 2016 World Series championship team.

In 2016 the Cubs snapped a 108-year curse, winning the World Series in a history-making, seven-game series against the Cleveland Indians. Of the many storylines to Chicago's fairytale season, one stood out: the late-career renaissance of David Ross, the 39-year-old catcher who had played back-up for 13 of his 15 pro seasons.

Beyond Ross's remarkably strong play, he became the ultimate positive force in the Cubs locker room, mentoring and motivating his fellow players, some of them nearly twenty years his junior. Thanks to Cubs Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, "Grandpa Rossy" became a social media sensation. No one, however, could have predicted that Ross's home run in his final career at bat would help seal the Cubs championship. 

Now, in Teammate, Ross shares the inspiring story of his life in baseball, framed by the events of that unforgettable November night.

First Impressions

GRANDPA ROSSY IS WRITING A BOOK!??!?!?! I am in!

What I thought

This book was pretty much everything I needed/wanted it to be.

In case you have been living under a rock, the Cubs won the World Series in 2016, breaking a 108 year old curse. As a native Chicagoan and lifelong Cubs fan (I have been attempting to go to at least one game a year for the past 10 years or so), it was a life changing moment. I don’t think I can even describe how big of a deal this was in Chicago. It was such a rollercoaster, through every minute from the playoffs through the final minute of Game 7. Because this was such an event, I am itching to read every book that gives me insider information to this process.

Even if you’re not familiar with the Cubs, you are probably familiar with David Ross aka Grandpa Rossy. He has kind of taken the world by storm and he was even on Dancing With the Stars. 2016 was his final year in baseball and the boys promised him a yearlong retirement party. At the beginning of that retirement year, he mentions that someone told him he should write a book so he spent the year taking in the moment notes on his iPhone throughout the season.

This book shares a lot about Ross that I didn’t know. I had learned a bit about game 7 and the 2016 Cubs team through the book The Cubs Way (which I am obsessed with) so I had heard a few of the stories before regarding that. However, I didn’t know much about Ross or anything about his history before the Cubs other than that he played for the Red Sox and won a World Series with them.

David Ross is a genuine guy. It was so nice to read about him and his values and how he learned how to be the good person that he is/appears to be. I also appreciated how much he emphasizes the importance of being a good teammate. I think that, unfortunately, this is overlooked in sports these days and a lot of athletes consider only themselves and they put “me” before the team. Not only does he talk about how important it is to be a good teammate, but he explains what he believes makes a good teammate and how you can work towards that too.

I mean… come on. It’s a book by David Ross! How am I not going to love this? Besides that, I think this book is so much more. I want every child to read this book and be taught how important it is to be a good teammate and not be selfish. If you’re looking for a book about how the 2016 Cubs team came to be, this is not it. If that’s what you want, you’re looking for The Cubs Way. If you want a book about David Ross with some insider 2016 Cubs team information with a good message, you need this book.

Lady Be Good

By: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Published Year: 2009
Publisher: Harper's Collins
Pages: 389

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Lady Emma Wells-Finch--the oh-so-proper headmistress of England's St. Gertrude's School for Girls--has come to Texas with just two weeks to ruin her reputation, the only way she can save herself from losing everything she holds dear. And when a gorgeous man who can't afford another scandal meets this hardheaded woman who's determined to cause one, anything can happen, even love.

First Impressions

Susan Elizabeth Phillips is one of my auto-read authors. I saw this book on sale at Barnes & Noble and it was one that I hadn’t read, so I picked it up. The cover caught my eye and the combination of that plus the author made this an easy purchase. I don’t even remember if I read the summary before purchasing other than to skim it to make sure I hadn’t read it before.

What I thought

I needed this book! I needed a light, fun book that would put a smile on my face and this was exactly that!

Lady Emma Wells-Finch is a head mistress at an all girls school in England and has come to Texas to do some research and also to find a way out of an unwanted engagement. Kenny Traveler is a pro golfer who has recently been suspended due to poor behavior. When Kenny is asked to help show Emma around Dallas, their personalities don’t initially mix but their chemistry does.

Phillips writes romance novels that remind me of Hallmark movies. Most of her main male characters are sports players and the women have strong personalities as well. My favorite romance novel trope is the hate to love romance. For some reason I am highly entertained by relationships that begin with the two main characters hating/disliking each other and then realizing that they love each other after all.

This book has a similar storyline in that Emma and Kenny aren’t the biggest fans of each other, but they don’t hate each other. In fact, they are immediately attracted to one another and personality wise, they can tolerate each other. Kenny isn’t about strong/bossy women and Emma is as bossy as they come. Emma is a good girl who has never done a bad thing in her life, but she wants to destroy her reputation to get out of a forced engagement. She sees that Kenny might be her best way to do this so she is more open to him than she would be if they met under normal circumstances.

Kenny and Emma are very fun together. One of the most important aspects of a good romance novel is the chemistry between the two main characters. If the characters aren’t good together then the reader won’t really care about their relationship and then as a result, the rest of the book. Kenny and Emma are definitely a pair that I was rooting for! They have enough in their own lives to make them complicated and interesting and not just flat.

Honestly, not too much to say/analyze about this book. The story is perfectly lovely and the writing is solid as with all Susan Elizabeth Phillips novels. If you are a fan of Hallmark movies, I recommend checking this book (or any of Phillips’ books) out. I loved reading it and will probably end up reading it again in the future since I own it!

We Were the Lucky Ones

By: Georgia Hunter
Published Year: 2017
Publisher: Viking
Pages: 417

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): An extraordinary, propulsive novel based on the true story of a family of Polish Jews who are separated at the start of the Second World War, determined to survive and to reunite.

It is the spring of 1939 and three generations of the Kurc family are doing their best to live normal lives, even as the shadow of war grows closer. The talk around the family Seder table is of new babies and budding romance, not of the increasing hardships threatening Jews in their hometown of Radom, Poland. But soon the horrors overtaking Europe will become inescapable and the Kurcs will be flung to the far corners of the world, each desperately trying to navigate his or her own path to safety. 

As one sibling is forced into exile, another attempts to flee the continent, while others struggle to escape certain death, either by working grueling hours on empty stomachs in the factories of the ghetto or by hiding as gentiles in plain sight. Driven by an unwavering will to survive and by the fear that they may never see one another again, the Kurcs must rely on hope, ingenuity, and inner strength to persevere. 

A novel of breathtaking sweep and scope that spans five continents and six years and transports readers from the jazz clubs of Paris to Krakow's most brutal prison to the ports of Northern Africa and the farthest reaches of the Siberian gulag, We Were the Lucky Ones demonstrates how in the face of the twentieth century's darkest moment, the human spirit can find a way to survive, and even triumph.

First Impressions

This book popped up on my radar based on the cover. I’m pretty sure it showed up on Goodreads, so obviously it made a good first impression! I was suckered in by the summary, as I definitely enjoy historical fiction set in the WW2 era. I debated saving this for a book club choice, but ultimately decided it would be more enjoyed by me than by the rest of my book club. When I had an urge to read something heavy/serious recently, I knew his was my choice.

What I thought

This book was so good!

Georgia Hunter, the author, discovered that her grandpa was a Holocaust survivor with a very unique story. After talking to family members and learning more, she decided to write a book about her family’s history and We Were the Lucky Ones was born. This book follows the Kurc family through the Holocaust. The majority of the Kurc’s lived in Poland when the war started, with Addy living in France. This story chronicles their journeys throughout the war and all of the struggles they faced.

Since the title itself is a bit of a spoiler, I don’t think I’m technically spoiling anything by saying that everyone survives. It was interesting to read a book about the Holocaust where the main characters didn’t end up dead. I am baffled that this entire family, truly, survived!

My favorite element of this story was that each family member had their own chapters. It was fascinating to read all of the different paths that Jews took during the war. Addy attempts to flee Europe, Genck gets sent to Siberia, Mila and their parents get stuck in the ghetto and I can’t even remember everyone else’s stories and names off the top of my head. I feel like a lot of Jewish WW2 stories follow running away, hiding, and being sent to camps. While I have no issue with this, as I think these are important stories to tell, I think it’s important to tell of the other paths too.

At times, it was a bit frustrating dealing with all of the different characters and story lines, but in the end it was worth it. Following the ups and downs of each family member made a lot of WW2 elements that are lesser known feel real. It helped remind me of everything that the Jewish people struggled with.

At the same time, I had no idea that Poland was so devastated by the war. So many stories that I’ve heard about have either been in Germany or American, with a few being in France, but I had not read any that took place in Poland. I think it is so important that these stories continue to be told and that we learn everyone’s history. It is the only way that we can learn from it, and considering the turmoil we are currently going through as a country, it is extremely important to remember now.

I truly enjoyed this book. For a heavy book, I whipped through it pretty quickly. This is not going to be a light book, but it is an easy read for a historical fiction. I highly recommend it, and if you have any book clubs that enjoy historical fiction I think this would be a great group read. The element that stopped me from rating it a full 5 stars is that I can’t see myself re-reading this book. I enjoyed it a lot and will definitely recommend it, but I think it’s a one time read kind of book.

Seven Days of Us

By: Francesca Hornak
Published Year: 2017
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 368

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): A warm, wry, sharply observed debut novel about what happens when a family is forced to spend a week together in quarantine over the holidays...

It’s Christmas, and for the first time in years the entire Birch family will be under one roof. Even Emma and Andrew’s elder daughter—who is usually off saving the world—will be joining them at Weyfield Hall, their aging country estate. But Olivia, a doctor, is only coming home because she has to. Having just returned from treating an epidemic abroad, she’s been told she must stay in quarantine for a week…and so too should her family.

For the next seven days, the Birches are locked down, cut off from the rest of humanity—and even decent Wi-Fi—and forced into each other’s orbits. Younger, unabashedly frivolous daughter Phoebe is fixated on her upcoming wedding, while Olivia deals with the culture shock of being immersed in first-world problems. 

As Andrew sequesters himself in his study writing scathing restaurant reviews and remembering his glory days as a war correspondent, Emma hides a secret that will turn the whole family upside down. 

In close proximity, not much can stay hidden for long, and as revelations and long-held tensions come to light, nothing is more shocking than the unexpected guest who’s about to arrive…

First Impressions

I don’t remember where I first heard about/saw this book, but I think it was in an article where the cover caught my eye. The summary sounded like the perfect book club book, so it jumped onto my radar right away. I don’t know if it’s the minimalism or the color, but the cover speaks to me!

What I thought

This book was exactly what I expected it to be, and I wish I could have saved it for a book club pick.

Olivia is coming home after 3 months of working in Liberia as a doctor on a contagious virus. As a result, she is required to spend a week in quarantine over Christmas. Her family, who she’s been successfully avoiding for years, is in on the quarantine with her over the holidays. Phoebe, her younger sister, Andrew, her dad, Emma, her mom, and Olivia all head out to their country home in hopes of making the quarantine feel more like a holiday. But when family, who hasn’t been together in quite a while, is forced to be closer than they have been in years, drama is guaranteed to occur.

I really liked the format of this book. It followed daily through the quarantine and rotated between each of the characters involved. I enjoyed being able to read the perspectives of each character in quarantine. I think when dealing with family stories, they are always richer when you get everyone involved.

The storyline with Phoebe and George (her fiancé) irritated me the most. Phoebe is a selfish and immature character and I could not care less about her and George. I did enjoy seeing the progress of Olivia and Phoebe’s relationship as well as the marriage of Andrew and Emma.

Family is complicated and this book showed those nuances perfectly. All of the relationships intertwined and each one had something that wasn’t perfect that they needed to work on. Without giving too much away, it was a perfect balance of ordinary family problems that are very relatable and a bit more abstract problems that make a book interesting.

There were some aspects that were predictable, but it didn’t bother me as much because they weren’t the main part of the book. I also appreciated that while this isn’t the type of book that is moving forward towards a plot point, like a mystery, it still moves at a good pace towards the end of quarantine.

The ending was not my favorite. There was a storyline towards the end that I wasn’t happy with and it did end up knocking it down a star or half star for me. It didn’t ruin the book for me in that I wouldn’t recommend it. In fact, I would still highly recommend it as a book club book. But it just ended on a bit of a blech note for me.

I enjoyed reading this book and seeing the family grow and connect over the course of 7 days. I liked the setting and each of the characters as well as their personal struggles. Like I mentioned, this book would be great as a book club book. There are some wonderful discussion points and I think that it would be a good crowd pleaser book. I look forward to checking out more by Hornak in the future.

Just Friends

By: Tiffany Pitcock
Published Year: 2017
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Pages: 317

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): A new spin on the classic smart-girl-and-bad-boy setup, this witty contemporary romance shows how easily a friendship – even one built on an elaborate lie – can become so much more.

Jenny meets Chance for the very first time when she is assigned as his partner in their Junior Oral Communications class. But after they rescue a doomed assignment with one clever lie, the whole school is suddenly convinced that Little-Miss-Really-Likes-Having-A’s and the most scandalous heartbreaker in school have been best friends forever. It’s amazing how quickly a lie can grow―especially when you really, really want it to be the truth.

With Jenny, Chance can live the normal life he’s always kind of wanted. And with Chance, Jenny can have the exciting teen experiences that TV shows and movies have always promised. Through it all, they hold on to the fact that they are “just friends.” But that might be the biggest lie of all.

First Impressions

Love this cover! It gives me all the feels and is definitely the type of cover that speaks to me. Add to the fact that it counts towards the Debut Author Challenge (which admittedly, I’ve been slacking on this year), and it immediately found a spot on my TBR list.

What I thought

Quick disclosure, I finished this book about a month ago and apparently forgot to write a review. I typically write my reviews immediately following the reading of a book because otherwise, I forget a lot of what I read. I promise I will do my best to give you guys a quality review on this one!

Jenny and Chance are juniors in high school. Jenny is miss perfect and Chance is the bad boy man-whore. In their oral communications class they are assigned as partners on the first day of school to talk about what they did over the summer. Chance asks Jenny to wing it with him and they bounce off each other, spontaneously creating a story about how they’ve been best friends since they were children, even though they only knew of each other vaguely before that moment. What starts as a spur of the moment story, becomes a truth, as two acquaintances grow to become best friends.

Jenny and Chance are an interested duo. Jenny is a perfectionist when it comes to school, but she doesn’t really have any friends. Chance seemingly has all the friends, but none who truly know him or the struggles he has at home. I loved that what began as fiction became reality.

I think I preferred Chance to Jenny overall. I liked Chance and was a sucker for his struggles with his home life (the broken boy). Jenny was ok, but she has some naïve moments that ended up irritating me a little.

The way that their relationship grew was definitely unique. I liked that they immediately clicked, showing you that you don’t always know who will become your friends. The romance, in my opinion, was a little bit too much of a slow burn. There are points where they both start dating other people and those lasted a little too long for my taste. I definitely started feeling a little anxious for them to finally get together.

This was a fun summer read and I think a lot of people will connect with it. I think it’s a strong debut and I look forward to seeing Pitcock’s writing get stronger. I think the longer she writes the more she’ll find her voice and her stories will only get better. Jenny and Chance had some realy fun moments and banter. I especially loved how vivid the moments in the barn were. They made me wish that that could have been my life as a teenager! If you enjoy young adult love stories, you will love this book. It wasn’t quite perfection for me, but I would recommend it to people who like opposites attract romances. 

Hide & Seek (Helen Grace #6)

By: M.J Arlidge
Published Year: 2017
Publisher: Michael Joseph
Pages: 368

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Prison is no place for a detective
Helen Grace was one of the country's best police investigators. 
Now she's behind bars with the killers she caught.

Framed for murder
She knows there is only way out: 
stay alive until her trial and somehow prove her innocence.

Locked up with a killer
But when a mutilated body is found in the cell next door,
Helen fears her days are numbered. 

A murderer is on the loose. 
And she must find them.
Before she's next . . .

First Impressions

I received a copy of Little Boy Blue last year and was left hanging at the end. I knew immediately I wanted to read the next book in the series. I actually went back and decided to read the first book in the series and enjoyed it as well. I have been looking forward to reading this book since I finished the last one, so I was very excited to get the opportunity to read this book.

What I thought

This book picks up right where the last one left off. So if you haven’t read (and plan on) reading the books in the series, there will be spoilers.

Detective Helen Grace is in jail, following the accusations that she is a serial killer. The prison is a violent place, and being a cop is not helpful. But when an inmate is murdered, she’s the only one with experience to solve it.

I liked how this was different from most murder/cop mysteries since it takes place within a prison. It allowed for some unique storylines and I enjoyed that aspect of it. On the other hand, it does decrease the chances for action since the setting is very limited.

There were also two mysteries going on through this story. The main mystery being the prison murder, the second being the mission to find Robert Stonehill, Helen Grace’s nephew who framed her for the murders that landed her in jail.

I don’t know exactly what it was about this book that didn’t grab me as much as the others. I’m guessing it’s the setting and that Grace didn’t have as many resources, so the investigation part is limited. While it’s an interesting storyline ad it makes for a different type of mystery, I don’t think I’d find myself reading another murder mystery that takes place from within a prison. I will say that this story still managed to keep me guessing! I thought for sure that it was one of two people and it ended up being neither. That alone will make me keep reading this series.

While this wasn’t as fascinating and un-put-downable as the last one, I enjoyed the story. I still like Detective Helen Grace and her team and am curious to see where it goes next. I still plan on going back and reading books 2-4 (since I’ve now read 1, 5, and 6) to really get an understanding of Grace and her team. If you like thrillers that are a bit gruesome, I recommend checking out this series. Each one I’ve read has been interesting and kept me guessing!

Book Club October 2017

By: Rufi Thope
Published Year: 2016
Publisher: Knopf
Pages: 303

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Lucas and Katya were boarding school seniors when, blindingly in love, they decided to have a baby. Seventeen years later, after years of absence, Lucas is a weekend dad, newly involved in his daughter Vera's life. But after Vera suffers a terrifying psychotic break at a high school party, Lucas takes her to Lithuania, his grandmother's homeland, for the summer. Here, in the city of Vilnius, Lucas hopes to save Vera from the sorrow of her diagnosis. As he uncovers a secret about his grandmother, a Home Army rebel who escaped Stutthof, Vera searches for answers of her own. Why did Lucas abandon her as a baby? What really happened the night of her breakdown? And who can she trust with the truth? 

What I thought

There was something about this book that really go under my skin. I really struggled with reading it as it gave me a constant feeling of anxiety and unease. I actually debated at one point not finishing the book, but I powered through.

Lucas is a 35 year old man who is the father of 17 year old Vera. He hasn’t really been a part of her life and has never been married to her mother. He has only truly been a part of Vera’s life for the fast 4-5 years. Early in the book, Vera is diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Both Lucas and her mother Katya have a difficult time believing and accepting this diagnosis. Lucas decides that taking Vera on a trip to Lithuania, where he wants to go to learn about his roots, will be good for her. While there, she writes home to her boyfriend, Fang, and those letters start each chapter.

I didn’t mind Lucas’s story much (though he’s a bit of a bumbling idiot which was irritating), but Vera’s letters just drained me. I started to skip them as the books went on. They were incomprehensible philosophical ramblings and honestly, they just got to me. I think that this means that Thorpe did a good job writing from the perspective of a person with a mental disorder, but it was a big struggle for me.

Between Lucas’s immaturity and Vera’s mental instability, I didn’t find much enjoyable about this book. It was a struggle for me pretty much from page one and I think I only really enjoyed the last 10% off the book.

What Book Club Thought

Book club definitely enjoyed this book more than I did. They liked how realistic it was and how Thorpe wrote Lucas to be in such denial of his daughter’s mental status that he ignores obvious signs that she is on the verge of another mental break down. We did agree that seeing the view of Katya change throughout the book was a positive and an interesting development. In the end, while I didn’t enjoy the book, it did make for some good book club discussion. I think there was just something about it that at my core made me feel so uncomfortable I just couldn’t enjoy it.