This is one of my favorite reading posts all year to do, because I love love love reading holiday rom coms this time of the year! I also listened to a few books on family dynamics and supporting our kiddos emotionally and mentally that were good!
“The Self-Driven Child” was a great book to listen to. There was a lot of good information regarding the parent-child dynamic of supporting your child in their endeavors, but not micro-managing them. A lot of information about not over scheduling your children, and teaching them responsibility through natural consequences, so when they are ready to leave you, they will be successful independent of you.
I loved “Christmas Every Day,” Beth Moran has become one of my favorite authors this month. Her books are sweet, and clean, and this one was just happy. Jenny has inherited her grandmother’s dilapidated run down cottage, stuffed full of junk and trash from years of hoarding. She takes on the monumental task of trying to clean it out and renovate it, all with no salary, as she left her job recently after her boyfriend cheated on her with her twin sister. (yikes!) Jenny’s new neighbor seems to be annoyed with her presence, but also has the tendency to leave presents and things Jenny needs when he sees that she needs them. There is a whole story line regarding finding your people, a book club and the love of reading books, and also a mysterious author who has a presence as well. It’s a cute read and one I really enjoyed this month!
“All I Want for Christmas” was cute too, though probably in the middle compared to the others I read. Jacob watches those singing competition shows all the time, so it cracked me up when I started reading this, and the storyline is based on two singers on a show, competing but then joining up as a team, to then faking a relationship, all for the sake of stardom. You can imagine how the relationship goes considering all of the other rom coms with this premise haha!
“Nick and Noel’s Christmas Playlist” was definitely the cheesiest of the books I have read this month. It was almost too much, from the names of the people in the family, to their extreme obsession with Christmas. I am pretty sure my eyes got a work out from all of the eye rolling I did haha…but at the same time, it was entertaining. Nick and Noel are best friends, given that Noel’s parents passed away when she was young and Nick’s family took her in. They are both recovering from failed relationships, and not wanting to ruin their friendship. The question is, how long can they resist each other, especially being thrown together so often for the sake of Christmas! 😉
I also enjoyed listening to “Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child” this month. This has been an interesting topic to me over the years, because the longer I am a parent, the more I realize that parenting becomes less about the physical things (although those are still present), and more about your child’s emotional well being. Teaching children how to navigate and understand emotions is vital, as well as an important aspect of communication between the two of you. I have noticed so much how our relationships increase, when I take the time to sit and listen, or guide our boys when they are struggling with an emotion, rather than just dismissing them.
I enjoy following Nedra Tawwab on Instagram, and liked her first book about Boundaries. “Drama Free” drew me in with the title alone, but I think the book was not at all what I was expecting. This book focused a lot more on intense family issues regarding abuse and drama, rather than the communication part of getting along or working through struggles that I was looking for. I think there was good information in this one, but it just wasn’t super applicable to my life.
Another Beth Moran book, oh I loved this one! “Take Me Home” was so endearing… I read “Let it Snow” last December and loved it, so when I saw that she had this new holiday read out, I jumped on it! Sophie drives a motor home around with her dog, driving to different homes and helping people clean our their homes after a death in the family. It’s an unconventional job, but one that keeps her moving, which she likes, because she feels like she can outrun her feelings from her own loss. A new client, Harriet, hires her to help her clean out her house while she is still alive, putting a new spin on her work. Sophie helps Harriet uncover some pretty major family secrets, while providing her with a new group of friends (and maybe even a new guy that becomes more than friends hehe) that she finds increasingly harder to leave.
Anyone who has read any of my book reviews probably knows by now that I love a good Nantucket read! Pamela Kelley has a whole series of easy, cute little Nantucket books. I wouldn’t rank them quite as high as Nancy Thayer or Elin Hilderbrand, but they are entertaining enough! I didn’t read the first book in this little Restaurant series, so there probably was some background information I was missing, but “Christmas at the Restaurant” was a cute, easy read. Sisters, Emma and Mandy, own the restaurant on Nantucket, and want to do something special for Christmas stroll. The whole book is just about the people that work at the restaurant, friends they have, and relationships they are in. Like I said, easy and light for the busy holiday season.
“Snowy Serendipity” is a repeat read for me! Melissa Ferguson is one of my favorite authors, and I adored her Christmas stories that were in “On the Way to Christmas” with some other authors. I couldn’t resist reading them again this year! One story is about a girl who gets dumped by her boyfriend, and finds love on a Christmas train…and the other is about two long time friends with a history, hashing it all out over a Christmas tree farm. Her books are squeaky clean and always a happy ending. 🙂
Catherine Walsh became one of my new favorites this year too! “Holiday Romance” was so cute…Molly and Andrew meet up on their flight home to Ireland every year. At first it was a coincidence, but then it became a thing that they planned and expected. When their flight is cancelled, Molly is determined to get Andrew back in time for Christmas one way or another. I loved this one so much that I read….
the sequal, “Snowed In.” I loved how the story line picked up with another family member and his unlikely meeting of an old friend, a faked relationship that of course turned into something more. 😉 Literally finished this one on the last day of 2023!
I thought this was so cute haha…little memes like this make me so happy!
If you’re interested in seeing what I read the last few months, you can click on the links below or click on my Books tab above! If you want to follow along with me on Goodreads, check out my profile! I keep track of the books I’m reading, what I’ve read and the reviews on books I’ve made there!
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