My Bookish Christmas Wish List...

I'm running behind on all things Christmas this year. So much has been going on, that I am forever playing catch up. Or at least it feels that way. Anyhow, I am finally getting to my favorite holiday list...my wish list. Hurrah!

Well, here goes:

What do you think? A pretty good list, right? Well, definitely let me know if you think there are any titles I should add. And, what about you? What's on your wish list?

Hope you are having a great week! Happy reading!!

My Friday Five...

1.  Christmas baking.  My sister and I spent two days baking up a storm, while listening to Christmas music. It was fun and exhausting at the same time. We made banana bread, fudge (with and without walnuts), Linzer cookies, pecan bars, sugar cookies, Mexican wedding cookies, and peanut butter blossoms. We taste-tested it all - YUMMY!  And then we packaged it up and delivered it to family and friends.  I am so glad we only do this once a year - I now need a vacation from all the baking.

2.  Books.  I finished reading just the one:

I just love me some Wodehouse.  Always clever and funny to read, his books are truly a treat.  This delightful story had Bertie trying to ensure he didn't have to marry Madeleine Bassett - his worst nightmare is having to get married.  Of course, his task is not an easy one as complications abound.  Luckily, Jeeves is on the scene to ease the dramatics.  Definitely a must-read for Wodehouse fanatics. 

3.  New Books.  Happy mail arrived in the form of these two:

Talk about new and exciting reads! Just Between Us is about four friends trying to cover up a deadly crime - I guess life in suburbia isn't all bake sales and yoga classes.  The Chalk Man is about a group of friends growing up in the 80s who draw "chalk men" to leave each other messages; except one of the messages leads them to a body and nothing is ever the same.  Whoa Nelly, these books sound like fun! I can't wait to devour them over this holiday weekend.  What about you? Which books will you be gobbling up?

4.  Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.  Yep, its back. And I have to admit that I found the premiere episode to be rather lackluster.  In truth, I'd forgotten about all of the drama from last season, so it took me awhile to figure out why all they held grudges against one another.  Anyhow, the ladies are back and ready to share about their glamorous lives - private planes, never-ending closets, shopping sprees, mansion remodels, last minute trips to anywhere they want to go, etc..  And of course, all of the drama that comes with being "friends".  Here's to a new season! 

5.  Happy Holidays!!  Wishing you all the best this holiday season!! Hope you are having a wonderful time with your loved ones!!  And, I do hope you are enjoying some great reads as well. 

My Christmas Wish List...

Its nearly Christmas and that means making lists. I've already made a few and crossed some names from them.  Now its time to make a list of my own.  Of course, mine is filled with books, but I can't help it. I'm bookworm at heart and all I want for Christmas are books.  Here are some of the titles I have on my Christmas Wish List:

What do you think? Not a bad bunch, right? My fingers are crossed that I'm gifted some of these lovelies for Christmas.  What about you? Are there any books you're hoping making it into your stocking this year? Here's to hoping we each have a book-tastic holiday season!
 
Happy reading! And, Happy Holidays!!

My Friday Five...

1.  Its December 1st and that means Christmas is on its way - hurrah! My tree is up and fully decorated. I have ordered gifts, crossed names off lists, and have stocked up on wrapping paper. My cookbooks are out and ready to be perused, so that I can choose a few (or a lot) of recipes to bake this holiday season. Christmas music is playing throughout the house and in my car - I love it!  I'm ready to watch Love Actually and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation over and over again.  And I'm making a list of everything I need to do this holiday season - yikes!

2.  TV shows.  I am still watching the Housewives shows on Bravo. I'm addicted, so what can I do?  The OC's reunion was rather lackluster.  Although I do hope that Vicki and Tamara are friends next season, because this past season was seriously dull.  NJ is beyond ridiculous and I'm starting to wonder why I watch it. Dallas was seriously the best, but way too short - they only show 10 episodes compared to the other shows which get over 20.  And BH is coming back this month - woo hoo!  I've stopped watching TWD - its just so boring lately.  They really need to defeat Negan and move on.  Stranger Things 2 was so much fun. I loved the Snow Ball at the end - it was one of the highlights of the season.  Plus, the 80s music was awesome - who doesn't love Cyndi Lauper?  And I finally discovered Ghosted, starring Adam Scott and Craig Robinson. OMG! What a fun and ridiculous show - I loved it!

3.  Books.  My reading has fallen to wayside. I can't seem to find a book that I actually want to get lost in. So, I've been re-reading the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear. I love these books and tend to re-read them every year.  I'm currently on the third book in the series, Pardonable Lies. I'm near the end, where Maisie is discovering the truth about one of her clients. She's been through the ringer with this story - realizing that slaying one's dragons isn't as easy as she had imagined. Its definitely one of my favorites in the series. Oh, and I just found out that Winspear's next book (To Die But Once) in the series comes out next March - woo hoo!!

 4.  Planners.  I have recently fallen down the planner rabbit hole on IG and YouTube - OMG! So many planners and so many ways to plan. I decided to try the Hobonichi Techo. I love the covers and the idea of using different planners for different things. I hope that I can stick with it - I usually start a new planner and then forget about it midway through. I tend to write lists and jot down appointments on notepads.  Wish me luck!  And let me know what type of planner you use - give me some new ideas.

5.  Photograph by R.E.M. featuring Natalie Merchant. Two of my absolute favorites!! I hadn't heard this one in ages:

And now, I'm off to go through the latest issue of Vogue. I just received it in the post and can't wait to check it out.  Happy reading!! 

Its beginning to look a lot like...baking season?

Look what came in the post:

((Thank you to Blogging for Books for providing me with a copy of this book!)

Yep! A cookbook all about holiday cookies - talk about arriving in time for the upcoming holiday season! 

about book:

From Icebox Pinwheel Cookies to Red-and-White Meringue Kisses to Apple Cider Caramels, find new inspiration for the best of seasonal baking with Holiday Cookies.
 
This instant holiday classic is packed with 50 recipes, each gorgeously photographed and meticulously tested, along with dozens of decorating and packaging ideas. Filled with reimagined favorites like Giant Molasses Spice Cookies and Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies; confections like Peppermint Bark, Smoked Almond and Cacao Nib Brittle, and Dark Chocolate–Hazelnut Fudge; and detailed instructions for gorgeous gingerbread houses, cookie place cards, and edible ornaments, this is a cookie book like no other. Because the recipes are easy to scale up or down, Holiday Cookies is perfect for cookie exchanges, gift-giving, and just enjoying throughout the season. From a veteran baker and recipe developer, each cookie in this collection is guaranteed to be a stand-out, and destined to become your new Christmas classic.

my thoughts:

Love, love, love!! I absolutely LOVED this cookbook! I am a huge fan of baking during the holiday season, so I was super thrilled to receive a copy of Holiday Cookies to review. I just knew that I was going to enjoy flipping through it and looking at all the wonderful photos of seriously delicious looking cookies. OMG - talk about cookie bliss!!  My mouth couldn't stop watering just thinking about how scrumptious these cookies must taste -  YUM!!  And the recipes - so many great ones to choose from.  There's Candy Cane Cookies, Apple Cider Caramels, Hungarian Kiffles, and Triple Chocolate Chunk Cookies.  And the Espresso Thins, Cinnamon-Sugar Palmiers, Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies...oh, and the Red Velvet Crackle Cookies.  I am already trying to figure out which recipes I want to use later this year.  I've tabbed up my copy of Holiday Cookies with possibilities, but I still keep looking through the book for more ideas. I just can't wait to start baking. 

Holiday Cookies by Elisabet der Nederlanden is a must-have for anyone who loves to bake.  I'm serious! This book has loads of recipes, tons of photos, and so many great tips - from decorating, packaging to storing your cookies.  Holiday Cookies has it all!!  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone and everyone who loves cookbooks - you are going to fall in love with this one! And you are going to want to start baking for the holidays ASAP.

I received this book from Blogging For Books for this review.

Bookish and Non-Bookish Thoughts...

Everyone seems to be posting their Five Things Friday, so I thought this week I'd jump on the bandwagon.  Here are mine:

The Walking Dead. I'm still recovering from losing both Abraham and Glenn. I had an inkling Glenn would be killed after watching the episode from last season where they kill Negan's men at the drop off place that the Hilltop used.  After he kills someone in their sleep, he looks up and posted on the wall are Polaroids of people that Negan's killed.  Talk about foreshadowing.  Except, I didn't want to believe it.  So, when Abraham got Lucille'd I was happy it wasn't Glenn.  And then Daryl had to react to Negan's taunts - ugh!  Why did he have to punch Negan?!  Poor Glenn. That death broke my heart. Especially with that scene at the end where they are all sitting at the dinner table - major tearjerker!

Magazines. I've been flipping through my latest issues of O, Real Simple, and Food Network.  They all talk about Thanksgiving.  Ack! So, now I have it in my head that I need to plan Thanksgiving already. How big should the turkey be? What sides should I make? What flowers should I get for the table setting? The list goes on.  So many decisions and it seems like I'm being rushed to make them. Luckily, the calendar disagrees and I have plenty of time. 

Speaking of rushing the holidays, Hallmark is going to start showing Christmas movies day in and day out as of 10pm (EST) on Friday (28th).  Christmas in October....hmm....what happened to Halloween?  Truth be told, I do love Christmas, so I'm pretty excited to kick off that holiday season early. In fact, I may just have to dig out my Christmas decorations earlier this year to join in on the fun.  What do you think? Is it too early for eggnog?

Books. Too many books to choose from. I was on a reading jag and loving it.  Now, I'm stuck trying to figure out what to read next. I was going to read The Mothers, but I'm just not in the mood. I was thinking of diving into Ann Patchett's first book, The Patron Saint of Liars, but I'm not sure I want to read that right now.  Ugh! Its frustrating me that I can't decide what to read.  Usually, I pick up something easy like a YA or chick lit novel to get me going, but this time that trick didn't work.  I read All Laced Up and The Bad Boy Bargain, but they were ridiculously predictable and didn't spark my reading mojo. So, now I'm thinking that maybe I need to pick up an old favorite and read that instead.  Something by Vonnegut maybe. Hmm...what do you recommend?

Lady Gaga's new album, Joanne.  I bought it on a whim and haven't stopped listening to it since. I love the feel of the album and the songs are just terrific. I'm crushing hard on two songs in particular - Joanne and Million Reasons. I have them both on repeat.  Have a listen:

There you have it, my list of Five Things Friday.  And now, I'm off to keep listening to Joanne while I look through my bookshelves for my next read.  Hope you have a great weekend! Happy reading!!

My Bookish Christmas Wish List...

Christmas trees, turkey leftover recipes, and Black Friday ads abound.  The holiday season has arrived.  And I must admit to being rather excited about it all.  The decorations, the food, the music, and Christmas cheer - what more could I ask for?  How about books?  Yep, family and friends are already asking about gift lists.  So, here's my list of new reads I wouldn't mind opening up on Christmas day:

What do you think?  Not a bad list, eh? If you have any recommendations, please let me know in the comments - I would definitely appreciate it.  I'm always on the look out for new-to-me authors to fall in love with.  And now, I'm off to start reading the latest book in the Shopaholic series, Shopaholic to the Rescue.  Happy reading!!