That Just Happened!

Usually at this time of year I am extolling the virtues of waiting until December to start the advertising campaigns, Christmas music, Christmas decorations, Christmas cups at Starbucks, but this year I have been bitten by the Christmas bug.  I am actually really looking forward to the Christmas season and I have generally been in the Christmas mood lately.  Setting up your decorations on Halloween is still ridiculous,  but I think that between this week and the next I get it.

Perhaps it’s because the weather here has been so un-Christmas-like I am looking for something to remind me of the season.  Perhaps it’s easier to get excited when you think it is possible that you won’t be driving from city to city, house to house, in wretched weather.  I’ve also started in on the Christmas presents as I have decided I am going to make a lot of them this year.  Either way, to help me enjoy the season this year, I’m going to participate in the 2010 Holiday Reading Challenge  hosted by Nely @ All About {n}. 

This year Nely has decided to start a little earlier and I’m all for it.  Plus, I plan to read 5 books, but have been reading at a slower pace lately (I blame NaNoWriMo) so I appreciate the extra time.

I’ve already picked up some Christmas books and I look forward to starting soon.  This year I am planning to read:

1. The Memory Quilt by T.D. Jakes
2. The Christmas Cookie Club by Ann Pearlman
3. The Christmas Thief by Mary Higgins Clark & Carol Higgins Clark
4. Busy Body by M.C. Beaton
5. TBD.

Now I’m off to look up great gingerbread recipes.  After all, a girl needs sustenance when making her way through all these novels!

Yeah, That Just Happened!

Well, hello again!  I have been spending time with my family and friends over this past holiday season and now I am almost recharged and ready to go!  How was your holidays?  Good I hope!  A quick update on what I have been up to:

1. Eating a lot of holiday chocolate
2. Spending time with family over Christmas and the ensuing days
3. Having a yummy, laugh-filled Girls Christmas
4. Overjoying in the books Santa and friends of mine have given me
5. Spending time with MPW (who is decidedly less grumpy and is now prone to napping whenever suits him)
6. Not doing laundry
7. Not checking the blogs/writing on my own.  This has led me to be a bit behind (I have 300 posts to catch up on now!) but I will be visiting soon. 

I have also had a very uneventful holiday.  Nothing overwhelmingly embarrassing (if one ignores family looking at your ring finger first and then disapponitedly asking how MPW is).  Just a lot of laughs and enjoyable evenings.

I am gearing up for the 2010 reading challenges I have  signed up for and patiently awaiting my Secret Santa gift (which has not arrived yet, so SS do not worry, I have not forgotten about you!).  I am also patiently awaiting a gift I ordered on Dec 4, but has still not arrived (as soon as it comes Becky I will make sure you get it).

As I have a few days of holiday left and I will not be posting again until the new year.  I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year and I will see you again in 2010 with lots of book reviews, challenge updates, and more That Just Happened! moments.

Cheers!

This year I participated in the 2009 Holiday Reading Challenge. I read 5 books (well 6 if you count that I sneaked in Matchless  by Gregory Maguire, but I won’t be posting a review).  It was definitely eye-opening!  I never knew how many Christmas/Holiday themed books were out there for adults. Really, it just never occurred to me. So now I have read five and I have a bucket load more on my TBR list for next year.

Reading these books definitely got me in the Holiday spirit (after reminding me what that is of course).  A lot of the books were very sweet and acted as reminders for what the season is all about.   So my original list can be found here, but I did have to stray a bit as the library was a little low on selection. (Don’t get me started on that. Go here for a reminder about how I feel about the library).

The following is a list of the books I read and my overall thought about it.  Hopefully there is one or two you can add to your TBR list for next year, or this year as there is still a few  2 days left until Christmas.

1. Skipping Christmas by John  Grisham  I really liked it (better than the movie Christmas With the Kranks, and I liked that a lot).  It was very punny and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good holiday read.
2. Dashing Through the Snow by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark.  So good!  I gave it 5 golden rings out of 5!  I absolutely loved this book. It is a must read.
3. What is Myrrh Anyway? by Jonathan Green.  To avoid you wasting your time here is the summary: all modern Christmas traditions are based on pagan rituals and people in the 1800′s would eat just about anything.
4. The Gift by Richard Paul Evans.  It was a very touching read.  Have kleenex, or avoid altogether if you are not looking for a good weep.
5. A Cedar Cove Christmas by Debbie Macomber.  A nice Christmas related story. Very punny and a quick read. I liked the characters and am considering reading the other books in her series.

The final one I wasn’t really planning on reading, but it seems as though everyone  read this book.

    6.   The Gift by Cecelia Ahern.  Meh. I think I was more impressed that the author was co-creator of the show Samantha Who?  Read it only because everyone else has and no one likes feeling left out.

Well, that’s it for Holiday reading for me!  I’m off to create my own Christmas stories.  Happy Holidays!