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Christmas Shopaholic was a super funny Christmas themed book, but also had some touching storylines. I really identified with the struggle to help another mom who is going through a hard time.
Becky’s adventures were as outlandish and funny as ever, but not so unbelievable that it made me doubt her ability to pull it off in the end.

I relayed quite a few of the funny bits to my husband, and he laughed out loud too. Christmas Shopaholic really seems to have recaptured the charm of the earlier books. All of the characters felt like old friends I was catching up with after a long time.

Christmas Shopaholic came out in 2019, but for some reason I didn’t read it until this year. I don’t know why, but I just wasn’t in the mood for it. I feel a little silly for not reading Christmas Shopaholic sooner, but I’m …

Seasonal Vibe: Christmastime 

Travel Location: England 

I loved this book. The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year had a balanced mix of mystery and romance. Some romance would be happening and then suddenly something would happen to get you back to the mystery, and vice versa. I loved the characters, and the vibe was perfect. It was Mystery+Romance+ Christmastime in snowy England. 

It was a joyful reading experience. It wasn’t all “fluff”, though, because it did deal with difficult character backstories and bad things that had happened in the past. Of course, there was crime to solve, but also a character who’s been gaslit. 

I liked Ally Carter’s YA books; my favorites are her Heist Society books. The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year had a similar feel to Heist Society, but adult. 

I went to a …

Fantastic. Reminded me a bit of a not-fantasy Matilda, where the mother and daughter are both Matildas. It’s not literally the story of Matilda, but gave Matilda vibes. 

Location: California 

Historical Time: Mostly 1955-1962

I was delighted to find another variant in the Howl's universe. It had new characters and a new country, but it did tie into the second book, and you do get to see Sophie and Howl.

I liked how each book was a bit different. I was sad to come to the end of my reading in this universe.

After re-reading Howl's Moving Castle, which I turned out not to have remembered practically at all, I decided to read the sequel. I had not read it previously, possibly because it did not seem to be much of a direct sequel. I decided to read it, and Howl and Sophie do eventually appear.

I loved the new characters and different type of fairytale world. It reminded me a bit of The Horse and His Boy in the Chronicles of Narnia, where the book starts out with a character in a very different place, but it does give some information on your main characters from the previous books eventually.

Reading this book was like hanging out with a group of friends and exploring New York with them for the summer. 

Seasonal Vibe: Summer 

Starts with a high school graduation and takes place during the summer after graduation. 

Travel Location: New York City 

There is a romance, but mostly this is a story about a group of friends figuring out what they love and what they want to do next. There’s also a really nice theme about books and writing, with the main two characters having bonded over a beloved(fictional) children’s fantasy series as kids. This is realistic YA fiction that touches on how people can use fantasy stories to navigate the real world and their relationships. There was also a theme about coding and app development that I was surprised to discover. 

I started reading The Getaway List …

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery is one of those backlist classic books I’ve meant to read for years. I’ve loved the Anne of Green Gables book series since I was a young girl, but I haven’t read many of her other books. I read this mostly from an actual paperback book.

I think The Blue Castle is as good a classic romance as a Jane Austen book, though it takes place about a hundred years later. It’s one of the few adult novels that L.M. Montgomery wrote.

This book has social commentary, humor, tears, romance, and a wonderfully written cast of characters. Plus cats! This is a cat-friendly book. The chapters are short. There are 45 chapters in this book that’s about 250 pages long. If you’re looking for short chapters, this book has them.

 "Fear is the original sin," wrote John Foster. "Almost all the evil in …