Let’s see if I can get quick blurbs in about what I read this year before the year itself runs out:

In May and June, I finished five books:

A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette: This should have been a dream cozy, featuring Bronwyn, the new proprietor of her family’s small-town Ohio ice cream shop, who discovers a dead body late one night. It’s a man she met earlier in the day, who, it turns out also once nearly swindled her family, which makes her Black father the lead suspect. One of her BFF’s is a British mystery fan and insists they should investigate, so they do. The book had a good premise, but needed tightening up, and it could be that the next book in the series improves upon some of the thin spots here. Perfectly fine if you just want a cozy.

Serena Singh Flips the Script by Sonya Lalli: Set in D.C., this is a sweet contemporary novel about a young woman who’s trying to find her way in the world and succeeding on the face of it, with a kick-ass new position at her dream job. But as a first-generation American, she’s struggling with issues with her parents. She’s also having a hard time making friends — and goes on a couple of hilarious friend-dates during the course of the story. And then there’s her love life — there’s the cute photographer from her sister’s wedding, but there’s also the guy she used to be in love with, who’s subsequent marriage has broken up, but with whom she swears she just wants to rekindle a friendship. Multi-layered and well-thought out. Recommended.

The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser: Thea, an English woman whose marriage recently ended and who’s just been laid off, learns she’s inherited a Scottish house from a distant relative. She heads up there and discovers her great-uncle was a book collector. In trying to discover the worth of the collection, she meets (and becomes an employee of) a gruff bookstore owner, who happens to be the brother of the charming lord who owns the adjoining property to her family cottage. If you liked Jenny Colgan’s Bookshop on the Corner series, you’d probably enjoy this one too.

Jo & Laurie by Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz: Little Women (the first half of what we’ve come to think of as a single novel) has just been published and Jo March’s life has been turned around a little bit. Her readers are clamoring for more of the same, but she wants to send her heroines off on radical adventures — could her namesake become a pirate? The fictionalized version of her and her sisters’ story is somewhat true, but what came next in real life is too painful. Beth is still alive in the pages of her novel, after all. When an opportunity arises for her to get away to New York City to see Charles Dickens read, she takes it, but Laurie has other plans for what this trip could mean. If you love Little Women, but found some aspects dissatisfying, I’d recommend reading this novel.

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert: Eve is the baby of the Brown sisters and has a reputation of being irresponsible and flighty. When her parents try to have a conversation with her about this, telling her that they’re going to cut her off for the next six months to encourage her to stick with some kind of job, she drives off, ends up in a tiny village, and, on a whim, interviews for the job of chef for a B&B (before backing over the up-tight proprietor, which guarantees Jacob can’t interview any more candidates). Eve and Jacob are both more than meets the eye and their friendship — and maybe something more — blooms over the course of the next few months. But will Eve stay on once things get challenging? If you like your romance novels a little more adult (these definitely have some non-PG-rated scenes), the Brown Sisters series are great reads.

Hoping you and your loved ones had a very merry Christmas and wishing you all a happy Boxing Day, as well! Have a bowl of trifle!

We awoke Christmas Eve morning to a couple inches of fluffy snow on the ground, which was pretty, but also meant some time outside with brooms and shovels.

Inside, much of the afternoon was spent in the kitchen baking. There was also some wrapping and a viewing of The Bishop’s Wife.

Tomorrow, we’re hoping for a laid-back day. It’s just my parents, Rudi, and me, so the timetable doesn’t need to suit anyone else’s schedule.

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas however you celebrate it and that you get to touch base with those you love most.

We made it! Physically to my parents’ house. And emotionally to Christmas Eve. I hope you’re feeling okay about your path to this moment in time and space, but even if it’s been a bit rocky to get here, pat yourself on the back that you’re here now. You deserve a Christmas cookie.

Behind our final door, we have a post from Bridget at The Ravell’d Sleave about the Christmas Eves of her childhood.

Before you run off, though, let me give a huge thank you to Bridget, chick, Rudi, raidergirl3, my mom, and my dad for banding together to make the tour work this year. I’ve enjoyed each and every one of your posts and appreciate the work and time that went into each one.

Happy holidays!

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. Driving north, we saw a jeep draped in Christmas lights. It was the most festive car on the road.

2. We got a significantly later start than I’d hoped to (entirely my fault — PMS that I didn’t realize was PMS), but getting on the road late in the afternoon meant that we were treated to a gorgeous sunset and Christmas lights across five states.

3. Corey enjoyed chasing the balled up wrapping paper from the packages I’d opened around the living room.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world lately?

In the morning, Rudi and I drive north to my parents. For a week, my living room has been littered with dozens of bags containing unwrapped gifts. Homemade things are not complete. There are also unsent Christmas cards on the table and unused baking ingredients in the kitchen. My life is still filled with Christmas potential, which is good because Christmas-yet-to-come and I are going to have to have a heart-to-heart about what’s possible in the remaining hours leading up to the holiday.

Amidst all that, I threw up the reindeer signal to my dear friend, chick at Blue-Footed Musings, and asked if, amidst her own frenetic to-do list, she had the capacity to write one more blog post. And she, being the lovely woman that she is, pushed her wrapping paper to the side and offered us up the great story behind today’s door. It’s a story of music and family and silliness and tradition and just the sort of thing that we all love to read as the hours tick by until Saint Nick’s arrival.

Her story is a bit of a balm to my soul. Because this year I understand better than ever before that Christmas is ultimately about the people. Even if things aren’t quite done or the gifts are tucked into bags instead of wrapped and bowed, we will be together to open them in the same room, where hugs can be given and laughter won’t be tinged with tears of knowing the right thing sucks.

I know the last few weeks have brought that spectre back into some of your lives, and if you’re once again doing the right, sucky thing to keep your loved ones safe, I tip my Santa hat to you and wish the next few days will be filled with new traditions and adaptations that make the best of the situation. Maybe you, too, could channel your inner opera star for a bit.