Dear Friends,

What a year right? I can’t believe we are so ready to wrap this one up but here we are. The last two weeks I’ve actually been a bit of social butterfly which is something I have not done since the start of the pandemic but I’ve been to a couple of small holiday celebrations with work friends and book group friends and that’s been so much fun.

Now it’s time to enjoy Christmas. For us it is a quiet celebration, sharing some good food (probably too many treats) and being together. I’ve wrapped up work to enjoy some downtime this upcoming week and make the most of this holiday season.

These past few days have been very cold and blustery but I hope the temperatures even out a bit so we can go out to one of our favorite state parks for a picnic and hike.

Of course one of the major things I’ve got to get done this week is put together my end of year post. How many books have I read, which ones were the favorites and all those other fun stats we all like to see. For now, though it’s time to open some gifts.

I know this time of the year can be filled with joy but can also be quite hard for so many people. I hope this season is kind to you and brings you peace and joy.

Warm hugs,
Iliana

I meant to post this sooner but just in case you are still on the look out for a Christmas story, here are two books I think will definitely get you in the spirit of the season.

“The last few years, she’d gotten through it in London by keeping busy and distracted, which had been made easy by good friends, especially Bia and Laura, a demanding job, and more recently, Oliver. And now, at least two of those things had been taken away from her. Josie slid a hand into her coat pocket and ran two fingers over the smooth envelope. Christmas, it seemed, was looking very bleak indeed this year.”

Always, in December
By Emily Stone
Source: Advance review copy

Josie struggles with Christmas but thanks to her friends and her boyfriend, Oliver, she thinks this time the season may just be a bit happier. That is until she realizes what a jerk he really is and now is facing the holiday alone. As she thinks of the upcoming holiday there is one thing she must do and sets off on her bike to drop off her traditional letter to her parents. She thinks of the past and how much she misses them and she’s so swept up in her memories that she doesn’t pay attention to her riding and the traffic until it’s too late and she has collided with a stranger and she ends up on the ground. Max doesn’t know what to make of this but Josie is insistent on making it up to him by buying him a drink.

Max isn’t really very cheerful since he’s missed his flight but Josie thinks that the best they can do is spend the day together and make the most of a holiday both seem to not be very happy about. As the pair get to know each other, sparks start to fly and Josie is almost ready to think that this could be the best Christmas but then after a night together, Max disappears without a word. Chance continues to bring them into each other’s sphere but will the two every be able to sort out what happened and what do they want from each other?

This was a sweet romance but it did make me cry so have some tissues nearby just in case. I believe this was Emily Stone’s first novel but I would definitely read another book by her.

“The Church observes various festivals that are ever dear to the heart. What more gracious than Whitsuntide: more sacred or of deeper significance than Easter. The portentous sadness of Holy Week and exaltation of the Sunday following, accompany us throughout life. One of the most beautiful of Church festivals comes in midwinter when nights are long and days are short, when the sun slants toward earth obliquely and snow mantles the fields: Christmas.”

Rock Crystal
By Adalbert Stifter, translated by Elizabeth Mayer and Marianne Moore.
Source: Personal copy

This slim novel is about two children who go to visit their grandmother the day before Christmas and on their return home snow starts to fall and they lose their way. It almost reads a bit like a fairy tale and there is some suspense and at the same time beauty in the descriptions. You can almost feel the stillness of the forest covered in ice and feel the cold of the rock crystals seeping through your clothes.

I loved how the children cared for one another during this adventure and how the whole village rallied around to find them. A beautiful story about the celebration of the season.

Let me know if you’ve either of these books. Also, f you have a Christmas story to recommend I’d love to hear what you are reading this season.