I hope December has kicked off with a lot of great books for you. After such a good reading month I was finding it hard to hit my stride and had a couple of books I started and put back on the shelf after a few chapters.

Now though I’m reading several books which I’m really enjoying. Here they are:

First off is Rock Crystal by Adalbert Stifter, translated by Elizabeth Mayer and Marianne Moore. 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. Honestly this could be read in one sitting but I’m going to make it last a bit longer.

Next up is Poems for Christmas. I’ve never really been into Christmas reads but somehow stories set in winter and around the holiday are really speaking to me now. This is a collection with poems from Thomas Hardy, Christina Rossetti and even Shakespeare.

I do typically like to read a mystery and I decided to start A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch. Set in England in 1865, gentleman sleuth, Charles Lenox is asked by his friend, Lady Jane Grey to investigate the death of a former servant. I’ve had this book on my shelves forever and it was time to read it. I’m barely in and already love the Victorian setting.

Moving on to a more modern mystery I have The Perfect Family by Robyn Harding. The Adler family are being targeted by someone. Their home has been pelted by eggs, their tires have been slashed and their hedge burned. The antics are escalating but which one of the four family members is the target as they all seem to be hiding something.

Now for the final read we move way into the future with All Systems Red by Martha Wells. Several of you have talked about this series and it is definitely entertaining. You know I don’t read sci-fi but I love that there is action and a mystery.

I’d love to hear if you are reading any Christmas reads and if you have recommendations. I’m not sure how much I’ll be posting this month as I’m feeling a bit stressed from work and another holiday of not seeing our family. Although Christmas can often be a season of a lot of joy, it can also be a time when we feel tender and need to remember to practice some self care. So although I’d love to catch up on reviews (I still have books from the summer that I need to review!) I also don’t want to stress myself out even more. Anyway, I’m sure you all know how that goes. In the meantime I hope you have a wonderful week and that your are reading lots of good things.

How is it that we are getting ready for Christmas? The year is quickly drawing to a close and I still have so many books I want to read this year and challenges I want to finish but that’s always the way it goes, right?

I can’t complain though because this month has been fabulous for reading. I finished eight books and was able to read one for each of the reading events I joined in November.

Here’s what I read: The Devil’s Highway (Nonfiction November), Henrietta’s War (Novellas in November), The Testaments (#MARM), Go, Went, Gone (German Literature Month), Gone for Good, World of Wonders, In Five Years and A Little Hope.

A big thank you to all the hosts of the reading events in November. As usual, one of the reasons I join is to get some reading suggestions and you all had some amazing suggestions. My reading list is never-ending.

Not only did I read quite a bit more than usual, I did enjoy all of the books but my favorite was hands down, The Devil’s Highway. It was gut-wrenching. If your interested at all in the Mexico/U.S. Border issues, I think this is a must read. It’s not an easy read but I think the author does a good job of showing us just how complex the immigration issue is.

Looking ahead to December we are bombarded by best books of the year lists, gift guides and reading challenges for the new year and while I’m excited about all of that, I don’t want to rush the holiday season. I want to enjoy comfort reads and start thinking about reading plans for next year. Not to mention that it would be great if I could catch up on some reviews.

So hope you have a great reading month ahead and let me know if you’ve already started thinking about next year’s reading plans. So far I would say, join less reading challenges! Then again, you know how I am and watch I’m going to go nuts. Ha.