On My Nightstand December 8, 2024

I started my annual cookie making extravaganza yesterday. I froze most of the dough to bake and give out later this month, but I had to make a few for my family and the various teenagers who wander in here throughout the week.

Here are the recipes I’ve used so far if you’re looking for some new ones:

Chocolate gingerbread cookies

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chocolate_gingerbread_cookies/

Mexican hot chocolate cookies

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1024782-mexican-hot-chocolate-cookies

Finnish Cardamom Cookies

https://www.food.com/recipe/finnish-cardamom-cookies-369337

Peanut Butter Blossoms

https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/classic-peanut-butter-blossom-cookies/a3563f6e-96b0-443f-ae0a-53cef4be6db6

Have a great week everyone!

Quote of the Week

“If we had thought far enough into the future, things might have been different. We might not have saved the monarchs, but we might have seen the world we were making and decided to make a different one.”

— Awake in the Floating City by Susanna Kwan

On My Nightstand This Week

Kindle - Six Cats A Slaying By Miranda James - I’m about 40% in and there’s no mystery yet, but there are kittens so I guess I can forgive that.

Audiobook - Mission: Nutcracker by Cecilia Dominic - When I found a steampunk Nutcracker retelling on Everand I had to add it to my TBR for December right away. I had a lot of fun listening to this while I made cookies yesterday. I’ll probably finish today when I finish decorating.

Paper - A Stroke of the Pen by Terry Pratchett - This is a fun book of short stories that I’ve been dipping in and out of. Not all of them are holiday related, but some are.

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

Note: Links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!

My December TBR

November Beginning TBR: 417
October Ending TBR: 456

It’s the end of the year, and my TBR has exploded. I’m not mad. The Tournament of Books long list had so many good sounding books that I had never heard of. I’m really excited to see the short list. It must be a hard job to decide!

My December reading list is super-sized as well. I decided to do one list for my regular TBR and one for holiday/winter reads. I know this is ridiculous, but it’s fun to try!

Here are 40 books I want to read in December:

The Cat Who Went Bananas by Lilian Jackson Braun

Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery

Pearly Everlasting by Tammy Armstrong

The Shipping News by Annie Proulx

Paying the Land by Joe Sacco

The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng

The Mystery of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe

Joy In The Morning by Betty Smith

A Stroke of the Pen by Terry Pratchett

Sugar Birds by Cheryl Grey Bostrom

Not What She Seems by Yasmin Angoe

Moonflowers by Abigail Rose-Marie

The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall

Tortise for the Queen of Tonga by Julia Whitty

Central Asia by Adeeb Khalid

The Meeting Point by Lucy Caldwell

King of the Yukon by Adam Weymouth

Six Cats A Slayin by Miranda James

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

The Healer by Antti Tuomainen

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

The Secret of Winterhouse by Ben Guterson

A Terrible Country by Keith Gessen

Below Zero by CJ Box

Christmas Days by Jeanette Winterson

A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote

The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry

The Mistletoe Murder by PD James

The Gingerbread Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke

The Sphynx Who Stole Christmas by MR Diamond

Killer Christmas by Harper Lin

An (Un)Orthodox Christmas by Ana T Drew

Resting Scrooge Face by Meghan Quinn

Walking The Himalayas by Lev Wood

Mission: Nutcracker by Cecelia Dominic

Calm Christmas by Beth Kempton

Plus 4 books from the Tournament of Books list TBD

Whew, thank you very much if you stuck with me through that.

Note: Links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!

On My Nightstand November 30, 2024

We had a great Thanksgiving, and I am making the most of my five day weekend. The only problem is I have completely lost track of what day it is. It seems as if tomorrow might be December 1st, but can that really be true?

Have a great week everyone.

“Barbara Jenkins. Relation: mother. If she lives to be ninety and I’m a solo man in this life, I’ll still write her name. Expecting her to scale Mount Whitney or charter a helicopter to come rescue me from a shipwreck. Something in me will always believe she’ll come find me.”

— Mother, Natue by Jedidiah Jenkins

On My Nightstand This Week:

On My Kindle - Between A Flock and a Hard Place by Donna Andrews - Thought this one would be about Thanksgiving. It is not. Still I hope to finish it today.

Paper Book - Pink Slime by Fernanda Trias - This is a weird little book, but I like it. It’s my first new read from the Tournament of Books long list, so starting on a high note.

Audio Book - Janesville by Amy Goldstein - The last of my Non-Fiction November reads. This one is a heart breaker.

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

Note: Links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!

On My Nightstand January 7, 2024

We’re well in the New Year now, and everything Christmas is coming down today. I’ll miss the extra lights, but I’m looking forward to getting the space back. Sports start again for the kids this week, and I’m almost looking forward to that too. (Full disclosure- looking forward to the sports, not the driving and the laundry.)

Have a great week!

Quote of the Week:

“For every one person who spends their last day romping through wildflowers and bestowing tender messages on their beloveds, praying words of thanksgiving as the sun falls into the ocean, there are two people who on their last day will order everything on the drive-thru menu at Taco Bell and chase it with a bottle of Wild Turkey. Urgency never makes a good life, or a good death. No one flosses on their last day on Earth. But there is something to be said about realizing stability is always a temporary situation, and that your dreams and plans will not pulsate within you forever. A life of denying them, for the sake of security and stability, won’t get you where you think it will.”

— Blood From A Stone by Adam McHugh

On My Nightstand This Week:

Kindle: The Dark by Emma Haughton - I didn’t get to this from my December list, but Antarctica in the winter has better December vibes anyway.

Audio: The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese - I have about 10 more hours in this audio, and just like the last time I read it I hope it never ends.

Paper Book: High by Erika Fatland - My new work night routine is to sit in the kitchen with this book and some mint tea for an hour each night. It’s a chunkster, so by reading a bit each night I’m hoping to finish by the end of the month.

Make it a good one everyone!

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

Note: Links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!

On My Nightstand December 31, 2023

Happy almost New Year! I am not a New Years Eve person (cold dark nights are not things I engage with willingly.) However I LOVE New Year’s Day. I love the feeling of wiping all the Christmas clutter away and starting fresh.

This year is a little different because of illness and travel- we’re doing our family Christmas on January 1. It’s just the four of us so it should be a low key day with a meal that pleases no one but ourselves, a few presents, and hopefully a hike or at least a long walk outside.

As for reading I’m finishing up my 2023 reads today, and looking forward to starting all new reads in 2024.

Quote of the Week:

“They didn’t understand what they were doing.
I’m afraid that will be on the tombstone of the human race.”

— Prey by Michael Crichton

On My Nightstand This Week:

I’m not sure really. I’ll take a look at my January list and see where I want to go with it.

Make it a good one everyone!

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

Note: Links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!

2020 Gift Guide For Bookworms and a Giveaway

I say this every year, but books really are the perfect present this year. It’s going to be a long winter in most cases, but we can make it feel a little shorter by supplying our favorite bookworms with books and goodies to help the days go by.

Books

50 Great American Places by Brent Glass - This is the perfect gift for any armchair historian who is planning their first post pandemic road trip. Written by a director emeritus of the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution, this book hits all the highlights of what a trip around the US should be.

Tomorrow Will Be Better by Betty Smith - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is one of my very favorite books ever since I read the Christmas scene in my English text book in 9th grade. I’ve always wanted to read this book too, but have never been able to find a copy. I yelled with joy when I found out it’s being re-released. This will definitely be a gift I buy myself this year.

Devotions by Mary Oliver - This is a wonderful book of poems for afternoons spent dreaming.

11/22/63 by Stephen King - The perfect gift for a long winter’s day. This book is for anyone who loves time travel and history. If you think all Stephen King is all gore and horror think again.

Other Gifts For Bookworms

Audiobook Subscriptions - So this is technically a book, but audiobook subscriptions are a gift I give often. Libro.fm is a great choice because some of the proceeds go to local bookstores, but audible.com also works.

Tea and books also go together. My favorite is Irish breakfast from Tea Dude on Etsy.

Turning pages all day makes a bookworm’s hands dry. This lemon scented hand cream from JR Watkins is my favorite.

And of course everyone loves to take a bath with a book. There’s some recipes for homemade bath salts here.

Giveaway! [NOW CLOSED]

I’d like to give one of you a gift! Comment below to win one copy of one of my favorite reads this year All The Devils Are Here by Louise Penny.

To enter leave a comment below letting me know what your favorite read (so far) of 2020 has been. Make sure you use a valid email! I’ll be choosing one winner on 12/1. (US only please. I will contact the winner by email.)

This is part of a hop hosted by Reading Reality and Caffeinated Reviewer . Stop by for more giveaways and Black Friday fun.

Note: Some links and affiliate and referral links. Thanks for your support!

Books I'm Gifting This Year

Getting up at 4 am isn’t so bad when you get to look at this.

The elves have been busy buying books for the people in my family. Here’s what they got:

My 9 year old loves these books, and I was happy to find one about Lucille Ball who seems to be a kindred spirit.

My 11 year old son is a budding cook, so I am trying to encourage that since I get dinner out of it once a week at least.

It’s a weird thing when I’ve read a history book that my husband hasn’t, so I got it for him for Christmas.

Happy holidays all!

Note: links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support.

Homemade gifts for bookworms

Bookworms are easy to buy Christmas gifts for. Shopping list: books. Check. Done. However I love to pair books (or gift cards for books) with a little something homemade to make my gift more personal. Here are some of my favorite ideas.

Bath salts

Luxurious Lavender Bath Salts

Custom Homemade Bath Salts

DIY Calming Detoxing Bath Salts

Bookmarks

25 Creative DIY Bookmark Ideas

How to Make Unique Bookmarks

42 Chic and Playful DIY Bookmarks

Hot chocolate

How To Make Hot Chocolate Mix (Pioneer Woman)

Alton Brown’s Hot Cocoa Mix Recipe

Ornaments

DIY Book Ornaments

Hand Made Book Print Ornaments

19 Christmas Ornaments for Book Lovers

Reading journal

Easy DIY Reading Journal

10 Creative DIY Journals For Kids

Happy crafting!

REVIEW: Holiday Cookies by Elisabet der Nederlanden

Holiday Cookies by Elisabet der Nederlanden

I am a complete Christmas cookie freak every year pretty much from Halloween until December 25th. Any spare second that I have I am either baking or looking up new recipes. Holiday Cookies by Elisabet der Nederlanden is the new source of cookie recipes that I have been waiting for.

The recipes are both fancy and approachable - the book is full of lovely cookies and packaging ideas that I know I will be using this year. I like that the cookie recipes are mostly familiar presented in a prettier than usual way. (People appreciate familiar at the holidays I think.)

NOTE: A free copy of this book was provided by Blogging For Books in exchange for a honest review.