#we'll be home for Christmas

[libertyreads]

November 2023 TBR--

This month's TBR is going to be quite a bit smaller than the ones I've posted throughout the year so far. Moving has taken a lot out of me so I'm going to try to balance reading with watching TV shows and other things I enjoy that don't require nearly as much of my attention. (I say while The Shadow of the Gods just sits there staring at me.) I have a couple of rereads, a series starter, a new release, and a holiday read on the list this month.

We'll Be Home for Christmas by HelenKay Dimon (Library)-- I was surprised to find that I enjoyed a Christmas novella from HelenKay Dimon after reading her 2023 release earlier this year so I wanted to add the next Christmas novella in the series to my list. This one follows the older brother who has a high IQ but can't seem to understand women--at least one woman in particular. He takes women to bed one night and moves on the next morning, but, after a three day weekend with Lila, Spencer can't seem to get her off his mind. And it seems like fate is giving him a helping hand when she shows up in his town ready to take over her uncle's resort. But Spencer doesn't do serious.

The Hunting Moon by Susan Dennard (New Release)-- I cannot explain how truly excited I am for the next book in this series. The Luminaries was somehow everything I didn't know I wanted. It follows Winnie who just wants to join the Luminaries--an ancient order that protects the town of Hemlock Falls from the nightmares that prowl the forest in their town. After her family being disgraced by her traitor father, Winnie has known what it's like to be on the outside looking in, but as her birthday draws closer she's allowed to start the trials to determine if she'll finally get her wish. But, with new monsters popping up in the forest at night, is the forest safe even for the ones who hunt them?

The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne-- I would say this is my most intimidating read on my physical TBR shelf (and of course on this month's TBR). I know this is the start of a new Norse inspired fantasy series so I think it's a good place for me to start with John Gwynne (let me know if I'm wrong and I'll probably slate something else here instead). I remember seeing the cover for the first time and immediately wanting to know more. Gods warred and drove themselves to extinction which shattered the land. A new world rises with monsters stalking the woods and mountains. A world where the bones of the dead gods still hold great power for those brave or desperate enough to seek them out. Seems a little bit vague but I'm excited to learn more.

The Righteous by Renee Ahdieh (Reread)-- This is one I'm not super looking forward to rereading. The series starts with The Beautiful and takes place in 19th century New Orleans following a group of vampires (stop me if you've also watched a similar TV show). I've found that over time my intrigue has dropped quite a bit. Though, this reread of book number three means I would only have one book left to complete the series so why not. This one actually follows Pippa more than I was expecting so I remember that being fun at the first read. Let's hope it will be this time as well.

Evershore by Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson (Reread)-- Another reread for me in preparation for a new release. I struggled through rereading Cytonic so I think rereading Evershore is actually going to be a good mental break before Defiant comes out at the end of the month. This series follows Spensa who wants nothing more than to become a pilot for her planet's military, but given the cowardice her father exhibited before his death, they're not so willing to have her. The world really expands a lot from there as the series goes on. A lot of people say that the series becomes repetitious as you keep reading and after my reread of Cytonic I don't know that I can disagree with the sentiment. See Spensa do more training yet again got old fast. I think the highlight of this series for me is actually the novellas (shocking. I know) and so I'm looking forward to this reread.

I'm hoping to also add in a couple of holiday romances from my local library where I can in the month.

[misspoetree]

[2/24]

❄❄ kp + text post advent calendar ❄❄

[faithfulcat111]

No Stonathan Sunday today. I got some really sad news and I can't write anymore today.

[aclockmaker]

okay i'm finally both writing something and at a last sentence that isn't like "he smiled." so! a last-sentence tag game courtesy of @postmodernau —thank you!

Rules [that i will be cheating at]: post the last sentence you wrote and tag as many people as there are words.

“I didn’t get you anything,” Steve said without taking the present, meaning I can’t accept this, I don’t deserve it.

tags: well, i don't know who's writing and hasn't done this yet but i will actually tag @andwhatyousaid @carbonbased000 @jkrockin @allmysinsremembered but no pressure, and then i will say: if you're writing something and you see this and i HAVEN'T tagged you, you're literally legally obligated to do it and tag me >:)

[bragganhyl]

pálinka

[rosescries]

Alright, I'm gonna post something new in a few minutes since I was too damn furious to do it yesterday.

[feralnumberfive]

Having the start of a blizzard tonight on the first day of winter is pretty fitting thanks 2022 for at least trying to be winter-like in December instead of 60°F with tornadoes

[bruhstation]

🙃

drawing faces facing right (from the character's pov, not mine) is much easier for me! drawing faces facing forward is a bit challenging since I have to picture how the nose looks like, while drawing faces facing left requires me to be extra patient

[chronal-anomaly]

The beauty about being photophobic is that I get to live life like I'm a vampire

[libertyreads]

Book Review #127 of 2023--

We'll Be Home for Christmas by HelenKay Dimon. Rating: 3.5 stars.

Read on November 1st.

I decided to start out with a quick and festive read for the first day of the month. October was a bit of a mess so I wanted to start out on solid footing. Turns out it wasn't all that festive, but I still had such a good time reading this one. My library app said it was about 100 pages even thought GoodReads AND StoryGraph both put it at almost 400. Definitely felt more like 100 pages. In these short stories we already know what I'm going to say: it wasn't long enough. I wish we had more angst, more longing, and, oddly, more sex. That's not something that I--an asexual reader--normally say about romance novels, but this one was weird because it showed how much attraction, fire, chemistry these characters had before they finally gave in. But then the scene of them actually giving in to their desires was a little...lackluster. It's like the author wanted to close the bedroom door here but isn't known for that so she kept the door ajar. It was odd for me. Plus not getting the holiday vibes I was going for on Day 1 of Christmas? A little disappointing. I still enjoyed this one more than the first book in this series so it's definitely a step in the right direction.

[cornerstonc]

natori, looking over his to-do list for the day:

[nobilismare]

Will I be able to write some replies today? Stay tuned.

[opens-up-4-nobody]

...

[simple-and-cozy-life]

I can't wait until we don't have to say goodbye for weeks on end.

[bladeofthestars]

.

[mothlover69-afterdark]

My wife gave me some drugs to try snd help me draw and instead im just insanely horny and i cant do anything about it bc im staying in my mother in laws living room rn