Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Wouldn’t Mind Santa Leaving Under My Tree

Or, um, Wednesday, as the case may be…

For those who don’t know, Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week, they post a new theme and everyone is invited to join in! (Note: all book cover images in this post link to that book’s Goodreads page.)

Today’s Theme: Ten Books I Wouldn’t Mind Santa Leaving Under My Tree This Year

This holiday season marks sort of an unofficial anniversary for me and the rediscovery of my passion for reading. It seems like I’ve wanted to read everything in sight (because you never know when a new favorite author will come along), and most of these books have passed through my Kindle courtesy of Amazon Daily Deals and the amazing Seattle library system. Given this, most of my wishlist consists of Hardcover editions of books I found this year and know I will read again and again. There are also a couple TBR books with beautiful covers that I’m dying to read!

        

Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli – So heartfelt and hilarious. I love this book. I want to put it on my shelf right next to Carry On by Rainbow Rowell.

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan – I can’t get enough of the cover. My inner biologist wants to study every inch of the illustration.

After the End and Until the Beginning by Amy Plum – I’ve seen some mixed reviews of this duology, but I adored it. So far I have yet to read something from Amy Plum that I didn’t love.

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor – I’ve only read the first book in the trilogy so far, but the setting alone is enough for me to want this one on my shelf.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins – I’d love to have the whole trilogy, but I’ll start with Anna. (Text cover only – I really hate the other one…)

        

The Kraken King by Meljean Brook – It makes me sad that this is only available in paperback. In my future library, full of wonderful books, this one will be featured front and center on my Steampunk shelf.

Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron – I’ve only read the first in series so far (there are only two out right now), but I loved it.

Still on the TBR list:

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard – I’ve heard so many great things about this one; I can’t wait to read it! Besides, the beautiful cover will still look great on the shelf no matter how good the story is 😉

Illusionarium by Heather Dixon – I read Dixon’s Enchanted and really enjoyed it. This one definitely intrigues me, and the interesting cover only adds to the appeal.

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir – This is another that I’ve heard great things about. I think I’m going to be kicking off 2016 with an excellent TBR lineup.

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Which books are on your wish list this year? Link your TTT in the comments!

Holiday Minute Review: Unwrapping Her Perfect Match by Kat Latham

Unwrapping Her Perfect Match by Kat Latham (London Legends, Book 3.5)
My Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

“Oh look,” John said, holding up a cross-stitching kit that said, ‘Rugby’s a sport played by men with oddly shaped balls.’ “One for me.”

“You should get it.”

“If I do, will you teach me how to knit it?”

“That’s cross stitching.”

He shrugged. “Same thing, right?”

“Sure. About like how rugby and football are the same thing.”

He dropped the kit back on the table. “Blasphemy.”

This is an entertaining novella that is part of a larger contemporary romance series, though I read it as a standalone without any confusion. My favorite element was the London setting, which kept reminding me of Love Actually. In fact, the story could have easily been woven in with the film’s other short love stories. Then, of course, there’s the cast of professional rugby players 🙂 It was nice to read about insta-chemistry rather than insta-love, and I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that our heroine is a neither ultra-petite nor a wafe-like model (she’s 6’1″ and healthily proportioned, while he’s a 6’7″ muscular rugby god).

Elements of Holiday Cheer: Christmas in London, charity auctions, holiday baking, holiday crafts, and family bonding.

Holiday Pairing: Any variety of holiday cookies! There is a surprising amount of cooking and baking in this novella, so be prepared for some serious cravings!

Recommendation: This one is great if you enjoy holiday Hallmark movies, occasional British slang, and hot rugby players.

Holiday Minute Review: Christmas Reflections by Joanne Jaytanie

Christmas Reflections by Joanne Jaytanie (Forever Christmas, Book 1)
My Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Juliet opened the shade on her French door and gasped. Large white cotton puffs floated down from the sky. She threw the door open and walked out onto her deck. Arms outstretched and face tilted skyward, she turned in slow circles while snow coated her face. Holly ran past her and started to snap at the snowflakes, her satiny red coat instantly covered in white. “I guess there is something to wishing on the first star,” she mumbled to herself.

This short, unrealistic, but very sweet holiday romance is dying to be turned into a made-for-tv movie. While it isn’t a masterpiece, I don’t regret a minute of my time spent reading it. Sometimes Christmas fluff is exactly what you need.

Elements of Holiday Cheer: Small town community, rugged setting, unexpected snowfalls, wine with friends, and Christmas tree farms galore!

Holiday Pairing: This story is best served with some hot spiced cider or mulled wine. Given the tree farm setting, steaming apple fritters wouldn’t go amiss, either…

Recommendation: If you enjoy holiday Hallmark movies (at least the ones with happy endings) or contemporary romances that are low on drama and high on good feelings, you won’t go wrong with this one.