Happy Wednesday and happy winter solstice to my friends in the Northern Hemisphere. Today is the darkest day of the year, and then the days will slowly lengthen again. Thank goodness. 

As much as I’ve tried to lean in to the cozy hygge vibes these past several weeks, I do always struggle a bit with the extended darkness. This year I’ve been sitting by the Christmas tree with a candle lit and a blanket on when I read, and it’s helped a bit. Plus, my Little Free Library has its own set of holiday lights, a little spark of happy whenever I look out the front window. 

Things are slowing down now that the semester is over at work, and I’ve gotten a lot of reading done in the past week or so, which is exciting. I definitely won’t hit my 100-book goal for the year, but that’s okay. Let’s get to the reading updates, shall we? 

(Full disclosure: This post uses Bookshop.org affiliate links. Books marked with an asterisk were received as complimentary review copies).

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Recent Reads

Earlier this week, I finished up Jean Meltzer’s The Matzah Ball, a Hannukah-themed romance about a Jewish romance novelist with a Christmas-obsession secret. 

Even though it’s a second chance romance and dual POV (not my favorites) it really worked for me. As I mentioned last week, the protagonist has a chronic illness and it was really refreshing to read about, particularly at a time when I’ve been struggling with my own chronic health issues more than usual. 

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Current Reads

I’m now on to holiday book number four, A Cat Cafe Christmas. I love cats and cafes, so I’ve been really looking forward to this one. There are cute little cat illustrations at the start of every chapter, and plenty of good banter between the protagonists. There’s a good bit of plot and personal growth for both of the love interests to be invested in outside of the romance, which I always appreciate. I’ve been racing through this one and expect to finish it soon. 

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Up Next & On to You

I’m excited to be making this much headway in my holiday TBR, even if I still have three more books to go. I haven’t quite decided which book I’ll pick up after A Cat Cafe Christmas, but it will either be Twelve Swipes of Christmas, Twelve Dates of Christmas, or All I Want for Christmas. 

Depending on whether I can maintain the holiday read mood after December 25th, I’ll be bringing some of these books with me on our brief mountain getaway next week. 

I hope you’ve had a great week in reading and in life. I’d love to hear what you’ve been reading as we round out the year!

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