I got Kindle Unlimited using a Black Friday deal for 3 months at 99 cents each. There were so many Christmas ebooks and digital audiobooks on there. Some of them were as short as 2 hours long. I didn't add dates read to my Goodreads account, that way they don't factor into my yearly books read and skew the data, but I still want to track them so I remember which ones I listened to in case I get Kindle Unlimited again or come across them during December next year. That way I'll know I already listened to them.
Books:
- The First Cat in Space and the Baby Pirate's Revenge by Mac Barnett & Shawn Harris- This was book 4 and Carter was so disappointed I hadn't read it yet, so I had to read it. It was cute, but I didn't like it as much as the 3rd one. That one was my favorite and it may have been because we went to the author event and it was so good.
- Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica- The writing in this book was so good. I started it, thinking I may not be in the mood to read it, and I was gripped before I made it 20 pages in. I kept thinking, what is wrong with me that I like this book so much?! If you are thinking about reading it, make sure you read what it's about first!
- The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan- It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did, it was hard to put down. The story was told through many different perspectives. I bet it would be an awesome audiobook. Carl's little section was one of my favorites. His wife's quote, "The trick of life, as I see it now, is to make what's around you beautiful. It'll grow from there," was so good.
- The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories by P.D. James- I haven't read P.D. James before so maybe I'm missing something by starting with short stories, but I wasn't impressed.
- Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Jenny Bayliss- I've really enjoyed her other Christmas books I've read so I expected to really like this one. I just didn't and couldn't finish it fast enough. I probably would have quit the book if I hadn't bought it on sale after Christmas last year. The storyline reminded me a lot of The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin which I also didn't like. This book came out before Giffin's book, but I read hers first so it made this one feel even more flat than it already was.
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| Homemade cinnamon roll with a side of meh book made the book so much better! |
- Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy- I thoroughly enjoyed this sweet and touching story of companionship and making friends in unlikely circumstances. It was a great reminder that sometimes pets can bring us together.
eBooks:
- The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore- This book was pretty bland, but I really liked the characters. She heavily foreshadowed for the upcoming books in the series and I'm interested. I'll read the rest of the series, but with lower expectations. I was expecting more with all the hype the series has gotten.
- Merry Christmas, You Filthy Animal by Meghan Quinn- I enjoyed this book. It had me laughing in a few parts. I didn't like it as much as the first one, but I like The Grinch a lot more than Home Alone so that makes sense. The narrator in the first book was fun because it was in a Dr. Seuss voice. The narrator in this one felt unnecessary.
- The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore- I enjoyed this book a lot more than the first in the series. Having a book store as a major setting was already a bonus, but having the secret messages in books got me on board. I love the "fake dating" trope which was a little different here. It gives the author a real reason to keep them apart and you don't have to deal with a big stupid breakup just so there can be a grand gesture at the end.
- The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore- I read the first 2 books in this series just so I could read this one during December. The cover was so darn cute. Each book in this series is better than the last! She found her groove with the spice, it's ticked up a level with each book. I loved this one and who doesn't want a sweet Bennett in their life? I think he's my type since I married a fixer. I adored this one and getting to look at the cover every time I opened it to read definitely helped!
Audiobooks:
- Pachinko by Min Jin Lee-This was an interesting story of a Korean family who immigrates to Japan and the toll that decision takes on everyone in the family over generations.
- To the Moon and Back by Eliana Ramage- This book started out pretty slow and was a bit hard to get into. The main character was hard to like and her sister got to be a bit much with her mommy social media account. The book really picked up when she became an ASCAN. The first part of the book was 3 starts and the last part was 4 starts so I rounded the 3.5 to 4 stars.
- Home Sweet Holidays Amazon Originals by Laura Pavlov, Ali Rosen, Rosie Danan, and Mia Sosa- I really enjoyed these stories. They are always a lot of fun. Anytime I have a Kindle Unlimited membership, I read or listen to them. I have one right now, thanks to a Black Friday deal of 3 months at 0.99 each! December is the best time to have Kindle Unlimited because I can read all the Christmas books without waiting for them to come in at the library!
- Holiday Hideaway by Mary Kay Andrews- This was short and cute, but the premise was so odd. Hiding out in an attic instead of revealing yourself just put me off the story from the get go. Also, there's no way you could hide a dog in an attic for that long. Too many things like that that pulled me out of the story. This was one I didn't count on my Goodreads year because it was so short, but I wanted to track it here so I remember the holiday shorts I listened to.
- Oh. What. Fun by Chandler Baker- This wasn't bad but it wasn't good. It was over before I really got into it. I liked the narrative aspect of it. It reminded me of Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty, but wasn't nearly as good. This was another one I didn't track the dates on, just noted that I listened to it.
- The Holiday Hookup List by Alexis Daria- This started out strong, but I got bored with it. It was better suited as a short story rather than a novella. My favorite part of the whole things was his mom's response when walking in on him. I normally love her writing so I was expecting more from this. This is another one I didn't count in my yearly read because it was only 2 hours long.
- If the Fates Allow by Rainbow Rowell- I really enjoyed this story. Rowell always writes such interesting and lovable characters, even in a short story. When I started it and it was set during the Covid pandemic, I wasn't sure I would like it because I typically have a bit of a stress response remembering that time, but it was very enjoyable and relatable! This was another short one I didn't count in my year count.
- A Season of Second Chances by Jenny Bayliss- This book had strong Pride and Prejudice vibes, so much so that I looked it up to see if the author referenced PnP in interviews. It was a cute story in an adorable little town. The setting was so idyllic and described so well, it acted as a supporting character in the story.
- The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracassi- This book had me at 77 year old final girl and did not disappoint. I liked the way the story was told and how you got to see through the victims' eyes and know what was going on, even when the main character didn't.
- The Favorites by Layne Fargo- I loved the format of this book. It was told in a documentary style. You'd live the moment and then listen to interviews to get different perspectives on what was happening. Heath and Kat's story was like a train wreck reality show that you just couldn't stop watching. I got pretty annoyed with them by the end but when they got back together for one last go I was so there for it. This book reminded me a lot of Daisy Jones and the Six and felt like something Taylor Jenkins Reid would write. The audiobook was so good with multiple narrators.
