So I’m just gonna say it: This book is freaking adorable.
It really, truly is.
It follows the story of Santa Claus, from his humble beginnings as Nickolas the priest, to his later life as Father Christmas. It covers the course of about 1700 years so we get to see some of human history through his eyes. Which is fascinating!
His adventures take you all over Christendom, as Nickolas is a priest after all. And Santa does only go where the legend of Santa spreads. You watch as he encounters historical figures (most real, one or two not so much), places, and events. You see and experience these things through his eyes.
Now the book does shy away from some of the harsher realities that take place but also embraces others. Like the persecution of early Christians by the Roman empire. It’s not graphic though.
It’s very much a work of fiction but would stand up to some of the autobiographies I have read. It reads very much like a true story, and you find yourself getting swept up into the world of Saint Nickolas as a result.
I loved the way quiet way Nickolas moved through this world, just wanting to give gifts to those less fortunate than he. He was so determined to remain anonymous that he was well and truly shocked when gifts kept being given in his name.
His helpers are a ragtag bunch of interesting historical figures. From former slaves to warlords to priests to writers and many more! To give just one of them away would take the fun out of finding out for yourself.
You can tell Jeff Guinn, the author really did his research on various topics, religious beliefs, and peoples. He also happens to have a reference list in the back of the book just in case you wanted to doubt that he put in any research time on this book.
Cause he did.
And this book reads like a love letter to Santa Claus as a result.
To sum up, I truly loved this book. I thought it was well written and well researched. The characters were bright and vibrant. The world was colorful. The pacing was consistent throughout, which was nice. I can’t say it enough, I loved this book! 5 out of 5 stars.
Also, Amazon and Book Outlet were having sales so it’s not my fault. It’s theirs.
Though does it count if I don’t have the books yet? Because I don’t have the Book Outlet books yet. Those should count for December, right?
Right?
Dune by Frank Herbert
“Whoever controls the spice controls the universe”. It’s a classic sci-fi tale that is much beloved and I didn’t like it the first time I read it. So why, you may ask, did I buy it? Well, because one of my book clubs is reading it and I thought I might like it more now that I am older. So yeah, here’s to second chances!
From a Certain Point of View (Star Wars) by various
These are tales set in the Star Wars verse told by different authors. All feature a different and unique perspective, for example, the trash compactor monster. If I like it, I will probably purchase the sequel that just came out.
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
The winter solstice is a time for celebration in Tova. Ships captain Xiala is hired to bring a man described as harmless to the city. I was hooked by the premise. Then I was hooked by the sale!
The Night Country by Melissa Albert
Alice escaped the Hinterland and is trying to live a new life without magic in it. But something’s stalking the Hinterlanders in New York. I’m excited to get my hands on it. The sequel to The Hazel Wood looks to be pretty good.
Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Aurora was in cyro sleep for two centuries. When she wakes up the world has changed and she finds she may start a war. Can she and a ragtag crew of ne’er-do-wells stop it? This sounds interesting, so here’s hoping!
A Queen in Hiding by Sarah Kozloff
Orphaned, exiled, and hunted, Cerulia, Princess of Weirandale, must master the magic that is her birthright, become a ruthless guerilla fighter, and transform into the queen she is destined to be. I was on the fence with this one. But Book Outlet’s sale made me say yes. So yeah.
The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood
Csowre is supposed to be a sacrifice to the gods, but along the way there she meets a mage who will change her path. But the gods remember. This book sounds so cool. Doesn’t it sound cool?
Trail of Lightening by Rebecca Roanhorse
A post apocalyptic story featuring a Navajo monster hunter. I’ll take it.
Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor
After reading Binti by Nnedi Okorafor, I knew I needed to read more by this author. And this post apocalyptic tale sounds both terrible and wonderful all at the same time. I’m really hoping to enjoy it.
The Autobiography of Santa Clause as told to Jeff Guinn
Another book club pick. Jeff writes an article for his paper about Christmas and is soon whisked off to talk to someone to set the record straight. This seems like it will be a heart warming tale that I will love given my, well, mild obsession, with Christmas.
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
When Casiopea accidentally freed the Mayan god of Death from a box in her Grandfathers house, she gets sent on quest to help him free his throne from his brother. I love a SFP (strong female protagonist) and this sounded right up my alley and the price dropped right before Thanksgiving, so naturally, I had to pick it up.
And there you have it. All the books I bought in Novemeber. Which is small potatoes to what I have been buying over the last few months. I’m not saying I have a problem, but I think I might have a problem.
Well, here is my list of books I read this month. You’ll notice it’s quite short. It took me days to get through each book. Even the ones I loved.
It just wasn’t a good reading month for me.
I blame TicTok.
Also, how cool is Storygraph? I found out about it through Kristin Kraves Books. Much love to her for sharing this cool site with everyone.
So here, thanks to Storygraph, are my rather miserable stats for the month.
I love that I like to read adventurous books. Also, challenging books. And the one book I did not finish was challenging, for sure. I mean, I know that’s not what Storygraph means, but still, challenging.
I am really surprised with the pacing here, mostly because I don’t always pay as close attention to pacing as I should.
I’m assuming this breakdown will change in months I read more books. I read a variety of page lengths. Keeps ya sharp.
This website separates books into their different genres for you, and the books can have more than one genre, so that explains, while I read 5 books, the stats say I read 7. Even I got confused there for a minute.
And without further ado, here are the books I read this month!
Cursed by Thomas Wheeler, art by Frank Miller
This is the story of Nimue and the legendary sword of power. I loved this YA story. The only thing I wasn’t a fan of were the black and white illustrations. Sorry Frank. I gave this book 5 stars!
The Road Not Taken by Susan Rubin
The story of a widow who travels the space time continuum with a alien race known only as the Lost. I’m not gonna lie, I would barely say I read this book. I made it only 25 pages in before the writing style and easy acceptance of certain things just drove me bonkers and I quit. 1 out of 5 stars.
Old Man’s War by John Scalzi
When you turn 75 you are eligible to join the Colonial Defense Forces, and that’s just what John Perry does after visiting his wife’s grave for the last time. I read this book for book club #2 and I didn’t expect to enjoy it (or laugh) as much as I did. 4 out of 5 stars.
The Postmortal by Drew Magary
John Ferrell recieved “The Cure”, which means old age won’t kill him. Everything else still can. This was one of the most interesting books I read this year. It covers the social, economical, and environmental impact of what would happen if humanity all of a sudden never aged. I’m still thinking about this book days after I read it. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.
The Defiant Heir by Melissa Caruso
Amelia and her mage-marked Falcon, Zaria, must head behind enemy lines into the kingdom of Vaskandar as they prepare for war. I love this series. I find the writing compelling and the magic system to be very unique. And for someone who doesn’t always like hugely political plots, I don’t mind them in this book. 4 out of 5 stars.
The downside to these really detailed book nooks is that they can cost over a hundred dollars. And before you say anything, no, I can’t make one myself. This is a particular talent I don’t have.
Though I have discovered that they do make kits so you can build your own, those can cost as much as an already made one. So…yeah. Do your own thing.
None of this stops me from wanting one. Guess i’ll just have to save up.
By the way, one of these would make a great holiday gift for that bookish friend of yours.
France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever—and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.
Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.
But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.
I had heard people describing this book as their new favorite. That’s a lot to live up to. What if it was just mediocre? What if I found it to be terrible? What if it was so bad I had to DNF it? That’s a lot of “what if’s”. So, what did I think?
We see Addie’s life unfold in both the past and the present as the author chose to alternate between both. Addie was compelling when moving about the past figuring out how to navigate through the world right after her bargain was struck. She could have been a classic damsel in distress, but she manages to be smart when faced with trouble.
Addie in the present is lonely but has adapted to her situation. She is clever when it comes to knowing where to stay and how to feed herself. Not to mention clothing herself.
Luc is an fascinating villain. He is compelling and interesting. He is also very driven towards his goal.
Henry, as the only human who can remember Addie, is wonderful. He’s well written and interesting. He helps Addie really reconnect with the world while she does the same for him.
I found the world building was exquisitely done. The moments spent between the past and the present where brilliant.
The pacing was slow, but consistent. And I mean it when I say the pacing was slow. This is a slow read. Didn’t stop me from reading it in a day and a half though.
I don’t have anything negative to saw about this book, at all. In fact, I would go so far as to say that this is in my list of top ten favorite books. An enthusiastic 5 out of 5 stars.
Well, it’s that time of the month again. The time when all good book bloggers sit down and decide what books they are going to read for the month of whatever.
This month I have chosen five contenders for the top spot. Or just five books I know I want to read over the course of the month.
What joy! What rapture! What a relief I stopped at five!
Our first two book are sequels to books I read last month.
Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire.
This is the story of Liir. The mystery surrounding his life is still unanswered. Is he the Wicked Witches’ son? He sets out on a quest to answer this and other questions in an OZ that is under new and terrible management.
The Defiant Heir by Melissa Caruso
Amalia and her bound Falcon Zaria must go behind enemy lines and use every bit of wit and wisdom they have to prevent war, or both nations may burn.
Cursed by Thomas Wheeler and art by Frank Wheeler
A story about Nimue, who becomes the legendary Lady of the Lake. I’m down for anything King Arthur related.
The Postmortal by Drew Magary
John Farrell is about to get “The Cure.” Old age can never kill him now. The only problem is, everything else still can . . .
The Road Not Taken by Susan Rubin
Suddenly widowed at 50, a woman is shown all of SpaceTime by the Lost, a species that has been on Earth since the cool down.
And that’s the list of books I am hoping to get through this month. I hope I can do it/remember to read them all!
Ya’ll, I turned 40 this year. So I celebrated by buying books. As a result, I’m pretty sure I can skip buying books for the rest of the year.
No really. I’m putting myself on a book buying ban.
Yeah, even I doubt that. But a girl can dream!
I went to Half Priced Books. I also shopped on Thriftbooks.com, and bought a few from Amazon.com.
Here are the books I bought this past month!
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
A story about a girl at a magic school that just might kill you before you graduate.
Cursed by Thomas Wheeler, art by Frank Miller
A new story about a mercenary named Arthur and Nimue, who holds the sword Excalibur.
Skyhunter by Marie Lu
The last free nation of Mara is fighting back against the might Federation. Is their newest prisoner a spy, or the savior of all?
Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim
A young girl has to pose as a boy to compete to sew three magic dresses and win the role of imperial tailor.
Scythe by Neil Shusterman
Humanity has conquered war and disease. Even death. Now the Scythes are the only one’s who can end life.
The Defiant Heir by Melissa Caruso
Amalia and her bound Falcon Zaria must go behind enemy lines and use every bit of wit and wisdom they have to prevent war, or both nations may burn.
The Unbound Empire by Melissa Caruso
In the sequel to The Defiant Heir, Amalia and her Falcon Zaria have new challenges to face in the court of Raverra. Can they survive?
Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City by K.J. Parker
To save the city under siege will take a miracle. What it has is Orhan.
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher
14 year old Mona isn’t like other wizards. Her magic only works on bread. But what happens when an assassin stalks the city’s wizards and only Mona is left?
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
In 1714 a young woman makes a deal with the devil to live forever. The catch? No one will remember her. Until one day 300 years later, someone does.
Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh
Stories and comics about dogs, depression and the god of cake.
The Postmortal by Drew Magery
John Farrell is about to get “The Cure.” Old age can never kill him now. The only problem is, everything else still can.
Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett
In a city that runs on industrialized magic, a secret war will be fought to overwrite reality itself.
The Four Profound Weaves by R.B. Lemberg
Two transgender elders must learn to weave from Death in order to defeat an evil ruler.
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
In the late 1800s, three sisters use witchcraft to change the course of history.
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
The Emperor needs necromancers. The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman. Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead nonsense.
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer Armentrout
Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own. The life of the Maiden is solitary. Never to be touched. Never to be looked upon. Never to be spoken to. Never to experience pleasure. Waiting for the day of her Ascension, she would rather be with the guards, fighting back the evil that took her family, than preparing to be found worthy by the gods. But the choice has never been hers.
The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K.S. Villoso
A queen must unite her divided land, even if she’s hated by the very people she’s trying to protect.
The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter
The Omehi people have been fighting an unwinnable war for almost two hundred years. The lucky ones are born gifted. One in every two thousand women has the power to call down dragons. One in every hundred men is able to magically transform himself into a bigger, stronger, faster killing machine.
Everyone else is fodder, destined to fight and die in the endless war. Young, gift-less Tau knows all this, but he has a plan of escape. He’s going to get himself injured, get out early, and settle down to marriage, children, and land. Only, he doesn’t get the chance.
Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar
The daughter of a star and a mortal, Sheetal is used to keeping secrets. Pretending to be “normal.” But when an accidental flare of her starfire puts her human father in the hospital, Sheetal needs a full star’s help to heal him.
Some of these were Kindle purchases, so I got a few of them for cheap! And I did buy a few more books that were repurchases due to the book having fallen apart and needing to be replaced.
Rest in Peace Exiles Vol 1 and the Dragon Prince (both by Melanie Rawn, and both are very, very good).
And maybe a Christmas present for the hubs that I might have already given to him because I couldn’t wait.
Well, here we are. Another month gone. Another list of books I read. Hopefully you’ll see one you like and go find out whether or not I rated it correctly!
The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso
Magic and politics combine when a Falconer meets her Falcon on the streets of Reverra. I loved this book from page one. The political aspects weren’t to dry or drawn out, which means I was able to enjoy them. 4 out of 5 stars.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The story about a boy named Nobody raised in a graveyard, but can the graveyard protect him from who killed his family? It was cute. I gave this 3.5 out of 5 stars.
The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg
Ceony Twill is sent to apprentice under Emory Thane to learn the magical art of Paper Magic. But when Emory is attacked and his heart stolen, does she have the magic to take it back? I loved this book. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
Yadriel is a trans teenager. His only goals are to be accepted by his family and be a brujo. So imagine his surprise when he summons Julian while performing a ritual that was forbidden to him. I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.
To Be Taught If Fortunate by Becky Chambers
This is the story of four astronauts who embark on an eighty year long journey to see planets light years away from our own. But what has happened to the world they left behind? I gave this 4 out of 5 stars.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
A woman makes a Faustian deal to live forever, the catch is that no one remembers her. Until one day, a man in a bookstore does. This book was great. I initially gave it 4 stars but the more I let it sit with me, the more I loved it. 5 out of 5 stars.
A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore
Charlie is a nice normal guy with a nice normal wife and a nice normal kid. That is, until people start dying around him. See Charlie has been chosen for a new career, as Death. I really didn’t like this book. I spent 3 days trying to read 50 pages and it just didn’t happen. This one got DNF’d. 1 out of 5 stars, cause you can’t give zero on Goodreads.
Wicked by Gregory Maguire
The life of the Wicked Witch of the West is laid out before us to read. What an interesting book, and it is nothing, I repeat, nothing, like the musical that is based on this book. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.
Hyperbole and Half by Allie Brosh
It’s the author’s life as a child, her struggles with depression and her fights with her dogs. And a goose. This graphic novel of a webtoon made me laugh so much. 5 out of 5 stars.
The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
Alice must journey to the Hazel Wood to rescue her kidnapped mother. I was skeptical about this at first. When I bought it, YA hadn’t really been on my radar for a while, but a friend recommended it to me and I was not disappointed. I gave this one 4 out of 5 stars.
The Four Profound Weaves by R.B. Lemberg
Two transgender elders journey out into the desert to seek out Death to defeat a tyrant. I really wanted to like this novella, but I didn’t. But here’s the thing, I didn’t hate it, I just didn’t like it enough to continue it. I may pick this up to try again in the future, but for now, it gets 1 star out of 5.
Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can’t get rid of him.
When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.
However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He’s determined to find out what happened and tie off some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.
So I just finished up Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas and wow. I was not disappointed.
Which is great.
Because right as I started reading this my ADD started acting up and you would have thought I had never read a book before. I couldn’t sit still. I would read twenty pages then I would put the book down only to come back to the book two hours later and get yet another twenty pages read. I finally got past that hump when there about a hundred pages left in the book. Thank goodness!
And please don’t let my inability to sit still and read lead you to believe this book is anything other than good. Because it’s very great. I couldn’t play Animal Crossing for very long either, and I play that for at least an hour every day.
I have no life. Cause Covid.
Back to the book!
I enjoyed the world the author created. And given that it is our world, it was pretty easy. But the picture they painted of the graveyard and Yadriel’s place in it (and the world at large) was wonderful.
The characters were rich and colorful. And I really felt for Yadriel on his journey to gain his family’s acceptance as a trans man. And Julian and Maritza are wonderful characters. I liked how alive Julian felt, you know, for a dead guy.
The magic system in this book is great. I really loved how the author used generational magic. It was such a large part of Yadriel’s journey in his struggle to be accepted.
I loved the plot, but I did have some problem with how certain things progressed here and there. I feel the book had some plot progression issues and that they kind of rushed us to the end of the story once we got there.
There were a few things I would tweak here and there, mostly to do with the writing style and the plot progression issues. And that’s why this book gets 4 out of 5 stars.
What? It’s a great book! It also happens to be the authors debut novel and I’m really excited to see what they do next.
So the hubs and I have a small library. We have carefully cultivated our collection over the years and to be honest, we have neglected the bookshelves. Because we keep the books organized by authors, some of the books were starting to pile up, as there was no more room for new books.
I mean, there was a little room. But it wasn’t with the original authors!
I may have a thing.
This particular picture was taken after I had cleaned off this shelve to put the books downstairs. I wasn’t hauling all those books back upstairs. Clearly, I am a genius.
My project supervisor was sleeping on the job…until I went to take this photo. And then of course she wakes up.
The good news is this project only took a few hours. The bad news is I now know all the books I am missing from some series.
I want the pretties.
One has to have a shelf dedicated to Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series.
I can’t get the magazines to stand upright, so on their sides they go!
I still think there is some work to do. But I keep buying books, and my husband just informed me he has a bunch of books on the way soon, so its an ongoing struggle for us. As it is with any book lover.
it would help if I read them when I got them. Instead I am constantly reading old books. Because old books bring life!
Lauren Corcur 