Even though I've lived in the Arizona desert for over 20 years, it's still hard for me—a Pacific Northwest native—to feel like it's Christmastime when the temperature is in the 70s and 80s and people are wearing shorts and t-shirts instead of coats and gloves. It just doesn't feel right! The answer? Travel somewhere that does. A bunch of people I know are in Germany enjoying its famous Christmas markets right now, but I couldn't venture that far. Instead, my husband and I took advantage of some cheap domestic flights and headed back to the Motherland (aka Washington State). After visiting family in the southeastern part of the state, we headed north to check out Leavenworth. If you've read Ellie Alexander's cozy mystery series starring Sloan Krause, you're familiar with the quaint Bavarian-inspired mountain town. It's the quintessential Christmas village at this time of year, decked out with twinkling lights, enthusiastic carolers, old-fashioned sleigh rides, bustling shoppers, and laughing children sledding in the center of town. We enjoyed strolling through its postcard-perfect (albeit slushy) streets and soaking in the festive holiday atmosphere. Wandering through the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum was especially fun since I've collected the charming wooden figures since I first saw the ballet as a child. (We saw lots of bookish nutcrackers, but my husband photographed me with these particular ones so we could show them to my sister, who's a huge Potterhead. If you look closely, you'll spy other literary characters besides Harry and Hermione.) To continue the spirit of the season, we listened to A Christmas Carol (narrated by the incomparable Tim Curry) as we drove back to Portland, Oregon, to catch our flight home. The trip infused me with some much needed Christmas spirit and, since it was bookish in nature, I thought I'd share it with you!  

These seasonal lists are my favorite, so I hope you'll join in the fun. All you have to do is make your own list and link it up at That Artsy Reader Girl. Easy cheesy.

Top Ten Books On My Winter 2023-2024 TBR List

1. Atomic Habits by James Clear—I re-read this motivational book at the beginning of every year. It's a quick read that teaches sound, easy-to-apply principles. Clear's advice always helps motivate me to actually make and keep New Year's resolutions as well as other short-term goals throughout the year.

2. The Shift: 7 Powerful Mindset Changes for Lasting Weight Loss by Gary Foster—Another self-help book, this one has been recommended multiple times at the Weight Watchers meeting I attend. I've lost 30 pounds so far this year by creating healthy habits, something I will continue in 2024. I'm always looking for motivation, especially when it comes to becoming healthier, so I'm excited to see what this popular guide is all about. 

3. Homecoming by Kate Morton—Since I'm always racing to meet my Goodreads goal during the last months of the year, I haven't yet picked up Morton's newest. She's one of my favorite authors so I'm always excited when she publishes a new book. This one is about a journalist who's researching an old mystery and is surprised to learn that she has a personal connection to it.

4. The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan (available March 12, 2024)—Ryan is another one of my favorite writers. I'm always eager to read her World War II novels and am especially so with this one since it's about books. Yay! 

5. Murder on the Christmas Express by Alexandra Benedict—What are the holidays without a little murder, amirite? The generous folks at Poisoned Pen Press just sent me a copy of this mystery. It concerns a sleeper train that derails in the Scottish Highlands, stranding travelers in the snowy middle of nowhere. As passengers start dying one by one, it becomes clear that a ruthless killer is onboard. Can they be stopped before more people die?

6. The Women by Kristin Hannah (available February 6, 2024)—I'm thrilled to have an e-ARC of Hannah's forthcoming novel. It's set in 1965 and tells the story of a woman who joins the Army Nurse Corps on a whim after her brother is shipped out to Vietnam. Not surprisingly, what she sees during the war changes her life irrevocably.

7. Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda (available April 29, 2024)—I also have an e-ARC of this thriller, which concerns a woman who is drawn back to her hometown and its many long-buried secrets when she unexpectedly inherits her childhood home. 

8. More Than a Body: Your Body Is An Instrument, Not An Ornament by Lexie and Lindsay Kite—My book club selected this non-fiction offering as our January read. Written by identical twin sisters, both of whom have PhDs in the study of female body image, the book sounds absolutely fascinating.

9. Artifice by Sharon Cameron—I've talked about this YA WWII novel multiple times. It's written by another one of my favorite authors. Santa will likely be sending a copy of this one down my chimney in a couple of weeks. It's uncanny that he always knows exactly what I want. It's almost like we share a brain...

There you go, the first ten books I'm planning to read in 2024. Have you read any of these? What did you think? What's on your TBR list this winter? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on yours.

Happy TTT!

Finally Seen by Kelly Yang

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict

Miracle by Karen S. Chow

Hope in the Valley by Mitali Perkins

The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor

Austenland by Shannon Hale

For December, I'm planning to check off more of the middle-grade nominees for the Cybils Awards. None of the ones I'm planning to read are bookish as far as I can tell. For my November book club meeting (which got pushed back to next week), though, I will be reading Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan. I was at an event tonight with many of the book club members and their reports on the novel are mixed. Most liked the cozy read overall, even though it's a bit slow, apparently. We'll see what I think when I get to it this weekend. 

  

If you've had fun doing this fun, laidback challenge this year, please join me for the 2024 Bookish Books Reading Challenge. I'll make an official post about it sometime in the next couple weeks. 

For those of you who are participating in the 2023 Bookish Books Reading Challenge, here's the Mr. Linky to use for linking up December reviews. If you've not yet signed up for the challenge, what are you waiting for? Join us in this low-key challenge that celebrates a genre we all love: books about books. It will be fun, I promise! (Note: I copy and paste this paragraph into these posts every month, but you CAN still join the challenge even though the year is almost over. Just link up your reviews of bookish books. Easy peasy.)