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Oh y’all, we chose poorly this month.  So many women fighting to be seen as people is enraging.  Honestly, we wanted Evie Dunmore’s books election week because #suffragettes, and we thought a month of strong women in celebration of the 100th anniversary of women voting would be great (and bonus points that they were all mutual holds).  We failed to realize that all of them being either historic figures or set in the past would have a level of tragedy to it.  We apologize to you and to us, and as such bring you what else we read to balance out some of the influx of patriarchy.  You already know we’re planning to read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott very soon, and we invite you to join us (and 100% give you permission to watch any  movie version).  We’ll talk about women running the world some, how Marmee and Mr. Lawrence know what’s up, even if Aunt March is a hot mess, and so much more.  All of this will go down on Friday, December 11 at 7:30 p.m. CST, but you’ll only get a pickled lime the details if you sign up here.  

Ashley IN MEDIAS RES

• The Only Woman in the Room: Knowledge and Inspiration from 20 Women Real Estate Investors by Ashley L. Wilson
• Batman: Nightwalker (DC Icons #2) by Marie Lu
• Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• The Living Gospel: Daily Devotions for Advent 2020 by Deacon Charles Paolino

Nikki IN MEDIAS RES

• Faithful: Christmas Through the Eyes of Joseph by Adam Hamilton
• Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Ashley FIN

• The Little Women Cookbook: Tempting Recipes from the March Sisters and Their Friends and Family by Wini Moranville
• The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu 
• Fix Her Up (Hot & Hammered #1) by Tessa Bailey
• Wonder Woman: Warbringer (DC Icons #1) by Leigh Bardugo
• Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy: A Graphic Novel: A Modern Retelling of Little Women by Rey Terciero and Bre Indigo
• A Well-Behaved Woman: A Novel of the Vanderbilts by Therese Anne Fowler
• Lifeonaire: An Uncommon Approach to Wealth, Success, and Prosperity by Steve Cook
• Bringing Down the Duke: The Wedding Story by Evie Dunmore
• A Rogue of One’s Own (A League of Extraordinary Women #2) by Evie Dunmore*
• The Witches of New York by Ami McKay*
• The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix*

*FINI in October.

Nikki FIN

• Here for it: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America; Essays by R. Eric Thomas
• The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
• Why We Can’t Sleep: Women’s New Midlife Crisis by Ada Calhoun
• The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu
• Be the Bridge: Pursuing God’s Heart for Racial Reconciliation by LaTasha Morrison
• Love Her or Lose Her (Hot & Hammered #2) by Tessa Bailey
• Rhythms of Renewal: Trading Stress and Anxiety for a Life of Peace and Purpose by Rebekah Lyons
• Wonder Woman: Warbringer (DC Icons #1) by Leigh Bardugo
• A Well-Behaved Woman: A Novel of the Vanderbilts by Therese Anne Fowler
• The Case of the Gypsy Goodbye (Enola Holmes #6) by Nancy Springer
• The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline (Enola Holmes #5) by Nancy Springer
• Bookish and the Beast (Once Upon a Con #3) by Ashley Poston
• Welcome Home: A Cozy Minimalist Guide to Decorating and Hosting All Year Round by Myquillyn Smith
• Our Italian Summer by Jennifer Probst
• Bringing Down the Duke: The Wedding Story by Evie Dunmore
• A Rogue of One’s Own (A League of Extraordinary Women #2) by Evie Dunmore
• The Clergyman’s Wife by Molly Greeley

Dear, sweet, readers, I have struggled this weekend to settle in with a book. That’s unfortunate because the long weekend is the perfect time to go full-steam-ahead on one’s TBR. This was my struggle bus, and you’re probably going to agree that I did it to myself, and you’d be right. So right. Here it is: I’m reading a horror novel in the middle of decorating for Christmas and all I want to do is read seasonally appropriate “Christmas Smut.” And, there you have it. Nikki and I have Mexican Gothic on deck for Thursday’s book post and it’s just not the thing that my heart wants to read right now. I’ve watched beaucoup Christmas movies (and Hamilton and 1994’s Little Women in preparation for next month, again). Done some shopping, both online and in-person. And just have been sorta avoiding the inevitable. I also have a busy next couple of days with work and last minute errands and chores before heading to New Orleans to become a godmother this weekend! I’d be totally lying if I didn’t also want to be a ‘fairy godmother’ to my niece, too, but she’s not quite old enough for glass slippers, a ball gown, or a pumpkin turned into a carriage. She’s not even old enough for solid food, but the time will come and I will have been preparing for it her whole life. I was made for this. #bougiefairygodmother Not to leave out my nephew…my sister says that the advent calendar I bought will be his favorite because it’s Hot Wheels. I am also stoked about being his cool aunt and since he was born he’s gotten a book for every occasion (and some not occasions because anything is an occasion for books). If you haven’t figured it out, I am all about that #AuntLife. Soon, the niblings will be old enough for #BAEcation (Best Aunt Ever Vacation) where they will come and spend time with me and their Uncle Adam to give their parents a much needed break. 

Other than our blog picks that have featured women struggling through the patriarchy, I’ve read a couple of things in preparation for next month’s Little Women extravaganza, one romance novel, a nonfiction buddy read with my husband (Adam’s read 2 chapters and I finished in 3 days…), and the YEAH BADASS WOMEN YA novel Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo, the first book of the DC Icons Series. As I mentioned in Thursday’s post, I’ve started Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu which is the second book in the series and I am loving it. I’d probably done better to settle in with Bruce Wayne over the weekend, but he doesn’t have a deadline attached to him like Mexican Gothic, so there we are. 

Did you spend the weekend shoulding on yourself and your reading life? Are you getting in the holiday spirit by lining up seasonally appropriate reads? Let us know in the comments or on socials, cause we might join you if you are!

~Ashley

Dear, sweet, readers, I too have struggled this weekend to settle in with a book.  I legit said to Ashley earlier this long weekend that I was hoping to finish two books (I was 60% on both, it should have been easy) and get started on my reward book (I know, we’ll circle back to that), but alas, all the things needed doing.  Most of the things at least got attention, and y’all, after nearly 7.5 years in some state of construction THE BOY BATHROOM WILL BE DONE THIS WEEK!  I’m so excited and *may* have shared my excitement with my coach earlier, after having asked her to suspend her coach attitude (we’re also related, which doesn’t work for everyone, but it works for us, also she was my doula, and my yenta, so we’re just weird that way), as it was one of the goals I set with her to do before the end of 2019.  What happened at the end of 2019?  No clue.  Whatevs, it’s going to be finished before 2020 is up.  

While we’re on the subject of 2020 ending, thank you to my pastor for pointing out this morning, as it’s the first day of Advent, it’s also the first day of the new church year (I’m confident I messed that all up – but Happy New Year Church!).  I’m here for new years and new bathrooms and new books to read.  So, Ashley mentioned this was not the time to read Mexican Gothic.  I’m not sure she’s right, but we’ll have SO much more for you on that Thursday.  I’m sitting at 100 pages to go and I’m scared to read it at bedtime.  Not because of horror (I’d go with paranormal mystery so far over horror), but because my lack of respect for tomorrow is generally lacking and OMG I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS SO BADLY.  So, after 100 pages, I’ll be starting my reward book and I’m SO PUMPED!  

This month, I’ve read, and loved two Goodreads Giveaways titles.  They gave me books when I entered, I (finally) read said books, and I genuinely adored both!  So, I’m sharing the love with you here too!  Behind door #1 we have Love Her or Lose Her (Hot & Hammered #2) by Tessa Bailey.  I read the first book, Fix Her Up, earlier this fall (I was channeling Ashley’s enneagram one-ness) and it was everything I wanted this open door romance title to be – fun, sassy, steamy, and not stupid dramatic.  (Yes, you need drama to move the plot, but I like real-life drama not excessive, not plausible drama.)  So, when I went into #2, I had a feel for the characters already (which is something I love about romantic series), and then it clicked: THIS IS ABOUT A MARRIED COUPLE.  Y’all!  There is no meet cute, there’s couples therapy (which is hilarious, and also legit).  This book is no surface level rom com, although there are funny parts and lots of sass.  The reader goes to therapy and sees each of our main characters struggle with themselves and what’s left of their marriage.  It is gorgeous!  I’m also glad to know #3, Tools of Engagement came out in September, and does not include a meet cute, because that happened in #2 and it was SO fabulous! 

Behind door #2 is The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan.  I tried to explain this book to my librarians on Saturday and it was hard.  The short version is it ticks so many of my boxes.  British city librarian is downsized, so she buys a truck, moves to rural Scotland, and converts said truck to a mobile bookstore.  There’s some drama, there’s a side of romance (spicy with fade to black), but it’s mostly about Nina finding herself and it’s gorgeous.  My favorite part is that this book doesn’t try to be something it’s not – it’s a story about a bookish woman finding her role, her place, and her people.  It’s not over-written or under-edited.  The descriptions were lush and picturesque.  It’s a great winter story to read with a blanket while watching cold weather outside.  It’s book one in a series called the Scottish Bookshop Series.  FOR SERIOUS, SIGN ME UP.  So yes dear readers, book #2, The Bookshop on the Shore is my reward book and is currently waiting rather impatiently on my kindle.  See also: this is why we don’t read the excerpts of other titles, especially when you’re already here for them!

Outside of our blog titles this month, I’ve read some titles that just didn’t land as well as I wanted them to with me right now, and others I can’t stop thinking about.  Bookish and the Beast (Once Upon a Con #3) by Ashley Poston was a delight and I highly recommend this romance series featuring high schoolers!  Myquillyn Smith delivered amazing advice and a gorgeous book in Welcome Home: A Cozy Minimalist Guide to Decorating and Hosting All Year Round.  Y’all, I pre-ordered this book in hardback – it’s so beautiful.  (And yes, I did borrow the e-book from my library to read it, but I wanted the bonuses and the reference for later, when hosting is a thing again.)  The stand out for me this month is an ARC (thank you Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley, all opinions are my own) – Our Italian Summer by Jennifer Probst.  Three generations of women, all on the struggle bus as individuals and as a family go to Italy for a month.  Each of them comes home having grown, lived, and seen and they come home closer as a family as well.  I didn’t love the ending (I have ALL the questions about one character’s ending specifically), but I adored the journey (and I’m here for an extended epilogue or maybe a follow up novella).  If this appeals to you, consider pre-ordering this January release or recommending your library purchase a copy!  

What are you looking forward to reading soon?  Is it an “in” book or is it just the right next book for you?

~Nikki

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