Deck the Halls, My True Love Gave to Me, and The Wonder of Christmas, books 49-51 PLUS my Year End Wrap-Up!

 

Ok, I don't know how to get these all aligned pretty like I like them, but these are three of the last I read to nearly round out my Christmas reading for 2025.  (I'm finishing my for real last one now 😉)  These are three of the eight books in the series I bought for my Paperwhite.  I'll finish the fourth one in the next few days, then but the other four on hold for November.

The Wonder of Christmas

Actress Cheyenne West heads north to join her family for Christmas, with no idea that a storm will strand her in the small town of Misty Cove on the Oregon coast. But when she bumps—quite literally—into the handsome former Marine, Grady Darnell, and learns about a family in need, she realizes God sent her to Misty Cove for a bigger reason than meeting a handsome man. But with the way her pulse kicks up in Grady’s presence, maybe God has a dual purpose in mind. (picture and description at Amazon)

My True Love Gave Me

Christmas is the best time of year, but Cassidy Turner is too distracted to get in the spirit.  Cassidy loves her life. She has a job in a vintage housewares store, a cute bungalow in Seattle’s Green Lake neighborhood, good friends, and a dog who adores her. But at age twenty-eight, being single is getting old. So, when an invitation to an exclusive Christmas party gives her an excuse to find a plus-one, her best friend convinces her to explore her options in the singles group at church. There are, after all, a couple of intriguing candidates. What could go wrong?  One of Sean Garrett’s favorite things about his job as a delivery driver is getting to know the people on his route, but he doesn’t expect that to amount to anything significant. So, when the pretty woman at the vintage housewares store turns his head, he tells himself it’s no big deal. From the conversations he’s overheard between her and her friend, she has plenty of interested suitors already. She wouldn’t be interested in adding him to her dance card. Would she…? (picture and description at Amazon)

Deck the Halls

When a messy relationship falls apart, Luce Edwards is stuck sleeping on her aunt’s couch and away from her four-year-old daughter. According to her ex, Nicola is happy living with him and his new girlfriend.  Luce wants her daughter back.  With a low-paying thrift store job and no home, it seems impossible—until she’s invited to compete in a Christmas decorating show, Great Design’s Deck the Halls. The prize, a tiny cottage, is exactly what she needs. Bridge-building architect, Jordon, is mourning the loss of his parents. When he returns to his parent’s house after an evening with his sister’s family, he finds the front porch decorated for fall—with his mother’s décor he donated to the thrift store. However nice it looks, it doesn’t make grieving easier. (picture and description at Amazon)

I would say out of these three, I liked Deck the Halls best.  It was actually first one I read.  The other two (and Once Upon a Christmas Carol, which I read in between the other two) all seemed the same with different names and locations, but I could not tell you which one was which because they all had girl stranded in snow, cute guy rescues her & takes her to his family home, they all go to a dance/event, they fall in love .... This last one I'm reading now seems a little diffrerent, so I hope I'm not disappointed.

FINAL TALLY FOR 2025!!!

Let's remember I not only read all these fiction books, but I also read the Bible 1.5 times and read a Bible Handbook as well.  

Total books: 51

Total pages: 16,559

Wonder if I can top that in 2026?  

Looking forward to exciting adventures in my books this year! 

Melissa

Once Upon a Christmas Carol, book #48

 

Cute fun book I snuck in in-between reading all the Hometown Christmas Dreams Series, which apparently has vanished from Amazon.  Good thing it is downloaded on my Paperwhite!  

Anyhow, Hometown Christmas Dreams actually has EIGHT books in it, and I am afraid I will not get all the way through before I need to start on my January books!  I knew I needed to read this one for book club for sure before Christmastide got away from me, so after I finished two books in the HCD books, I went ahead and read this one.  Since it is a short novella I literally read it in one day.  I enjoyed it, but I kept getting it mixed up with the second story I had just finished in HCD! 

Carol Langstrom hates Christmas. Growing up in a dysfunctional home, with a birthday on December 25 and too many dashed childhood expectations, she would rather avoid the holiday season. And working in the design industry where she manages seasonal decor for wealthy, entitled clients certainly hasn't helped!   So, this year her goal is to flee to the Bahamas--by herself--bah humbug! But bad weather and God's radically different plan redirect her flight to blustery Michigan, where she gets stuck on her aunt's farm and discovers a different kind of Christmas--one wrapped in love, family, and holiday spirit. (picture and description at Amazon)

I am not sure how many more stories I will get through in HCD before I need to start on my January books, and I have a list started already!  When I finish my Christmas books I'll let you know our new plan for Book Club this year!  I'm excited!

Stay cozy!

Melissa

My NIV Bible, Halley's Bible Handbook, The Inspirational Study Bible, books 45-46 + 1/2

 

As my faithful followers know, I have been reading the Bible through for the past several years.  At last count, I think I have read it through 6-8 times in all my 50+ years, but there is always new stuff to learn!  I *may* be taking a break next year and doing something else, but that remains to be seen 😉

Last year our church read through the CSB Chronological BIble  and then each Sunday our pastor would preach on the chapters we had just read.  It was quite a year for me, and it seemed the passages we read weekly were exactly where I was in my life.  God was SOOO good in that!  This year, those who wanted to read through the Bible were given the suggestion of the M'Cheyne Reading Plan.  I really enjoyed this, as it is one that jumps back and forth between the old testament and new testament.  I love reading the Bible that way, reminding myself that the God who split the Red Sea is the same one who healed the woman with the blood issue who came to John in Revelation and told him all about what was coming.  

I wanted to try a Bible Marking System this year and I also wanted to dig a little deeper, rather than just reading the passages.  So I decided to use this old Halley's Bible Handbook while reading.  It was a leftover from my wonderful days at the TSC Church Library.  It was published in 1965, but God's truths are still true in 2025.  The language did get a little heady at times, but I did learn many new things with it.  I decided to use my NIV Thinline Bible Roger gave me for Christmas in 2002 as the main Bible, since it had very little marked up in it.  This Bible is now a beautiful rainbow of colors!

In the reading plan, you actually read through Psalms and the New Testament twice, so I decided to use a different version for the second time I went through.  For that one, I used the Inspirational Study Bible by Max Lucado, which I got from my father-in-law's house when they moved it.  He taught Sunday School for many, many years with it.  Now that he is in heaven with Jesus, it is a treasure I will keep!  I really liked the way that Bible is set up, as there was a little devotion/thought with most chapters for books that either Max Lucado or other amazing men and women wrote.  It was amazing to me how they were able to pull it together like that! Since I only read Psalms and the New Testament in that, I counted it as a half book! :)

I have a few days left to finish some Christmas books I am reading, so by the weekend I should have my wrap up ready! 

Merry Christmastide!

Melissa

A Bleu Streak Christmas, book 44

 

Wanted to squeeze in a quick book so I chose this one.  I thought I had read other books by this author, but apparently I haven't.  It was a pretty lame book, so I hope the other books I have by this author are better.

How does the band Bleu Streak celebrate the holidays? By singing, of course. Go on tour with this zany group as they get into all kinds of mischief along the way. Oh…And Maverick King? Oh yeah. This devilishly handsome drummer gets a special gift for Christmas. The trouble is trying to convince Izzy Walker to allow him to have her… (picture and description at Amazon)

Now on to hopefully a better Christmas book ...

Melissa

A Royal Christmas, book #43

 

A quick little Christmas read!  Melody Carlson is one of my favorite authors and this fun book was no different.  However, for the record, this book should not be confused with A Royal Christmas Wedding, by another one of my favorite authors, Rachel Hauck, or the Hallmark Movie, A Royal Christmas.  Three completely different stories 😄

Adelaide Smith is too busy for fairy tales.  She's been working hard to put herself through law school, and she's determined to stay focused on her goals. Then she receives a letter notifying her that she is a direct descendant of King Maximillian Konig V, the ruler of a small European principality called Montovia.  What? No. That's the stuff of cheesy made-for-TV movies, not real life.  Still, curiosity gets the best of her, leading to a Christmas break trip chock-full of surprises, including a charming village, an opulent palace, family mysteries, royal jealousies, a handsome young member of Parliament, and the chance at a real-life fairy tale romance. (picture and description at Amazon)

Even though it is only days away til Christmas and I have many fun things packed in, I hope to read at least 3 or 4 more before I jump into our FHS Book Club book next month! 

Merry Christmas!

Melissa

Amish Christmas at North Star: Four Stories of Love and Family, book #42

 

Always fun to visit the Amish at Christmas!  I didn't really like the way the short stories ended at first, but -- spoiler alert -- they wrap it up well at the end of the book!

One night four lives entered the world by the hands of an Amish midwife, just outside North Star, Pennsylvania.

Rebekah’s Babies, as they are called, are now grown adults and in four heartwarming novellas each young person experiences a journey of discovery, a possibility of love, and the wonder of Christmas.

Guiding Star by Katie Ganshert

Curiosity gets the best of Englischer Chase Wellington when he investigates the twenty-five-year-old disappearance of an Amish baby. When he finds adventurous Elle McAllister in Iowa will his discoveries upend her world?

Mourning Star by Amanda Flower

Eden Hochstetler slips from her parents’ fudge shop to investigate the death of her friend Isaac.  Who is guilty? Isaac’s handsome great nephew Jesse, an angry Englischer, or someone else?

In the Stars by Cindy Woodsmall

Heartbroken Kore Detweiler avoids North Star after Savilla Beiler rejects his love.  But when he is unexpectedly called to return home, he and Savilla must join forces to keep a family together.

Star of Grace by Mindy Starns Clark and Emily Clark

Andy Danner left North Star to join a new Amish settlement in Mississippi. His little brother devises a scheme to bring Andy home for Christmas and unwittingly unleashes the power of forgiveness in a reclusive widower’s life. (picture and description at Amazon)

Found a few more short stories to squeeze in before the end of the year.  And there are new things brewing for 2026! :)

Keep reading CHRISTMAS books!

O:)

Melissa

The Christmas Lodge and A Marriage Carol, books #40-41

 

     

I have loved getting on to good Christmas books finally.  Well, at least one of these was good.  I hate to say anything bad about my good buddies Chris Fabry and Gary Chapman, but ....

Book #40 was a true delight!  And I realized there are several more in the series!  

As the head of a thriving investment firm in St. Louis, Lacy Preston thinks she has it all… until her fast-paced life is disrupted one day by a single phone call. She’s shocked to discover that her estranged grandfather has died and left her his sprawling old house in Snowy Pine Ridge, New Hampshire.  Although it’s the last thing she wants to do, especially with the holidays approaching, Lacy decides to head to Snowy Pine Ridge to oversee the sale of the property. She has no intention of staying in the cozy little town, and no intention of keeping the historic building her grandfather—a man affectionately called St. Nick by the locals—passed on to her.  But as she works on renovating the old house to put it on the market, she gets to know the residents of the town, including local dog-sledder Derek Morse, who almost runs her over with his sled the first time they meet.  Derek has lived in Snowy Pine Ridge all his life, and he has no use for the big city folks who sometimes come through… even if this particular city slicker has the most arresting green eyes he’s ever seen and a laugh that rivals the jingle of Christmas bells. Still, when she comes to him asking for help with an abandoned puppy, he can’t say no.  Lacy certainly isn’t looking for love this holiday season. But as she and Derek navigate the hijinks of the mischievous pup, delve into a mystery from her family’s past, and uncover a buried secret, she starts to realize that sometimes…  Love finds you even when you’re not looking for it. (picture and description at Amazon)

Book #41 was a quick read, only 100ish pages, and it was probably a small book, since I read it in about 2 hours.  It was ok, but nothing to write home about.  Sorry!

Jake and Marlee, a tired married couple, are about to call it quits. Over time they have drifted apart; the sparks are dead. Marlee is convinced she married the wrong man, and Jake feels tied down to the wrong woman. Jake is distant and tired of being controlled, while Marlee is tired of being the only one trying to the save their marriage. They go to bed Christmas Eve, in separate rooms, each rationalizing... life is too short to be miserable... love shouldn't hurt like this... their marriage must end for happiness to return.  But then something peculiar happens: The ghosts of Marriage Past, Marriage Present, and Marriage Future reveal to them their past choices and present realities, and how their future might look if they do not change their stories.  Jake and Marlee experience a Christmas gift that will radically change their thinking and cause them to look at marriage not for what they can get out of it, but for what God can do in and through their marriage. (PIcture and description at Amazon)

Now I have to find a new one to read quick before I see what Deanie chooses for us for Book Club on Thursday!

Don't you love Christmas books?!?

Melissa