Top Ten Tuesday: Books with the Holidays Tag

Hi everyone! Welcome to the reading world!

For the blog’s first Top Ten Tuesday by That Artsy Reader Girl, we’re starting off with the Holiday Freebie! I wanted to get a little creative with this one and come up with a holiday themed tag based on my favorite traditions. For many of us, this year we won’t be able to have these routines and times we once had, but I enjoyed getting to look back at these memories and find some books that fit my prompts!

Christmas and holiday book tags are nothing new, and I’m going to link a few Booktube ones I’ve found that are pretty popular in years past in case you’d like to answer any of those. If you like the Books with the Holidays Tag and want to try it, consider yourself tagged! For now, let’s get into the books!

1. Visiting Family and Friends: a book that reminds you of home and family

This is my favorite tradition, and the one I’ll be missing the most this year. But, in the age of video calls and chats, I’m excited to still feel connected to my loved ones this year!

For this prompt, I picked a book that really focused on the concept of family, the friends that become family, and gathering together for the holidays. My pick is In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren.

This is a holiday romance with a time loop twist that features a cabin full of friends and family gathered to celebrate the Christmas holiday (and will be reviewed on the blog closer to Christmas!).

2. Last Minute Shopping: a book with a fast paced plot

For this prompt, I wanted a book that swept me up and carried me along much like the frantic hustle and bustle of trying to find that perfect gift in years past. Thankfully, I got my shopping done online and early this year lol.

My pick for this is All Systems Red by Martha Wells.

This is a novella that keeps you on the edge of your seat with action, tension, and intrigue. As an introduction to the Murderbot Diaries, this novella was a great quick sci-fi read that I’ll also be reviewing in the new year as I continue on with the series.

3. Hot Cocoa and Christmas Cookies: a cozy read

For this prompt, I picked two favorite Christmas treats that remind me of a cozy, sweet read. 

My pick is The Proposal by Jasmine Guillroy.

A fun romance that features a great protagonist and a love story that was a cute and charming read, this was definitely a nice cozy pick for me.

4. Christmas Carolers: multi POV story

Remembering groups of Christmas carolers, I wanted to highlight a book that also features multiple individuals as part of the story.

For this pick, I went with Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton.

This novel follows dual timelines of a young girl and her family fleeing Cuba in the 1950s, and then her granddaughter’s journey to Cuba in the wake of her grandmother’s death. The timelines of this story interwove to connect themes across time while still portraying each protagonist’s struggles and unique perspective. This is another book I’m looking forward to reviewing soon!

5. Mistletoe: a romance

Mistletoe seems to be a perennial feature in many holiday romance movies, so I thought this would be a good symbol for a romance book.

My pick is The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang.

This is definitely a steamier romance, but what I really loved about it was Stella. She is such an incredibly sweet and compelling character, and reading about her and Michael made this book a favorite.

6. Holiday Cards: a book that features travel

Since my seasonal cards are going to be the only thing seeing much travel this year, I thought this prompt was a little fitting as a means of staying connected and celebrating the holiday still.

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty is a book I just finished that is the first in a completed fantasy trilogy. Nahri is a smart and fast thinking character who ends up running into more fantastical things than she’d ever realized possible, taking her from 18th century Cairo into an epic adventure.  

7. New Year’s Resolutions: my most anticipated 2021 release

I’ll be talking about this a little more later on in the post, but the sequel to Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse is definitely my most anticipated 2021 release. What’s yours?

8. Decorating the Tree: a book whose details truly made it shine

Ok, decorating the tree is one of my all time favorite things to do. I use my customized Christmas playlist, the pets gather around while I adjust each branch and twinkle light just so. 

Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane is a thriller where you’re guessing what happens next up until the end of the book. Little moments that Lila and Ginny both take note of and ponder over add to the tension and mystery that surrounds this book. A great 2020 debut, I’ll be talking about this one later on this month closer to its release date.

9. Your Favorite Holiday Movie: a book that reminds you of your favorite holiday movie genre (mine is feel good family comedies)

For this pick, I wanted to focus on the holiday movie genre I love and a book that reminds me of it.

Well Met by Jen DeLuca is a book that takes place in a small town and features a great family narrative as well as a cast of characters that are truly heartwarming.

10. Curling up by the fire with a good book: my favorite read of 2020

Ok, maybe it’s just a virtual fireplace, but it still counts. For this, I’m talking about my favorite read of the year.

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse is a fantasy unlike any other I’ve read. I loved the narration, the characters, the worldbuilding all seamlessly intertwined. And by the end, oh my gosh I’m already so excited for the sequel. I will definitely be talking more about this book on the blog, and I would definitely curl up and read this one again soon.

So, there’s the Books with the Holidays Book Tag! Even though the holidays look different this year, I hope you have a wonderful month. Let me know if you’ve read any of these, and if you do the tag I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

-Rae