On the bookshelf in December & January

The first book I read was This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens. The book is about Minnie & Quinn — two people who were born on the same day in the same hospital, just minutes apart. Poor Minnie has been deemed super duper unlucky based on her birth story (you’ll have to read it to understand). I had a really hard time staying invested in this book because it just felt super unrealistic & the chapters really jumped around from different years. It is a typical romcom of girl meets boy, has troubles & a falling out & then ends up together. I gave this book two out of five stars.

Next I started a four-book series that was perfect for my Christmas break! The first book in this series is called Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand. These books aren’t very long, so they were pretty quick reads for me. I’m not a hallmark-lover so these books typically aren’t my favs, but I actually enjoyed this one! It’s about a blended family & there’s a bajillion characters, but it’s surprisingly easy to follow. The dad, Kelley, & his current wife, Mitzi, own a bed & breakfast in Nantucket. #goals. The Christmas season is typically really busy for them, but for some reason, things have slowed down. So of course that means the drama in their personal lives needs to ramp up, right?! Each character in the book winds up in a predicament & we get to watch them try to figure it out (one of my favorite things to do!!! #counselorthoughts). I gave this book three out of five stars.

The third book I read is the second book in this series called Winter Stroll. I was pretty impressed right from the jump because the first book flowed pretty seemlessly into this one — this book is from the perspective of one year later. Isn’t it interesting that sometimes the same drama seems to follow us from year to year? I’m sure it’s no coincidence for this series because I mean it does make a great plot line. Because I have better knowledge of the characters & their personal struggles, I felt like this book went a little deeper, which I enjoyed. I gave this book three out of five stars.

My fourth book of the month, which is the third book in this series, is called Winter Storms. I enjoyed this book the most out of all three so far! It felt much more realistic + had more depth — possibly because this is my third book on these characters so I’m more invested & the stories can go deeper? Regardless, I liked it! There was also some really good closure to things that have been open since the first book. I’m interested to read the fourth book because this one felt like it was wrapped up in a nice little bow by the end! I gave this book four out of five stars.

The fifth book, the fourth & final in this series, is Winter Solstice. Y’all! This was by far the best book out of the whole series! It was probably because I was super invested in each of the characters by the end of this fourth book, but oh my goodness. I had multiple tears falling by the end!! It had closure in all the right ways & it literally felt like this series was wrapped up perfectly with a little bow on top. I enjoyed this series more than I thought it would! It was a great choice to read during December — it had some holiday spirit mixed in with good juicy drama. I gave this book five out of five stars.

The sixth book I read was A Winter in New York by Josie Silver. This was a chefs kiss winter rom com! I absolutely adored it. It had depth, a bit of suspense, & overall just a really sweet story line of characters interwoven unknowingly through generations. Of course like all rom coms, it was a bit predictable, but that’s what makes them what they are! Iris leaves her toxic relationship in England & starts her new life in New York, a place her deceased mother loved tremendously. Iris begins a journey of findiner herself while walking in her mother’s old footsteps. Little did they know the place they’d end up would be eerily similar — but what about the ending? Read to find out! (There were a few spicy romance scenes that sat between PG13 & R in my opinion. But they were easy to skim over as it only lasted about a paragraph or so). I gave this book four out of five stars & I was honestly tempted to give it a full five out of five!

The seventh book I read was Go as a River by Shelley Read. I read this book in TWO DAYS. It was that good! Y’all know I love me a good resilience story, & this one was right up there with the best for me. There is forbidden love, some mystery, & redemption. I was rooting so hard for the main character, Victoria Nash. This book is set in the mid-1900s in Colorado. It’s crazy to me that that time period wasn’t that long ago, & yet life seems so different & so much harder back then. I don’t want to give any of the plotline away, but Victoria Nash is one tough cookie & I thoroughly enjoyed reading her story! I gave this one five out of five stars.

The eighth book I read was Alone in Plain Sight: Searching for Connection When You’re Seen but Not Known by Ben Higgins. Ben Higgins’ season on The Bachelorette was one of the first seasons I ever watched. I can vividly remember hurrying down to the communal basement of Ford Hall my freshman year at K-State to claim a spot among the large crowd of other freshmen girls. As a Christian, it was refreshing to see someone on TV with similar beliefs & not being shy to share them. I continued following Ben’s story during his season on The Bachelor, as well as afterward. Even through social media, you can tell he has a genuine heart & wants to serve God — this was proven even further after reading his book. Ben struggled with feeling like he was worthy of love (something he shared on The Bachelorette / The Bachelor as well), & shared personal stories, as well as stories of his friends who made an impact on his life. This book was raw & vulnerable & I enjoyed reading it. It’s easy to think that those who are in the spotlight / celebrities have it all together. Ben shoots down this idea & reminds us all that really we are all the same. I gave this book four out of five stars.

The ninth book I read was The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe. I am always fascinated by books that are about the Holocaust because I simply can’t fathom the amount of evil that took place. This book mainly follows the life of Dita, a fourteen-year-old prisoner at a concentration camp. Dita has been placed in a family camp & works in Block 31 which essentially is a school for all of the children at said camp. Along with the extensive list of rules at this camp, one of the rules is no books. As someone who has discovered her love of reading in the last few years, I can’t imagine living in a place where books are banned, & not even just banned, but severly punishable. Dita plays a very important role in the school she works in, she is the secret librarian. I have read multiple books about the Holocaust, but haven’t ever read one from this perspective. I felt like it kind of jumped around a little bit which made it just a tad difficult to follow. In the middle of a chapter it would jump to another character’s perspective, & sometimes I’d miss the switch if I wasn’t paying super close attention. Because of this, I gave this book three out of five stars.

The tenth book I read was Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb. I judged the book by its cover (& title) & knew going into it that I’d like it — & I was right! As a school counselor & someone who is in therapy (& has thought about going back to school to become a licensed therapist myself), this book was on point. It had life stories & theories all wrapped into one! If you don’t have any background in counseling, I could see the sections where the author discusses theories, etc. kind of flying over your head, but since I’ve spent years studying these topics, it was like reading my own language! I told my mom when I finished this book that it would be one that I will reread often & I told my sister who is in Marriage & Family Therapy that she needs to read it right away! I gave this book five out of five stars.

The eleventh book I read was The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown. She started out as a social work professor & is now widely known throughout the United States for her work that she’s done in the helping profession. I don’t think I had a single college class (for my undergraduate degree in social work OR my graduate degree in school counseling) that didn’t mention her at some point. She’s kind of a big deal in our world! Not surprising, I loved this book! It was a pretty short read, but the material spoke right to me. There were a few sections that I even called my mom about & sent to my sister (who is in school for Couples & Family Counseling). I gave this book five out of five stars.

My heart was so full heading into the 2023 Christmas season! I finished up reading the entire Bible. Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading & Understanding the Entire Bible was such a great resource that helped me better understand what I was reading & how it applies to my life! It was amazing to me how much was familiar & how much I didn’t know I was missing. Having a better understanding of the Bible & being in the word every day has brought so much peace into my life! I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions, but if you’ve been feeling the pull to read your Bible more, I highly recommend Bible recap to help you on your journey. I’m excited to start over & eager to see what new things I will pick up on & learn.

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