Waiting on Wednesday: A Married Little Christmas

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature where I highlight a soon to be released novel that I can't wait to read.

 This week's pick: A Married Little Christmas by Abby Jimenez

Due out: October 20, 2026

Synopsis taken from Amazon:

Bring on the holiday cheer in this delightful collection of three feel-good novellas from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Night We Met―with bonus recipes and full-page illustrations, perfect for gifting! The limited, one-time printing of the deluxe edition will have designed edges and color endpapers.

Tis the season to fall in love!

Anna thought only the food would be a disaster at her Christmas dinner―until her high school ex shows up and they quickly have to hatch a fake-dating scheme to save face with their families. For Matty, the idea of sitting in a diner all day dressed as a zombie Santa after losing a bet has zero appeal. But his cute and funny server might just make him change his mind. And finally, will Lauren be able to convince her best friend that getting married after a three-day relationship is absolutely ridiculous? Or will the town called Little Christmas pull her in with its happily-ever-after magic once she meets the best man?

Within these stories, you'll find:

• The worst Christmas dinner imaginable
• A granny determined to dismantle the patriarchy
• Matching Christmas sweaters (by accident!)
• A Mission Impossible-style cat rescue (with a saxophone)
• Mouthwatering recipes from Abby for dishes like Disco Pancakes
• Full-page illustrations throughout

Because this year, you deserve the perfect holiday gift.

Non-Fiction Tuesday: Feeling Conflicted

 Several months ago I pre-ordered Great and Unfortunate Things by Jason Arday, his memoir.  I didn't know much about the book, but it sounded interesting, and I love a good memoir.

The book was published on August 12 and arrived on my doorstep that day.  KellyHooker (@kellyhook.readsbooks) on Instagram reminded me of it with her Tuesday Pub Party post she makes each week.

On August 14, I read about Jason Arday, Cambridge's first black professor, who at just forty-one years old, had died. 

And on August 15, I picked up Great And Unfortunate Things and began reading. At the time I hadn't looked at the author's name or his picture on the back flap, but within a few pages I thought this book was sounding an awful lot like the Cambridge professor who had been in the news because he was under investigation for having plagiarised some of his research. Arday did not dispute this, citing his autism as the reason for this as well as the fact that he didn't have enough mentorship.

Upon further reading, it seems that Arday has told some rather fantastical tales about his personal life: he claims he ran thirty marathons in thirty-five days, took part in a program as a child that occurred two decades before he was even born, claims he was non-verbal until the age of eleven, along with various other incredible, hard to believe stories.

I haven't picked up the book once I realized what had happened to Arday.  I am saddened that the investigation into his work affected him so deeply, but don't know enough of the details to understand how such situations are dealt with.  But I also found that each page I read made me question the truth of what Arday wrote.  Not only did these accusations affect him professionally, but it draws questions to his character.  

Do I keep reading this book, wondering with each sentence if there is any truth to what he writes? Do I read this and enjoy it as a work of fiction? And what becomes of the charges leveled against Arday now that he is gone?

This isn't the first time I've read a book where plagiarism occurred, but in the past that hasn't been revealed until long after I turned the last page. 

What are your thoughts?

Frday Five: Summer 2026 Comes To An End

School starts on Monday and I have found plenty of fall clothes online now, so summer seems to be wrapping up rather quickly.  On Monday we moved Little Sister in to college for her sophomore year and once again we are empty-nesters.

I've had a lot of school stuff to do this week, so I haven't had a lot of time to notice how empy and quiet the house is yet.  But, I'm sure soon it will be very noticeable. 

Enjoy this week's finds!

 

1. Mammoth Fuzzy Jacquard Knit Turtleneck Sweater

2.   Garden Pintucked Puff Sleeve Blouse

3.  Shawl Collar Cardigan

4.  AE77 Shrunken Sweater Polo Shirt

5.  Blake Jacket

6.  Mid-Rise Wide Leg Crop

7.  Nike Chill Knit Sweater Vest

8.  Funnel Collar Jacket

9.  Mason Garden Floral Quilted Zip-up Jacket

10.  The Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 - I remember this happening back in 1988 and have always been curious to know more.  

That's it for me this week.  What's caught your eye?

Waiting on Wednesday: The Birthing Tree

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature where I highlight a soon to be released novel I can't wait to read.

This week's pick: The Birthing Tree by Amanda Peters

Due out: September 2, 2026

Synopsis taken from Amazon:

From the bestselling, award-winning author of The Berry Pickers comes an unforgettable novel of family, legacy, and the secrets that bind and endanger us, following one woman as she confronts buried truths, memories of passionate young love, and the fragile future she alone must protect

Born under the shadow of a birthing tree sacred to generations of Mi’kmaq women, Aliet Paul grows up outside a small Nova Scotia town with her fierce, loving grandmother Kiju. Her mother died bringing Aliet into the world under that very tree; her father remains a mystery no one will name. Aliet’s childhood is shaped by seasonal apple pickers, the medicinal wisdom of the old ways, and the quiet, steadfast presence of John, a boy who becomes her anchor.

But the world beyond their community is changing. Traditional midwifery is condemned, prejudice deepens, and when the wrong person witnesses a birth, the consequences are disastrous. As Aliet comes of age, she navigates love, loss, and a personal tragedy that veers her from the path her grandmother wanted for her. She becomes a nurse trained in modern medicine, yet she carries Kiju’s teachings close, tucked beside memories of the tree that once welcomed new life.

Years later, when the call comes that Kiju has died, Aliet returns home to a crumbling house, a community scattered, and a past she thought she’d outrun. As Aliet restores the house room by room, something inside her stirs awake: the threads of her lineage, the old ways of her grandmother, and the mystery of her own bloodline.

As Aliet digs to uncover who her family really is, each revelation pulls her deeper into a web of long-guarded silences, dangerous loyalties, and generational wounds that refuse to stay buried: Someone knew the truth about her mother’s final moments. Someone knew what happened in the orchard all those years ago. And someone wants the past to remain undisturbed.

Spanning decades of loss and reclamation, this sweeping yet intimate novel follows one woman’s journey to protect the land, the traditions, and the memory of the women who came before her—and to decide which parts of her inheritance she will carry into the future.

Monday Mini-Reviews and London Re-Cap

 Our London adventure was short, but we saw quite a bit of the city, and it just makes me want to go back and explore more another time.

Highlights - walking around Notting Hill (Little Sister has not seen the movie yet)

The Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus Tour worked well for taking us to some iconic places. This is at The Tower of London after our river cruise down the Thames. 

The London Eye was a fun way to see the city - and also rather incredible how many people can fit into just one pod 

And who goes to London without stopping for tea?  We had reservations at The Milestone, and despite the fact that none of us enjoy tea (although they did offer 27 varieties), we did have a good time. (The sandwiches, pastries, and scones made up for the tea).

Because I had so much time in airports, airplanes, and adjusting to the time change, I read some really good books. 

I love reading about the space race, especially if the story is narrated by astronaut wives or includes a personal aspect to the story. This is such a good story. Set in 1968, Joe Mitchell is an astronaut excited to make history. However, when his spacecraft loses contact with NASA, it is his wife Vivian's worst nightmare.  The story travels from the present as the nation waits to find out what happened, to the past as Vivian recounts meeting Joe and their love story.  There is a touch of  magical realism to this one, but I found myself finding it impossible to put this book down. 

The Parisian Heist was the first book I read on our trip, and the fact that our flight was delayed for ninety minutes didn't really bother me because I had a hard time putting this one down.

This story moves between two timelines and narrators.  The first narrator, Emma, is struggling to make ends meet in Paris, cleans the home of Stella Swanson, a wealthy widow of one of the world's most notorious art dealers.  Emma meets Stella's grandson who she is attracted to, but it's hard to know if she can trust anyone as Stella's family is trying to make sure she doesn't inherit her husband's vast fortunes - but is also hiding an original Van Gogh.

Jo Van Gogh, Vincent's sister-in-law is the second narrator, who has been widowed and is trying to eke out an existence while trying to promote her dead brother-in-law's work.  

These two stories are full of suspense and I so enjoyed the way that Jo Van Gogh's story came together with the present day.

Off The Record seemed a little trite at first after finishing  The Parisian Heist, but I quickly was able to get into this book and I loved it.  

It's 1962, and Judy Greenberg, recent college graduate, wants to put her journalism degree to good use.  However, her mother believes that Judy needs to get married, and she should be happy as a housewife and mother. 

When Judy is hired to work in the typing pool at a Washington, D.C., newspaper, she gets her foot in the door.  

And when she answers the phone in her boss's office and takes a cryptic message she is sure she has uncovered a huge scoop.  Luckily, she's made friends with a charming reporter, Jack Fields, who realizes how talented and smart Judy is and is more than happy to investigate with her.

I loved the time period, I loved the journalism/newspaper setting, and I loved the romance.  I have already downloaded a few other books about Sara Goodman Confino because this one was so enjoyable.  

Vacation reading is always so enjoyable.  We had a great time on our trip, but upon arriving home, I have quickly returned to reality and am back at school working to prepare for this upcoming year.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Trusted

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature where I highlight a soon to be released novel I can't wait to read.

This week's pick: The Trusted by Marisa de los Santos

Due out: November 17, 2026

Synopsis taken from Amazon:

In The Trusted, New York Times bestselling author Marisa de los Santos introduces readers to their new favorite detectives, Lina Cordova and Aaron Cash.

What happens when the ones we trust the most betray us?

In the charming, tight-knit community of Sheppley, Pennsylvania, Detective Lina Cordova and her partner Aaron Cash are still reeling from their failure to get justice for Tally Frost--wife, grieving mother, and Sheppley society queen who disappeared a year earlier--when another high-profile case hits their desks.

A body is discovered in a remote hunting cabin, shot through the head. The victim was a man plagued by a controversy that once rocked Sheppley to its core. There is no shortage of suspects, and they include people Cordova and Cash know well, which makes it even more difficult to distinguish truth from lies.

The daughter of a Filipino doctor and a mother from an old-money Sheppley family, Ivy League educated Lina Cordova is acutely aware of the social dynamics and prejudices of her hometown, while young Aaron Cash is a recent transplant, an escapee from an abusive homelife in rural Tennessee. As their twisty search for the truth takes them to ever darker and more complex places, the two are forced to grapple with their own painful losses, as well as impossibly hard questions: How far would we go for the people we love? Are some secrets better left hidden? Can murder itself be a form of justice?

Friday Five

After a fast four days in London with my mom and youngest daughter I am back home - and back at work. I've got photos to share, and I managed to read a lot of books while I was gone that are worth highlighting.

Here are this week's find that caught my eye:

 

1.  THML Block Print Flutter Sleeve Button Up Top

2.  AE Low Rise Cargo Pants

3.  Sunday Oversized Funnel Neck Sweatshirt

4. Boyfriend Jersey Drawstring-waist polo shirt stripe

5.  Sequin and Metallic Thread Cardigan

6.  Hooded Faux Fur Jacket

7.  AE Open Front Cardigan

8.  New Balance 327

9.  By Together Finish Line Sweatshirt

10.  Meg High Waist Cuffed Wide Leg Jeans

That's it for me this week.  What's caught your eye?

Waiting on Wednesday: The Jewel of Sugar Hill

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature where I higlight a soon to be released novel I can't wait to read.

This week's feature: The Jewel of Sugar Hill by Fiona Davis

Due out: January 26, 2026

Synopsis taken from Amazon:

On the north end of Manhattan lies the oldest house on the island: the Morris-Jumel Mansion. Built in 1765, it was once part of a 135-acre property that ran from the Harlem River to the Hudson. Today, the mansion is relegated to one city block, where it sits like a regal queen in a garden of lilacs and maples.

In 1800s New York City, Eliza Brown is a woman with ambition, determined to rise above her humble background. When she meets political upstart Aaron Burr, she vows to win his love and break into the high society that shuns her. Eliza’s ultimate aim: secure her future with the purchase of the most beautiful house in Manhattan, in spite of a shadowy figure determined to expose the truth about her sordid past.

In 2010, disgraced architect Abby Dorrance has always aspired to make her family proud. Recently released from prison for a financial crime she didn’t commit, Abby’s intent on clearing her name and rehabilitating her career. But when her father—a well-known real estate developer—dies from a fall at a haunted, crumbling uptown mansion the night before she’s set free, Abby gets drawn into the murky circumstances behind his death. As dangerous forces loom, Abby must choose between saving her family’s legacy and fortune, or saving the mansion and losing everything she loves.

The Jewel of Sugar Hill brings Eliza Jumel to life, a nototious woman from America’s infancy, who ignored social convention and achieved dizzying success. The result is a sweeping, ambitious story about two scandalous women, two centuries apart, each with an unshakeable belief in her ability to carve space for herself on her own terms.

Monday Mini-Reivew: Five Star Memoir: All That's Unseen

 I'm leaving later today (Thursday) for a trip with my mom, so I should be packing, but instead I found myself devouring a book I started just last night.

All That's Unseen: An Appalachian Memoir by Emilee Hackney is a book I pre-ordered months ago, and then forgot about.  I've seen it on instagram a few times, accompanied with the descriptor comparing it to Educated by Tara Westover.

While there are some similarities, this comparison will probably grow old.  

Hackneys' story is her own. Her writing will draw you in, and you will easily become immersed in the way she recounts her childhood and early adulthood.  Hackney struggles to understand what she believes and who she is, but she is always aware of her ties to her hometown.  

This left me with a book hangover in the best way, and I think this is a title that we will be seeing everywhere.  

Friday Five: July Is Coming To a Close

I'm preparing this Friday Five post early this week because on Friday I should be in London with my mom and Little Sister.  I've wanted to go to London since I was nine years old and became officially obsessed with the British royal family. Now, decades later, I'm on my way!

Here are things that caught my eye this week. By next week, I should be back and will probably have already shared pictures of our London adventure.

 

1.  Mid-Rise Maxi Skirt

2.  Wishlist Ruffle Collar Chambray Shirt

3.  Nike Leather Astrograbber SE

4.  Collared Cropped Shirt

5.  Divy Cognac Leather Ballet Flats

6.  Pilcro Puff-Sleeve Bandana Drawstring Top

7.  Perfectly Paired Pullover

8.  Zora Loafer

9.  Sunday Shrunken Cardigan

10.  Ted Lasso Season Four - I've recently started rewatching Ted Lasso with my husband, who is watching for the first time. This show is a delight. 

That's it for me this week.  What's caught your eye?