Holiday Reading Guide

Thanksgiving is over. The pumpkins and mums are past their prime. The tree has been trimmed. The Christmas music is playing. It’s officially time to choose a few holiday books to get us in the spirit. I’ve compiled a few lists for you to build your own holiday TBR this year. Read on to see books I’ve read and loved and books that are on my list to read this year.

10 Dysfunctional Family Books to Make You Feel Better About Your Own Crazy Crew This Holiday Season

‘Tis the season for family gatherings. If you’re anything like literally everyone else, you’ve got a few members of the family that know how to push your buttons. Or you may be the button pusher. Whatever your role, we can all agree fictional dysfunctional families are far more entertaining than the real deal. So, if you find yourself dreading Thanksgiving dinner with a particular aunt, uncle, in-law, or sibling, I’ve put together a list of books that will give you a reason to sneak away and escape into another family’s drama so you can avoid your own.

My November TBR

Are you in holiday mode yet? I’m getting there. We’re halfway through the month and my first holiday audiobook came through on the Libby app, so maybe I’ll be enticed to start switching my pumpkins for stockings once it’s over. I do love the magic of the Christmas season. Okay, I guess I am kind of ready!

In the meantime, I’m really hoping to squeeze in another fall book plus I need to finish a fantasy book for book club, and I hope to FINALLY get around to the new Dan Brown. Ahhh, so many books, so little time! Let’s have a look at the five books I’m hoping to read this month.

Fall Reading Essentials

Imagine. Your house is spotlessly clean. The kitchen is immaculate, laundry done and put away, not a speck of dust in sight. You are showered with freshly washed and dried hair; you’ve donned your most cozy loungewear. There’s still-warm cookies on the cooling rack. The kettle whistles so you can pour yourself a cuppa. The day is overcast and chilly, maybe a light drizzle is falling, the kind that pat pat pats against the window. You’ve turned on an ambient video of your choice of background noise such as rainfall, ocean waves, or (my favorite) a crackling fireplace. Next, you light your seasonal candle because you know the scent of your baking endeavors will soon fade. After making a plate of cookies and preparing a cup of chai, you grab your coziest blanket and your current read and settle into the best reading spot in your house (the couch for me) to read away an hour or two.

Top 5 October Purchases

I put myself on spending restriction in September and did a no-buy month. October meant I could spend freely again, but I didn’t do too much damage. There were a few sales this month, a few impulse purchases, and one intentional purchase that I’m so glad I got. Let’s dive in!

Romanticizing the Fall Season

A few years ago I started hearing this word romanticize. Everyone was telling us to romanticize our lives. I take this to mean doing a little extra to celebrate the season/holiday/event/etc. The intentionality of the celebration is what makes it special, and while that can look like extra work, the payoff is always worth it to me. Remember The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo? She said to hold onto the things that spark joy and get rid of the rest. Romanticizing things sparks joy for me, so I’m going to hold onto that as long as I can.

I’ve recently had the epiphany that I am an autumn. I’m a cold weather girly, and I love the change of seasons, especially with the crisp mornings and the need for a sweater or some boots. I am having the most fun with my pumpkins, fall flavors, fall decor, fall fashion, the slightly cooler temps, the leaves that are finally starting to change around here. We’ll have about a week before they fall off the trees, so open your eyes and really take in the beauty of this season. It’s nature at its best out there, y’all.

Romanticizing this fall season has been a true joy. I know we’re nearing the end of October, but fall isn’t over yet. It’s just beginning here in terms of temperature, so let’s stretch it out a little bit longer. Here are a few ways to easily romanticize your life before the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season is upon us.

My Best Girl: Bernie’s Story

Dog-aggressive. Unfriendly. Doesn’t like people. These were the things the adoption center told us about the dog we were looking at. We took Jack with us to look for another dog to add to our family and decided we’d introduce them and see how it went. The worst that could happen is that they didn’t get along and we’d know it wasn’t a good fit for us. But wouldn’t you know it turned out that dog-aggressive wasn’t the right description. Alpha energy is what they should have said. Needless to say, we fell in love and brought this spunky girl home with us. I was a big The Big Bang Theory fan at the time and have forever been a Broadway fan, so I decided Bernadette (after Bernadette from Big Bang and Bernadette Peters) was the perfect name for a small but spunky pup.

Fall Reading Guide 2025

Autumn is here! The leaves are officially turning in Alabama! (This is probably due to the drought we’ve been having, but it still counts in my book.) The weather isn’t really cooler, but today I put on my cowboy boots with a dress anyway. “If you build it, they will come” right? I am really leaning into fall and all the things it brings: the colors, the pumpkins, the flavors, the sports, the holidays, and the books.

I have big goals every year to read all the fall books. It never happens, but it got me thinking about my actual autumn TBR (to be read) list. While it’s not too long…okay, that’s a lie. It’s totally too long, always is, but I can realistically squeeze in a few of these and already have some of them in my possession.

While making my fall TBR list, I was reminded of several books I’ve already read and loved for this time of year. I thought you might want to get into the spooky season, witchy season, vampire season, or cozy season mood with a good book. Below I will share a few books that I’ve read as well as the ones on my TBR list. It’s a little lengthy. (I can’t help myself; I just love books!) Grab yourself a beverage treat or a little snack and pretend you’re strolling the aisles of the book store. Okay, here we go.

Summer Recap Part 4

It’s almost fall, y’all! Monday is the autumnal equinox! Which brings me to the realization that the final installment of this summer recap series is long overdue. Life lately has been so blessedly full and wonderful that writing has been put on the back burner. However, as we enter the fall season, I can officially say goodbye to a stupendous summer with this post. So far I’ve shared:
~The things that kept me entertained
~The delicious things I’ve cooked up in the kitchen
~The things I wore the most along with some of my favorite purchases
Feel free to catch up on those posts if you haven’t yet. I think this recap will be my favorite, though. Today I’ll share about our galavanting, get-togethers, and give my final thoughts on a summer well spent.

Summer Recap Part 3

As we enter our third full week of school, I’m reminded August is coming to an end and summer, in my mind, will officially be over. September 1st is my kickoff to fall. I cannot wait another minute to put out a pumpkin or two and change my door hanger to something Auburn related for football season. AHHH! I’m getting so excited! I’m really trying to be intentional about looking forward to things. Time moves so quickly, and I find that looking forward to something has really made it slow down for me…or seem like it, anyway. Like when you were a kid waiting for Christmas, the time would drag on and on. But become an adult and BAM, lightening speed. ………I don’t know how any of this fall talk pertains to my summer. Let’s reign it in, shall we?
The topic of today’s summer recap is: Most Worn Items/Favorite Purchases. If what I was wearing is not available, I’ll try to link this year’s version or just link to the shop I got it from. Not everything is clothes, but for the items that are, if you’re in the south with me, you know everything I’m about to share will be relevant in your closet until about November. Come on cooler temps! I’m ready for a sweatshirt!