What’s on your Bookshelf ? Link Party

This is the fifth post in the What’s On Your Bookshelf? Challenge which I co-host with my good friends and Online Book Club Members, Deb, Donna and Jo. I love the idea of a monthly post because I can share my thoughts on reading and the books I’ve read plus also learn what you are reading as well. As always my book list keeps getting longer!

A NEW AND IMPROVED WOYB – IT IS NOW A LINK PARTY

As our Festive Bon Bons Link Party was a success, Deb, Donna, Jo and I have decided to create a Monthly Link Party for What’s on your Bookshelf? We would still encourage everyone to leave a comment or if you have written a post feel free to link up with us.

Welcome to the first What’s On Your Bookshelf? link party – you can find the link at the end of this post.

Don’t forget to copy the #whatsonyourbookshelfchallenge contributor badge at the end of the post.

I saw this on a Facebook Feed in the Goodwill Librarian Page . What a wonderful combination and way to spend Christmas Eve – books, chocolate and the magic of Christmas combined.

What was on my bookshelf for November/December?- Can you see a theme developing?

Below I’ve included some of the books I’ve read during late November and December and I think you can get the idea that I enjoying reading books that have a Festive Season theme. I came upon this idea of using December to read Festive themed books through my good friend Jo from And anyways. Jo is also one of the What’s On Your Bookshelf? co-hosts so be sure to pop over and read her post.

These feel-good books are easy to read, and provide the opportunity to combine my love of books and also build the excitement of Christmas and the Festive Season – my favourite time of year! You can see all the books I’ve read on my Goodreads Page

On my list have been:

A Highland Christmas – M. C. Beaton
The Christmas Bookshop – Jenny Colgan
Christmas at the Foyles Bookshop – Elaine Roberts
The Santa Suit – Mary Kay Andrews
The Christmas Letters – Lee Smith
Christmas for Beginners – Carole Matthews

I would recommend:

My review of The Christmas Letters – 4 stars

I enjoyed reading The Christmas Letters which I found through a recommendation by a friend. I like to devote December to reading Christmas themed books and this one has proven to be a joy. Letters written through three generations from 1994 to the 1990s. We read annual Christmas letters to family initially from a young woman living away from her family with her in-laws and baby daughter whilst her husband is in New Guinea during WWII. Her daughter’s letters take over sharing her life stories each Christmas and finally the grandaughter writing her very first Christmas letter to family and friends. I enjoyed this different style of writing in the form of letters although they are only one-way with no replies. It reminded me of my mother and grandmother. Recently my cousin sent me some letters written by my grandmother to my mother when she was in hospital after my brother was born. Such touching words which I cherish from a woman I never met, and one I lost way to early. I sometimes wish we still took the time to write letters and post them rather then shooting off a quick email which seems less personal.

“What do you think happiness is?” she asked him. “A by-product,” he answered immediately, “to being useful.”

Jenny Colgan, The Christmas Bookshop

My review of The Christmas Bookshop – 4 stars

Who doesn’t love a Christmas book. The Christmas Bookshop is delightful and two of my favourite things – books and the magical feeling that Christmas brings. Carmen is out of a job and her Sophie gives her a life line with the opportunity to move Edinburgh and the challenge of saving Mr McCredie’s bookstore. This was a heart-warming story and perfect for your Festive Reading List

Festive Reading with my Grandsons

I’ve also enjoyed reading Christmas books with my grandsons who help to create the magic of the Festive Season with their excitement at what is to come. My grandsons and I have read:

Macca’s Christmas Crackers – Matt Cosgrove
Santa’s Gifts
Slinky Malinky’s Christmas Cracker – Lynley Dodd
Santa’s Aussie Holiday – Maria Farrer

I also recommend Bluey Christmas Swim which will give you an idea of an Aussie Christmas – Who doesn’t love Bluey?

BOOKCLUB

In my online Bookclub, we are studying the Bronte Sisters and our current and final book for the year is The Professor by Charlotte Bronte . This was her first book but was not published until after her death. The book is similar to Villette and is said to be based on her experience as a student and teach in Brussels. We are yet to have our final discussion however, I’ve finished the book and written my review on Goodreads.

‘My Bookclub has been reading the Bronte Sisters for 2021 and have finished our year with The Professor by Charlotte Bronte. I found this book much easier to read than some of Charlotte’s other work. Perhaps because this was her first book which wasn’t published until after her death. There is definitely a different level of writing in this book compared to her later works.

The reader is taken from Yorkshire to Belgium and again I found in this book, as well as her previous books that Charlotte is not really a fan of women – with Charlotte you cannot be ‘beautiful and intelligent’. This was especially apparent in the description of the students and other women in the book. Again she makes her views clear on religion and people of different cultures. There is however a definite ending this time compared to Villette where the reader is left to their own imagination.

I’m still not sure if I am a fan of Charlotte Bronte perhaps I need to re-read her works now that my Bookclub have discussed each in detail.‘

This is the summary of The Professor from Goodreads

The Professor (1857) is English writer Charlotte Brontë’s first novel. Rejected by several publishing houses, Brontë shelved the novel in order to write her masterpiece Jane Eyre (1847). After her death, The Professor was edited by Brontë’s widower, Arthur Bell Nichols, who saw that the novel was published posthumously. Based on Brontë’s experience as a student and teacher in Brussels–which similarly inspired her novel Villette—The Professor is an underappreciated early work from one of English literature’s most important writers.

BEST BOOKS 2021 – THE GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS

The Goodreads Choice Awards for 2021 have been announced – were any on your list? You can see the full list HERE

WHAT’S ON YOUR BOOKSHELF GUIDELINES:

What: What’s On Your Bookshelf (#whatsonyourbookshelfchallenge).
When: Third Thursday PM (Northern Hemisphere)/ Third Friday AM (Southern Hemisphere).
Why: Share a love of reading.
Where: Blog, Blog Comments, Instagram or other Social Media.
Who: This linkup is open to everyone.
How: You can share in the comments, with a blog post, or on other social media of your choice. Include the hashtag #Whatsonyourbookshelfchallenge so that we can find you and include your link in our posts.

Be a proud contributor to #whatsonyourbookshelfchallenge

To show our appreciation to all participants, contributors are welcome to display this badge on their blog, website or social media.

Sharing what’s on their bookshelf this month

Take a moment to link through to see what my co-hosts and others have written……

Deb from Deb’s World
Jo from AndAnways
Donna from Retirement Reflections

Now over to you – what’s on your Bookshelf?

Deb, Donna, Jo and I hope that you will join us each month and share what you’ve been reading! If you have any questions just ask us. You can also link to any, or all of our posts, with a pingback, that way we get to see your posts quicker!

Don’t forget to tell me about the book(s) you’re reading at the moment! See you next month!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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