Five Things to Tell You vol. 2
a seasonal dance party, stop shopping, Spindrift news, and more
Hello readers! Yet again, I am sharing five things I simply had to tell you, and would love if you would respond either in the comments or via email with something you simply have to tell me in return ♡
Would you like even more chatty musings on midlife, even more book recommendations, and exclusive downloads and book collections delivered right to your inbox each week? These are all benefits of a paid subscription to this newsletter ~ please do consider becoming a supporter!
I have been definitely leaning into the Christmas stories this season, and have been happy to find a number of short-form Christmas titles to share with you. I know some readers can take only a touch of Christmas in their reading ~ if that’s you, or time is super limited, definitely check out one of these!
These three are all available via Kindle Unlimited 1 and are simple and sweet ~ I listened to Cruel Winter with You2 and Holiday Hideaway, and read the Kindle version of Once Upon a Christmas Tree. Another very short holiday read that I discovered with delight this year was Elsie Silver’s Chestnut Springs Christmas short that you can download for free via BookFunnel. Note that you have to have read and loved the entire Chestnut Springs series for this to be a win for you!
A final short holiday read from this season so far was something with a much different tone ~ Brightly Shining is translated from the Norwegian and was great on audio, but has a pretty dark vibe and I was left confused by the ending. This might be great for those who detest sappy Christmas stories and want something more complex, though!
→ Want more holiday reads? Check out what has to say in The Holiday Romance Industrial Complex and ‘s recommendations in Three Holiday-ish Romances ♡
I am currently in the process of creating a list of books I am intimidated by, but really want to at least try reading. Like, give them at least 20 pages so I can say I tried them. This is something I like starting a year with, since January is always a pretty aspirational time ~ like a New Year’s Resolution of books! Currently on the list are James by Percival Everett and Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar. Oh, and one that seems VERY out of my comfort zone in a different way than the others, but was recommended by my library partner ~ Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon.
One of this past year’s big attempts was The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store ~ I did give it more than 20 pages, and then DNF and chalked it up as a book that can be amazing for what it is and worthy of accolades, but wasn’t something I wanted to devote all of my reading time to. Another attempt was Erasure by Percival Everett, which I ended up finishing and loving so much on audio.
Please chime in if you have a suggestion for me this time around ~ think literary fiction award-winner that everyone is talking about that somehow touched you enough that I should try it, or sci-fi or fantasy in which I might actually be able to keep track of the technology or world-building.
I finally watched Buy Now on Netflix, and while it was definitely a lot of information I conceptually was already aware of, the visualizations were so powerful. I also really appreciated the unique format and that it wasn’t a traditional documentary style. If you haven’t watched it yet, please do so ASAP and be prepared to sink into despair at the reality and future of our planet and society. I paid for a month of Netflix just for this one movie, and it very much made me wish I were still teaching high school marketing so I could show it in class. So many powerful lessons for the generation who just might be able to save us from ourselves.
After depressing yourself with Buy Now, how about bopping around the living room to my very favorite Christmas dance video ? I’m sure I’ve shared about this before, and probably will next year too, but damn is it an evergreen favorite (ha)! It never fails to put a smile on my face, get my heart rate up, and put me very much in the Christmas spirit. I do this by myself during my early morning movement time with my dogs confusedly chasing me around, but I’m guessing if you have a little one who loves to move and dance, this could be super fun for a family activity.
And after you get your heart rate up bopping around the living room to Christmas tunes, why not cool off with YET ANOTHER new Spindrift flavor? Seriously, my grocery store is coming through for me this year ~ my sister is jealous when I text her from the store about my hot new finds. I mean, yes, fuji apple would have been great to have at peak apple season, but with the Cranberry Raspberry flavor I found last month, I guess I’m set on winter flavors? I want nothing LESS than a peppermint or eggnog flavored Spindrift, although perhaps they could consider pomegranate?
What do you dance in your living room to? Have you watched Buy Now? Favorite Spindrift flavor? Got a book rec for me??? Please do share!
That’s all for this week ~ thanks for reading!
I love to hear from readers, so please do reach out to me with questions or feedback at mindfullibrarian@substack.com . If we aren’t already connected on Goodreads, I would love to see you there as well!
Yes, I hate Amazon, but have done research and determined that Kindle Unlimited can be a net win for many up and coming authors, so I kept my subscription.
I listened to all of the books in the Under the Mistletoe collection that this one is a part of, and the rest are terrible - this was the only one worthy of my time!
Thanks for stopping by!
