New To My Book Closet

It's that time of the week again. Time to show you what bookish goodies made their way into my home and book closet (to be saved from the evil book eating cat monster named Aria). This is inspired by the various "mailbox" posts out there (eg. In My Mailbox by The Story Siren, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews)

I have a lot of things to share this week as my mail was pretty busy! It is the time of year where things tend to busier than normal in terms of mail deliveries and this past week certainly was.

First up I have some books from Simon and Schuster that arrived this week. A huge thank you to both of them for the change to read and review these amazing sounding titles.

 

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw (goodreads) 

Indecent by Corinne Sullivan (goodreads)

To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo (goodreads)

I Stop Somewhere by TE Carter (goodreads)

Winner Take All by Laurie Devore (goodreads)

A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena (goodreads)

Next up is my #TBTBSanta package. Jackie sent me an amazing package with a bunch of wonderful goodies including some amazing smelling bath bombs, and a cute tea infuser.

 

The two books that were in the package as they are not super clear in the first photo:

 

The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand (goodreads)

Red Queen (Collector Edition) by Victoria Aveyard (goodreads) 

Lastly, I got my November package for #otspsecretsister!

Like It Never Happened by Emily Adrian (goodreads)

Thank you, 'Buffy', for another wonderful package! 

What books/bookish items made their way into your mailbox this week? Let me know in the comments.

Happy Weekend and Happy Reading!

The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand

The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand
Release Date - October 24, 2017

Publisher Website - Harper Collins
Publisher Social Media - Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader/Frenzy
Pages - 389 pages
My Rating - 5/5
**received for an honest review from publisher**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

On Christmas Eve five years ago, Holly was visited by three ghosts who showed her how selfish and spoiled she'd become. They tried to convince her to mend her ways.

She didn't.

And then she died.

Now she's stuck working for the top-secret company Project Scrooge--as the latest Ghost of Christmas Past.

Every year, they save another miserly grouch. Every year, Holly stays frozen at seventeen while her family and friends go on living without her. So far, Holly's afterlife has been miserable.

But this year, everything is about to change. . . .

A selfish, egotistical person is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve who warn them to change their ways before it's too late. Sounds familiar right? A Christmas Carol is given a whimsical twist in this modern retelling by Cynthia Hand that is as heart warming as the original and just as festive.

Holly is a unlikeable female protagonist and she isn't apologizing for it. She is, in fact, proud of it. She's the girl who instead of changing her ways when given the opportunity merely shrugs and continues on. She's someone that is just undeniably herself. That never changes. She's always who she says is and I love that about this story. Holly's growth, and it is there, feels more authentic because she doesn't magically become someone else. She's still Holly. It is a more subtle change that happens within her and it was beautiful to see unfold.

Project Scrooge is incredible, as are the people who work there. It's what gives this book its heart, and adds an extra dose of f holiday spirit to the story. Those who know A Christmas Carol will delight in the nods to the classic found within these pages, and those who don't will rejoice at the twists, and the modern take Cynthia Hand has given the tale. It's easily a world that could become silly and overdone, but there is something about the writing that keeps it grounded and filled with the spirit of the holidays. The emotional element of the story, and the human connections are felt the most strongly in the relationships between the people at Project Scrooge.

The romance is exactly what you would expect from a book like this. I totally found myself shipping this cute relationship. There is a lot of banter and humour to the romance which I really enjoyed. It also helped that even though Holly's story felt 'magical' because she is, after all, technically dead the romance felt very contemporary and untouched by the paranormal elements (in terms of their interactions). This may seem odd to say, but this added an extra layer of realism to this story that worked for me.

The ending, for me, is perfection. It's just as satisfying as the ending to the classic tale. It makes you feel the warm fuzzies. It leaves you with a smile on your face. It's the ending that is perfect for Holly's story and made me glad it didn't end the way I anticipated it would. A certain famous line is uttered, but I promise that this is the only aspect you'll recognize; even as it leaves you with that expanding heart, feel good feeling.

This is the kind of story I wish I had saved for the middle of the holiday rush. It's a pleasure to read and I could think of nothing better than curling up with this to de-stress after a hectic day of holiday shopping. Consider it a sweet holiday treat that will pair perfect with some candy canes and hot chocolate. It's a magical holiday read that I highly recommend, even for you Scrooges out there.

New To My Book Closet

It's that time of the week again. Time to show you what bookish goodies made their way into my home and book closet (to be saved from the evil book eating cat monster named Aria). This is inspired by the various "mailbox" posts out there (eg. In My Mailbox by The Story Siren, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews)

Lots of exciting things arrived this week! After Book Expo I am drowning in amazing books to read and am having a hard time deciding what to read next. This week's arrivals have only added to that particular problem. 

First up, I have a pre-order that arrived a little early. Jodi Lynn Anderson is one of my most favourite authors so I was thrilled to have this hard cover in my hands a little early. 

Midnight At The Electric by Jodi Lynn Anderson (goodreads)

I also had two new Funko Pops arrive. I had pre-ordered some of the Mr Robot ones, and was super excited to have some of them arrive.

Elliott and Darlene look amazing! I am just waiting for Mr Robot himself to arrive.

I was spoiled by Harper Collins Canada this week with the arrival of some very exciting fall season reads.

The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand (goodreads)

Top Ten by Katie Cotugno (goodreads)

This Darkness Mine by Mindy McGinnis (goodreads)

Last, Penguin Random House Canada also spoiled me with these amazing sounding arrivals!

That Inevitable Victorian Thing by E.K. Johnston (goodreads)

Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore (goodreads)

A huge thank you to both publishers for these! I cannot wait to read and review them. Now to decide which one to read first. #bookbloggerproblems

Let me know what bookish goodies made their way on your shelves this week!

Happy Weekend and Happy Reading!

Weekly Obsessions

The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday.

 

A small Weekly Obsessions post this week, but some pretty exciting things!

BOOKS

Toil & Trouble by Various (goodreads)

This sounds like incredible.short story collection. The authors alone are enough to entice me to pick it up as it includes some of my favourites (such as Emery Lord and Jessica Spotswood). The hook, however, is really the theme. This is a collection of short stories about witches! I am so excited to see what each of these authors do with this theme.

Cover of The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand (goodreads)

This retelling of A Christmas Carol not only sounds amazing, but has a very festive cover. 

 

It has a holiday feel while still capturing the tone of the original. This is a story with ghosts after all. I am so excited to read this. It's quickly become one of my most anticipated of the fall season.

What are you obsessed with this week?

Waiting On Wednesday .... The Afterlife Of Holly Chase

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pick is The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand

Here is the Goodreads synopsis 

On Christmas Eve five years ago, seventeen-year-old Holly Chase was visited by three Ghosts who showed her how selfish and spoiled she’d become. They tried to convince her to mend her ways.

She didn’t. And then she died.

Now she’s stuck working for the top-secret company Project Scrooge—as their latest Ghost of Christmas Past. So far, Holly’s afterlife has been miserable. But this year’s Scrooge is different. This year’s Scrooge might change everything.

An imaginative riff on an evergreen classic, The Afterlife of Holly Chase is a witty, poignant, and insightful novel about life, love, and seizing second (or third) chances, and will appeal to readers who love books like If I Stay and Before I Fall.

I am pretty certain this is the first retelling of A Christmas Carol that I've stumbled across. I am insanely excited for this and hope that it is as wonderful as I am hoping. It has the potential to become a holiday must read for me.

The entire idea of a previous 'Scrooge' becoming one of the ghosts is amazing. I cannot wait to see what this adds to the classic story. I am also hoping for some serious romance between Holly and the new 'Scrooge'. I expect some mistletoe kissing for sure.

The wait for this one is going to be REALLY long as it doesn't come out until November, but something tells me it'll be well worth the wait.

Expected release date - November 7, 2017