Sunday Post: Goodbye November & Welcome December (TBR Poll Time!)

Happy December! December is one of the busiest months of the year for many of us, me included. This next week is full of meetings and training and a Girl Scouts meeting. 

I am both happy and sad to see November leave. It felt like the longest month ever in some ways, and yet it also seemed to go by so fast. How is that possible? I only managed to read four books all month. Considering that is relatively normal for November for me, I suppose that isn't bad. I enjoyed all the books I read/listened to. 

My November Reads:

The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum by Kirsten Weiss

Descent by Tim Johnston

Lazaretto by Diane McKinney-Whetstone

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

What was your favorite book read in November? 

New to My Shelves: I know, I know. Stop buying books. Amazon deals are sometimes hard to pass up. Here are the latest additions to my overflowing TBR collection: 

My Kind of Wonderful by Jill Shalvis

The Girl From the Savoy by Hazel Gaynor

The Murder Game by Julie Apple (aka Catherine McKenzie)

What I Am Reading: It was not a good reading week. I barely made any progress in any of the books I am reading. It was a crazy busy week. I am a little farther in The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist and Lisa See's The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane. We won't even talk about the book I am reading for work. I think that is part of what's stumping me. It's on the boring side and so I am reading less because I know I should be reading that one. Homework sucks.

What I Am Listening To: I am making good progress on Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn. I had read several reviews when first considering starting the book that mentioned disappointment in how depressing the book is.Admittedly, it is pretty sad in terms of the subject matter. It's beautifully written though, and I am well invested in the lives of the characters.

What I Am Watching: My Little Pony. Again and again and again.

What's Going On Off the Blog: I met with Mouse's teacher this past week to discuss Mouse's progress in school for the first trimester. She's evidently won over the heart of the teacher--and she made the honor roll! Mouse's tendency to chat with her classmates when she is supposed to be working came up, of course.

This weekend we attended a Girl Scouts' Winter Crafts Event, and Mouse made several different Holiday related art projects. We had a lot of fun. We stopped in at the library on the way home and spent some time reading together.

Most of my Christmas shopping is done and the presents wrapped. Whew. I will be glad when it is all done. We put up the Holiday lights this weekend, all the while Mouse performed for us, dancing and singing to Equestria Girls songs.

Tea Party

What I Am Enjoying: Some hot cocoa and a Hallmark Christmas movie (cheesy, I know).

Last Week In Reading Mews:

• Bookish Thoughts: The Madness of Mercury by Connie Di Marco
• Where Is Your Bookmark? (& Books I Plan to Give As Gifts This Year)
• Bookish Thoughts: Lazaretto by Diane McKinney-Whetstone

Tell me about what you have been up to! What are you reading, listening to and watching? How was your week? Do you have anything planned for this coming week?

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Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from Coffee Addicted Writer poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday). They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs.

What format do you use to set up your giveaways? Rafflecopter, Google, Leave a Comment for an entry, or some other style?

It is rare I do giveaways anymore. When I do, I use Google Drive. I find Rafflecopter too confusing and cumbersome (even entering Rafflecopter giveaways confuse me!) and counting comment entries when asking people to leave comments to answer has its challenges. Setting up a giveaway in Google Drive is super easy and organized.

What about you? Do you do giveaways? If so, what format do you prefer to use?

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Help me decide what book from my TBR collection I should read next:

My TBR List is a meme hosted by the awesome Michelle at Because Reading. It’s a fun way to choose a book from your TBR pile to read. The 1st Sunday of every month, I will list 3 books I am considering reading and take a poll as to which you think I should read. I will read the winner that month, and my review will follow. While I will attempt to post my review that same month, I make no promises--it may go up the following month. 

I almost skipped this month's TBR List Poll since it will be such a busy month. I have had too much this year taking part in this meme, however, and so am striking a compromise. All three choices this week are novellas. Perfect for this time of year when busy is as busy gets, with the holidays, work and the end of the year. Thank you for voting!

Curse of the Gargoyles (Gargoyle Guardian Chronicles #2) by Rebecca Chastain ~ I loved the first in this series and am anxious to read this one. I want to be Mika!

From Goodreads:

Mika was trying to save a gargoyle, not doom the world...

Mika Stillwater isn’t known for her skills with combat magic. As a gargoyle healer, she spends her days mending broken appendages and curing illnesses in the living-quartz bodies of Terra Haven’s gargoyles. But when a squad of the city’s elite Federal Pentagon Defense warriors requests her assistance in freeing a gargoyle ensnared in a vicious invention, Mika jumps into the fray.

No one could have predicted that her involvement would ignite a chain reaction set to destroy the city, the world, and magic itself.

Brimming with epic magic and loveable gargoyles, Curse of the Gargoyles is the second story in the mesmerizing Gargoyle Guardian Chronicles trilogy. Fantasy fans young and old will delight in this highly original world and exciting, action-packed adventure.

Royal Enchantment by Lia Davis ~ I love stories about old houses--and elves! I can't resist a story about a magical world and this sounds so enticing.

Goodreads Summary:

Ava Green has made a name for herself in the real estate world by reconditioning old, historical homes with her partner and friend Jeff. But her newest project, a three-story Victorian in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, promises to be her biggest moneymaker yet. And one she’s undertaking on her own. During her first walk-through of the house, however, she discovers a locked door, and a skeleton key that seems to appear out of nowhere. Unlocking the door, she is transported to a mystical world of fae and mythickal creatures and meets the King of the Morna. The sovereign of the Dark Elves.

King Finn Sylcan has searched for the one who can bring the magick back to his world, Edra, for eons. An old prophecy told of a female of both Dark and Light elven descent, a hybrid both Calim and Morna. It is said she is the only one who can repair the damage the war between the Dark and Light kingdoms caused. But after searching for so long, Finn never dreamed that she’d just show up outside his palace walls. Or that she’d be his mate.

White Christmas by Rebecca York ~ I told my husband this one probably has the edge given it's a Christmas themed book. It does sound fun though, doesn't it? Santa's workshop? A plot to ruin Christmas?

Goodreads Summary:

The snow is coming down so fast, Amelia Parsons doesn't see the speeding car until it's too late. One moment she’s crossing an ice-rutted street in St. Stephens, Maryland. In the next, she's flying into the air, and the world goes black. She wakes, confused, in what appears to be Santa’s workshop during the holiday rush. If that’s not strange enough, a hunky FBI agent named Daniel is there, demanding to know why she’s involved in a plot to ruin Christmas. Can she convince him she's not the villain and then work with him to find the real saboteur?

I hope you all have a great week! Happy Reading!

The Sunday Post is hosted by the wonderful Kimba, the Caffeinated Book Reviewer, and gives us all a chance to recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. 

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 © 2016, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.