Medium Lady Reads

Episode 12: Cozy Christmas Reads 2023

• Jillian O'Keefe and Erin Vandeven

Share episode

Hello, hi, and welcome to Medium Lady Reads this is episode 12, Cozy Christmas Reads 2023; Featuring Ali Oppenlaender and Stephanie Cunningham.

This week’s episode is extra special, because not only do you have Erin and Jillian, but you have the other two members of their Buddy Read Group, Ali and Stef. Together they’re going to be discussing their favorite cozy books that would be perfect to read this holiday season. 

This episode was recorded in separate locations, but it is just as full of love and fun!

In This Episode:


Books Mentioned In This Episode:

  • Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
  • A Season for Second Chances by Jenny Bayliss
  • Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
  • One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
  • The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
  • The Princess and The Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz
  • The One in a Million Boy by Monica Wood 
  • Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney
  • Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune
  • Legends & Lattes by Travis Balder
  • Beyond the Four Kingdoms Series by Melanie Cellier
  • The Grace of Wild Things by Heather Fawcett
  • Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
  • A Family for St. Nick: A Heartwarming Holiday Romance by Barbara Meyers
  • The Maid by Nita Prose
  • A December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss
  • The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros
  • The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
  • Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin & Marissa Stapley
  • All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox
  • A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone
  • Foster by Claire Keegan

If you enjoyed this episode we would love it if you recommended us to a friend or loved one!  Be sure to take a screenshot and share on Instagram stories, and tag both Jillian (@jillianfindinghappy) and Erin (@medium.lady), or the podcast @mediumladyreads, so that they can reshare the love! 


Thanks for listening and if you enjoyed what you heard, please leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts!


Tune in on December 27th for the next episode of the Medium Lady Reads Podcast.



Merry Christmas! Ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho! Hello, hi and welcome to Medium Lady Reads. This is episode 12, Cosy Christmas Reads 2023. Hi everyone. I'm Erin, a mom of three, a hospital administrator in Ontario, Canada, and the host and founder of the Medium Lady Community and Medium Lady Talks podcast. And I'm Gillian and Instagram content strategist for Bookish People, a mom to two based in Buffalo, New York.

Together we're thrilled to bring you another episode of Medium Lady Reads, a podcast about reading a self-care, a passionate love for the public library, and all of our thoughts and opinions on Book Culture having its moment.

Hello everyone. Believe it or not, I am very excited because once again our episode features all four of my buddy-read friends.

We have Erin of course, and we have Stephanie and we have Ali, and we're all together again, so this is going to be a treat. Today we're going to be discussing Cosy Christmas Reads. This is the third year that we're doing this.

The first year was myself, Erin and Ali. The second year it was myself, Erin and Stephanie, and this year it's all four of us. But before we get into all of that, we want to check in with everybody's reading.

So Erin, how is your reading going?

My reading has kind of stalled out this week. I have like come to a grinding halt. There's just so much going on. I have not been reading with my usual habits and routines, and I kind of miss it to be honest with you.

So I'm hoping to have things sort of slow down next week and the week after so I can get back into it. But I'm just going to see that as a chance to just enjoy the pace of the season and just chill out.

I do have the daughter of the moon goddess out on Libby, and it's due in four days, and I'm really enjoying it, but I think I'm only through like 25%.

So listeners will know like one of the saddest things that can happen to a reader is for Libby to take your book back before you're ready. So probably going to pressure myself tomorrow Saturday, pressure myself a little bit to maybe power through that.

But then otherwise, I think we're just going to take its low and study through to the new year. Ali, how's your reading going?

It's going great. I am currently reading a season for second chances by Jillian, or Jillian by Jenny Bayless, which actually was a recommendation from Jillian last year as listeners will probably remember. It's just it's so cozy. It's so delightful. I'm flying through it.

I am definitely going to be sad when it is over. And we'll link to the previous cozy Christmas reads episodes in the show notes. If you're interested, those are on the medium lady talks feeds, but they're still there for you to enjoy.

Ali, you have to tag whose next.

Oh, sorry, Stephanie, what about you?

I feel like I can relate to Aaron. I feel like I'm in kind of like a lull right now and not because too much is going on. It's like a classic case of too many books too little time. And I got started on too many things. And now I've stalled out on all of them.

Like I was in the middle of the throne of glass series. And I really just needed to take a break because I'm in that mid series lull.

And so I kind of switched over to an old favorite and then one dark window came up on my liby hold and I was like, oh, I got a grab that while it's available. So I started that. And then we started a buddy read and I got started on that and hit one of the deadlines and was waiting.

And then I was really trying to find a really, really cozy Christmas read for this episode. And so I was trying to like read a few for that and didn't find any that I loved. And so I just feel like I've started 17 things, even like this fanfic that's going around from like Harry Potter.

But I haven't like really finished anything or loved anything. And now I'm kind of like a little ways into a lot of things and haven't finished anything in a while.

That is so tough because I've been there where you started a bunch of books, but you're not on your way with many of them. And eventually you have to kind of cut your losses.

Right. So I haven't decided what to do. But we'll see. I'm like you said, it's just a season for going slow. And I need to just be okay with that and pick a lane and commit.

Jillian, how's your reading going?

It has been pretty good. I'm struggling a bit. I'm reading what the wants in future, which is. But for some reason, it's taking me a lot to get into it. And I'm speaking

you sad because I really had these major high hopes for it. But I'm going to keep going. I'm about 200 pages in. I'm not going to give up yet. I probably won't give up at all. In fact,

but it's a long book. It's over 500 pages. So yeah, it is a long one. But overall, it's been a pretty good reading. I still fall asleep at night. But at least I'm finding time throughout the day to get the reading in so that it's when I do fall asleep at night.

I'm still hitting milestones. I have two. Two books left until I hit 100 books for the year. And I'm very excited about that. I hope I should be able to hit that by the end of December. I'm hoping, although December will definitely be a lower reading month just because of the holidays and

that's very impressive. It is very impressive. We'll have to recommend a few like graphic novels to get you through.

Yeah, I wish I could find one like that. The princess and the girl cheese. That was so great.

Oh, yeah. All right. So we've checked in with everybody. And the theme of today's episode is our cozy Christmas recommendations for this year 2023.

Does anyone want to give sort of our very scientific definition of what a cozy Christmas read is for listeners who are new?

I can. But my definition, like what I think a cozy Christmas means is that one, the setting in the book is either like during Christmas or winter.

And your own setting. So two, so setting is Christmas or winter. And then the second is your own setting. So the time between Christmas and years is often like it's

a standstill time. Time doesn't exist. And it's the time that the opportunity where you're full, you're allowed to fully immerse yourselves in books or TV and staying up late.

Although now that I have children and I'm up at like 630 staying up late does happen. But that like in between time where you're able to just like fully immerse yourself in in something.

So to me, that's like the cozy cozy season. Well said perfectly said. Anyone want to add anything to that definition?

Yeah, I would just add that for me it cozy Christmas reads is anything cozy, meaning anything that gives you that warm fuzzy vibe at any time of the year.

And I only say that because there have been some serious cozy books that I've read through the years that I would make cozy Christmas reads even though they don't take place during the Christmas time frame.

So that's the only thing I would add to that.

Stuff you're not going to think I'm always tempted to make my cozy Christmas reads fit into that holiday romcom like set in the winter. There's snow on the ground.

But really it's often for me books that give me more like there like cozy is a great word that Jillian used like I can finish them quickly or they're like really built for that period of time.

Like Ali was talking about during the winter where I don't maybe don't have as much time so they're quick easy reads comfort reads and not exactly the holiday setting.

But I always want it to be the holiday setting too.

What about you Aaron? What would you add?

Yeah, I would probably just add like the idea of pairing is more important for me at Christmas than any other time of year.

So like a cozy Christmas read has to pair with hot cocoa or eggnog. It has to pair with reading by the tree.

It has to pair with dim lighting.

It has to be the kind of thing I want to read while in cuddled up with a blanket.

So the vibe of the book has to match that external vibe and I don't think I do that with my reading any other time of year.

I love that. I never thought about pairing it with I mean I obviously do pair it with beverages but I never thought to pair my cozy Christmas read with a beverage intentionally like.

I was also thinking about like what is going on in this time like we might be traveling on the road with my kids visiting family.

Oh yeah.

So like you might need a book to keep you company while you're visiting family or you might need a book that you can pick up and put down really easily because you're hosting people.

And so I was really trying to think of what's going on in these seasons and in my life and what would pair well with the happenings.

I love that.

So maybe as we go through our recommendations we can sort of pair.

This is a good book if you're if you find yourself doing blah blah blah during the holiday season.

All right.

Should we like roll dice to see who goes first?

You should have brought your wheel. You do love to spend wheels.

So are we are we going to just do one recommendation first or do you want us to do all two?

So I think we'll do like a round robin where we all do one recommendation and then we all do one more recommendation.

So we'll send listeners away with eight book recommendations.

Although we've already dropped some we love to book drop like name drop during this podcast.

So we've already mentioned a couple of books already.

So I can go first seeing as everyone is so eager to go first.

My first cozy Christmas read.

I know the three of you will be happy to hear is the one and a million boy by Monica Wood.

This was our second buddy read we read in March of 2023.

The one and a million boy.

It has the following summary the story of your life never starts at the beginning.

Don't they teach you anything at school?

So says 104 year old Ona to the 11 year old boy who's been sent to help her out every Saturday morning.

As he refills the bird feeders and tidies the garden shed, Ona tells him about her long life from first love to second chances.

Soon she's confessing secrets.

She has kept hidden for decades.

One Saturday the boy doesn't show up and Ona starts to think he's not so special after all.

But then his father arrives on her doorstep determined to finish his son's good deed.

The boy's mother is not so far behind.

Ona is set to discover that the world can surprise us at any age and that sometimes sharing a loss is the only way to find ourselves again.

I'm not going to cry.

But I really love that summary and I really love this book.

I love that we did this as a buddy read.

I think I probably would have blitzed through it if I'd read it on my own.

The writing in this book is particularly amazing and the craft of the book itself.

I felt like is the reason that I'm recommending this is a cozy Christmas read.

I think the themes of this family of this book include themes of like birds and bird watching.

There's themes of family, there's themes of childhood, parenthood, what it is to sort of like be loved through a lifetime.

And those are all really important themes around the holiday season, no matter what you celebrate.

The book is also about loss and redemption and I think that not just Christmas but the opportunity to sort of like reflect on your own year.

Often comes up in December, people sort of think about the year's highlights.

They think about the year's challenges.

They set goals for next year based on what happened this year.

And there's a lot of that life reflection stuff that happens in this book that I think if you're sort of thinking about the year that you've had and you're thinking about the year you want to have next year in 2024.

This is the book that I would recommend for you.

This book includes alternating perspectives and there's also vignettes of interviews that are really, really lovely.

I think that there are a lot of purposeful choices made by the author and I love all when authors treat their readers like they're smart and intelligent.

And that's the thing that I appreciate a lot about Monica Woods writing.

So that's my first recommendation for your cozy Christmas reads this season is the one and a million boy by Monica Wood.

Okay, Stephanie, you're next.

Tag your it.

Okay, my first recommendation will be no surprise.

It's a little like out there and not super cozy winter setting, but it is a series called the Ford Kingdom series by Monica Celier.

And I think that's how she says her last name Monica or I'm sorry her name is Melanie Celier.

And it is young adult fairy tale retellings and the little blurb about them says if you enjoy clean romance, adventure and intrigue, then try the books in the Ford Kingdom series.

Each of these young adult fairy tale retellings can be read as a standalone however for the greatest enjoyment they should be read and order.

And she has a bunch of them. There's like a handful of them like more than five I believe and they do retell classic fairy tales.

And this would be great if you have to do a road trip with your kids like if my kids who are seven and five or maybe a year or two older, this would be a great like listen aloud for us all like Craig and I have listened to several of them together on road trips and really enjoy them.

And it is what they say just like a clean wholesome adventure and you kind of because they're class fairy tales.

You know where the story is going and so you get to kind of you're not trying to figure out what's going to happen which happens to me a lot in books.

I'm like waiting for the plot twist and trying to figure out where they're going.

And so you're not really doing that so you're able to just absorb the story and absorb the adventure and the romance and they're just really fun wholesome fairy tale retelling.

So my first pick is the four Kingdom series by Melanie Celier.

Steph, are you recommending these for an audio?

I loved them on audio. Yes, we listened to them on audio. It's every summer we use we have to drive a couple hours like eight hours to a family vacation and so we have been picking one of these and using Craig and I have been listening to them on our drive.

So I haven't actually read like an ebook or a physical book. We've only done audio and they've been really great.

I pulled them up on good reads while you were describing them because I've never heard of these. Has anybody else heard of them?

No. Beyond the four Kingdoms.

Jillian, have you? I have it. No. I love this cover. It's this like Renaissance woman with a beautiful like Rose Garden in the background and a castle and broke it.

She's wearing this beautiful brocade. Like I'm hooked on based on this cover alone. This is like perfect holiday escapism.

Yeah, if you've read this election series, the covers are very easy to watch for series. Each one is like the princess with their dress and like the background of that gives you hints about what the book would be like.

And so they're fun. Awesome. So start with one and make your way all the way through. I love that. Thanks, Steph. All right. Allie your next.

Okay. My first recommendation is Lillian Box Fish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney and was published in 2017.

And just like the book Aaron recommended, this story or this book, this novel, I should say takes into account like the journey and you're reflecting on your own life lived.

So Lillian Box Fish Takes a Walk is starts on New Year's Eve in 1984. It's about an 85 year old woman who puts on her main coat and takes a walk through Manhattan revisiting past and beloved spots in the city.

Spanned over six decades. This short novel is 287 pages and it is a charming tale itself assured woman set in New York City.

During this novel, Lillian remnants on on her past life as a pioneering pioneering copywriter for me, me sees in the 1930s, who then goes on to publish a volume of light versus poetry.

During this evening stroll, she chats with restaurant tours, dines with the family, helps a pregnant woman to a nearby hospital, parties with artists, and more all wild short snippets of falling in love with Manhattan during the jazz age, taking lovers, persuading her boss for equal play, fled her memory.

She shares her experience of marriage, motherhood, and tells readers of her darker, darker days and her emotional breakdown.

Yet the Manhattan of Lillian's past no longer exists and in its place is a city that is deteriorating with crime.

This is a delightful octogenarian novel based loosely on a real life woman, Margaret Fishback.

And Rooney Bridges fact in fiction with New York's past and future in this novel. It was really beautiful when I was doing a little bit of research about this novel.

Margaret Fishback, who is the real Lillian box fish, did actually write for me sees she was the highest paid copywriter in the 30s.

It's very, really, really interesting how just combining fact and fiction in this beautiful story that takes place in one night walking through New York on New Year's Eve, but then spans this woman's life.

I really love that it happened one night trope.

I love stories like that, like makes me think of meet me at the lake by Carly Fortune, which is not a cozy Christmas read.

I don't know what I would have thought of, but I would not put that book beside the tree.

But that's another like it happened one night kind of thing or an air and I know you love stories about octogenarians.

I do.

You always use that word and then that's my second trope is like give me a sassy elder any day.

I'm here for it.

I love how it just opens with her putting on her mink coat.

Like so you know, like you know that she was a woman of her time and now just like it's so 1980s too.

That's awesome. Has anybody read that book?

No, I don't think I've even heard of it.

See, this is the best part.

So there's the book outlet.

I don't know if there's a book outlet in the States, but the book outlet is like a discounted bookstore where I probably like the big box doors send books that have been damaged while they've like tried open boxes and that.

Sadly, our book deep our book outlet in the Niagara region closed, but I was just wandering through there one day and I randomly saw this book and the cover just like called to me and I picked it up.

Had it on my shelf for probably a couple years and read it one winters one winter and fell in love with it.

I think I read it in 2020.

Oh my gosh, that's a great recommendation and like New York and Christmas.

New York feeling.

Yes, yes. Thanks, Ali. Great book.

All right, Jillian.

All right. So my first book that I'm recommending is Legends and La Tez and this book is a new found love for me.

It's by Travis Baldry.

I had heard about it from the currently reading podcast and they raped about it.

They said that you're going to see the cover and you're going to not think it's a great book, but give it a try.

And so finally I did that and I fell in love and it is so cozy.

It is not Christmasy, but so so cozy.

And here's the setup after a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed.

Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time.

The Battle Weary Ork aims to start fresh opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune.

But old and new rivals stand in the way of success, not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.

If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won't be able to go it alone.

But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way.

And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry or freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family and something deeper than she could ever have dreamed.

Now I did say that this doesn't have a Christmasy vibe to it.

However, it does have a huge coziness factor.

And this has to do with the environment that they're in.

It takes place in a coffee shop that they don't even realize what they don't even know what coffee is yet.

And there's baking and delicious treats and it's just the absolute perfect book to sit and read with the dim lighting and your hot cocoa or coffee, probably hot cocoa at night and read by the tree.

It's absolutely perfect.

And is this someone that started out as Dungeons and Dragons fanfiction?

It did.

Yep. That's exactly how it started out.

He just had a second one come out that I of course can't think of the name of.

It's like bookshops and bone dust.

You just had come out very recently.

You're so right when you say that the cover like you kind of think, I don't think this is going to be cozy.

I have to say about it and so made me bump it higher up on my TBR.

The first time I saw it was at a retreat, Jillian, you brought it with you.

And I've seen it all over social media all over Instagram.

It started as fanfic. That's what blows my mind.

It just, this guy wrote it for the fun of it.

And he blew up.

And he's just, he seems like such a grateful, wonderful person, the way that this has worked out.

And it recently tore, took over the publication of it because it was self, I don't know if it was self published,

but it was a much smaller publishing house and recently tore just brought him on and they changed the cover a bit.

They like, they changed the font and legends and lattes and just, it's cool stuff.

This is the only book that got read on our retreat because we all brought books, but none of us read except Jillian.

And that's because she was reading legends and lattes.

So this book had power even over the group chat that we had our entire 48 hours, 72 hours together in Hobart, New York.

So I was just checking my hold list and I am embarrassed to say, I don't even have this on hold.

And I'm like, I've been waiting to read that forever, but the number one step with everybody is to put it actually on your list.

I just put it on hold and it said it would be available in around two weeks.

I want everyone to know I showed remarkable restraint and it's available right now at my library and I just tagged it to read because...

No, we're not starting new things.

Hashtag no new books.

All right, does that bring it back to me again?

It does.

Look at us whipping through book discussions.

So proud of us.

All right, my next book for Cosy Christmas Reads is a book that I just finished in November and is in contention for my favorite book of 2023.

I'm going to talk about The Grace of Wild Things by Heather Fawcett.

And here's the summary.

This is an inventive and fantastical reimagining of Anne of Green Gables with Magic and Witches.

This book explores found family, loss, and the power of a girl's imagination from the acclaimed author of The Language of Ghosts and the School Between Winter and Fairyland in addition to Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Fairies, which I think came out this year and has been extremely popular.

So if you've heard the name Heather Fawcett, that's because she wrote this book.

Here's a little bit more about The Grace of Wild Things.

Grace has never been good at anything except Magic, not that anyone believes her.

While other children are adopted from the orphanage, nobody wants Grace.

So she decides to make a home for herself by running away and offering herself as an apprentice to the Witch in the nearby woods.

After all, who better to teach Grace to use her magic? Surely the Witch can't be that bad.

But the Witch is that bad. She steals souls for spells and gobbles apart.

So Grace offers a deal.

If she can learn all 100 and a half spells in the Witches' Gremois, the Witch will make Grace her apprentice. But if Grace fails, the Witch can take her magic.

The Witch agrees, and soon an unexpected bond develops between them.

But the spells are much harder than Grace expected.

And when a monster from the Witches past threatens the home Grace is built, she may have to sacrifice more than her magic to save it.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. And it absolutely is perfect for cozy Christmas reads.

There is a huge section of the book that actually takes place over Christmas Day.

And I think what I love so much about this book is that it really balances that fine line for people who love Annabelle Greengables

to really almost go back to that world and just have another story. One that incorporates a little bit more magic, a little bit more magical realism.

I really love the writing, the turns of phrase, there's charm.

You instantly adore Grace Green, who is the main character. Heather Fawcett is a great writer.

She does such a magical job of reminding us of how special Annabelle Greengables is as a book without making this book like really saccharine or trite.

She gets at the true heart of the original Annabelle Greengables, which is about found family.

People who protect themselves from loss while feeling this desire and yearning for acceptance.

I think the setting of this book in Prince Edward Island and the story of Grace, who spends a year with the switch, will completely steal your heart.

I totally cried at the end and I would absolutely recommend this for anyone looking for a Christmas read that balances heartwarming, sweet, delightful, and moving all at the same time.

This is also surprisingly middle grade fiction. So if you're looking for the kind of book that you can pick up and put down this Christmas season, I would recommend this book because the chapters are very short.

The writing is very accessible and the storyline is moves along at a really good clip and that is my recommendation, my second, "Cosie Christmas recommendation."

I want to read it immediately.

Honestly, I can't think of a person who loves reading who wouldn't love this book unless you hate Annabelle Greengables, but you're not listening to this podcast if you hate Annabelle Greengables.

Stephanie's like three stars. I gave her a star.

Speaking of Annabelle Greengables, did you know that Carly Fortune's next book that's coming in in the summer is taking place at on Prince Edward Island and Annabelle Greengables plays a role in her third book.

Like I am so excited.

Yes.

She's so smart. Carly Fortune.

Carly, if you're listening, we love your books. Also Heather Focett, if you're also listening. So this is my Canadian fiction edition to this book.

Does also kind of follow the theme of an elder plus a child that the one and a million boy has elder plus child.

And most of the book takes place over like one calendar year. So you feel the turning of the seasons.

Almost all of the book takes place outside and that also really makes you feel like you're thinking about the elements, you're experiencing nature constantly.

And you're just going to love grace. You're going to love grace. You're going to love the witch and you're just going to love the little cozy found family that happens as the book progresses.

The book is available right now at my life.

No, no.

That's a stack of library books. Well, that's okay. The new name of this podcast is Enableers. We're just enabling each other to make others keep reading too many books.

Right. Stephanie, you're next.

Okay. I just got back from a family wedding where all of my family and I'm the oldest of five girls was traveling to a wedding and it's during Christmas time.

And it was just crazy family dynamics and who's picking up who at the airport and who's like with who and what's happening.

And I was like, oh, somebody should write a book about this crazy wedding at Christmas time. And then I realized, oh wait, somebody already has.

My mom's best friend actually wrote a novella that is loosely based on my family called a family for Saint Nick and it's by Barbara Myers.

And this like tagline of it is a heartwarming holiday romance.

And the summary for it says that her family believes Nick is a saint, but Stephanie is not so sure. For over a year, Nick has been locked in Stephanie's friend zone and he's planning an escape.

An invitation to her sister's Christmas wedding in Florida is the perfect opportunity to get out of Chicago and get closer to her and her family.

But he'll have to trust her enough to explain why he's been lying about his own family.

Nick has been hiding something important for her and Stephanie has a few confessions of her own to make. Will ending the secrets between the Darenty they'll spend the rest of Christmas together.

And so I root Stephanie. Is this book about you?

Okay, it is loosely based on me and my sisters. It's dedicated to like my family and it's loosely based on us and that there are nods to us like some of our professions are there like it's not.

Each character is not based on each of me and my siblings like there's like she's grabbed snippets of like this person's character and this person's job and this person's name.

I think my dad and I are the only ones like in there by name.

And then like some of the Christmas traditions that we do like for if you have been following me for long, you know that my sisters and I have for like 36 or 37 years straight gotten a picture with Santa.

And we still carry on this tradition so this family still carries on this tradition. So it's a very short like manageable novella and so I feel like it's perfect for when you're in that busy season and you feel like I can't finish a book.

I can't get into something super cozy or chunky or like deep and I just need a quick something to let me finish it and make me feel satisfied.

This would be good for that very home arkey very like Christmas and Florida easy read.

I have the codes of the fun funsies and I've never read it.

Just hearing the premise.

I don't have my cobo and reach but I can't wait to see if this is on like cobo unlimited and I'm going to be reading it immediately.

And say the title again stuff.

The title is a family for Saint Nick by Barbara Myers.

Awesome.

Okay, I'll be your next.

Okay, my second book.

Cozy Christmas read recommendation is the made by need a prose.

How awesome is that last name prose.

I love it. I'm like that's so smart.

This book was published in 2022 and it is actually a series.

The second book just came out the made by need a prose.

Made is a who done it murder murder mystery that follows Molly Gray a 25 year old made at a fancy hotel who takes her job very seriously.

She struggles socially and misreads the intention of others which has co workers taking full advantage of her, especially after finding a wealthy regular hotel dweller dead in his suite.

And before Molly really understands what is happening her unusual demeanor has led her to be the number one suspect in this murder.

But with the help of true friends she didn't really know she had they all come together to help solve what truly happened.

It's a cozy murder mystery that reads like a well written puzzle.

I would recommend this for fans that loved playing clue and those that enjoyed Eleanor Olafonte is completely fine.

True story while we were recording my Libby gave me a notification that the made is ready for me to borrow.

It's a really fun read and I actually in high school I was a maid at a ritzy hotel in I earn the lake.

So reading this I was just like oh my goodness it's just like the upstairs and the downstairs the clients and the staff it was really fun.

When you were a maid was it really like the book I read the book a year or so ago.

Was it really like that yeah yeah that's cool.

I haven't read it stuff have you read the maid I haven't read it I recognize the cover like I feel like it's one that I've seen going around and I just pulled it up on good reads and saw that Jillian gave it five stars so.

It's yeah it's really fun and hers the second book just came out so I'm excited to read that this book like I couldn't put it down so I recommend this book for reading that in between time.

After your Christmas all the Christmas festivities and before New Year's Eve where it's just kind of your the dead time just to kind of curl up in your bed read this book because you will not be able to put it down you want to know it's going on.

That's such a good time to recommend to because you feel like the days like just like what day is it anyway it's a black hole of time so like that like recommending to that area of time is like really cool I'm going to add that to my list.

Are the three of you like at that those days after Christmas do you extend your Christmas Christmas Eve I or do you start to feel the like Christmas starts to sort of like melt out of your psyche like I probably wouldn't reach for a Christmas ebook after the 25th.

I'm the same.

Yeah I am the same but I just want to extend the season and I remember like Jillian mentioned after October after Halloween I mean how she just wanted to keep that fall coziness going as long as possible before she started putting up like getting into the Christmas mood and there's such like I feel like as soon as Christmas

over there's just like such a let down so you really need to like extend that that season what makes you happy is like these Christmas e reads or Christmas movies are just like extended as long as you can or until your tree the pine needles start dying on your tree.

Then Christmas can go.

My family definitely keeps Christmas going my sister doesn't even come in to visit for Christmas until the 26th they usually leave Georgia about the 26th and they're here through the second so we don't do our celebration with my best side of the family until that you know sometime in that time frame.

And I remember last year I was reading cozy Christmas like actual Christmas novels into 2023 so I am somebody I will keep the train of the holiday going especially the low stress part of the holidays which is reading the cozy Christmas reads that's true I'm going to keep that train going as long as possible because it just makes me feel good.

I am a firm like 12 days of Christmas person like there's Christmas and like 12 days of Christmas is like the 12 days after.

Yeah because you have a beautiful tradition you should share about that yes I just think there's so much stress leading up to the holidays that like then you like get Christmas actually the day actually over with and then you have time to like Jillian said like read and breathe and like rest in the holiday and so I love the 12 days of Christmas like everything all the decorations stay up.

We keep in the holiday spirit and it's so low pressure because all of the like gifts and the buying and the wrapping and the baking that's all done you just get to kind of chill and be and my personal favorite is celebrating women's Christmas on January 6th which is also like.

Paul Piffani or Eastern Orthodox Christmas and so a lot of I think Scottish countries are traditions practice women's Christmas and it's a day where the women who have like taken so much time and put on all the work of the holidays and done the cleaning and the wrapping and the baking take a day to let go and meet with their friends and set aside a day for themselves to just enjoy the day and recoup with friendship and conversation and so.

There's an author I love that does a women's Christmas retreat like a personal retreat like with questions and that you can go through every year and so I like ending the season with women's Christmas and a fun relaxing journaling day and then after that I can put all the decorations away and get into the future.

That's a gentle way to make your way into 2024 to instead of like crashing into the first and being like change all the things become a no person.

You're like no I'm going to take my women's Christmas day on January 6th and I'm going to be with my journal all day and I think that's so lovely and I'm kind of got my eye on wondering how I can sort of like duplicate that process for myself because you've all told me about extending that Christmas holiday spirit.

So I should I should do my best to make that happen as well. Aaron do you is Christmas over at your house come to summer 26 or do you know like it's not like we rushed no like usually that kind of stuff will probably new years day or maybe the second we'll start to like take things down.

But I do find since the pandemic that our Christmas is a little bit smaller like I feel like we don't do as much driving we don't do as much visiting and I'm kind of okay with that like to be honest with you but.

But it does kind of feel like we are ready at that point like I feel like we put up all of our Christmas decorations last week and I do feel like it takes us a 30 day period time period and usually around the 30 days my husband and I are both in agreement that like we're ready to like take things down.

All right Jillian I think your last but not least yeah so my second recommendation is actual Christmas book just eights called eight December to remember by Jenny Bayless this seems like Jenny writes a Christmas novel every year for the last four or five years.

I love them all and this is adding to the pile of the ones I love so the setup is three bickering half sisters one unique antique shop the coziest holiday season of their lives wildly different half sisters Maggie Simone and star have hardly seen one another since their sprightly summers at Rowan Thorpe their eccentric father Augustus is home known for his bustling approach to the Nicknecks shop he ran Augustus was loved by all and known by nine.

Not even his daughters now years later the three estranged women are called upon for the reading of Augustus Augustus is will and quickly realize he's orchestrated a series of hoops through which they must jump to unlock their inheritance.

The last thing any of them want to do but Maggie and star desperately need the money and who would Simone be to resist through hilarious goose chases small town mishaps and one heartwarming winter solstice celebration love hope and reconciliation is in the air if only the three sisters can let themselves grasp it and I loved this book.

I will admit that I struggle the first section of the book maybe the first hundred pages maybe a little less I struggle to get into it but it was a lot of character development and sometimes I struggle with that like grasping who's who and what's what but once I was into it the cozy factor the love between the sisters the love between you know the relationships in the book.

It was just wonderful and you will definitely want to sit down and have your warm beverage maybe a tea for this one since it does take place in Britain.

Sit down by the fire or if you don't have a fire your Christmas tree or if you don't do a Christmas tree wherever you're confused and drink your tea and read the book.

Yeah I read this one to Jillian and I had grand designs of doing like a book review of this story and other Jenny Bayless books but the season really got we got carried away once American Thanksgiving hit.

It was very clear to both of us that we were sort of doing this like side by side butter read so that we could review this book on the podcast and I would totally agree with your assessment of a Jillian it was really really great.

Jenny Bayless is my favorite cozy Christmas author everything she does is just it's just scrumptious to me it's like your movies like the holiday and love actually if you're a fan of that style of storytelling if those are your favorite Christmas movies then you're going to love Jenny Bayless as an author in general.

All of her love stories have a little something different to offer them and I just really love when authors aren't doing the same thing every time each of the sisters has their own sort of love story and then there's this broader sort of sense of their dad and who their dad was and how they got to know him and how they got to know each other and there's a little bit of healing that happens in there as they kind of grieve the loss of their dad and it's a little bit of healing that happens in there as they kind of grieve the loss of their dad.

And it's also pretty funny. Yeah it is. That's a great recommendation. There's just so much so much love in it and I think that's part of what I loved about it is that there's you know healing love and then there's relationship love and there's sibling love and there's parental love and it's just it's a really good book. It's really heartwarming and cozy. Yeah great. I'm excited to read it.

Meet me under the mistletoe was like an honorable mention for me also by Jenny Bayless and so like I'm I love the the sibling focus of a December term of her so I'm excited to get to that one.

Meet me under the mistletoe was last year's book right. Yeah that's a great one too that and that's that's different than this one that one's like down nabby meets for weddings in a funeral.

This one is like the holiday meets love actually so she's really got the corner on those like British romantic comedies from a book standpoint like you will feel the village where this book takes place you will be able to vividly imagine all the shops and and the setting.

And I like to that the book focuses on the winter solstice yes I forgot about that Christmas is a feature winter is a feature but they're they're heading towards winter solstice is the sort of like the pinnacle of the story happens at that point.

Yeah I mailed my copy to Ali who lives not too far from me so Ali I hope you love it as much as you love season for second chances I am very I think that's my favorite Jenny Bayless book Jillian I think you degree.

Yes absolutely it's I think about it all the time especially this time of year how I just want to live my life in a little old t shop and find a group of people who want to come in and drink 30 there and have a book club I think about it a lot.

So on the British seaside yeah yeah yeah Jillian and I did casting for a December to remember but I don't want to impose too much of our vision on the two of you are left to read it so we can take that to the group chat later.

All right so let's do a recap of the eight books that we've been able to recommend to the audience today so I recommended the grace of wild things by Heather Fawcett as well as the one and a million boy by Monica Wood Stephanie what were your books.

I recommended the four kingdom series by Melanie Celier and a family for Saint Nick by Barbara buyers I recommended Lillian box fish takes a walk by Kathleen Rooney and the maid by Nita pros and I recommended legends and lattes by Travis Baldry and a December to remember by Jenny Bayless.

Yay so hopefully there's something for somebody in that list and pile and live in real time we've been checking our libraries and they seem to have a lot of availability so hopefully you won't have too much of a weight if you go to your local library.

Thanks everybody for bringing your book recommendations Steph thank you for enduring the stress of book recommendations every time we ask Steph to come on the show and recommend books she's like what are books do I read.

Everyone's gonna hate my choices identity crisis but she still comes on the show with great recommendations anyway so I really just like talking to my friends and I can't say no to that so.

Warm fuzzy news it's time for hot takes and our current thoughts on book culture a hot take is an opinion usually formed off the cuff and with little research sometimes provocative and these gals do not know the hot take so this is going to really be.

Straight off the cuff alley super nervous you.

Okay today's topic is literary top 10 lists a yay or nay so this is when you find like publishers weekly or the Washington posts or the New York Times give their version of the top 10 books of 2023 there's all these lists are circulating the internet right now and they're very densely packed usually.

With high literary fiction are you in or you out Jillian you can go first.

Okay so I am.

Half in half out and I know that sounds like a cop out but here's why so I'm out because they are often obscure books and there it's a popularity contest so.

If so many people like a book it's going to win like the good reads contest it's it's all it is is just people the more people that like the book that book wins most of the time.

I'm in because sometimes those obscure books that when the popularity contest are really good so I will read some of them I'm not a I can't fully commit.

Stephanie what are your thoughts I thought the exact same thing I'm like I'm half in half out.

My immediate like got reaction is not hot this is tepid no here immediate got reaction was like no like not paying attention to that like what do they know they just want to sell books they're going to have all these like.

Like agenda driven books that nobody's ever actually read and I'm just going to like go to book top for my like actual recommendations yes but.

I do think like the good reads one and other one where it's like people's choice award style like I trust the people usually and so I'm like I want to know what everybody's loving and if that many people love the book it's probably worth looking into so.

The other like big name lists I'm kind of like I don't believe you good reads I'll look at and see if anything looks worth adding to my TBR but usually my TBR so long anyway I'm just looking at those lists to see what I've already read and pat myself on the back and move on see.

Did I read that book am I smart as the Washington.

Okay well I'll give my take which is I don't want to care but I do because I have personally found that newspapers or publishing media companies that you know put out a lot of content they do spend a lot of time on getting people who know books and who know stories to put these list together.

Now that being said I don't want to care because I haven't read any of these books and it makes me feel super dumb whenever I'm like I've read over 100 books this year none of them are on this list and I'm like well where the heck have I been who am I following but it is that influence like I think the good reads books I read way more of those good reads books and then that makes me kind of mad because then I'm like well that's the patriarchy I'm reading the books they want me to read and those are the books that end up on the good reads list are the books that have.

Huge publishing houses behind them there are the books that had huge they must have sent thousands of of advanced reader copies out into the internet so that I was attracted by the flat lay of all of these amazing book influencers and I haven't read nothing of obscurity this year whatsoever I feel like this year I've read more 2023 releases than any other year in my reading life and yet when I go to the Washington post I've like I've read a lot of 2023 releases this year surely.

And you're like hot diggery where all these books come from.

Hot diggery.

Allie what about you?

Yeah I want to say no but I do look at them like Steph said just to see if there was a book that I did read to be like yes I'm so smart.

But do I care?

I should right? I should care.

I don't think so. I don't want to care. Stephanie would tell you no.

Don't shut all over yourself.

All 10 of the top 10 books that were taken out of like the Hamilton Public Library I want to see what like people my community are reading.

I want to see.

Sometimes libraries will do that.

Libraries might do that if you go and check for your libraries like newsletter. Sometimes they do and the reason that you're reminding me you're like triggering my memory is our library the Mrs. Saga Public Library did that last year.

And the beautiful thing about that is that the top 10 books that were taken out of the library were published in 2020.

So there's like a two year delay on what gets taken out a lot by the library standards.

And I was like most of the books on that top 10 list were 2020 releases which I thought was like such an interesting and lovely thing is like

okay these books are on the 2023 list today but they're not going away. They're not going to like evaporate into the ether.

I did however spend an entire evening watching book YouTube reviewers of these lists and I really enjoyed I have to call out a particular creator called supposedly fun.

He does great you know sort of overviews of this conversation and even he hadn't read a lot of the books on the list but he had many of them and he's like I can't wait to read this I just haven't ready yet.

And I was like same same my guy same so if you're interested in book YouTube it's a hole that I recently fall down much to my delight.

And I'll tag supposedly fun in the comments if you're interested in that.

All right those are hot that was our hot take.

Now let's talk a little bit about what's on our holds list Ali what's on yours.

Okay so I have the things we leave unfinished by Rebecca yearos I'm not sure if that's how I pronounce her last name I know she's hot right now with iron flame.

Is that the book because I haven't even read it yet but this is like a book like I've heard many people recommend as well so I put that on my hold list.

You again by Kate Goldbeck and then just a couple audiobooks which I recommended or I mentioned last time we were in person recording.

So Britney Spears the women and me and Tom Lake by Ann Patchett.

What's your wait time on the women and me I'm so curious.

Let me see.

The woman in me is a book I'm so torn about number 1425 copies so we'll see you in the summer.

I'm like do I just buy it do I do I just buy it or only you know the answer to that question.

I have this weird book film about that Britney Spears book because everybody I feel like has read it like when I go to meetings and I'm like what's everybody reading because I'm that person.

People are like oh I just finished the Britney Spears memoir so good and I'm not I wasn't a Britney fan like no hate no shade but I grew up when she was really super popular but it just I had friends who idolized her and loved her and I totally get it my little sister loved Britney Spears.

But I feel like this book is just going to be so sad.

Yeah.

So so says yes but I also feel like everybody's reading it and I kind of want to be part of the conversation but it was on the good reads best one of like their categories so if you want to like deal.

She won she won the category that she was in so it's on one of the year and that doesn't surprise me.

I know and then I've heard the writing is a little bit juvenile but I do want to I do want to hear read her story.

Okay, Steph what's on your holds list.

Okay, I have so many on my holds list because I usually just use my hold list as like my TBR and then I just keep delaying things until they come up.

I'm really excited because three holidays and a wedding is about to come up and so that's going to make me feel like I'm reading something Christmasy.

And the company.

Who wrote that?

Who wrote that one?

The Jouzmah Jalaludin.

Oh my god.

So I'm excited about that one and the company of witches is there and then our friends Stephanie's slowly recommended Emily Wilds and Psychopedia fairies that's coming up.

So good.

Oh, that's my other face.

Okay, yes, yes, yes.

Okay, yeah.

Small world.

And then I'm really don't ask me because that book also won a good reads award.

Oh, did it.

I'm excited.

And she was.

Oh, am I imagining the wrong.

She was eligible, but I don't believe that she won.

Oh, maybe she maybe she did.

I looked at it today, but I was surprised because the grace of Wild things released in 2023 as well.

And I was like, those are two incredible books to release in one year.

I was just like so curious about that process to the Google.

Sorry, Steph, I interrupted you.

I just got really excited.

The more we talk about books, the more I.

Yeah, I don't remember if she want to reward and award for that one, but I've had it on hold for several months.

So I'm excited for that one to come up.

And then I'm really excited because the American Royals series, the last book in that series came out

and that I'm a couple weeks away from that coming up on hold.

It's called Rain and it's the last book of the American Royal series and it's by Catherine McGee.

I heard that was very enjoyable that book.

It's a fun series.

This is the series as though instead of George Washington winning and making a democracy, he became King George Washington.

Yeah, so if America had a monarchy and it has like a king and a queen and then it goes on to being a queen and their stories and wanting to marry a governor and what that would entail.

And yeah, it's fun.

I just wanted to say Encyclopedia Ferries came in fourth place. It was under Fantasy, came in fourth place and the Goodreads hellbent, the one with the rabbit on the cover.

Oh, LiBardo.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, that's a creepy cover.

We will link to the Goodreads list if anybody's interested because that's a nice little satisfying book rabbit hole to fall down.

Okay, I'm going to talk about my physical holds list, not my digital.

I have a book called Foster by Claire Keegan.

It's ready for pickup now and this is an author that was recommended by Parnassus Books, which is Anne Patchett's store.

I think they're in Nashville.

And Parnassus Books on Instagram has a really great account.

It's run by all of these like ladies, these like, these like, you know, mature ladies and they talk with no holds barred about books and Anne Patchett is often on there.

And she does the segment on Fridays called, if you haven't read this book, it's new to you.

And she recommends books that she thinks people maybe haven't read.

Anyway, one of the authors that Parnassus Books is really a fond of is Claire Keegan and Claire Keegan's recent book is called Foster.

So I have that.

So that's a book that I don't know very much about and an author I don't know very much about by a bookstore that I love.

And someday I hope to travel to Tennessee and visit Parnassus Books in person and maybe run into Anne Patchett herself.

Although I don't think she's necessarily like running around her own store.

But that's the one book that I have. And then I have two cozy Christmas reads ready for pickup, which I had forgotten that I had placed the first one is all I want for Christmas, which is by Maggie Knox.

Maggie Knox is a duo writer pair who wrote the holiday swap, which was on our first cozy Christmas reads episode. And that is a very fun, very sweet book. It's sort of like the parent trap for grown ass women in one goes to the city and one goes to the country and they swap places.

That's a really fun book. So I think I will really enjoy that. And then the other book I have I think was released last year.

It's called a Mary Little Meat Cute as anyone read that.

Oh, there it is.

So on Ellie's nightstand.

So on Ellie's nightstand along with 14 other books.

And actually I got this.

I don't know why I'm embarrassed to say this.

I got this in large print because it was available and I wanted to have it before Christmas in my library was like you can have this in March and I was like I don't want it in March.

What about the large print copy and they were like you can have that tomorrow and I was like then I will take the large print copy.

And someone had told me at work, you know, if you can't, if you really can't find a book and you really want to get it, usually the large print is available and that's like a library hack.

Now I wrestled with that a little bit because of accessibility and am I taking a large print book from somebody that might want it.

Yes, I am doing that.

So you can send me your hate and your shade in the comments if you want.

But it was available next week's hot take.

Next week's hot take.

Should you put large print books on hold if you don't need large print.

Anyway, I'm going to read it in like a day and return it the next day and then I won't feel guilty about that anymore.

And maybe I shouldn't have even said anything about this on Mike and maybe I'll delete the whole thing but you'll never know.

Anyway, so that's the third book that I have and then I have another 11 to 100 books on hold.

So we don't have to go all into that.

But those are the three that I have ready to get and I'm going to go tomorrow.

It was so fun.

All right, Jillian, you're up.

I actually do not have any books on hold waiting for me.

I have so hold on.

I don't have any waiting for me.

I just picked them up yesterday.

So that's why we're ready to like be like she lies.

I do have a love song for Ricky Wilde, which is the new Tia Williams book.

That's the seven days in June author.

Love that book. Very excited about this one.

I have a court of Thorn in Roses by Sarah J. Maws.

The Barry Pickers by Amanda Peters.

And then Holly Jolly Ever After by Julie Murphy and Rec The Halls by Tessa Bailey,

which I don't think I'm going to get those last two before the holiday is over because I am for for both of those,

which you don't think is very many.

But when people are holding them 21 days, it could be.

Yeah.

So I also have a Holly Jolly Ever After on my list.

That's the other that the Mary Me Cue.

Yeah. And they're kind of in order.

The Mary Me Cue. They kind of go.

Yeah, they're super spicy, but like fun.

But those are the ones in large print.

That's great.

Read that on the train with everyone.

Everyone will be able to read it.

Oh my god.

No, no, no, there's no shame.

100%.

But it's going to be hilarious if people are reading over your shoulder because there are some serious.

That is not a closed door book.

Can we?

Okay.

Listeners, I'll put it in stories when I get to the spicy scenes and my large print book.

And that was it.

Though that was the last of my books that I have waiting or not waiting for me.

Unhold.

Awesome.

That's great.

So it will never get old when I can like be voyeuristic into your library holds list.

Yeah.

Where you mean no end of joy.

I can't explain why I want to know what you have unhold.

I want to know what you have it right now.

I want to know all the things about all the books.

Oh, I just love it so much.

Okay.

Well, that wraps up episode 12 of Medium Lady Reads.

Medium Lady Reads is a spin off of the Medium Lady Talks podcast and Instagram community.

You can find me, Erin, on Instagram @medium.lady.

You can find Jillian @jillianfindinghappy.

You can find Stephanie @stefski and you can find Ali @ AliOpenLander.

All four of us are on Instagram and you can find lots of our current reads and other shenanigans.

And of course, you can follow the podcast itself @mediumladyreads.

So that's a lot of Instagram following that you have to do.

If you liked this episode, please share it with another bookish friend or post on Instagram.

Be sure to tag us. We would be tickled pink to hear from you.

Thank you for listening. I'm your host Jillian.

And I'm your other host, Erin. Until next time, we hope that your holds arrive quickly.

And your next book finds you right when you need it most.

We'll talk to you soon. Bye.

Bye.

[Music]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

People on this episode

Contributor

Erin Vandeven

Host
Head Shot

Jillian O'Keefe

Host