Read-at-Home Mom Report: December 2024 Wrap-Up

As happened last year, I jumped right into the new year without finishing off last year's reading. Whoops! Here's the latest 2024 reading update. 

December Favorites

• The Christmas Book Hunt by Jenny Colgan
  I had never read this author before, and this was a very sweet holiday story.
• Five Stolen Rings by Gracie Ruth Mitchell 
  I love the way this author combines romance with mystery. The Home Alone references were really cute. 
• The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter 
  This was so well-written and so entertaining. Also a combination mystery/romance. 
  
  
  

• The Diddakoi by Rumer Godden
  I picked this at random from our shelves to read with my husband and our friend, and we all really enjoyed it. I kept saying it was like Blubber, but with travelers. 
• The Answer is No by Fredrik Backman 
  I hadn't read any Backman in a while, and I could not get over how good this was. It's a funny commentary on our current cultural climate.

Series and Sequels

• Cotswolds Holiday (Christmas Escape Book 7) by Kasey Stockson (3 stars)  
• Christmas After All (Happily Ever After All Book 1) by Cece Louise (3 stars)
• Christmas Tree Connection (Christmas Kisses & Cookie Crumbs Book 1) by Elle Rush (4 stars)
• First Term at Malory Towers (Malory Towers Book 1) by Enid Blyton (3 stars)
• Katie and the Cupcake Cure (Cupcake Diaries Book 1) by Coco Simon (4 stars)
• Mia in the Mix (Cupcake Diaries Book 2) by Coco Simon (3 stars)
• A Merry Little Murder Plot (Library Lover's Mystery Book 15) by Jenn McKinlay  
• Booked for Murder (Old Juniper Bookstore Mysteries Book 1) by P.J. Nelson (4 stars)
• Holiday Lights and Cocoa Cookie Nights (Christmas Kisses & Cookie Crumbs Book 2) by Meg Easton (4 stars)
• Jingle Bell Jilt (Gift-Wrapped Romance Book 5) by Mindy Burbidge Strunk (3 stars)
• Cocoa Kisses (Creekville Kisses Book 5) by Melanie Jacobson (4 stars)
• The Christmas Pact (Mountain Springs Christmas Book 1) by Meg Easton (4 stars) 
• The Christmas Bet (Mountain Springs Christmas Book 2) by Meg Easton (4 stars)
• St. Nick and Me are Mint To Be (Christmas Kisses & Cookie Crumbs Book 3) by Tamie Dearen (3 stars) 
• The Christmas Clause (Mountain Springs Christmas Book 3) by Meg Easton (4 stars)
• Molasses and Mr. Christmas (Christmas Kisses & Cookie Crumbs Book 6) by Lindsey Jesionowski (3 stars)
• Tying the Knot with her Sweet Scrooge (Christmas Kisses & Cookie Crumbs Book 5) by Ginny Sterling (2 stars)
• Madeleine's Mistletoe Meet Cute (Christmas Kisses & Cookie Crumbs Book 4) by Ellie Hall (2 stars)
• His Stand-in Holiday Girlfriend (Christmas in the City Book 1) by Kasey Stockton (4 stars) 
• Season's Schemings (Cyclones Christmas Book 1) by Katie Bailey (4 stars)  
• Trapped Under the Christmas Tree (Christmas Tree, PA Sweet Romcom Book 1) by Jessie Gussman (3 stars)

Stand-Alone Books 

• A Christmas Journey by Anne Perry (4 stars) 
• Holiday Hideaway by Mary Kay Andrews (4 stars)
• So Into You by Kathleen Fuller (3 stars)
• Judith Lankester by Marjorie Hill Allee (2 stars)
• A Bit Much by Lyndsay Rush (4 stars)
• Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne (4 stars)
• Strange New World by Carl Trueman (4 stars)
• A Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas (5 stars)
• Cookies, Lies, & Homicide by Angela Henry (3 stars)
• The Reed of God by Caryll Houselander (5 stars)
• Winter Dreams by F. Scott Fitzgerald (5 stars)

Family Reading Lists

M. (girl, 11 years, 1 month) 

• The Trumpeter of Krakow by Erik P. Kelly 

C. (girl, 9 years, 3 months) 

• The Singing Tree by Kate Seredy
• Katie and the Cupcake Cure by Coco Simon 
• Katie's War by Aubrey Flegg 
• Mia in the Mix by Coco Simon

E. (girl, 7 years, 2 months)

• The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum

R. (boy, 4 years, 9 months) 

• Penny and Peter by Carolyn Haywood 
• Mr. Putter and Tabby Pour the Tea by Cynthia Rylant 
• Mr. Putter and Tabby Bake the Cake by Cynthia Rylant 
• Poppleton in Winter by Cynthia Rylant 
• The Cozy Home by Ame Dyckman
• Construction Site: Taking Flight! by Sherri Duskey Rinker 
• Construction Site Mission: Demolition! by Sherri Duskey Rinker
• Three Cheers for Kid McGear! by Sherri Duskey Rinker
• Construction Site: Garbage Crew to the Rescue! by Sherri Duskey Rinker
• Construction Site: Farming Strong, All Year Long by Sherri Duskey Rinker
• Mighty, Mighty Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker
• Construction Site: Road Crew, Coming Through! by Sherri Duskey Rinker
• Construction Site on Christmas Night by Sherri Duskey Rinker
• Dan Frontier, Trapper by William Hurley 
• Dan Frontier with the Indians by William Hurley 
• Robert the Rose Horse by Joan Heilbroner 
• Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
• The Diggingest Dog by Al Perkins 
• I Am Not Going to Get Up Today by Dr. Seuss
• Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman 
• The Mysteries of the Universe by Will Gater

A. (girl, 4 years, 9 months) 

• More Ant and Bee (a few pages) by Angela Banner 
• Pig Wig Can Hit 
• Tag 
• The Cat Family Christmas by Lucy Brownridge
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar's 5-Minute Stories 
• Tom and Pippo and the Bicycle by Helen Oxenbury

My Top 30 Books of 2024

It has been a long time since it was this hard to narrow down my top books of the year. I was aiming for a top twenty-four, but couldn't get to a number smaller than thirty.  This year's favorites are divided into five categories: Catholic fiction, Catholic nonfiction, romance, nonfiction & poetry, and other fiction, with a bonus category for the books I was published in. 

Catholic Fiction

The first three books in this category were all published by Chrism Press, my new favorite publisher of Catholic fiction. Whatever the genre, this publisher hits it out of the park every time. The three titles that made my list are a romance, a mystery novel with horror elements, and a historical fiction novel.  I can't wait for more books by these writers. 

• Love in the Eternal City by Rebecca W. Martin
• Wake of Malice by Eleanor Bourg Nicholson
• To Crown with Liberty by Karen Ullo

I also loved these two "classic" Catholic novels, the first of which is a lengthy sci-fi novel that I read with my book club, and the second of which is a Graham Green-esque novel that I read along with Close Reads.

• Voyage to Alpha Centauri by Michael D. O'Brien
• Vipers' Tangle by Francois Mauriac 

The other three books in this category were, respectively, a teen romance graphic novel, a beautifully-crafted fictionalized biography of Julian of Norwich, and a short story collection that reminds readers of the true significance of the Catholic season of Hallowtide. 

• Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang
• I, Julian by Claire Gilbert
• Shadows: Visible & Invisible by Catholic Teen Books  

Catholic Nonfiction

The other four Catholic nonfiction titles on my list are an incredibly concise and well-written spiritual biography of my literary hero, Flannery O'Connor, a 2005 critique of Catholic education that explains how parishes often rob parents of their exclusive God-given right to educate their children, a book of advice from nuns to mothers raising children, and the most beautiful tribute - in poetry- to Flannery O'Connor and her legacy. 

• The Terrible Speed of Mercy: A Spiritual Biography of Flannery O'Connor by Jonathan Rogers
• Designed to Fail: Catholic Education in America by Steve Kellmeyer
• Mother to Mother: Spiritual and Practical Wisdom from the Cloister to the Home by Mary Cuff
• Andalusian Hours: Poems from the Porch of Flannery O'Connor by Angela Alaimo O'Donnell

Romance 

Not one, but two YA romances made my list! Both are amazingly well-written, and both have sequels that I am eager to read very soon. 

• Better than the Movies by Lynn Painter
• Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce

The other romances were also amazingly well-written. Three contemporary, one romantic suspense rom-com, and one sci-fi romance. 

• Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
• Cole and Laila Are Just Friends by Bethany Turner 
• The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter 
• Released by Amber Kirkpatrick 

Nonfiction & Poetry 

In this category is another favorite book by a favorite author, an entertaining look into the very interesting mind of a true independent thinker, a short but beautifully memoir of Eudora Welty's writing roots, the best craft book I've read about flash fiction, and a collection of poems I know I didn't understand, but which I loved so much I read it both my eyes and my ears.  

• This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett 
• Abominations: Selected Essays from a Career of Courting Self-Destruction by Lionel Shriver 
• One Writer's Beginnings by Eudora Welty 
• Going Short: An Invitation to Flash Fiction by Nancy Stohlman
• Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot 

Other Fiction 

And finally, the remaining titles are a hodgepodge: 

• The Road by Cormac McCarthy
  A powerful novel that made me bawl
  
  
• Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor
  A humorous and poignant novel about loneliness and age 
  
  
• ...And Ladies of the Club by Helen Hooven Santmyer
  A sweeping historical novel about post-Civl War middle America, which is the longest book I've ever read 

• A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton Porter 
  The best coming-of-age audiobook I've ever heard 
  
  

• Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith
  The second book in a new favorite series
  
  
• The Answer is No by Fredrik Backman
  A hilariously thought-provoking short story that snuck in just under the wire on December 30 
  
  
• The Diddakoi by Rumer Godden
  A lovely, concise middle grade novel, also sneaking in at the last minute, about a vulnerable child, do-gooders, and bullies.

My Books 

Finally, here is the list of books in which my own fiction appeared in 2024: 

• Summer Sweethearts by me and Rachel Lawrence
• Tails, Scales, & Tiaras edited by Meghan Kleinschmidt 
• Library Lovebirds by me 

• Another Chance to Get It Right edited by Nicole Frail  
• Written Tales Chapbook XV: Echoes of Ink edited by Kevin Saitta
• 12 Days of Book-Club-Mas Vol. VII from Once Upon a Book Club 

And wait for it...

The Bennetts Bloom releases in two weeks, on January 14th! You can pre-order the ebook for Kindle now. Paperbacks go on sale on release day. 

Homeschool Update: November/December 2024

All Grades

Latin 

We worked in Keep Going with Latin up to the point where the third declension was introduced. Then we took a break to go back and really nail down the first and second declensions before we proceed. We are doing "Latin bees" to drill vocabulary and declensions. 

Poetry

M. has not yet mastered "The Highwayman." C. memorized "In Flanders Fields," "Something Told the Wild Geese," and "A Christmas Carol" from The Wind in the Willows. E. memorized "Merry are the Bells" and "A Christmas Carol" by G.K. Chesterton. 

Catechism

We finished the section of the catechism on the incarnation and moved on to the chapter on redemption. We did our usual Advent prayers with the Jesse Tree. We used The Season of Light by Jay Cormier as our Advent Wreath book, and also prayed the Christmas Novena and watched some Brother Francis "Days of Advent" episodes. 

Art

In November, we studied:
Commuters by Norman Rockwell
Máh-to-tóh-pa, “Four Bears” by George Catlin
The Blind Girl by John Everett Millais
Dignity and Impudence by Sir Edwin Henry Landseer

In December, we studied:
Winter Landscape by Peter Brueghel
Sir William Pepperrell and His Family by John Singleton Copley
Madonna of the Chair by Raphael
Forever Free by Edmonia Wildfire Lewis

Music 

The girls have been watching Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts on Wednesday evenings. In November, they played "Skye Boat Song" in a recital. Since then, they have been practicing Christmas music on piano and soprano recorder. Additionally, C. has been playing alto and tenor recorder, M. has been playing alto and sopranino recorders, and E. has been playing the sopranino. 

5th Grade (M., girl, age 11)

Social Studies 

M. finished the Oxford University Press textbook about Africa and moved onto Asia. She watched related Great Courses videos and answered workbook questions daily. 

Science

M. continued watching John Long's Great Courses videos about robotics and did Arduino activities from Arduino for Beginners. 

English 

M. made further progress in Editor in Chief, Sentence Diagramming Level 2, Easy Grammar, and Vocabulary from Classical Roots B. 

Math

M. continues to do a Challenging Word Problem each day. She is still working on Algebra I on Khan Academy (around 80% complete). She is also still working through Life of Fred: Pre-algebra 0 with Physics.

3rd Grade (C., girl, age 9)

Social Studies

C. studied Prohibition and the 1920s and now she's moved into the 1930s and The Great Depression. She was especially interested in the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby. 

English

C. continued working on Sentence Diagramming Level 2 and Daily Grams, and she completed Vocabulary from Classical Roots 6. 

Science 

C. continued working independently on The Book of Birds. We worked together on Snap Circuits, up to chapter 5. 

Math

C. continued working on Singapore Primary Mathematics 4B, including correcting past incorrect answers. She continued Life of Fred: Honey and Khan Academy 7th grade math. 

1st Grade (E., girl, age 7)

Social Studies 

We continued reading from Story of Civilization, covering the Norman invasion, the Bayeux tapestry, monks, the Crusades, the Investiture Conflict, and a variety of medieval saints. E. watched Illuminations and The Secret of Kells. 

Science 

We read Let's Read and Find Out books about animals in shells, about living things and energy from the sun, about icebergs, glaciers, and arctic animals, as well as about satellites, rockets, computers, and telephones. 

English

E. continued working in Sentence Diagramming Beginning and Easy Grammar Workbook 3-4. 

Math

E. continued working on  Singapore Primary Mathematics 2B, finished Life of Fred: Cats and started Life of Fred: Dogs. She is in 5th grade math on Khan Academy.

Pre-K (R., boy, age 4 & A., girl, age 4)

R. read My Father's Dragon and Penny and Peter and started the Dan Frontier series. He started early math on Khan Academy. R. also used rods to make "trains" adding up to specific numbers. 

A. worked on sounding out three-letter words on flashcards. She also started reading an Ant and Bee book with me. She has been practicing tens and ones on her fingers and on the soroban. 

Both twins listened to a read-aloud of every single Beatrix Potter book. 

Read-at-Home Mom Report: November 2024 Wrap-Up

November Favorites

Lord of the World by Robert Hugh Benson
My book club read this and though I didn't have much to say in the discussion, I really loved the writing, especially in the final scene. 

A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter 
We listened to this as a family in the car going back and forth to Mass this fall. It took us a long time to finish, but I was captivated by every word, and even my four-year-olds seemed to get something out of it. This is more of a YA book, but it wasn't so YA that my tweens didn't appreciate it. 

Another Chance to Get It Right: A New Year's Eve Anthology, edited by Nicole Frail 
This one makes the favorites list because I have a story in it that I'm really proud of. I'm still eagerly awaiting my author copies, but I had an e-ARC to tide me over. Not every story will appeal to my readers, but there are some good ones in there. Nicole is also fantastic to work with, and I'm looking forward to 

...And Ladies Of The Club by Helen Hoover Santmyer 
This is the longest book I have ever read. I started in September and finished a few days before my birthday. It follows a group of women in a literary society over their entire adult lives, from college graduation just after the Civil War until most of their deaths in the 1930s. It's been a couple weeks, and I'm still thinking about these characters.  

The Day I Became an Autodidact and the Advice, Adventures, and Acrimonies That Befell Me Thereafter by Kendall Hailey
My husband recommended this light, funny memoir, reflecting on the author's decision to leave school early and teach herself. Lots of funny anecdotes and snappy lines in this one. 

Broken Harbor by Tana French 

This is not as good as The Likeness, but it was still so good. Tana French has such a distinctive writing style. She makes even ordinary things appear interesting. 

Read-Aloud and Homeschool Books

The Family That Prays Together Stays Together by Fr. Willy Raymond (all) (4 stars)

Choristers' Cake by William Mayne (older girls) (4 stars)

 Beatrix Potter books (twins)

Series and Sequels 

• What Katy Did (Carr Family Book 1) by Susan Coolidge (3 stars)
• Staged (Busybodies Collection Book 1) by Elle Cosimano (4 stars)
• The Reunion Dinner (Busybodies Collection Book 2) by Jesse Q. Sutanto (3 stars)
• Crime of Fashion (Busybodies Collection Book 3) by Emma Rosenblum (3 stars)
• The Nosy Neighbor (Busybodies Collection Book 4) by Nita Prose (5 stars)
• One Lucky Subscriber (Busybodies Collection Book 5) by Kellye Garrett (3 stars)
• A Classic Case (Busybodies Collection Book 6) by Alicia Thompson (5 stars)
• One Perfect Day (Romeo Family Romance Book 1) by Jennifer Youngblood (4 stars)
• Fatal Fried Rice (A Noodle Shop Mystery Book 7) by Vivien Chien (3 stars)
• Miss Buncle's Book (Miss Buncle Book 1) by D.E. Stevenson (4 stars)
• Cruel Winter with You (Under the Mistletoe Collection Book 1) by Ali Hazelwood (4 stars)
• Merry Ever After (Under the Mistletoe Collection Book 2) by Tessa Bailey (2 stars)
• Mallory Hates Boys (and Gym) (The Baby-Sitters Club Book 59) by Ann M. Martin (4 stars)
• Livid (Kay Scarpetta Book 26) by Patricia Cornwell (4 stars)

Stand-Alone Books 

• Legal Briefs: A Collection of Short Stories by G. Lynn Brown (4 stars)
• Misshelved Magic by S.R. Crickard (4 stars)
• An Abundance of Katherines by John Green (5 stars)
• The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin (4 stars)
• Jemima Shore's First Case: And Other Stories by Antonia Fraser (4 stars)
• Just Listen by Sarah Dessen (5 stars)
• Mystery & Mayhem: Twelve Deliciously Intriguing Mysteries, edited by Katherine Woodfine (3 stars)
• The Knowledge Gap: The Hidden Cause of America's Broken Education System--and How to Fix it by Natalie Wexler (4 stars)
• Do-Gooders: How Liberals Hurt Those They Claim to Help by Mona Charen (4 stars)
• Booked for the Holidays by Liz Maverick (4 stars)
• The Stolen Princess by Sandralena Hanley (4 stars)
• A Very Chapel Falls Christmas by Amanda Lauer (4 stars)
• Very Sincerely Yours by Kerry Winfrey (5 stars)

Family Reading Lists

M. (girl, age 11)

• When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead 
• Traveling Man by James Rumford

C. (girl, age 9 years, 2 months)

• from the You Choose series: 
• Spies of World War I
• World War I
• The Sinking of the Lusitania
• At Battle in World War I 
• Angel on the Square by Gloria Whelan 

E. (girl, age  7 years, 1 month)

• King Oberon's Forest by Hilda van Stockum 

R. (boy, age 4 years, 8 months)

• Reptiles Do the Strangest Things by  Leonora Hornblow
• Three Tales of My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett

A. (girl, age 4 years, 8 months)

• Pig Wig Can Hit by Barney Saltzberg

My husband 

• What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge
• The Tournaments of the Lions by Jay Williams 
• Shadow Hawk by Andre Norton
• The Emperor's Arrow by Burke Boyce
• The Day I Became an Autodidact and the Advice, Adventures, and Acrimonies That Befell Me Thereafter by Kendall Hailey
• Ravensgill by William Mayne
• Brother Dusty-Feet by Rosemary Sutcliff
• The Knowledge Gap: The Hidden Cause of America's Broken Education System--and How to Fix it by Natalie Wexler 

Homeschool Update: October 2024

All Grades

Latin

We continued working through Keep Going with Latin, and the girls created their own sentences to translate.

Poetry  

E. worked on memorizing "Merry Are the Bells," C. memorized "In Flanders Fields," and M. worked on "The Highwayman." 

Catechism

E. received her First Holy Communion at the Latin Mass. She and C. and M. worked on memorizing questions and answers about angels and sin.  

Art 

In October, we studied these works of art:

• The Peaceable Kingdom by Edward Hicks
• Tiger in a Tropical Storm by Henri Rousseau
• Improvisation 31 (Sea Battle) by Wassily Kandinsky
• Wallpaper & Patterned Fabric by William Morris

We also went on a field trip to the Walters Art Museum. 

Music

M., C., and E. finished watching Orchestra!, the 1991 documentary miniseries with Dudley Moore. They continued practicing a four-part arrangement (with dad) of Skye Boat Song on recorder in preparation for a recital. M. and C. did music theory every week, and all three did ear training on the computer. 

5th Grade (M., girl, age 10)

Social Studies

M. completed the first book in the Medieval & Early Modern World series from Oxford University Press and moved into the second, which focuses on Africa. She watched related Great Courses videos and answered workbook questions daily. 

Science

M. watched John Long's Great Courses videos about robotics and did Arduino activities from Arduino for Beginners. 

English 

M. made progress in Editor in Chief, Sentence Diagramming Level 2, Easy Grammar, and Vocabulary from Classical Roots B. 

Math

M. has done one challenging word problem each day, as well as 30 minutes of Khan Academy. She is 77% done with Algebra I. She is also still working through Life of Fred: Pre-algebra 0 with Physics.

3rd Grade (C., girl, age 9)

Social Studies

C. has been studying World War I using World War I for Kids as her spine. She watched several videos and wrote a narration about Franz Ferdinand. 

English

C. continued working on Sentence Diagramming Level 2, Daily Grams, and Vocabulary from Classical Roots 6. 

Science 

We changed C.'s schedule so that she works on both her birds curriculum and her Snap circuits curriculum every week. She read and did workbook pages for two chapters in The Book of Birds and we have nearly completed Lesson 3 in Snap Circuits. 

Math 

C. continued working in Singapore Primary Mathematics 4B and did four chapters in Life of Fred: Honey. She finished Khan Academy Sixth Grade Math and moved on to 7th grade. 

1st Grade (E., girl, age 7)

Social Studies

E. listened to several chapters in Story of Civilization Volume 3. She read Irish Pilgrim, Our Little Frankish Cousin of Long Ago, and Viking Settler and wrote narrations about St. Patrick and Charlemagne. 

Science

We read Let's Read and Find Out books about fossils and dinosaurs, rocks and volcanoes, nocturnal animals, and weight and weightlessness. We watched a video tour of the International Space Station and a Reading Rainbow episode about dinosaur fossils. 

English

E. continued working in Sentence Diagramming Beginning and Easy Grammar Workbook 34. 

Math 

E. continued working on  Singapore Primary Mathematics 2B. We discovered that Life of Fred was really easy for her, so we decided to move more quickly through each book, doing two chapters per day. She finished Apples and moved into Butterflies. She finished fourth grade math on Khan Academy and is now about halfway through fifth. 

Pre-K (R., boy, age 4 & A., girl, age 4)

R. and A. listened to the Let's Read and Find Out read-alouds. We also read aloud Halloween picture books and some other classic picture books. R. slowly began to move from easy readers to very basic chapter books. A. read Pig Wig. 

Read-at-Home Mom Report: October 2024 Wrap-Up

Coming Soon...My Book!

For me, the most exciting reading experience of October was reading through my own book for the final time and scheduling its release on Amazon. The Bennetts Bloom publishes January 14, 2025. You can learn more in this FAQ about the book, and pre-order the Kindle version on Amazon. 

October Favorites

My other favorites from October were an interesting mix. 

Stoking the Flames by Ash Keller
This is a short novella that is part of a series of romances involving the members of a fire department. I love shorter stories like this, and I especially like this author's writing. 

Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith
All I ever do while I'm listening to this series is say over and over again, "J.K. Rowling is such a genius." But truly, she is just an excellent writer, and this was dark, but still so good. I have the next book of the series in paperback and I can't wait to dive in. 

Vipers' Tangle by Francois Mauriac
I read this with Close Reads, and my first impression was that this author is just like Graham Greene. Turns out, Mauriac is kind of known as the French Greene. I really loved this and would read it again. 

Some Like It Cold by Elle McNicoll 
It's not often that you find a unique voice like this in YA, but this author's writing is so clever and different. The audiobook narration really brought this one to life for me. 

Read-Aloud Books

• The Kellyhorns by Barbara Cooney (4 stars)
• The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling (3 stars)

Series and Sequels

• The Body in the Library (Miss Marple Book 2) by Agatha Christie (4 stars)
• Christmas in the Castle Library (In the Castle Library Book 2) by Ann Swindell (4 stars)
• Happy Birthday, Dear Beany (Beany Malone Book 7) by Lenore Mattingly Weber (3 stars)

Stand-Alone Books

• The Christmas Inn by Pamela M. Kelley (3 stars)
• We Are Experiencing a Slight Delay by Gary Janetti (3 stars)
• Nora, Nora by Anne Rivers Siddons (3 stars)
• Salvation Is from the Jews by Roy H. Schoeman (4 stars)
• The White Coat Diaries by Madi Sinha (4 stars)
• One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery (3 stars)
• A Christmas Duet by Debbie Macomber (4 stars)
• Tree. Table. Book. by Lois Lowry (4 stars)
• Mistletoe Season: Three Christmas Stories by Sheila Roberts, Pepper Basham, and Kathleen Fuller (4 stars)
• A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley (3 stars)
• Lies My Liberal Teacher Told Me by Wilfred Reilly
• Sweet Boo by Sophie Sweet (4 stars)

Family Reading Lists

M. (girl, 10 years, 11 months)

• Knight Crusader by Ronald Welch

C. (girl, 9 years, 1 month)

• Thunder in the Sky by K.M. Peyton 
• The Hotel Balzaar by Kate DiCamillo 
• The Good Master by Kate Seredy 
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

E. (girl, 7 years)

• Our Little Frankish Cousin of Long Ago by Evaleen Stein 

R. (boy, 4 years, 7 months)

• Arthur's Halloween Costume by Lilian Hoban
• Oliver and Amanda's Halloween by Jean van Leeuwen
• Walpole by Syd Hoff
• Sleeping Ugly by Jane Yolen
• Detective Mole by Robert M. Quackenbush
• Detective Mole and the Halloween Mystery by Robert M. Quackenbush
• Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
• Play Ball, Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish 
• Babar and the Ghost by Laurent de Brunhoff

A. (girl, 4 years, 7 months)

• Pig Wig 

Twins' Readalouds

• The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
• The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin by Beatrix Potter
• The Tailor of Gloucester by Beatrix Potter
• A Tiger Called Thomas by Charlotte Zolotow
• Witches Four by Marc Brown

My husband 

• A Passion Play by Brian Rabey
• Minstrels in the Gallery by David Rees