Good morning! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Ours was delightful, with lots of laughs, baby snuggles, good food, and quality time spent with family and friends. My kids' favorite gift was surprise tickets to see U2 perform at The Sphere in Las Vegas. A few months ago, my husband went to see the concert with a buddy, and he hasn't stopped talking about it, so we decided to road trip to Vegas in February with our two youngest and experience it together. 

Thank you for all of your good wishes for my daughter-in-law. She was discharged from the hospital yesterday afternoon. Although she's still in a lot of pain, she and my son are thrilled to be back home. I'll be delivering their dog to them later today so their little family can all be reunited after a long week apart. My DIL still has a long recovery in front of her, so continued prayers/good vibes are very much welcome!

For those of you who have been dying to know what my son added to my Jesus collection this Christmas, wonder no more:

Buddy Christ makes me laugh. I'm not a dashboard figurine kind of person, so he'll be joining the other Jesuses on my desk.

Updated (12.28.23): My aunt thinks this Jesus giving tradition is sacrilegious. Since some of you might feel the same way, I better reiterate that I love and honor Jesus Christ as not just my loving elder brother (the son of my Heavenly Father) but also as my Savior. I do, however, have a sense of humor about being a "Jesus freak," and this tradition has been a way for my son and I to connect over the sometimes sticky issue of religion. So, even though it might seem a little irreverent, I love that we have this fun tradition. 

Anyway, today's Top Ten Tuesday prompt is, not surprisingly, Top Ten Most Recent Additions to My Bookshelf. "Santa" hid a fun bookish goodie under my tree. I've also gone a little crazy with the book buying lately thanks to Christmas, my recent birthday, and Barnes & Noble's new rewards program. I'm also heading to my favorite indie this afternoon to take advantage of the discount I get during my birthday month. Bottom line: I have a *few* acquisitions to share with you today. Funnily enough, when I mentioned to my husband that I really needed to put myself on a book buying ban in 2024, he just said, "You don't have to do that." My bookshelves are stuffed to the gills with unread books, so I really DO need to do that. Ha ha. 

TTT is hosted, as always, by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl. She's sick today, so click on over there and give her some extra love, won't you?

1. Melanie Jacobson book box—Let's start with the cute bookish gift I found under my tree yesterday. When Melanie Jacobson—an author who writes sweet contemporary romances and was a very enthusiastic supporter of my own attempts to pen a novel years ago—announced that she was sponsoring a Christmas book box in conjunction with Hares and Hatters Bookshop (an indie in Pocatello, Idaho), I decided to order it for myself. It came with three hardcovers from her cozy Creekville series (Cocoa Kisses, Kiss the Girl, and Scrooge and the Girls Next Door), plus some cute surprises: an apron, a mug, hot cocoa mix, cookies, etc. Lots of fun!

2. Artifice by Sharon Cameron—Cameron is one of my favorite YA authors. I have enjoyed all of her books and I especially loved Bluebird, a World War II novel. I've been eyeing her newest, Artifice, ever since it came out. Since I was at Barnes & Noble anyway and I had rewards points to use, I went ahead and bought myself a copy.

3. Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson—Since my B&N point bank needs to be refilled, I sacrificed and bought a copy of this buzzy murder mystery.

4. Gull Island by Anna Porter—This thriller about a woman who travels to her family's cottage seeking answers about her missing father looked intriguing, so it came home with me as well. Huh. I just looked the book up on Barnes & Noble and Amazon to get a cover image and Gull Island does not get very good ratings/reviews. Oops. At least it was 50% off!

5. Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village by Maureen Johnson and Jay Cooper—I love Johnson's murder mysteries. I've been wanting to read this one ever since it came out. My parents got me an Amazon gift card for my birthday, so I used it to purchase a copy. I'll be in a few quaint English villages this Spring and as much as I love researching my ancestors, I really don't want to die where they did. Thankfully, I've got this guide to keep me safe!

6. The Pact by Sharon Bolton—I love Bolton's Lacey Flint series and I haven't been able to find this newest installment in my local libraries. Amazon gift card to the rescue!

7. The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose—Earlier this year, I signed up for the Book of the Month club. After a few months, I decided it really wasn't worth the cost for me. This murder mystery, sequel to The Maid (which I loved), was my last request from BOTM before I cancelled my membership.

8. Women of the Post by Joshunda Sanders—I've been wanting to read this historical novel ever since it came out. It's based on the real story of a battalion of Black women who found purpose in serving with the Women's Army Corps during World War II. Their job was to sort the copious amounts of mail being sent to soldiers every day from their loved ones.

9. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt—Deanna has convinced me that I need to read this book, even though it doesn't necessarily sound like my kind of thing. When someone in my book club suggested we read it next year, it seemed like another sign from the universe. I listened and bought myself a copy.

10. The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan—Another World War II novel, this one is about a Malayan woman who made the desperate decision to become a spy for the Japanese government ten years ago. That action has brutal consequences in her present. When the woman's teenaged son disappears, she must risk everything to save her family.

There you go, the last ten (actually thirteen, but who's counting?) books that have found their way onto my already overcrowded bookshelves. Have you read any of them? Did Santa bring you any bookish goodies? Which titles have you acquired lately? I'd truly love to know. Leave a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog. I also reply to comments left here (although I am a week or so behind).