Happy Holidays y’all!! Welcome, or welcome back, to the Kissing Books newsletter. I’m PN Hinton, here to share my love of the romance genre with like-minded readers through a myriad of ways.
I hope that all of your spirits are doing well this month. I won’t lie; it’s been tough over on my end. I’m working through it and trying to remain as positive as I can. As with everything else, though, there are really good days and really bad days. To help with this, I’m trying to focus on things that genuinely bring me joy, small or large, such as my holiday music mix on Spotify.
Clearly, I love all the songs that are on there since I made it. But there are a few that will always lift my spirits no matter what. Those are This Christmas, specifically by the Temptations, as well as this specific version of The Little Drummer Boy that they have because it was one of my Dad’s favorites. I also really like Puppy for Hanukkah by Daveed Diggs because it’s flat-out adorable. Hopefully, one of those helps to brighten up your day too!
The holidays have arrived, and so has our new paperback level at TBR! If you (or a reader you know) are just over-carrying around bulky hardcovers or are looking for a more budget-friendly option, we’ve got you. Check out all the offerings at mybtro.com/gift, and give personalized reading recommendations customized for any and every reader.
Onto the rest of the newsletter!
Bookish Goods
Holiday Ghost Hoodie by AlbertClothingUS
I’m sure that by now, we all know that reading ghost stories at Christmas was the norm during Victorian times. The trend is making a comeback, and although I’m too late this year to add a lot to my TBR, that doesn’t mean I can’t plan for next year. And this would be a perfect reading shirt to do that in. $25.
New Releases
Game On by Seressia Glass
Samara is an avid gamer who uses her skills as a DEIA consultant to fight for equal representation in the gaming world. When she posts a righteous critique of the game Legendsfall, the fallout is pretty much what she expected it to be. What she didn’t expect was to be approached by Aron, the CEO of the studio behind the game, to collaborate to help make all his games more inclusive. As they work together, their relationship evolves from slight adversaries to something more. However, both are very aware of what could happen if their relationship goes public and how the blowback could affect them both personally and professionally.
Nochebuena by Stephanie Shea
Despite being a divorce lawyer, Camila considers herself to be a hopeless romantic. So when her parents announce that they are separating three weeks before Christmas, it is a shock to her system that forces her to shine a light on her own current marital troubles. Meanwhile, her wife Sutton is dealing with a particularly nasty bout of imposter syndrome, and her in-laws’ separation isn’t helping. Will they be able to overcome the current difficult season in their own marriage, or are they also destined for a separation?
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
For today’s recommendations, I wanted to highlight two first-time reads that I’m hoping to get through this holiday season. In general, I try to keep a relatively low number for the last month of the year since I know how busy it can be. Even with that, I still want to make a concentrated effort to get through those two, at the very least.
Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley
When Maryam and Anna found themselves on the same flight to Toronto, they never expected to go through a near-death experience or spill their deepest secrets to one another. They also didn’t expect to have to deal with the aftermath of those revelations after an emergency landing had all the passengers staying at the Snow Falls Inn, or the romantic possibilities that it brought their way.
Amor Actually: A Holiday Romance Anthology by Various
In this collection that is a more diverse spin on Love, Actually, you’ll get to experience seven different stories, all taking place on Nochebuena, about couples in all kinds of paths of life and the various ways they find love for Christmas.
Check out some of these later-in-life romances.
That’s all she wrote for today, friends. I’ll be back in your inboxes on Thursday, and in the meantime, I’m still occasionally over on the bird app under @PScribe801. I’ve also started a bookish Instagram @pns_bookish_world, which you can also give a follow to if you’re so inclined. Until we meet again, happy reading and stay hydrated.