#A Holly Jolly Diwali

[inlovewithquotes]

Being in love wasn't just about how you felt about the other person. It was how you felt about yourself when you were with that person. It was knowing, without a doubt, that you were living each day as the best version of yourself.

-A Holly Jolly Diwali

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

let's become the best versions of ourselves, together.

[desdasiwrites]

– Sonya Lalli, A Holly Jolly Diwali

[avibus-libri]

I'm SO mad like every year my reading challenge has 'book set during a holiday' as a category and I don't really like themed fiction like that so it's always a drag to find something and I'm only just now realising I could've done. Fuckin. Gawain n the green knight. Different translation each year. Sorted.

[televinita]

Reading the excellently-titled A Holly Jolly Diwali, and I choked at the description of this girl's imaginary fantasy man:

"A man who conveniently had the looks and general sex-god aura of Chris Hemsworth and Riz Ahmed combined."

Sorry, Riz Ahmed? Riz Ahmed?? I had to look him up to be sure I was thinking of the right person, but I was, and I truly cannot even begin to imagine attaching the label "sex appeal" (let alone god) to this man's image.

[bookclub4m]

Episode 168 - Holiday Romance

It's Valentine's Day, so this episode we’re talking about Holiday Romance! We discuss what counts as a holiday, Christmas, nostalgia, 1st vs. 3rd person narration, and how all the stories we read are “fine.” Plus: There’s only one bed!

You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or your favourite podcast delivery system.

In this episode

Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | Jam Edwards

Things We Read (or tried to…)

Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

Someone to Trust by Mary Balogh

Yule Planet by Angel Martinez

Alaskan Holiday by Debbie Macomber

Other Media We Mentioned

The Red Satin Collection by Giselle Renarde

The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer (the Hanukkah one Jam mentioned)

Casper Gets His Wish by R. Cooper (the elf one Jam mentioned) (from Episode 063: Cheap eBooks)

The Frontier Romance: Environment, Culture, and Alaska Identity by Judith Kleinfeld

Links, Articles, and Things

Hark! Episode 328: Brand Synergy

When Is ‘Cuffing Season?’

New Christmas Movies You Can Stream This Season (2022)

How to watch all 172 new Christmas movies in December

Quiz: What Queer Holiday Romance Should You Read?

Escape from the Holidays

24-hour comic (Wikipedia)

20 Holiday Romance books by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) Authors

Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcasts chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here.

The Holly Dates by Brittainy C. Cherry

Whiteout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon

Sweet on You: A Filipino Romance by Carla de Guzman

Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory

Kwanzaa Angel by Shirley Hailstock

Mangos and Mistletoe by Adriana Herrera

Amor Actually: A Holiday Romance Anthology by Adriana Herrera, Alexis Daria, Diana Muñoz Stewart, Mia Sosa, Priscilla Oliveras, Sabrina Sol, and Zoey Castile

Merry Inkmas by Talia Hibbert

Tempted at Midnight by Cheris Hodges

One Christmas Wish by Brenda Jackson

Grand Theft N.Y.E. by Katrina Jackson

Gettin' Merry: A Holiday Anthology by Beverly Jenkins, Francis Ray, Geri Guillaume, and Monica Jackson

A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli

Holidays with the Wongs by Jackie Lau

Ready When You Are by Gary Lonesborough

Also published under the title The Boy From the Mish

The Holiday Switch by Tif Marcelo

Right Beside You by Mary Monroe

Love Me This Christmas by Jasmine Nicole

The Christmas Clash by Suzanne Park

All I Want Is You by Kayla Perrin and Deborah Fletcher Mello

Give us feedback!

Fill out the form to ask for a recommendation or suggest a genre or title for us to read!

Check out our Tumblr, follow us on Twitter or Instagram, join our Facebook Group, or send us an email!

Join us again on Tuesday, February 21st it’s time for What is a book? (part 2)!

Then on Tuesday, March 7th we’ll be discussing the genre of Gender Theory and Gender Studies! 

[the-book-queen]

Hide your wallets, it’s that time again! #TBQsBookDeals

Your Tuesday thread of #romancedeals is ready, $0.99 to $1.99. Happy shopping! 📚❤

  $0.99 ✦ Pushing His Luck by Kira Archer

He's the CEO of the family business, she's a risk assessor. He's her new client, but their meet cute involves a spilled drink.

Contemporary Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/3Fs8lYc 

$0.99 ✦ Tangled in Tinsel by Ellen Mint

Dean owns an antique shop in the city and is currently looking for a specific item in other towns. Levi runs a tree farm.

Contemporary Romance (MM) | https://amzn.to/3VRiT8z 

$0.99 ✦ To Covet a Countess by Sapna Bhog

Meet-cute during a snowstorm, she's holding a dagger to his throat -- and then ends up fainting in his arms.

Historical Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/3VAGZ7Q 

$0.99 ✦ Home for the Howlidays by C.D. Gorri

ER doctor/wolf shifter suddenly finds his fated mate, a human, at the annual holiday ball.

Paranormal Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/3Y1AbBO 

$1.99 ✦ A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli

1st POV. Type-A data analyst + free-spirited musician.

Contemporary Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/3urXSpC 

 Putting these lists together takes time. If you appreciate this content, please consider buying me a Ko-Fi. http://ko-fi.com/danielletbq 

[laceyrowland]

UBN Challenge 2023 Recap - Part IV

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Part IV of the Ultimate Book Nerd Challenge 2023 Recap - Categories 31-40!

There's a lot of overlap with these categories and the poetry I read for the Sealey Challenge. The books in this particular section of the list were some of the most educational books I read. Educational in the sense that I learned a lot from them--craft-wise, culturally, history-wise, artistically. I also enjoyed reading a book I'd meant to read for my PhD, without having to read for the purpose of gleaning material to write a seminar paper.

Perhaps you've been in a situation where you have different ways of reading or maybe you have no idea what the heck I'm even talking about. Graduate school (both MFA and PhD) shaped the way I read for good and bad. I love that now when I read I can appreciate the art of the writer, the craft on the page, the magic of how a narrative is created. It's a separate pleasure than "reading for pleasure" and one I appreciate most as I read poetry (because I'm learning to write poetry as I read it).

And then there's the type of reading that's for analysis, that's for hunting for things to write about in the context of theory or an academic paper. Reader, I learned the hard way that I'm an artist, not an academic, when it comes to literature.

Stay tuned for the final installment of the UBN Challenge 2023 Recap and I'll share my absolute favorite reads!

Now for the recap of what I read for categories 31-40:

31. Read a book set in your dream vacation location - Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri *  32. Read a book by a Pacific Northwest author - Dialogues with Rising Tides by Kelli Russell Agodon *  33. Read a book based in the Middle East - The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi * 34. Read a book about a social movement - Exile and Pride: Disability, Queerness and Liberation by Eli Clare * 35. Read a book required in school - Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut *  36. Read a book from your to-be-read list - Enchantment by Katherine May 37. Read a book about a holiday tradition you don’t celebrate - A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli 38. Read a book with “Rain” in the title - The Rain in Portugal by Billy Collins 39. Read a book with recipes - Loves You by Sarah Gambito *  40. Read a book that takes place on a boat/ship - The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka * (This one was a stretch because only the first chapter takes place on a boat...)

*Books I would reread or recommend to a friend.

[read-alert]

I gotta whittle this thing down

Every month I go "Wow, I really bit off more than I can chew with this TBR; I'll make a smaller one next month," and every month I proceed to make a way too big TBR

[thatwritererinoriordan]

[trishadoeseverythingbutstudy2]

The ARC Gazette, from yours truly #7

The ARC Gazette, from yours truly #7

It has been a slightly busy week, with loads of reviews written, some much awaited approvals, and review ratio finally picking up!! ARCs releasing this week The Queen Will Betray You, 6th of July, 2021: I just finished The Princess Will Save You this morning, and suffice it to say, I am so glad I was approved for the sequel already because I cannot wait to start! If Only, 6th of July, 2021: I…

[ineedahugesticktobeatyou]

2022 Reading Challenge | A romance novel by a BIPOC author

17/40. Holly Jolly Diwali - Sonya Lalli

I supposed, when it came to love, it didn’t really matter who we were and where we came from. The only thing that mattered was that each person made space for and respected the other.

★★★✩✩

[nope-nora]

assigning taylor swift songs to romance novels I’ve read (part 1)

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman -> I Think He Knows: the obvious choice, considering it’s on Alice’s playlist for the series. this song is sweet tribute to the feeling of being so attracted to someone you can’t help yourself, which I think is a fair way of describing Charlie in Vol. 1.

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston -> illicit affairs: the drama, passion, and love combined with anger at their lover for making them feel that way just makes this the perfect song for Henry and Alex. the sense that their fling has to end is upended by their choices later in the novel, which is summed up in “you know damn well, for you, I would ruin myself, a million little times.”

How to Fail at Flirting by Denise Williams -> Delicate: the perfect fit for a novel about a short fling that accidentally turns into a great love story and the characters’ vulnerability that comes along with it.

The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun -> peace: Cochrun should take this as a high compliment as this is one of my fave Taylor songs of all time. The novel focuses on Dev and Charlie’s intense mental health struggles, and they constantly ask themselves if a lover will fully accept all their flaws.

The Simon Snow Trilogy by Rainbow Rowell -> hoax: a story as tumultuous as Simon and Baz’s deserves a song about pain and who will love you at your worst. the bridge in particular reminds me of Simon’s gifted child burnout is just as difficult for him as his experience with fame, but the chorus reminds us that Baz is who he will be sad with.

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams -> Holy Ground (Taylor’s Version): as a couple that fell in love as teenagers and were reunited when they were older, a song happily reminiscing on when they were each other’s lifeline was a nice choice. even when they’re happy after, they want the other one there.

Folk of the Air Trilogy by Holly Black -> … Ready For It?: really, all of reputation can describe Jude and Cardan’s relationship. the intense drama and falling in love amidst the chaos, which they obviously experience, is at the core of this song.

A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli -> Starlight (Taylor’s Version): getting lost in a fun dance and falling for someone at the same time just sums up how Nikki and Sam met perfectly.

The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams -> All You Had to Do Was Stay: yes, I’m assigning a breakup track 5 to a love story. however, as a second chance romance, this song is a good representation of the problems in Gavin and Thea’s relationship that they had to fix.

When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn -> ivy: I’ve read a theory that the narrator in ivy is not actually married but a widow, filled with guilt about moving on from her departed spouse. that interpretation brought to my mind the guilt Francesca experiences when she moves on, but she does so anyway.

[rockislandadultreads]

Holiday Humors: Romance Recs

The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer

Oy! to the world Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt is a nice Jewish girl with a shameful secret: she loves Christmas. For a decade she’s hidden her career as a Christmas romance novelist from her family. Her talent has made her a bestseller even as her chronic illness has always kept the kind of love she writes about out of reach. But when her diversity-conscious publisher insists she write a Hanukkah romance, her well of inspiration suddenly runs dry. Hanukkah’s not magical. It’s not merry. It’s not Christmas. Desperate not to lose her contract, Rachel’s determined to find her muse at the Matzah Ball, a Jewish music celebration on the last night of Hanukkah, even if it means working with her summer camp archenemy—Jacob Greenberg. Though Rachel and Jacob haven’t seen each other since they were kids, their grudge still glows brighter than a menorah. But as they spend more time together, Rachel finds herself drawn to Hanukkah—and Jacob—in a way she never expected. Maybe this holiday of lights will be the spark she needed to set her heart ablaze.

The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox

All they want for Christmas is a different life. When chef Charlie Goodwin gets hit on the head on the L.A. set of her reality baking show, she loses a lot more than consciousness; she also loses her ability to taste and smell--both critical to her success as show judge. Meanwhile, Charlie's identical twin, Cass, is frantically trying to hold her own life together back in their quaint mountain hometown while running the family's bustling bakery and dealing with her ex, who won't get the memo that they're over. With only days until Christmas, a desperate Charlie asks Cass to do something they haven't done since they were kids: switch places. Looking for her own escape from reality, Cass agrees. But temporarily trading lives proves more complicated than they imagined, especially when rugged firefighter Jake Greenman and gorgeous physician's assistant Miguel Rodriguez are thrown into the mix. Will the twins' identity swap be a recipe for disaster, or does it have all the right ingredients for getting their lives back on track?

A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli

One type-A data analyst discovers her free-spirited side on an impulsive journey from bustling Mumbai to the gorgeous beaches of Goa and finds love waiting for her on Christmas morning. Twenty-nine-year-old Niki Randhawa has always made practical decisions. Despite her love for music and art, she became an analyst for the stability. She's always stuck close to home, in case her family needed her. And she's always dated guys that seem good on paper, rather than the ones who give her butterflies. When she's laid off, Niki realizes that practical hasn't exactly paid off for her. So for the first time ever, she throws caution to the wind and books a last-minute flight for her friend Diya's wedding. Niki arrives in India just in time to celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights, where she meets London musician Sameer Mukherji. Maybe it's the splendor of Mumbai or the magic of the holiday season, but Niki is immediately drawn to Sam. At the wedding, the champagne flows and their flirtatious banter makes it clear that the attraction is mutual. When Niki and Sam join Diya, her husband and their friends on a group honeymoon, their connection grows deeper. Free-spirited Sam helps Niki get in touch with her passionate and creative side, and with her Indian roots. When she gets a new job offer back home, Niki must decide what she wants out of the next chapter of her life--to cling to the straight and narrow like always, or to take a leap of faith and live the kind of bold life the old Niki never would have dreamed of.

It Started with a Dog by Julia London

All Harper Thompson wants for Christmas is the huge promotion she's worked so hard for--which she should get, as long as her launch of the hip new coffeehouse, Deja Brew, goes according to plan. Jonah Rogers is trying to save his family's coffee shop, Lucky Star, from going out of business, which will be tough with the brand-new Deja Brew opening across the street. When Jonah and Harper meet for the first time after accidentally swapping phones, their chemistry is as electric as a strand of Christmas lights. He's a tall, handsome, compassionate hunk of engineer, and she's an entrepreneur whose zest for life is very sexy. They love all the same things, like scary movies, greasy food--and most of all, dogs. It's a match made in heaven...until Jonah finds out that Harper's the one about to put him out of business. Only one coffee shop likely can survive, and a competition of one-upmanship ensues in a battle of the brews. The paws really come out when the local rescue shelter has a fundraiser where local businesses foster dogs, and patrons vote with their dollars for their favorite pup. Harper takes in an adorable old bulldog on behalf of Deja Brew, while Jonah fosters a perky three-legged dachshund for Lucky Star. As the excitement builds for who will be crowned King Mutt and king of the coffee hill, Harper and Jonah must decide if their connection was all steam or if they are the perfect blend.

[princessofbookaholics]

I'd just like to say that I'm loving the color palette of this month's book covers! The mix of pink, yellow, orange and green! November was fun! I hosted Diversathon and enjoyed my time reading some diverse books! My favs for the month were definitely The Spanish Love Deception and Dial A For Aunties! Here's the wrap up:

A Holly Jolly Diwali ⭐⭐⭐

Stillhouse Lake ⭐⭐⭐

That Way Madness Lies ⭐⭐⭐

Stargazing ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rise to the Sun ⭐⭐⭐

A Time to Dance ⭐⭐⭐⭐

In the Dream House ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Night ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dial A For Aunties ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Spanish Love Deception ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Gender Queer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Great Alone ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Play ⭐⭐⭐

You've Reached Sam ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Girl from the Sea ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Christmas Sisters ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[bookclub4m]

20 Holiday Romance books by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) Authors

Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcasts chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here.

The Holly Dates by Brittainy C. Cherry

Whiteout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon

Sweet on You: A Filipino Romance by Carla de Guzman

Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory

Kwanzaa Angel by Shirley Hailstock

Mangos and Mistletoe by Adriana Herrera

Amor Actually: A Holiday Romance Anthology by Adriana Herrera, Alexis Daria, Diana Muñoz Stewart, Mia Sosa, Priscilla Oliveras, Sabrina Sol, and Zoey Castile

Merry Inkmas by Talia Hibbert

Tempted at Midnight by Cheris Hodges

One Christmas Wish by Brenda Jackson

Grand Theft N.Y.E. by Katrina Jackson

Gettin' Merry: A Holiday Anthology by Beverly Jenkins, Francis Ray, Geri Guillaume, and Monica Jackson

A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli

Holidays with the Wongs by Jackie Lau

Ready When You Are by Gary Lonesborough

Also published under the title The Boy From the Mish

The Holiday Switch by Tif Marcelo

Right Beside You by Mary Monroe

Love Me This Christmas by Jasmine Nicole

The Christmas Clash by Suzanne Park

All I Want Is You by Kayla Perrin and Deborah Fletcher Mello