holiday

Women With Books - The Christmas Spirit, Actually

Women With Books - The Christmas Spirit, Actually

On this episode of the Women With Books podcast, I tell you all about the best thing I published in 2020…

What Books To Read this Christmas Holiday Season!

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What Holiday Book Should I read?

It’s that time of year! Time to curl up in a front of a fire – or go to bed early – with a lovely, cozy holiday book.

But there are so many! How can you choose?

I developed the Lindsay Emory Holiday Book Quiz to help you pick the perfect read this Christmas.

Get a piece of paper and a pen and answer this easy 6 question quiz!

1.       My favorite holiday recipes come from …

a.   Great Grandma Margaret’s time tested recipe books

b.      Pinterest

c.      Hallmark Home & Family

d.      Nigella Lawson

2.       My feelings about Emma Thompson…

a.       She was iconic in Sense & Sensibility

b.      She’s ruined Christmas with Last Christmas

c.       Oh! She married her cute coworker, right? That actor?

d.      I just love her British accent. It sounds so posh.

3.       My perfect holiday season isn’t complete without…

a.       Traditions like Christmas crackers, stockings & caroling

b.      A re-watch of Love, Actually

c.       A marathon of Hallmark movies & baking cookies

d.      A charcuterie board & champagne

4.       My Spotify holiday playlist includes…

a.      Carols and Celtic music

b.      Last Christmas by Wham!

c.       All I Want For Christmas is You by Mariah Carey

d.      Classics by Michael Buble and Tony Bennett

5.       My must-have holiday wardrobe accessory…

a.      A hand-knitted Scottish wool scarf

b.      A red Starbucks cup

c.      A fun Christmas sweatshirt & holiday leggings

d.      A French linen apron & Loro Piana sweater

6.       The holiday recipe I most want to try to make:

a.       A traditional figgy pudding

b.      Hot chocolate spiked with Peppermint Schnapps and Godiva liqueur

c.       Stuffed Caramel Pretzel Skillet Cookie (from Hallmark Channel Home & Family)

d.      Martha Stewart’s classic eggnog with fresh grated nutmeg

 

Now review all your answers… Did you get…

Mostly A’s? You will LOVE a historical romance!

Carriages, long walks in the country and yule logs make you swoon like a debutante at a Christmas ball.

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A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong – Cecilia Grant (FREE!)

The Swan – Piper Huguley

How the Dukes Stole Christmas – Tessa Dare, Joanna Shupe, Sophie Jordan and Sarah MacLean

 

Mostly B’s? You’re a Rom Com Fan (Who’s Probably Pissed about that Last Christmas Plot Twist)

Mix meet cutes with a little banter and add a whole lot of romantic tension and that’s your recipe for a perfect holiday read…

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The Island Christmas Spirit – Lindsay Emory

Royal Holiday – Jasmine Guillory

One Day in December – Josie Silver

UPDATED FOR 2020: Try the Christmas Actually anthology! 11 short holiday romantic comedies!

 

Mostly C’s? You’re a Tried and True Hallmark Addict

You know exactly what you want to read about - a reindeer farm, a baking contest, a small town inn. Lucky for you, I have the best Hallmark movies in book form picked out for you…

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The Secret Ingredient – Nancy Naigle

Sleighbell Sweethearts – Teri Wilson

A Gingerbread Romance – Lacey Baker

 

Mostly D’s? You Will LOVE yourself some Designer Destination Holiday Porn

How does Christmas in Cornwall, Colorado, Nantucket, or Wales sound? You’re sure to love a literary trip to a beautiful spot where breathtaking views, charming villages and decadent dinners await…

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Some links on this page may be affiliate links, which means I could receive a few coins for posting them. As always, thank you for your support and encouragement!

The 2019 All Purpose Gift Guide

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The 2019 All Purpose Gift Guide

Stocking Stuffers/ White Elephant/ For Everyone, Young and Old!

It’s baaaa-ack! 

Here’s this year’s version of the super-convenient, pretty-affordable, Prime-ready, one-stop shopping list. Almost everything on this list has been tested/ approved by me or someone close to me.  Enjoy!

For the person in your life who’s almost ready to bite the Botox bullet but also wants to try all the miracle products first:

Snail Mucin

For the brilliant coworker who spaces out in meetings but somehow pulls it all together in the end:

Visual notebook


For the neighbor who had their Christmas lights turned on November 1:

Christmas Lights charger

For your friend who hibernates from November to March:

Comfy



For the uber organized traveler who shows up three hours before flights and still prints out travel documents:

Multi charger

For new parents who are too busy to finish a cup of coffee before it cools off:

The picture is of this nice copper but that seems to be going in and out of stock, so the link below is for a black one. FYI.

The picture is of this nice copper but that seems to be going in and out of stock, so the link below is for a black one. FYI.

Ember



For the proto-hipster who insists on sleeping with their phone outside their bedroom because of electro-magnetic-whatevers but spends the other 18 hours a day scrolling…:

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Blue light glasses

For the nieces/ nephews when you forget how old they are/ don’t know what they like :

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Mechanical color pencils


For the fashionista who has everything, darling:

Airpod case


For the prepper/ parent/ crafter that needs to corral their stuff but also make it look good on Instagram:


Organizer


For everyone, seriously:




For the freelancer who spends 10 hours a day at their desk:



Elliptical



For the teenager who thinks she likes Bob Ross because it’s ironic but secretly loves feeling comforted in a world of strife and turmoil:

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Bob Ross Mug


For the person who would rather cook at home than put their nice bag on the bathroom/ restaurant floor:

Purse hook


For the hyperactive child/adult who always needs to move:

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And if you still can’t find what you’re looking for, check out some of my other lists!

2018 Gift List
Hygge List

Winter Beauty list


If I don’t get a chance to see you in person, I hope with all of my heart that you are able to celebrate whatever holiday makes your heart happy with whoever makes you laugh and brings you peace.

See you in 2020!

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Some links on this page may be affiliate links, which means I could receive a few coins for posting them. As always, thank you for your support and encouragement!














Perfect Holiday Gifts for Everyone

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Back for 2018! I’ve compiled a list of all my favorite things (kind of like Oprah, really) from this year that would make great gifts for everyone on your list - young, old, tall, short, etc.

Ready?

Let’s begin.

  1. My favorite purse hook! I recommended it here, this little baby stays on your bag, is discreet yet mighty. – Clipa on Amazon.

2. The holidays means time with family and friends and I can only stand the constant roar of sportsball for so long. Also tweens and teens need a reason to get off their phones. Enter the family board game.

Two of our family favorites are this domino game (apologies for the name. There needs to be a new name for this, right? Like Crooked Train?) and my favorite card/ board game, Sequence.

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3. Everyone needs cordless bluetooth headphones. I mean, it’s almost 2019!

I’ve bought 3 pairs of these. I use them until they fall apart and then buy another set. For $25, the value can’t be beat.

But if you want to upgrade someone’s listening experience, you can go with some noise canceling ones. My husband got these Bose headphones as a present to himself for business travel and they’re like a spa for your ears.

My cheaper favorite headphones seen out in the wild.

My cheaper favorite headphones seen out in the wild.

4. Great notebook & pens! Basic? Yes. But a lot of us planner nerds always appreciate a good writing pen and paper. A lot of people I know love a Rhodia Graph notebook. I’m going to ask Santa for a new Ecoqua grid notebook as I’m almost done with my old one.

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Seen - the inside of my Ecoqua notebook.

Seen - the inside of my Ecoqua notebook.

And of course, you already know I’m recommending my favorite Micron Pens.

5. I took a felt message board to a gift swap last year and I think it would still be a hit this year too!

Handy even when one does not have a book that’s been out for one month….

Handy even when one does not have a book that’s been out for one month….

6. Okay, this is the one gift suggestion that I don’t have YET. But I know a lot of people LOVE theirs and I’m definitely asking Santa for an air fryer too.

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7. My whole family loves their Swell / Yeti/ Corksicle bottles and tumblers.

My favorite corksicle tumbler with a limited edition HBIC Nation sticker on it!

My favorite corksicle tumbler with a limited edition HBIC Nation sticker on it!

If you know someone who likes to keep their cold drinks cold and their hot drinks hot, here are a few stainless steel vessels I thought were stylish and practical.

A Corksicle wood “carafe.”

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And then this special edition Swell bottle is pretty extra but in a sophisticated way.
Swell MCM:

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8. Packing Cubes! The gift that no one knows they need until they get them!

Of course there are the utilitarian ones. Perfectly functional and a great gift.

And the fancy princess ones. You decide who is getting them and how much you love them.

I’d love to hear if you also love these gifts or what your go-to gift for people is this year! ‘Tis the season for sharing all the helpful tips!