It’s time for the triannual Bout of Books, and in keeping with my recent participation, I’m going low-key. I’m planning on reading a little every day. I hope to check out some new-to-me-blogs and to take part in at least one of the two Twitter chats.

The official lowdown: The Bout of Books readathon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It’s a weeklong readathon that begins 12:01 a.m. Monday, January 2, and runs through Sunday, January 8, in YOUR time zone. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are reading sprints, Twitter chats, and exclusive Instagram challenges, but they’re all completely optional. For all Bout of Books 36 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

The final Top Ten Tuesday topic of 2022 at That Artsy Reader Girl asks us to share the newest additions to our bookshelves. I don’t know that I can come up with the ten most recent precisely, because sometimes I pick up books from Little Free Libraries and forget to note them down, but these all came to live with me in the past six months:

1. Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell
2. Scattered Showers by Rainbow Rowell
3. On Writing by Stephen King
4. Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
5. Blanca & Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore
6. Lark and Kasim Start a Revolution by Kacen Callender
7. Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers
8. Rosie’s Traveling Tea Shoppe by Rebecca Raisin
9. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
10. The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir by Jennifer Ryan

How about you? What are some of the latest additions to your bookshelves? Have any arrived in the last week?

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic from That Artsy Reader Girl is one of my seasonal favorites: what sits atop my to-be read list for the winter:

1. Sonali Dev’s The Vibrant Years
2. A Tale of Two Princes by Eric Geron
3. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
4. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
5. Hugh Bonneville’s Playing under the Piano
6. Bookish People by Susan Coll
7. Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell
8. Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper
9. Lynn Steger Strong’s Flight
10. An Immense World by Ed Yong

What are you looking forward to reading in the upcoming season?

Also, if you haven’t been following along, check out the Virtual Advent Tour!

Since this week is a freebie week for Top Ten Tuesday at That Artsy Reader Girl I thought I’d share some holiday books I’m hoping to read this season.

But first, if you haven’t been reading this year’s Virtual Advent Tour, make sure you check out fellow bibliophile raidergirl3’s post for today. Want to join in the fun? We’d love some additional participants, and you can do things like share a book or film review, a recipe, or favorite tradition. Sign-ups are here.

Now, here’s my holiday list, all of which I own, are checked out from the library, or I reasonably expect will come in from holds:

1. The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox (grown-up The Parent Trap meets professional holiday baking)
2. Christmas by the Book by Anne Marie Ryan
3. Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli
4. Deck the Donuts by Ginger Bolton
5. Whiteout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon
6. Eight Nights of Flirting by Hannah Reynolds
7. The Christmas Clash by Suzanne Park
8. The Usual Santas edited by Peter Lovesey
9. 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston
10. The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore

How about you? Do you have any seasonal reading planned?

I struggled with this week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic from That Artsy Reader Girl, which asks us to share cozy reads. I mean, do you want unscary mysteries? Books you want to drink with a cup of cocoa? The Hallmark version of romance novels? Finally, I settled on ten books that I recommend that focus on things I personally find cozy:

1. If you like baking: With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
2. If you enjoy watching baseball: Summerland by Michael Chabon
3. If you like going to the library: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein
4. If you enjoy playing volleyball: Haikyu!! by Haruichi Furudate
5. If you like music: Solo by Kwame Alexander
6. If you enjoy playing games: Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia
7. If you like drinking tea: Rosie’s Travelling Tea Shop by Rebecca Raisin
8. If you enjoy spending time with your cat: The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart
9. If you like swimming: The Lido by Libby Page
10. If you enjoy traveling: Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Friends, we’re looking for people to write posts as part of the Virtual Advent Tour. If you’d like to participate (review a Christmas book or movie, share a personal tradition — including your own holiday blog series, or hype a local holiday event), visit the sign-up page and leave the date you’d like in the comments.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday from That Artsy Reader Girl is a Thanksgiving freebie. While wondering what new giant balloons we’d be treated to in this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, I decided that although Macy’s has historically been great about making balloons that include characters from films, tv, and literature, they might like some suggestions for bookish characters we’d like to see moved from the page to the sky. Here are my top ten recommendations:

1. The Cheshire Cat from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
2. Tigger from Winnie-the-Pooh
3. Peter from The Snowy Day
4. Charlotte from Charlotte’s Web
5. Max from Where the Wild Things Are
6. The Moomins
7. Amelia Bedelia
8. Madeline
9. Mr. Toad from The Wind in the Willows
10. Stellaluna

How about you? What characters would you like to see added to their giant balloon repertoire?

Also, would you like to join this year’s Virtual Advent Tour? Signups are now open for December.