Happy Fourth Night of Hanukkah, and happy first of December!
Right about now is the time that I realize that for us, the holidays are mid-way through, but for many people, the shopping is just beginning. Good luck out there!
Ready for our fourth night of Hanukkah giveaway? Let me help you carry some things!
Today’s prize is:Â a Kate Spade Chelsea Satchel in Pomegranate!
I love satchels. They hold so much stuff and also stand up when I put them in the car.
Want some specs?
- The bag measures approximately 10.2″h x 14.2″w x 5.2″d
- The handle drop is 5.8″ and the strap drop is 22″
- It has a zip closure across the top
- It has interior front zip and slip pockets (perfect for phones)
- It has exterior front zip and two side pockets, too!
Want to enter? Yay!
Just leave a comment and tell us what book you read that brought you incredible joy this year?
Standard disclaimers apply: I am not being compensated for this giveaway. Void where prohibited. Open to international residents where permitted by applicable law. Must be over 18 and ready to carry exactly the right amount though the website said something about an avocado and I’m not sure you will need to carry one all the time. Not responsible for how many times you admire yourself with this bag (definitely admire yourself more!).
Comments will close 2 December 2021 at or near 12pm ET, and winner will be announced shortly afterward.
Good luck, Happy Hanukkah, and thank you for being part of Smart Bitches!
Thanks for celebrating with us this year!
Winner update: Congratulations to Katherine C! Be sure to check your inbox shortly.
When the Devil Comes Courting brought me immense joy. I’m reading it again right now actually. Megalodons and undersea telegraph lines and a Chinese telegraphic code are just the perfect seasoning added to the delicious journey that Amelia goes through. I was rooting for her from the start. Yes honey you are worth something. You deserve to be heard. Those are words I needed to remind myself of too.
I read so many great books this year, but my two favorite were The Forsyte Saga and The Hitchhikerâs Guide to the Galaxy. I know theyâre entirely different novels, but I loved both so much and could put neither book down. So many great suggestions for next year in the comments!
Him by Sarina Bowen and Check, Please by Ngozi Ukazu brought me much joy and became favorite comfort reads this year.
I really had to think about this. My memory of what I read when is for crap. Iâm going with the first two books in the Greenwing & Dart series by Victoria Goddard. Thatâs as far as Iâve gotten in the series, and I really enjoyed them.
Amanda Bouchetâs Kingmaker Chronicles books made me smile during a dreadful year.
I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea made me so happy that I restarted it the minute I finished it. đ
So many delights – really enjoyed Courtney Milanâs Ms. Martinâs Incomparable Adventure .
Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews
(Thank you all for mentioning Ilona Andrews’ books!)
I finally read âA Discovery of Witchesâ by Deborah Harkness and it is amazing. Absolutely wonderful writing and vivid. Iâm on the third book now and itâs the adventure I needed.
I couldnât tell you why since itâs not perfect but the book that comes to mind is One last Stop by Casey McQuinston. Whose name I probably misspelled because I canât get it to look right?
I’ve read a lot of good books this year, but You Had Me at Hola and A Lot Like Adios were particular favorites.
Women Who Run With Wolves is a breath of fresh air.
The two books that brought the most joy to me this year were Iron Widow and If the Shoe Fits. It fills my heart to not only have more representation in books, but to have them in books that are so well-written and enjoyable!
I’d have to go with The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling.
My brain is going into hibernation mode already so I had to go back to my old comments and copypaste. Just trying to share the joy.
my Most Joyful Reads of this year:
without pictures: Anyone But You by Jennifer Crusie.
(Also Agnes and the Hitman, though this one has murders so maybe check reviews for trigger warnings)
with pictures: Help Us, Great Warrior! and the webcomic The Sea in You, available on Webtoons and Tapas, print edition coming soon. Both of these were well reviewed here on SBTB, thank you all!
A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow. OMG kick ass feminism. It made me beam!!! đ
Lucy Parker’s Battle Royal – when I finished reading it, I started over and read it again.
A PSALM FOR THE WILD-BUILT by Becky Chambers. Didn’t even have to pause to think about that one.
All Systems Red (Murderbot for the win)
Happy Fourth Night of Hanukkah!
I read and enjoyed many new to me books this year; however, what brought me the most joy was rereading past favorites by Lyn Gala, Bujold, SK Dunstall, Anne Cleeland, ….
Beach Read by Emily Henry brought me so much joy this year of all the ones that come to mind. Also, not a book but I just binged the astrological guide to broken hearts on Netflix and I want to tell everyone!
I read Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchettta! This book took me on a journey deep into the night. I could not put it down! I then had to read
the next two books in the trilogy – Froi of the Exiles and Quintana of Charyn. These two books were even better than the first one! It always makes me happy to find a series and author I enjoy!
The Heartstopper graphic novel is so good and sweet and cute and I think I screamed through like half of it.
Reading through the extended universe of True North gave me the ability to read new stuff (and new authors) while still sinking into a familiar place with familiar characters, so it was a nice re-read vibe while reading new stuff.
That brought me joy? Hm. I would say the Brene Brown book The Gifts of Imperfection.
Iâd have to call out Helena Huntingâs âKiss My Cupcakeâ. It was just so much fun at a time I really needed it. The audiobook is outstanding.
I reread the Richard and Rose series by Lynne Connolly this year. One of my favorite series.
âThe Intimacy Experimentââ by Rosie Danan, âNeon Godsâ by Katee Robert, âThe Billionaireâs Wale-Up Call Girlâ by Annika Martin, âDonut Fall in Loveâ by Jackie Lau and âBattle Royalâ by Lucy Parker all surprised & delighted me in different, memorable ways this year.
A Psalm for the Wild Built – it is in my heart.
I really liked Talia Hibbert’s Brown sister series. They will be reread.
The Murderbot series. I got on the bandwagon a little later than most, but they gave me such joy.
The Murderbot Diaries! They had been recommended many times and I turned my nose up–finally browsed in a bookstore, when I got to go back to bookstores, and realized I would love them. With the high demand for copies, I had to wait a couple of weeks for each installment from the library, and the joy when I got the inbox notification…
THE BRIDE TEST gave me joy this year. My/Esme was so fully realized and inhabited.
Happy Fourth Night!
When the Devil Comes Courting brought me great joy. I’m biracial, and the discussion of being between cultures really hit home.
If God is Love, Don’t Be a Jerk by John Pavlovitz
Dressed for Freedom by Einav Rabinovitch-Fox; Miss Moriarty, I Presume by Sherry Thomas; and Breaking Badger by Shelly Laurenston. Thank you!!
Sorry that I have nothing to contribute to the discussion.
No books immediately sprang to mind, so I checked my Goodreads account and there were very few reads that came close to hitting the sweet spot for me (one children’s book, a couple of early 20th C short stories, and a couple of Jodi Taylor’s books were towards the top). My reading pace is still about half of my pre-pandemic pace, too. Maybe I can pick up some ideas here.
Hard Hitter by Sarina Bowen and all of her backlist brought me a lot of binge reading joy this year.
I adored both The Anthropocene Reviewed and Once and Future Witches… one made me appreciate all the minutiae around me, and the other made me want to be my best righteously witchy self.
I think it’s a tie between all the the books that I read set in Elantra by Michelle Sagara and the Ilona Andrew’s Hidden Legacy & Kate Daniels series.