For the holidays, a few family members asked me for gift ideas of what I would want for Christmas. After some thought, I decided to send a long list of different books I wanted. I like providing books as gift ideas because books are relatively inexpensive and it sets me up to have a great reading year. I wanted to share all the books I got for Christmas and hopefully when I will make the time to read them.

A Wizard’s Guide To Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

I have wanted to read a book by T. Kingfisher for a long time. The various book bloggers I follow have raved about her books and I was feeling left out of the loop. A Wizard’s Guide To Defensive Baking is about a young wizard named Mona who doesn’t have the same magical powers as everyone else. Her magic only works when she’s baking bread. When a dead body is found at her bakery, she’s pulled into a conspiracy she didn’t want to be a part of. This premise reminds me of Legends & Lattes, so I’m curious if this is going to be a cozy fantasy book.

A Perilous Undertaking A Veronica Speedwell Mystery by Deanna Raybourn

This is the second book in the Veronica Speedwell series. This series takes place in London in the late 1800s. Veronica has rejected societal norms in which she is supposed to be married. She has teamed up with Stoker who has helped her solve various mysteries. In this book, Veronica is asked to help save an art patron before he’s executed for murder. I read the first book in this series while in Europe and I enjoyed it, so I wanted to continue reading the series.

Love And Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe

Love and Other Conspiracies is a romance between a web producer and a cryptid expert who also hosts a podcast. I don’t know about you, but I love cryptid conspiracy theories. I went to see The Mothman statue in West Virginia several years ago and now I’m a fan. I think the premise of this sounds too cute and most of the reviews have been positive. I hope to read this during February which is when I usually read exclusively romance.

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

I loved Part of Your World when I read it last year. As a reading goal, I want to read more from authors that I have read before. Yours Truly takes off where Part of Your World left off. Yours Truly focuses on Alexis’s best friend, Briana, and her romance with a doctor. I loved Alexis’s friendship with Briana, so I’m looking forward to reading this.

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

I own the original cover of Legends & Lattes, but I don’t own this edition. The artwork is stunning and I love the image on the spine with the sword through the coffee cup. I’m not normally someone who would collect special editions of books, but happy to make an exception as Legends & Lattes is a book I adore.

The Ashes & The Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent

The Ashes & The Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent is the second book in the Crowns of Nyaxia series. I read the first book last year and I enjoyed it. I described the first book as Hunger Games with vampires. The second book builds off the climactic ending from the first book and I’m curious to see what Oraya will do.

It’s a good feeling to have something new to read.