Welcome to The Weekend Post #180! The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted at Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme. I will also be joining Deb at Readerbuzz for the Sunday Salon and Marlene of Reading Reality in her meme Stacking The Shelves.
My Week:
It’s been a rainy, windy end to the week — the kind of weather that makes you grateful the power stayed on. Most of the leaves are off the trees now, and I’ve taken advantage of the drier days to rake them up. With the switch back to standard time, the early sunsets feel especially noticeable; today we’re down to 4:41 p.m. By the winter solstice it’ll be closer to 4:00 p.m., and then at least we can start turning the corner toward longer days.
Between a few appointments for both me and my mom, I’ve been daydreaming about planning a trip to Europe to visit our dear friends next summer. We were fortunate to see quite a bit of Europe before COVID, but we haven’t managed a trip that far since. Nothing in life is guaranteed, so we’re approaching this one as though it might be our last big adventure. That means debating whether to revisit favourite cities or strike out somewhere new. I’ve always loved the planning stage — my dear friend does too — so here’s hoping we dream up something wonderful.
Books I’ve Added to My Shelves This Week:
From Publishers, Netgalley, & Libro.fm: None that I have accepted. I have no audiobooks pending approval.
From The Library:
Single mom Holly Goodwin Moore is struggling to find holiday cheer as she prepares for her ex’s family wedding, where her daughter is eager to be a flower girl and Holly is dreading showing up alone. A little white lie about having a boyfriend forces her to scramble for a date, and that’s when she meets Ryan Caldwell, who’s unexpectedly spending Christmas in Shelter Springs caring for his niece while navigating strained family ties. When Holly and Ryan strike a deal—he’ll be her wedding date if she helps him create a magical Christmas for his niece—they find themselves drawn together, discovering hope, healing, and the possibility of love along the way.
Lauren Richmond, a Christmas skeptic who usually avoids returning to the Midwest for the holidays, reluctantly heads home this year because her brother and sister-in-law are expecting a baby—and ends up sharing a cross-country drive from California to Illinois with Will Sinclair, her childhood crush and her brother’s charming best friend. Stuck together due to her fear of flying, organized and guarded Lauren contrasts sharply with flirty, spontaneous Will, who’s determined to show he’s not the same guy she remembers. As miles pass and old feelings resurface, they discover that while the past doesn’t repeat itself exactly, it can offer a hopeful second verse—just in time for Christmas.
From Audible: None.
What I’m Watching:
In addition to watching our usual shows, I’m watching plenty of Youtube videos getting inspiration for planning our trip!
On The Blog This Week:
Book Review: A Merry Little Lie by Sarah Morgan – Hope, Honesty, and Holiday Drama
Can’t Wait Wednesday #163: Meet The Newmans by Jennifer Niven
Celebrity Book Club Picks for November 2025
This Post: The Weekend Post #180
Next Week On That Happy Reader:
Book Review: Santa’s Holiday Spectacular by Fern Michaels
Can’t Wait Wednesday #164
Who Wears It Better in November 2025?
Book Review: Snow Kissed by RaeAnne Thayne
The Weekend Post #181
That’s a wrap on The Weekend Post #180. How was your week?
I wish you a wonderful week ahead!
Jonetta | Blue Mood Café
Planning for a European trip sounds fun and exciting! You can’t go wrong. Have a great week, Jodie💜
thathappyreader
Thanks Jonetta. You too!
Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
We have had darker weather here. I love it! It has made the school run more bearable.
I hope that you manage to plan something exciting – I am sure that you will! These books look good.
Have a great weekend!
Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
My post:
https://budgettalesblog.wordpress.com/2025/11/08/stacking-the-shelves-127/
thathappyreader
Thanks Emily.
Olivia
Planning a trip to Europe sounds fun! Where do your friends live?
thathappyreader
They live in England Olivia.
Olivia
Nice!
thathappyreader
Thanks Olivia.
Shelleyrae @ Book’d Out
Conversely I’m enjoying the longer lighter days though the kids complain a bit because I start dinner later.
Your Christmas reads both look lovely!
thathappyreader
I’m glad it’s spring where you are Shelleyrae. Enjoy!
Erin @ Cracker Crumb Life
Oo your trip planning sounds like such a wonderful way to spend your days! Enjoy!
thathappyreader
Thanks Erin.
Harvee
Enjoy your European trip, wherever you go.
It snowed here last night and surprised us this morning! I guess autumn is over!
thathappyreader
Thank you Harvee.
Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature)
I’m so behind on blog hopping that I have a bunch of your reviews to check out! You have some good looking Christmas books in this post too. Yeah, my mom had planned to go with my stepdad to Hawaii the year before he passed away and then he got sicker and they weren’t able to. Now she does have the money to go, but she is worried she won’t be able to do much while she’s there with some of her health issues. I’m trying to encourage her to go ahead and go, find a tour, or if I can find a way to afford it, I’ll go with her and we can do the things she wants to do. Other than our cruise this past summer, and then she and my stepdad did an Alaskan cruise many years ago, she’s never really been out of the country or off the continent. She says she’s never had the desire to do that, but I think she’d enjoy it.
Hope you have a good week!
thathappyreader
If she is able to go now she go Lisa. A trip to Hawaii sounds wonderful and I bet she’d love you to go with her.
Cindy's Book Corner
I enjoyed A Cross Country Christmas and hope you do as well. A trip to Europe sounds fabulous! I want to plan a trip across the states, or at least to a state we haven’t visited, I agree, the planning is fun. Have a good rest of your weekend!
thathappyreader
Thanks Cindy.
Deb Nance at Readerbuzz
I think Snow Kissed or Cross Country Christmas would both be great choices for me for holiday reading. I hope I can find one of them at my library!
i can’t wait to hear more about your plans for your trip.
thathappyreader
Thanks Deb!
Carla@CarlaLovesToRead
I do love planning a trip. I think my friend and I might be venturing to Malta next October. I hope you have a wonderful time planning and that all goes well. They got our first snowfall yesterday, but I missed it. I hope it is gone when I get home next Saturday. Have a great week, Jodie.
thathappyreader
That sounds wonderful about the trip next year Carla. I hope the snow is gone for you too.
Her Digital Coffee
That sounds lovely, Jodie! Planning a trip is always fun and I hope you and your friends get to revisit some of your favorite places, while also exploring some new ones. It’s all about the memories! Have a great week!
thathappyreader
Thanks Winnie. You too!