Welcome to The Weekend Post #186! 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.
My Week:
I can’t remember a time when we’ve had this much rain for so many consecutive days. Much of it has been heavy, accompanied by strong wind gusts. We feel fortunate not to have lost power, especially since many across our province did during the second atmospheric river that moved through earlier this week. The forecast for the next two weeks predicts more of the same, and we’re hoping the snow level doesn’t drop. It’s hard to imagine how much snow we’d have if all this precipitation had fallen as the white stuff.
I’ve been baking every day this week, including Thursday, when I gathered with my mom, sister, and niece to make our family’s Swedish bread. It’s a soft flatbread that we prepare only at Christmastime. The process is a bit challenging, requiring special equipment along with skills and techniques passed down through multiple generations. I love recipes that stand the test of time and reflect our heritage—my great-grandparents immigrated to Canada from Sweden in the 1920s. It was a fun day for all of us and one that’s given us memories we’ll treasure.
As this is the final The Weekend Post before Christmas, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish a very Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates. May you be able to spend time with cherished family and friends, and may your hearts be filled with the peace, love, and joy of the holiday season.
Recent Additions To My Bookshelf:
From Publishers, Netgalley, & Libro.fm:
Sage Collins, a former data analyst turned bestselling author now struggling to write her second book, finds her carefully calculated life upended when a tense encounter with charming rising actor Theo Sharpe on a flight to Comic Con leads the paparazzi to mistake her for his girlfriend. Though both insist nothing is going on, their undeniable chemistry only complicates the pressures of Theo’s growing fame and Sage’s creative burnout. Hoping to reset, Sage escapes to Scotland to find clarity, only to have Theo reappear and challenge every assumption she’s made about chance, fate, and the risks worth taking. Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the ARC of this audiobook.
New York Times bestselling author and psychic medium Laura Lynne Jackson explores the idea that communication with loved ones who have passed—and with the universe itself—is a gift available to everyone. Drawing on her own experiences and those of others, Jackson shares moving stories of meaningful signs, synchronicities, and moments of connection that bring comfort, clarity, and hope, from unexpected animal encounters to perfectly timed songs and symbols. By weaving the mystical into everyday life, she encourages readers to learn how to ask for and recognize signs, find meaning in confusion, and open themselves to love, joy, and a deeper sense of interconnectedness, offering a message that is both deeply reassuring and quietly transformative. I saw Oprah interview the author on her podcast and their discussion piqued my interest in learning more.
What I’m Watching:
I watched the finales for The Voice, Finding Mr. Christmas and Baked With Love this week. I was surprised to see who won on the first two shows but not all surprised with who won on Baked With Love. Did anyone else watch any of these shows?
On The Blog This Week:
The 2026 Great Canadian Reading Challenge!
Snowy Kisses & Cozy Nights: My Favourite Holiday Romance Reads of 2025!
Snowflakes Over Starr’s Fall by Kate Hewitt – A Review of this Cosy Small-Town Holiday Romance
Can’t Wait Wednesday #169: This Book Made Me Think Of You by Libby Page
Cozy for the Holidays by Liz Maverick: A Cozy Bookshop Romance Review
From Page to Screen: Must-See December 2025 Book-to-Film Adaptations
This Post: The Weekend Post #186
Next Week On That Happy Reader:
Book Review: I’ll Be Home For Christmas by Jenny Bayliss
Can’t Wait Wednesday #170
My Christmas Message
My Favourite Books of 2025
The Weekend Post #187
That’s a wrap on The Weekend Post #186. How was your week?
I wish you a wonderful holiday week ahead!
Jonetta | Blue Mood Café
Thanks for sharing your Swedish bread tradition. I’ve never heard of that kind of bread. I watched The Voice and had picked Aidan to win from the blind auditions. His musical interpretations are stunning.
Have a great week and Merry Christmas 🎄
thathappyreader
Merry Christmas Jonetta! 🎄
Har ee
Have a merry Christmas and hope the weather is not too bad! The Ods of You looks like a good romance.
thathappyreader
Thanks Harvee! You too!
Anne@HeadFullofBooks
You must live on the Pacific Coast someplace. I live in Washington State and the rain has been dreadful. So much!
I love the idea of generations making bread together.
Happy holidays!
My Sunday Salon
thathappyreader
Yes Anne I’m in Vancouver Canada.
Deb Nance at Readerbuzz
There is so much here to like! It’s wonderful to hear about your Canadian Reading Challenge. I had not heard about the Baked with Love show, but now I’ve bookmarked it on Amazon. And Signs sounds very intriguing.
thathappyreader
Thank you Deb.
Shelleyrae @ Book’d Out
What a tasty family tradition!
While you are in a river we are in a desert, it’s so hot here at the moment.
Wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas
thathappyreader
I wish we could send some rain your way Shelleyrae! Merry Christmas to you and your family as well.
Yvonne @ It's All About Books
I love the sound of that Swedish bread! It’s such a lovely tradition… I made some German stollen last week, which is one of my favorite Christmas recipes.
thathappyreader
Sounds lovely Yvonne!
Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature)
That. has been a ton of rain you’ve been getting! We have had crazy wind here, and it seems like we are going to have almost a record warm Christmas this year too, possibly in the 70s. I hope you have a nice holiday!
thathappyreader
Thanks Lisa. You too.
Erin @ Cracker Crumb Life
Your baking tradition sounds lovely! What a great holiday tradition to have.
thathappyreader
It really is Erin.
Anne - Books of My Heart
My daughter’s favorite thing for me to make is called a Swedish Tea ring. I have no idea if it is actually Swedish. It’s like a big cinnamon roll with apples and raisins and pecans. That rain is no good for solar either but I have found even when it’s raining we get a little.
A very Merry Christmas and holiday season to you!
Anne – Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post
thathappyreader
I’ve made Swedish tea ring too but never with apples! Yum Anne.
Bree @ Bibliophilebree
We have been getting a lot of rain too where I am at! Hope you have a good week.
thathappyreader
You too Bree.
Aj @ Read All The Things!
Have a great Christmas! I don’t think I’d have the patience to make that bread. 🙂
thathappyreader
It’s not something I would likely make on my own AJ.
Her Digital Coffee
Baking with the family sounds so special! Happy holidays and Merry Christmas to you and your family Jodie!
thathappyreader
Thank you Winnie! You too!
Carla@CarlaLovesToRead
Family traditions like your Swedish bread are awesome. My grandfather used to make potato scones, not like the scones you buy at the bakery, but almost like a pancake, served hot with butter. I watched him all the time, but doen’t have the recipe. It is a Scottish dish. We had so much rain before Christmas, then it froze. I’m glad you have spend time with family.
thathappyreader
That sounds like an interesting scone I’d like to try!