Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion

2022 December Pick-It-For-Me Challenge


What is the Pick-It-For-Me Challenge?

The Pick-It-For-Me Challenge (PIFM) is a reading challenge where each participant gives and receives book recommendations based on a given a set of rules. The assignment method and book selection rules change each month so it’s always new and always different.

The idea of the PIFM challenge is that you will get new-to-you books and authors selected for you as well as a push to read some books that have been lingering on your shelves. You may not be interested in the new books recommended, which is why you also get a minimum of four books from your shelf.

You only have to read ONE book to complete this challenge!

After signups are closed, your names and any extra info will go into the super secret PIFM randomizer and it will select someone for you to recommend books to and someone to give you recommendations. This list will be posted along with any specific picking rules for the month.

In order to participate you need to either HAVE YOUR PROFILE SET TO PUBLIC (preferable), or friend the person giving you recommendations.

PLEASE NOTE: if you choose to keep your profile private, it is your responsibility to send a friend request to the person picking for you as soon as possible after the matchups are posted. Whether your profile is private or not, it is also very important that your profile be set to receive Private Messages (PMs) in case anyone needs to reach out to you (mods, organizer etc.)

Everything gets done in this thread so be sure to come back often!!!

Repicks:
You can ask for repicks if:
✱ The books picked for you are not yet released.
✱ If you have already read the chosen book(s) and they are on your ‘read’ shelf.
✱ If you did not receive four picks from your ‘to-read’ shelf, with at least one from your preferred shelf.

You may NOT ask for repicks because:
✱ A book is not available at your library.
✱ A genre or author you don’t enjoy.

🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹

INFORMATION NEEDED TO SIGN UP
Please sign up in this thread with the answer to the following question:

What do you celebrate during December? Tell us your favorite tradition.

🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹

✱✱ If you have a preferred shelf, please list it along with your sign-up! ✱✱

IMPORTANT DATES
Sign ups will remain open until November 26th (6:00 pm US EDT)
For your convenience a Time Zone Converter
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock...

You’ll have until November 29th (9 pm US EDT) to make your recommendations.

Please do not start reading your book(s) until the first of the month. You then have the entire month to read your pick(s) and give some feedback.

If you’re new please read the PIFM Guidelines and FAQ. If you have any questions that are not addressed there, please feel free to ask!


✱Please note that late sign ups will be included at the host's discretion and no one will be included after re-picks are assigned!✱

TIPS TO MAKE THE CHALLENGE ENJOYABLE FOR EVERYONE!


Pickees
✱ To help your picker understand the type of books you like or are currently reading, please make sure your ‘read’ shelf is up to date. You can create shelves for books you DNFed (Did Not Finish) or authors that don’t work for you as well as favorite books and authors. In addition, you might consider updating your profile. You can include info about your favorite books, authors, genres, themes or tropes (or themes/tropes you dislike – i.e. secret baby).
✱ Please do not specify likes/dislikes in the sign-up thread. This information will not be included in the pairings and your pickee may not see your message and does not need to rely on that information when making picks.

Pickers
✱ Please remember this is primarily a romance readers group. Thus, most, if not all, of your picks should be romance. There are various sub genres within the romance category - Contemporary, Historical, Paranormal, Romantic Suspense, Erotica, M/M, Urban Fantasy. If your pickee reads a wide variety, you could add a non-romance as a choice.

✱ You will be using 8 picking rules to select books for you pickee. Choose at least 4 new titles for your pickee. These can be brand new to them (not found on any of their shelves) or a book found on their shelves if they've never read any of the author's work previously. The remaining 4 titles should come from your pickee's tbr, with a minimum of one from their preferred shelves if provided. Be sure to pick at least one book for each picking rule, but please limit your picks to no more than two books per rule as sometimes having too many options is worse than too few.

✱ Please remember when you are giving new recommendations, you are not limited to titles that you have read. You can choose books that are new releases, on your tbr, or titles you looked up on Goodreads or Amazon that you think your pickee would enjoy.

A few hints to help with book selection:
✱ Check the book’s publishing date. Select "date pub" from the checkbox selections and save.
✱ Check pickee's personalized shelves, especially their exclusive shelves. A personalized shelf is one the member has created. (e.g., 'to read next', 'favorites' ‘didn’t like’)
✱ Make sure the books you choose are not on their 'read' shelf. Just because it isn't rated doesn't mean it wasn't read.
✱ Look at your pickee's 'read' shelf and see what genres they have recently read or read the most. Reviewing their ‘read’ shelf might help you in choosing something they are interested in reading right now.
✱ If your pickee reads lots of books in a genre you are not familiar with (erotic romance, GLBT, YA, etc.) Contact the Mods or the month's organizer for guidance.
✱ Include a variety of books (e.g., shorter page count, new addition to their 'to-read' shelf, an older book on their 'to-read' shelf) This variety gives your pickee options when choosing the book or books they will be reading this month. Use the sort feature within their shelves to determine date a book was added, published or read; page numbers, ratings, etc.

If you want to volunteer to make repicks:
✱ We love that you want to help out, but please remember those who need picks have been waiting for a long time already. Please only volunteer if you are able to make the repicks within a few hours of the deadline. Thank you!

2022 December PIFM Participants

(view spoiler)[
LaurLa
Fran
Mony
Nancy H
MountainKat
☘KathyD☘
Sonja
Chris
Joan the bibliophile
Mei Boink
Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress
BambiReadsbooks
Romanticbookworm
Hinal
SunnyCAGirl
Carina (hide spoiler)]

2022 December PIFM Pairings


Please pick for the person below you in your group. The last person in the group will pick for the first person. For example: ☘KathyD☘ picks for Hinal and BambiReadsbooks picks for ☘KathyD☘.

Picks are due November 29th (9 pm US EDT)
✔️ = made picks

✔️☘KathyD☘ ➺ tbr-audios
✔️Hinal ➺ to read
✔️Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ➺ Pick for Me
✔️Mony ➺ 0-pifm-rrrc
✔️LaurLa ➺ 01-pick-me-please (rereads okay from picking shelf)
✔️Nancy H ➺ to read
✔️Romanticbookworm ➺ read-asap
✔️Mei Boink ➺ priority-tbr
✔️Chris ➺ to read
✔️Sonja ➺ PIFM Shelf
✔️Fran ➺ PIFM shelf (private profile)
✔️Joan the bibliophile ➺ to read
✔️SunnyCAGirl ➺ to read
✔️Carina ➺ bookshelved
✔️MountainKat ➺ to-read-asap
✔️BambiReadsbooks ➺ to read

2022 December PIFM Picking Rules


Did you know? December is one of the most prolific months globally for celebrations! According to The Edvocate article "DECEMBER GLOBAL HOLIDAYS 2022, COMPLETE LIST OF WINTER HOLIDAYS" there are at least 13 different holidays or celebrations during this final month of the year. You can find the article here: https://www.theedadvocate.org/decembe...

These celebrations made me think about the colors of December. A significant portion of the world's population celebrates Christmas, whether as a religious holiday or as a secular celebration. And traditionally the colors for Christmas are red and green. But there are lots of colors associated with these global celebrations around the world. Below are some of the colors associated with the most commonly known celebrations and some of their origins. I hope you enjoy learning about and making recommendations based on them. Please note: my research is not all inclusive and if I have misrepresented anything, I apologize in advance and do not mean to offend.

Red ➺ Christmas, Kwanzaa, Pagan/Winter Solstice/Yule, many Asian new year celebrations
The red in Christmas has both religious and secular origins. In Christianity, red represents the blood of Jesus. Similarly, Kwanzaa uses red to represent the blood shed in the struggle for freedom. There are also pagan origins as red represents the holly berries used by the ancient Celts for decoration. Red also became a dominant color in western cultures in the 1930s when Coca-Cola began running ads that depicted Santa as we commonly see him now - a jolly looking fellow in a red suit! Many Asian cultures celebrate their new year during this time and red is a common color used throughout representing good fortune.
Recommend a book
✴ with a red cover or red item on the cover
✴ that is very popular (your interpretation, could be based on ratings, awards...)
✴ with food (holly berries) or drink (Coca-Cola) on the cover

Green ➺ Christmas, Kwanzaa, Pagan/Winter Solstice/Yule
Similar to red, green as a Christmas color has both Christian and secular origins. In Christianity, green represents the spiky holly leaves from which many early Christians made wreaths to represent the crown of thorns placed on Jesus head on the cross. Ancient pagans also used holly to decorate as it meant good fortune in winter. Green is also an important color for those who celebrate Kwanzaa, representing the fertile land and hope for the future.
Recommend a book
✴ with a green cover or green item on the cover
✴ with green plants on the cover
✴ tagged 'holiday' or tagged any specific holiday

White ➺ Christmas, Hanukkah, Pagan/Winter Solstice/Yule
Not surprisingly, white also has religious and secular origins. White is used in Christian and ancient pagan religions both to represent purity and triumph of good over evil. In Jewish traditions, white is one of the colors used to represent Hanukkah, partially, it is believed, to honor Israel's winning independence whose flag colors are white and blue.
Recommend a book
✴ with a white cover or white item on the cover
✴ you consider to be sweet
✴ where good overcomes evil

Blue ➺ Hanukkah, Christmas
Blue is also used as a color of Hanukkah as an honor to Israel's independence which is loosely connected to the origins of Hanukkah itself, that of celebrating the Maccabees reclaiming the Temple and Jewish independence. Many believe the colors were chosen to differentiate Hanukkah from Christmas and allow Jewish families to participate in the act of celebrating during this time of year but in a way that honors their religion and traditions. Blue as a Christmas color is less common but in Christian religions, especially Catholicism, Jesus' mother, Mary, is usually shown in blue. Blue dye was precious and hard to come by so was usually only worn by the wealthy. Portraying Mary in blue demonstrated her profound importance as the mother of Jesus.
Recommend a book
✴ with a blue cover or blue item on the cover
✴ with a mother or mother figure in the story
✴ that has blue clothing on the cover

Gold ➺ Christmas, Winter Solstice/Yule, many Asian new year celebrations
Once again, we have the color gold with both Christian and non-Christian origins. As a Christmas color, it represents both the light of God as well as a reminder of the gifts of the Magi (gold, incense and myrrh) to the baby Jesus. In most cultures, gold represents wealth, prosperity and royalty which is why it is often used as decoration in many Asian new year celebrations as well as Yuletide and Winter Solstice celebrations.
Recommend a book
✴ with a gold cover or gold item on the cover
✴ with a light source on the cover
✴ that features a wealthy character

Purple ➺ Christmas
Purple (my favorite color) is the color of royalty and is used in most Christian religions during Advent, the time before Christmas used to prepare spiritually for the birth of Christ, King of Kings.
Recommend a book
✴ with a purple cover or purple item on the cover
✴ with a royal character or part of the nobility (dukes, etc.)
✴ that is the birth of a series (the first in the series)

Black ➺ Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa traditions use black to represent Africans and those of African descent who are connected through their heritage, ancestors and race.
Recommend a book
✴ with a black cover or black item on the cover
✴ with a MC who is a person of color or whose author is a person of color
✴ with a Z in the title

Silver ➺ Christmas, Winter Solstice/Yule
In religious Christmas traditions, silver is used to represent Jesus' divinity. It has similar origins in the pagan religions and thus used in Winter Solstice and Yule celebrations.
Recommend a book
✴ with a silver/gray cover or silver item on the cover
✴ you think is divine (your interpretation)
✴ with a silver lining in the story (something good out something bad)

I'm in for this month and one of my favorite traditions is to have my both my (grown) sons and my soon to be daughter-in-law over the first Sunday in December to decorate the tree and bake Christmas cookies.

Shelf: 01-pick-me-please

I’m in! In December I love to read holiday romances and watch holiday movies on tv ❄️❄️❄️…and drink the winter Starbucks drinks while doing both of those things!

PIFM shelf- https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

We now have a wonderful son-in-law who is Jewish & so we've established a new family tradition - we call it Jewish Eve. He and my daughter make beef brisket & potato latkes for the December 24th dinner. We used to have French Canadian tourtières that evening- my husband does miss them though. LOL

0-pifm-rrrc‎ shelf: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

We have lots of family coming to visit for the holidays, so we focus on family!

We celebrate Christmas and my granddaughters birthday, what is also on December 25th! If the timing is right, we will also celebrate Hanukkah while my son and daughter-in-law and grandson are here. (It can get pretty busy!)

Please use my to-read-asap shelf - thanks!

we celebrate Christmas, but don't really have any traditions
tbr-audios

I'm in! We have lots of traditions for Christmas, including flying to Seattle to be with my side of the family. (Last year we got snowed in for a week!) There's lots of food and movies and we break out the old board games. This year is going to be different though. My husband is being placed on the lung transplant list here in LA and the kids and I don't want to leave town in case he gets called. We'll make some new traditions this year, similar to what we did in 2020!

PIFM Shelf

I used to love Christmas and the season but the last years I'm just burned out due to work and I'm usually sick during the break...

Please use my to read self and not the others.

I’m in. In December we celebrate Christmas and we basically do a lot of the normal Christmas traditions; putting up a tree and decorating it, making cookies, you know the usual. My parents always have a specific amount of present they get me and my sisters though; they always get us one thing me need, one thing we want, one thing to read, one thing to wear, and one thing from ‘Santa’, because my youngest sibling are still 4 and 6. So yeah. I’m basic. The end. And I don’t have a specific shelf but if whoever gets me reads this, you can just read my bio and you should be fine.

In December, I usually have lots of meals with friends and family throughout the month. Then there's gift exchanging on Christmas. Sometimes there's trips and other times there's not. My fave is always the meals, haha. Soo much yummy food. 🤭

Here's my shelf: priority-tbr

During Christmas I like having the family for dinner but throughout the month I like relaxing with a cup or two of tea and a few books

Pick for Me

Mony wrote: "We now have a wonderful son-in-law who is Jewish & so we've established a new family tradition - we call it Jewish Eve. He and my daughter make beef brisket & potato latkes for the December 24th di..."

Mony - your shelf links to "1b-bonus-dec-meet-greet‎" shelf - is that what you want to use? It's not the same name you listed in your post.

Nancy H wrote: "We have lots of family coming to visit for the holidays, so we focus on family!"


Hi Nancy - do you have a preferred shelf?

Hi first timer here :) - I’m the mom of two littles and as someone who did not grow up with Santa Claus or the elf on the shelf I am enjoying living those moments through my kids and watching how excited they get it has really brought back the Christmas spirit for me :)

I love romance books and historical fiction I really am not into the horror as much, if that helps

Thanks in advance this sounds fun!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Im in. I normally celebrate reading Christmas books and watching Christmas movies drinking hot chocolate and spending time with my partner and family :).

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Feel free to add a few Christmas romances in if you fancy as I normally read them right up to Christmas eve :).

I'm in... I love reading Christmas Romances , some cozy mystery books wrapped up in cozy blanket and also love all Christmas decorations !!

I'm in! I celebrate Christmas and love putting on the Christmas music and decorating the tree with my kids. We also make Christmas cookies using my husbands grandmother's recipe.

I’m in. Celebrate Christmas and by looking at lights.

Use https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

BambiReadsbooks wrote: "Hi first timer here :) - I’m the mom of two littles and as someone who did not grow up with Santa Claus or the elf on the shelf I am enjoying living those moments through my kids and watching how e..."

Welcome Bambi! Glad you get to experience some holiday cheer through your children! The link you provided was to your 'read' shelf so I switched it to your 'to-read' shelf :-)

There are so many fun things listed here about how people like to celebrate. Not surprisingly, many with family! And books!


Sign-up close at 6pm US Eastern time. I am traveling today and will be home this evening but please be patient with me if I am a little late in posting pairs!

PAIRS ARE UP!!


Happy Picking!

Picks due by 9pm US Eastern on 11/29.

Hi BambiReadsbooks! Here are your picks! I tried to give you a variety of different books, so I hope you can find something to love in December!

Red:
NEW: Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews - It took me a bit to get into this series, but once I did I loved it!
TBR: The Devil You Know by Nicole Northwood

Green:
NEW: Surrender by Pamela Clare - One of the best books/series ever!
TBR: The Orc's Bride by Layla Fae

White:
NEW: Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean - Such a fun book - great heroine!
TBR: Vintage : A Clean Romance in the Finger Lakes by Lucinda Race

Blue:
NEW: The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune - Every little bit of this story made me happy!
TBR: An Improper Proposal by Gracie Bond

Gold:
NEW: Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas - An oldie, but a goodie!
TBR: A Kingdom of Flame and Fury by Whitney Dean

Purple:
NEW: Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison - Humor and heart - fun series!
TBR: The Love Con by Seressia Glass

Black:
NEW: Year One by Nora Roberts - Probably my favorite NR trilogy ever - not typical, but so, so good!
TBR: Hooked by Emily McIntire

Silver:
NEW: The Family You Make by Jill Shalvis - So sweet and funny too!
TBR: Snowborn by Larema Dixon

If you are interested in audiobooks, I've listened to most of the new ones (not sure about the Sarah MacLean book) and would say they are excellent in audio.

Happy Reading and Happy Holidays!

Sonja, Happy reading!

Red ➺ Christmas, Kwanzaa, Pagan/Winter Solstice/Yule
NEW: Rebel Without A Claus (Red Cover)
TBR: Kitty Goes to Washington (Red Cover)

Green ➺ Christmas, Kwanzaa, Pagan/Winter Solstice/Yule
NEW: How to Ruin the Holidays (Green Cover)
TBR: The Boss Who Stole Christmas (Christmas)

White ➺ Christmas, Hanukkah, Pagan/Winter Solstice/Yule
NEW: How My Brother's Best Friend Stole Christmas (White Cover)
TBR: Goldilocks and the Grumpy Bear (White Cover)

Blue ➺ Hanukkah, Christmas
NEW: Santa Baby Maybe (Blue Cover)
TBR: The Poppy Wife (Blue Cover)

Gold ➺ Christmas, Winter Solstice/Yule, many Asian new year celebrations
NEW: Batter Up (Light Source)
TBR: Vampire Moon (Light Source)

Purple ➺ Christmas
NEW: Secret Puck (First in Series)
TBR: Firestorm (Purple Cover)

Black ➺ Kwanzaa
NEW: Dear Ava (Black Cover)
TBR: When Gracie Met the Grump (Black Cover)

Silver ➺ Christmas, Winter Solstice/Yule
NEW: The Umbra King (Silver Cover)
TBR: The German Heiress (Silver Cover)

Hey Carmen, Here are your picks for December! I personally love mystery/ thriller and Holiday romances to read this month of year so I tried to pick it also for you, Hope you enjoyed the books...Happy Reading❄️


Red
TBR:-A Sweet Mess by Jayci lee [Food on cover]
New:- The Mysterious Affair at Styles: A Hercule Poirot Mystery(classics illustrated) edition by Agatha Christie[ drink on cover]
I loved Agatha Christie's books ever since I've read this in October So I hope you enjoy it as well


Green
TBR:- Jingle Lady by Melissa Williams [Holiday romance]
New:- The Naughty, The Nice and The Nanny By Willa nash [ Holiday romance]


White
TBR:- Heart Bones
by Colleen hoover [ white cover]
New:- Christmas in Quincy by Devney
perry [ White on cover]


Blue
TBR:- A Not So Meet Cute By Meghan quinn [Blue Cover]
New:- Juniper Hill by Devney perry [Mother in story( single mom)]
I've completed entire backlist of Devney perry So sorry if you see many of her books in this list but this one was my favorite


Gold
TBR:-The Bodyguard by Katherine Center [Wealthy character ]
New:-Stolen Soulmate by Mary Katherine Gerhard [gold cover]
This book is top favorite of mine this year , I know it's not for everyone cuz it's such a slow paced but this book is so underrated that I have to recommend it to you


Purple
TBR:- The Nanny and the Nerd By Krista Sandor [ Purple cover]
New:- The Simple Wild by KA Tucker [Birth of series]


Black
TBR:- Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon [MC is POC]
New:- Grip by Kennedy ryan [MC & Author is POC]


Silver
TBR:- King by Susan A Bliler [silver item on cover]
New:- In My Dreams I Hold a Knifeby Ashley Winstead [silver item on cover]

Hiya Chris! Here are my picks for you. Hope you enjoy! 😊

Red
NEW: The Predator by RuNyx (red item on cover)
not so new after all 😂: Cinder by Marissa Meyer (red item on cover, popular)
TBR: Dark Lover by J.R. Ward (red cover, popular)


Green - aka the Christmas corner 🎄
NEW: Christmas on the Thirteenth Floor by Lee Jacquot (holiday)
TBR: The Plight Before Christmas by Kate Stewart (holiday)


White
NEW: See You Yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon (YA and sweet)
TBR: Studmuffin Santa by Tawna Fenske (white cover)


Blue
NEW: Praise by Sara Cate (blue item on cover)
TBR: Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan (blue cover)


Gold
NEW: Lola & the Millionaires: Part One (gold on cover, wealthy characters)
TBR: That Guy by Kim Jones (wealthy character)


Purple
NEW: The Awakening by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti (first in a series)
TBR: Royally Screwed by Emma Chase (royalty)


Black
NEW: These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong (POC characters and author)
TBR: Kulti by Mariana Zapata (POC character and author)


Silver
NEW: Devil's Dance by Garrett Leigh (gray cover, also this is M/M/M as a heads up, but one of my fave MC books as someone who doesn't read a lot of MC books 🤣)
TBR: Cruel King by Rina Kent (gray cover)

Mei Boink wrote: "Hiya Chris! Here are my picks for you. Hope you enjoy! 😊

Red
NEW: Cinder by Marissa Meyer (red item on cover, popular)
TBR: Dark Lover by [author:J.R..."

Thank you for the picks Mei!
I've read Cinder few years back, but I can't wait to check the rest!

Hi Mei here are your picks for this month.

Red ➺ Christmas, Kwanzaa, Pagan/Winter Solstice/Yule, many Asian new year celebrations
The red in Christmas has both religious and secular origins. In Christianity, red represents the blood of Jesus. Similarly, Kwanzaa uses red to represent the blood shed in the struggle for freedom. There are also pagan origins as red represents the holly berries used by the ancient Celts for decoration. Red also became a dominant color in western cultures in the 1930s when Coca-Cola began running ads that depicted Santa as we commonly see him now - a jolly looking fellow in a red suit! Many Asian cultures celebrate their new year during this time and red is a common color used throughout representing good fortune.
Recommend a book
✴ with a red cover or red item on the cover
✴ that is very popular (your interpretation, could be based on ratings, awards...)
✴ with food (holly berries) or drink (Coca-Cola) on the cover


TBR - Guy on the Right - (red on cover)

NEW- Rebel Without A Claus (red cover) or Beast

Green ➺ Christmas, Kwanzaa, Pagan/Winter Solstice/Yule
Similar to red, green as a Christmas color has both Christian and secular origins. In Christianity, green represents the spiky holly leaves from which many early Christians made wreaths to represent the crown of thorns placed on Jesus head on the cross. Ancient pagans also used holly to decorate as it meant good fortune in winter. Green is also an important color for those who celebrate Kwanzaa, representing the fertile land and hope for the future.
Recommend a book
✴ with a green cover or green item on the cover
✴ with green plants on the cover
✴ tagged 'holiday' or tagged any specific holiday

TBR- Lovelight Farms (Green/Holiday)

NEW- Boss Who Stole Christmas (Holiday/Green) or Vork

White ➺ Christmas, Hanukkah, Pagan/Winter Solstice/Yule
Not surprisingly, white also has religious and secular origins. White is used in Christian and ancient pagan religions both to represent purity and triumph of good over evil. In Jewish traditions, white is one of the colors used to represent Hanukkah, partially, it is believed, to honor Israel's winning independence whose flag colors are white and blue.
Recommend a book
✴ with a white cover or white item on the cover
✴ you consider to be sweet
✴ where good overcomes evil

TBR- The Heir - (White Cover)

NEW- Protecting You (white cover) or Captain Kempton's Christmas

Blue ➺ Hanukkah, Christmas
Blue is also used as a color of Hanukkah as an honor to Israel's independence which is loosely connected to the origins of Hanukkah itself, that of celebrating the Maccabees reclaiming the Temple and Jewish independence. Many believe the colors were chosen to differentiate Hanukkah from Christmas and allow Jewish families to participate in the act of celebrating during this time of year but in a way that honors their religion and traditions. Blue as a Christmas color is less common but in Christian religions, especially Catholicism, Jesus' mother, Mary, is usually shown in blue. Blue dye was precious and hard to come by so was usually only worn by the wealthy. Portraying Mary in blue demonstrated her profound importance as the mother of Jesus.
Recommend a book
✴ with a blue cover or blue item on the cover
✴ with a mother or mother figure in the story
✴ that has blue clothing on the cover

TBR- Things we Never Got Over


NEW- Goldilocks and Grumpy Bear or Frost


Gold ➺ Christmas, Winter Solstice/Yule, many Asian new year celebrations
Once again, we have the color gold with both Christian and non-Christian origins. As a Christmas color, it represents both the light of God as well as a reminder of the gifts of the Magi (gold, incense and myrrh) to the baby Jesus. In most cultures, gold represents wealth, prosperity and royalty which is why it is often used as decoration in many Asian new year celebrations as well as Yuletide and Winter Solstice celebrations.
Recommend a book
✴ with a gold cover or gold item on the cover
✴ with a light source on the cover
✴ that features a wealthy character


TBR- American Prince (wealthly character)

NEW- Tempt Me (Wealthly character)


Purple ➺ Christmas
Purple (my favorite color) is the color of royalty and is used in most Christian religions during Advent, the time before Christmas used to prepare spiritually for the birth of Christ, King of Kings.
Recommend a book
✴ with a purple cover or purple item on the cover
✴ with a royal character or part of the nobility (dukes, etc.)
✴ that is the birth of a series (the first in the series)

TBR- Bound To The Battle God (purple cover)

NEW - Lessons in Corruption (New Series)

Black ➺ Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa traditions use black to represent Africans and those of African descent who are connected through their heritage, ancestors and race.
Recommend a book
✴ with a black cover or black item on the cover
✴ with a MC who is a person of color or whose author is a person of color
✴ with a Z in the title

TBR -Love Letter To Whiskey bookcover:A Love Letter to Whiskey|31549837] (black cover


NEW- Storm


Silver ➺ Christmas, Winter Solstice/Yule
In religious Christmas traditions, silver is used to represent Jesus' divinity. It has similar origins in the pagan religions and thus used in Winter Solstice and Yule celebrations.
Recommend a book
✴ with a silver/gray cover or silver item on the cover
✴ you think is divine (your interpretation)
✴ with a silver lining in the story (something good out something bad)

TBR - Boyfriend Bargain (divine cover)

NEW- Air He Breathes (Divine cover)


If you need any repicks just let me know. Happy reading :)

Hi Joan the bibliophile!

We have lots of YA and NA in common, it was fun looking through your to-read shelf! Here are your picks for December- I hope you find a gem or two here!

Red:
NEW: The Heartbreak Bakery- food and drink
TBR: Eleanor & Park- popular

Green:
NEW: After Math - green on cover
TBR: Glitches- plant on cover

White:
NEW: Losing It- white on cover and sweet
TBR: Bitter Sweet Love - white on cover

Blue:
NEW: Field Notes on Love- blue cover
TBR: Two Boys Kissing- blue cover

Gold:
TBR: We Were Liars- wealthy characters
TBR: Obsidian- light source on cover

Purple:
NEW: Hex Hall- 1st in series
TBR: Red, White & Royal Blue- royal (so great!)

Black:
NEW: Vampire Academy- black cover
TBR: A Court of Thorns and Roses- black on cover

Silver:
TBR: How They Met, and Other Stories- gray cover
NEW: Better Than the Movies- gray on cover

Happy Reading and Happy Holidays!

Chris, sorry I didn't notice that! I added a third option juuust in case you wanted one. 😂

NEW: The Predator by RuNyx (red item on cover aand kinda trendy popular? At least I'm noticing the series on my feed a lot this year lol!!)

Romanticbookworm wrote: "Hi Mei here are your picks for this month.

Red ➺ Christmas, Kwanzaa, Pagan/Winter Solstice/Yule, many Asian new year celebrations
The red in Christmas has both religious and secular origins. In Ch..."

Thanks so so much Romanticbookworm! So many books I've been meaning to read and very excited to look at the new ones! Can't wait to dig in! 🥰

Mei Boink wrote: "Romanticbookworm wrote: "Hi Mei here are your picks for this month.

Red ➺ Christmas, Kwanzaa, Pagan/Winter Solstice/Yule, many Asian new year celebrations
The red in Christmas has both religious a..."


No problem I put a few different options in incase you didnt want to read all Christmas books :). Happy reading

Hi Fran, so this is my first time doing this and, I’m sorry LaurLa, but don’t quit get the colours thing. But I read the link in the first comment on rules and stuff, and it said that out of the 8 recs, 4 had to be from your TBR or preferred shelf and the other 4 had to be new to you. So I hope I am not doing this wrong but this is just what the rules had said and I was really confused, so here you go. Please have mercy.

From your TBR:
- Billionaire Brother’s Nanny by Rebel Bloom
- Everly Dalton’s Daring Disasters (Dirty Martini Running Club, #0.5) by Claire Kingsley
- Her Dueling Daddies by Lee Savino
- My Fake Christmas Fiancé (Kane Christmas #1) by Julie Kriss

New to you:
- Half Truths (Secret Society #1) by Claire Contreras
- A Quick Bite (Argeneau #1) by Lynsay Sands
- Grave Witch (Alex Craft #1) by Kalayna Price, Vampire Hunter #1) by Laurell K. Hamilton
- Love Me Never (Lovely Vicious #1) by Sara Wolf

I did go and check if you had any of these in your TBR but incase I messed up and one of them is, here is an additional choice for you to choose if you feel it. (I made sure you didn’t have this one, I just wasn’t so sure about it)

- The Drafter (The Peri Reed Chronicles #1) by Kim Harrison

Joan the bibliophile wrote: "Hi Fran, so this is my first time doing this and, I’m sorry LaurLa, but don’t quit get the colours thing. But I read the link in the first comment on rules and stuff, and it said that out of the 8 ..."

Hi Joan - I'm sorry if things seem confusing to you. The 'colours thing' is the theme I used to create the tasks for you to pick books for your pickee. For instance, the first set of tasks are related to the info I share for RED:
Recommend a book:
✴ with a red cover or red item on the cover
✴ that is very popular (your interpretation, could be based on ratings, awards...)
✴ with food (holly berries) or drink (Coca-Cola) on the cover

Your job is to pick a book for your pickee that works for ONE of those tasks - either from their preferred shelf/TBR or something new to them that maybe you have read or know of.

The part about 4 new and 4 from the pickee's shelf/TBR is that overall, the pickee should have at least 4 new books and 4 from their shelf/TBR. Many people pick one of each for each of the sets of tasks, but that is not necessary. The minimum is 8 books: one for each set of tasks where 4 are new and 4 are from the pickee's shelf.

I hope this makes sense and helps.

Lastly, you should be picking for the person below you in the list (not above you) so your pickee is SunnyCAGirl, not Fran.

Please let me know if you have more questions - feel free to ask here or send me a message.

I'll be working on your picks today Hinal! 😊

Mony I started your picks and will finish up with them tonight 🙂

☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎ wrote: "Mony I started your picks and will finish up with them tonight 🙂"

No rush Carmen!

KathyD here is my picks for you ;)

Red
New - You Had Me At Hola by Alexis Daria
TBR - Sleighed by Vi Keeland

Green-
New - Eva Luna by Isabel Allende
TBR - Dreamlander by k m Weiland

White
New - The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
TBR - Santa Toy by Michelle Gregory

Blue
New- Neon Gods by Katee Roberts
TBR - it’s in his heart by Shelly Alexander

Gold
New - An Improper Proposal by Grace Bond
TBR - Time After Time by Amorbook Publishing

Purple
new - kiss of sight by Jane Apatova
TBR - starstruck by j s Taylor

Black
New - whiskey lies - Brittanee Nicole
Tbr - the euphoria of Emily k by E N Kuiper

Silver
New - Affluence by Liz Hambleton
TBR - the Celtic tan by Deandra Hall

Hope you enjoy them have a happy holiday season and a warm and safe December

Hello Carina!
Here are my picks for you. Those marked (TBR) are all off of your "bookshelved" list that was included for the challenge. I checked that those which I marked (new)were not on your "read" list, however it looks like you may have shown interest in some of them over the years in other "to read" lists on your page. Enjoy!

Red ➺
✴ with a red cover or red item on the cover
A Snow Country Christmas by Linda Lael Miller (TBR)
Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn (new)

Green ➺
✴ with a green cover or green item on the cover/green plants
Close to Heaven by Pamela Clare (holiday- Christmas + evergreen on cover) (new)
✴ tagged 'holiday' or tagged any specific holiday
The Holiday Secret#4 by Kathryn Springer (TBR)

White ➺
✴ with a white cover or white item on the cover
Christmas Double Cross by Jodie Bailey (TBR)

✴ where good overcomes evil
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate (new)- (not a romance, but I remember really liking this one and it seemed on theme with some of the books on your tbr)

Blue ➺
✴ with a blue cover or blue item on the cover
Hiddenby Rebecca Zanetti- (TBR)

✴ with a mother or mother figure in the story
✴ that has blue clothing on the cover
The School Mistress by Tess Thompson (new)

Gold ➺
✴ with a gold cover or gold item on the cover
✴ with a light source on the cover
All That Glitters by Susan Kyle (gold + light source on cover) (TBR)

✴ that features a wealthy character
Homecoming King by Penny Reid (hero is wealthy- timeline is halloween to Christmas)

Purple ➺
✴ with a purple cover or purple item on the cover
The Twin Bargain by Lisa Carter (TBR)
✴ with a royal character or part of the nobility (dukes, etc.)
✴ that is the birth of a series (the first in the series)
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake (nobility + 1st in a series) by Sarah MacLean

Black ➺
✴ with a black cover or black item on the cover
The Darkest Hour by Maya Banks (TBR)
✴ with a MC who is a person of color or whose author is a person of color
A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera (both main character and author are Latinas)

Silver ➺
✴ with a silver/gray cover or silver item on the cover
Red Queen: The Official Coloring Book by Victoria Aveyard (TBR)
✴ with a silver lining in the story (something good out something bad)
The Chief by Monica McCarty- a main plot point has a silver lining for the couple and all of the secondary characters.

@nancy -- I'll have your picks tomorrow!

hi Hinal! I had a great time picking for you because your TBR list has so many of my favorite reads and I was able to find enough new titles/authors for you also. I’ve read all these books except for one...I’ve listened to almost all of them and highly recommend them in audio if that’s your jam. Enjoy whatever you are able to get to squeeze in during this busy time of year! 😊

❤️ Red ➺ Christmas, Kwanzaa, Pagan/Winter Solstice/Yule, Many Asian New Year Celebrations
Play, Kylie Scott — highly rated & red cover (tbr)
Thank You for Listening, Julia Whelan — highly rated & tea on the cover (new)

💚 Green ➺ Christmas, Kwanzaa, Pagan/Winter Solstice/Yule
In a Holidaze, Christina Lauren — tagged holiday & green cover (tbr)
Extreme Exposure, Pamela Clare — green cover (new)

💕 White ➺ Christmas, Hanukkah, Pagan/Winter Solstice/Yule
Wait With Me, Amy Daws — sweet and hysterical story (tbr)
Always, Kindle Alexander — sweet story & white cover (new)

💙 Blue ➺ Hanukkah, Christmas
The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, Jennifer Ashley — blue cover (tbr)
A Discovery of Witches, Deborah Harkness — mother figures in the story & blue cover (new)

💛 Gold ➺ Christmas, Winter Solstice/Yule, Many Asian New Year Celebrations
Naked in Death, J.D. Robb — main character is wealthy & gold shield on the cover (tbr)
Angels’ Blood, Nalini Singh — light source on the cover & gold/yellow cover (new)

💜 Purple ➺ Christmas
Dark Lover, J.R. Ward — first in the series & main character is a king (tbr)
Betwixt, Darynda Jones — first in the series & purple cover (new)

🖤 Black ➺ Kwanzaa
Overruled, Emma Chase — main character is Latina & black clothes on the cover (tbr)
Burn for Me, Ilona Andrews — black clothes on the cover (new)

💕 Silver ➺ Christmas, Winter Solstice/Yule
Rock Chick, Kristen Ashley — silver lining & silver/gray items on cover (tbr)
Year One, Nora Roberts — fantastic book/series & silver/gray cover (new)

HI Fran! Whew what a weekend... hope you had a good holiday (US) as well! I'll get your picks tonight or tomorrow morning. I started on them today, but I knew the first day back to work would be chaotic.
I'll get you soon! ~S

Sonja wrote: "HI Fran! Whew what a weekend... hope you had a good holiday (US) as well! I'll get your picks tonight or tomorrow morning. I started on them today, but I knew the first day back to work would be ch..."

Thanks Sonja!

Hello SunnyCAGirl, I really hope I am doing this right this time, but here are your recommendations.

LaurLa said that we only had to do one of the tasks. So I am doing green. I chose In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren from your TBR. This book has a very green cover and is a Christmas book. I chose this book for you because I’ve heard from so many people how good of a book it is.

Here are the rest of your recs:
From your TBR:
- A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, #1) by Holly Jackson.
I chose this one because it is on my reading list also, one of my friends has read it and she says that it is really good. I got it for my birthday and have just been waiting for time to read it.

- Writers & Lovers by Lily King.
I chose this book because I saw it in you TBR and it is now in my TBR. It seems like a really good book.

- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
This book has been read by everyone I know and I was glad to see that we both want to read it because I couldn’t find much that we had I common in our TBR’s but everyone I know says that this is such a good book and they have been begging me to read it.

New to you:
- Guilty pleasures (Anita Blake vampire hunter #1) by Laurell
- Half truths (secret society#1) by Clair Contreras
- Grave witch (Alex craft #1) by kalayna price
- Love me never (lovely vicious #1) by sara wolf
- The drafter (the peri reed chronicles #1) by Kim Harrison

I tried to make sure none of these were on any of your lists but still gave you five here incase I messed up and one is in your TBR or you have read it already.

Nancy!!! Here are your picks. I hope you enjoy a few (or more)!


Red ➺ Christmas, Kwanzaa, Pagan/Winter Solstice/Yule, many Asian new year celebrations
TBR: The Last Innocent Hour ➺ red
NEW: One Hot December ➺ lots of red


Green ➺ Christmas, Kwanzaa, Pagan/Winter Solstice/Yule
TBR: Hot for Santa ➺ tagged christmas
NEW: The Christmas Holiday ➺ tagged christmas


White ➺ Christmas, Hanukkah, Pagan/Winter Solstice/Yule
TBR: Kids Is a 4-Letter Word ➺ sweet
NEW: Snowfall ➺ sweet


Blue ➺ Hanukkah, Christmas
TBR: Good Luck with That ➺ blue
NEW: Every Little Thing ➺ mother


Gold ➺ Christmas, Winter Solstice/Yule, many Asian new year celebrations
TBR: Memory in Death ➺ Roarke is wealthy
NEW: A Week in New York ➺ wealthy character


Purple ➺ Christmas
TBR: Well Traveled ➺ purple
NEW: The Sweetest Fix ➺ purple


Black ➺ Kwanzaa
TBR: About That Night ➺ black
NEW: The Wedding Date ➺ author is person of color


Silver ➺ Christmas, Winter Solstice/Yule
TBR: Blue Dahlia ➺ one of my favorite NR series
NEW: Holiday Heat ➺ gray

MountainKat,

Here are your picks. Happy reading!

Red
TBR - Sleighed
New - His Holiday Bonus


Green
TBR - Her Orc King
New - Merry Misrule


White
TBR - Hometown Christmas
New - The Sweetest Thing


Blue
TBR - Devil to Pay
New - The Tourist Attraction


Gold
TBR - Lights, Camera, Christmas!
New - Bad Prince


Purple
TBR - Christmas Wish List
New - Her Silent Knight


Black
TBR - Learn My Lesson
New - Some Girls Bite


Silver
TBR - A Villain for Christmas
New - My Kind of Christmas