by Samara Yew
Hello, and Merry Christmas! I am so excited to participate in my first-ever 12 Days of Cozies!
So far this Christmas season, I’ve crossed a number of holiday items off my to-do bucket list including attending a Christmas tree light-up, baking cookies, decorating my house, and donating to my local food bank. I’ve also been slowly making my way through my Christmas TBR (To Be Read) pile.
My problem is, and admittedly it’s a problem I totally created on my own, is that I have a slight addiction to putting Christmas-themed books on hold on my library’s website. And I don’t just put these books on hold beginning in the fall when the weather is getting cooler and my sweaters and scarves are debuting from the back of my closet. No, I start in January. I first put any Christmas books I didn’t get a chance to read that year back on hold on the library website, and then I hit the pause button and set the resume date to mid-November. And then all year I do the same thing: find a Christmas book that catches my eye, put said book on hold, pause the hold, set the resume date for mid-November. I have no idea if I’m actually “beating the system” or anything by doing this, but I do feel a tad bit sneaky.
In 2023, I put thirty Christmas books on hold throughout the year and didn’t even realize it until suddenly my books were taking up half the Holds shelf at my little local library last month. Oops. Hopefully, I can read them all. If not, back on hold they go, and the cycle will start all over again.
In my cozy mystery Murder by the Seashore, my main character Scarlett starts each day with her mantra: “I can do this. I can do this. I can do this” to tackle her workload at her beachside bookshop. Maybe I need my own: “I will not put any more Christmas books on hold. I will not put any more Christmas books on hold. I will not put any more Christmas books on hold.”
But before I hold myself to that little white lie, I mean possible New Year’s Resolution, what are some of your favorite Christmas-themed books? Which ones have you read so far this holiday season? Maybe I need just one more book to add to my list…
ABOUT SAMARA YEW
Samara Yew is a cozy mystery author who writes about adorable bookshops and dead bodies. A full-time mom, full-time dog servant, and part-time writer, Samara lives in British Columbia, Canada, where she can often be found watching Psych reruns. Samara loves to travel, especially visiting her husband’s home country of Singapore or donning Mickey ears in Disneyland. She’s a member of Sisters in Crime, including her local chapter SinC-Canada West, and International Thriller Writers. She also writes the Rose Shore Mysteries under the name Holly Yew.
Website: samarayew.com
Facebook: @samara.yew.books
Instagram: @samara.yew.author
Twitter: @samarayewauthor
