*Book Club Review* Shelf Care Book Club

I'm getting to this post a little later than I'd wanted to, but I had a book club meeting tonight (happens a lot with 18 of them. Weird, I know). This was after an emotionally exhausting day at work that started about an hour before I was even supposed to be there (I get to work stupid early every day because I much prefer the commute to be a mere 25 minutes rather than the hour it would be if I left any later than I do). I usually sit in my car in the parking lot for about an hour and a half before my day starts, reading, but today I went inside so I could more easily eat the fruit bowl I'd brought for breakfast and read the book I needed to finish for the book club meeting tonight. And that was my first mistake. It ultimately resulted in an unnecessary confrontation that left me shaken as there were only the two of us in the building. Fortunately, I work for a company that values mental health and emotional well-being, and I was given the rest of the day off, and it was even mentioned that I should use the time to get a pedicure or day drink, so I did both. I am not fully centered though, as evidenced by breaking down while telling my husband about it this evening. 

But enough of that. Let's get into my next book club review. 

My journey through my unreasonable number of book clubs continues today with Shelf Care Book Club. This is a pretty new group in the area, and so far I have managed to have personal conflicts for every meeting. I will finally be attending my first meeting with this group this Saturday though, and I really enjoyed the book that was picked. Because I haven't actually attended a meeting yet, I don't really have much I can say about this group, and that's part of why it ranks dead last among the book clubs that made the playoffs. 

Books this group has read so far include The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (and I'm really sad I missed that meeting because I loved that book when I read it several years ago), The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, and The Reformatory by Tananarive Due. I am really excited to discuss The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix on Saturday, and hopefully I really like the vibe of the group as well. 

Will this underdog come out on top? - Katie 

*Book Club Review* The Next Chapter

 I am a book addict, and that extends to book clubs as well. In fact, I am in an unreasonable number of in person book clubs (18 that meet to discuss a specific book, and two silent book clubs) as well as one virtual book club that actually doesn't feel real to me yet because I keep forgetting to show up for the meetings (sorry Cuz. I'm super excited about the next two books because I at least own both of them). Being in 18 book clubs means that I spend a whole lot of time reading books that other people tell me to read. This is a very weird thing for me to want, since I hated reading as a subject in school because I didn't like being told what to read and when to read it. I have even become a bit notorious in the Colorado Springs book community because everyone remembers the chick who is crazy and in 18 book clubs. 

People in several of my book clubs consistently tell me I should pare them down, get rid of a few and maybe read some books that I pick for myself without a deadline for a change. And it's solid advice. I don't actually recommend being in 18 book clubs. But I also don't want to quit ANY of them. How would I even choose which book clubs to leave? In fact, I was recently kicked out of my fantasy book club (that's a WHOLE thing), and instead of taking the L, I started a new fantasy book club. I have problems. 

As we were heading into March, I decided to have you all help me to MAYBE narrow down my book clubs to a more manageable number (to be clear, the only times I miss meetings are if I'm ill or they conflict with other book club meetings, so I'm technically managing it already) by doing a Battle of the Book Clubs March Madness style. I am in enough groups for a solid bracket. Sure, we're starting at Sweet 16, but even I know 64 book clubs is too many. 

Up first, we have The Next Chapter. This is a rebrand of the first book club I joined here in Colorado. I have been in it the longest and I'm a founding member (twice over since it's technically a new group now, but all but one of the remaining founding members of the original group is in this group so...) This group gave me the village that I've been searching for my entire adult life. There is not a doubt in my mind that if there was some sort of emergency that required my husband and I to leave the state for an extended period of time, these ladies would step up as they're able to make sure our pets are taken care of, including administering meds twice a day for our cat who has seizures, and that our teenagers aren't throwing wild parties without adult supervision (I don't actually trust that there would be no parties, but there would be an adult present, and it would probably be Karen). 

I consider this a generic book club because we've read from a variety of genres. The hosting member for each month gets to put forth choices to be voted on by the group, typically. But the hosting member is also allowed to be a dictator and just tell us all what we're reading for the next meeting. Some of my favorite book discussions for The Next Chapter include The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher, Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (this was a dictator decision, but the meal she prepared was well themed and so worth it), and Nocticadia by Keri Lake. 

We aren't just a book club. We're actually friends. 

I'll be back tomorrow with a review for Shelf Care Book Club, and then the first match-up will begin. - Katie 

#31DaysOfChristmas Movie Review: Santa Bootcamp

 

Watched on: Netflix

Originally aired: November 24, 2025

Directed by: Melissa Joan Hart

Starring: Rita Moreno, Emily Kinney, and Justin Gaston

Please see IMDb for full cast and crew info.

Synopsis

Hired by shopping mall magnate Ed Mancini to host a Christmas gala for his biggest investors, Emily heads to Santa Bootcamp - to find the perfect Santa and the inspiration she'll need to make the evening a success.

Review

I have had an interesting mix of holiday movies this year, with a couple happening in locations where it's not really known to snow much. As a native Kansan who has never lived south of the Mason Dixon line, although we didn't routinely have snow on Christmas, I'm still used to having snow near Christmas, so these warmer climates as settings are kind of throwing me off. 

Anyway, Emily Strauss has been gifted her dream party planning opportunity days before Christmas, for a moron who thinks it's reasonable to not only fire his party planner but also the arranged caterer for his big fancy party just days before Christmas. And since this could be her big break, Emily says yes to the job. She might be an even bigger moron than the guy who hired her. And his one big ask is that she needs to have the perfect Santa Claus for the party, like he really needs to embody Santa. Again, she has days to pull this whole thing together. Luckily for her, she happens to be walking down the street when she's basically smacked in the face with a flyer for Santa Bootcamp, run by Belle, a no-nonsense Christmas drill instructor. Obviously all she has to do is go ask the woman running the show to hook her up with a great Santa and her problem is solved, right? 

You knew the answer to that was wrong. This is a cheesy Christmas movie after all and it could not be that simple. No, as a condition of getting the name of the perfect Santa, Emily must first go through the boot camp as well, she clearly needs the boost in her Christmas cheer. And when her chemistry with the 60 year old she's role playing with is just not vibing, Belle drags her hunky chef into the boot camp as well, on scholarship, insisting that her assistant hire him a sous chef immediately to free up his time. Matchmaker, matchmaker...

There were some really great highlights to this movie for me. One of them is that Emily is fluent in American Sign Language because her mom is deaf. At least, I presume the character is fluent as I had to do a lot of reading during this movie because I am NOT, and there were several scenes where no words were verbalized with mouths. It was a nice touch. And I'll give you three guesses about who Belle is. 

So is this a Christmas movie? Honestly, it really has to be because it's all about doing activities to bring out the latent Christmas cheer in workaholic Scrooges. And it didn't even require the workaholic to move to a small town and marry a lumberjack. 

Overall I give this movie 3.125 out of 5 Santa hats. - Katie 

#31DaysOfChristmas Movie Review: A Sprinkle of Christmas

 

Watched on: Netflix

Originally aired: December 10, 2024

Directed by: Nicholas Humphries

Starring: Hayley Sales, Marshall Williams and Rhys Cawley

Please see IMDb for full cast and crew info. 

Synopsis

Libby, an up-and-coming baker, has opened up her storefront business just in time for the Christmas season. Trying to get everything off the ground, she finds herself in a heated anonymous online feud with Peter, an A-List actor, after (hiding his real identity) he gives the bakery a scathing review. At the same time, in real life, Libby takes on a game-changing side-gig: catering cake and confections for Peter's brother's high profile holiday engagement party. Neither realize they're already in a fight with each other.

Review

I want to say we were about five minutes into this movie when I spotted the cause of the initial problem for this movie. I've worked in restaurants and you don't just add an extra table to your setup on a whim, rearrange the table numbers, and not make sure your two employees are clear on the numbering system. That's literally a recipe for disaster. And what do you know, I was right. The way things went down during his visit, Peter's review was spot on, and the owners of the patisserie have only themselves to blame. It doesn't stop them from getting their panties in a twist over it though. Although with only four tables and two employees, I would have expected there to be more personal service for each table, which would have prevented the entire debacle in the first place. But moving on. 

Libby is trying to make big moves with her baking, and gets an opportunity to interview to be the dessert caterer for a celebrity's brother's engagement party. But she's spent her life in the kitchen, so she's not really up to date on who's who in Hollywood, which just happens to land her the gig. Apparently celebrities aren't used to be treated like normal people. Who knew? In her attempts to get answers from Peter about what types of desserts she should make for the party, they end up at the local holiday festival (because these movies have to have a local holiday festival, it's like the law or something), where they get funnel cake, and have a great chat with a hot beverage by the a fire. 

When that doesn't get any concrete answers from Peter, Libby attempts to inspire him by inviting him into the kitchen to bake together. Obviously they really hit it off, and she finally gets some usable information. And all this time, she's been fighting with Peter online, both of them under pseudonyms, and business at the bakery has been booming because "everyone loves an underdog." 

I think you can all guess how the movie ends, right? Unless you've never even heard of a cheesy Christmas movie, in which case congratulations on waking up from your two decade long coma, we're happy to have you back. And was this a Christmas movie? It borders on no, but the surprise party dessert edges it into the yes column, barely. 

Overall I give a Sprinkle of Christmas 2.5 Santa hats. - Katie 

#31DaysOfChristmas Movie Review: A Royal Date for Christmas

 

Watched on: Netflix

Originally aired: November 25, 2023

Directed by: Bradley Walsh

Starring: Danica McKellar, Damon Runyan, and Nigel Hamer

Please see IMDb for full cast and crew info.

Synopsis

Bella Sparks, runs Bella's Boutique. Stefan needs to be outfitted for a week of high-stakes meetings after his luggage goes missing. She accidentally discovers Stefan is actually Stefan William Francis Brown, the Duke of Tangford.

Review

A Royal Date for Christmas gives us a Pretty Woman storyline without the prostitution base. And why does Bella agree to be this originally rude stranger's plus one for all these events he's attending? Because she's trying to open a mobile boutique in addition to her storefront and the money he's offering would really help with that. Ignoring the fact that she could also just have overcharged him for all the clothes he desperately needed after his luggage was lost on his flight across the Atlantic (he was very rude and would have deserved it thank you very much). 

So is this a Christmas movie? Some of the activities that Bella and Stefan engage in during his stay in the US include building a snowman, cutting down a Christmas tree for the manor, and Christmas cake baking and decorating. Not to mention the fact that his big fundraiser event is at risk of being cancelled due to some less than favorable press about him post break-up, and it has plenty of the typical Christmas cheese to qualify as a Christmas movie. 

Of the three movies I've reviewed so far this year, this falls right in the middle of the pack with a 3.5 Santa hat rating. - Katie 

#31DaysOfChristmas Movie Review: A Merry Little Ex-Mas

 

Watched on: Netflix

Originally aired: November 12, 2025

Directed by: Steve Carr

Starring: Alicia Silverstone, Oliver Hudson, Jameela Jamil

Please see IMDb for full cast and crew info.

Synopsis

A separated couple tries celebrating one last Christmas together with their kids before their divorce. However, the husband's new girlfriend joins the festivities, causing tension and chaos during the holidays.

Review

If you want to watch a movie with manufactured holiday cheer, this is the movie for you. To be fair, the holiday cheer is manufactured as a major plot point of the story as Kate and Everett are separated, and this is their first Christmas together post their conscious uncoupling. Kate is striving to provide the same Christmas experience their children grew up with, in spite of the twist that is Everett's new girlfriend, a secret he kept from Kate in spite of them promising to keep no secrets from each other. Kate isn't innocent here though, as she has a secret of her own. 

One of my favorite things about this movie is that Alicia Silverstone gave us a middle-aged mom who looks like an average middle-aged mom. She clearly eats at least some of the delicious foods she makes, and doesn't spend hours running to earn her food and maintain a sleek figure. I appreciate seeing a star from my childhood allowing herself to gain a little weight and not maintain the stick-thin figure society expects from Hollywood. 

Some of the manufactured holiday cheer includes a gingerbread house competition, sledding, and helping the whole town when a storm causes the power to go out, because Kate has an obscene number of solar panels on her roof and battery backup to boot. So she's the only one prepared. 

Now is this a Christmas movie? Yes, absolutely. It hit enough of the cheesy tropes and had a very heartwarming ending, which we obviously expect from our Christmas movies, right? 

Overall I give A Merry Little Ex-Mas 4 out of 5 Santa hats. - Katie 

#31DaysOfChristmas Movie Review: Holiday in Santa Fe

 

Watched on: Netflix

Originally aired: December 10, 2021

Directed by: Jody Margolin Hahn

Starring: Mario Lopez, Emeraude Toubia, and Aimee Garcia

Please see IMDb for full cast and crew information.

Synopsis

Tony runs a Christmas shop with a Mexican twist in Santa Fe, New Mexico with his sister and father. Now Belinda, a representative from the big company Warm Wishes, is on her way to talk about buying their business. Tony is prepared to listen to what they can offer but his sister is not. Belinda arrives from Chicago with the mission to buy the company before the New Year. Tony wants to show her the soul of their business to try to preserve their mothers legacy even after the deal. He engages Belinda in the Christmas celebrations and she starts to get a new take on the deal, and a new interest in Tony.

Review

This was my first Christmas movie of the season, and it honestly left me wanting. I think some of that is because actual Christmas in Santa Fe is apparently a bit different than the Christmas that I'm used to (based on some very brief internet research), and the movie holds more true to that than it does trying to bring us the holiday magic of your typical cheesy Christmas movie. I also struggle with the idea that Santa Fe is a small town, because I know of Santa Fe, and I've never lived in New Mexico. But it does have the classic small town holiday festival in Winterfest. 

Some of the highlights from Winterfest are a ham throw, which is described by Lopez as throwing the ham like a football, but it's really more of a shot-put action. I'm happy to report that there were obviously no hams harmed in the making of this movie as the prop they used was clearly far too light to be an actual ham. There was also a chili tasting contest, at least between the two main characters. Again, not normal Christmas movie fare, but it does hit the right feels for like a cookie baking competition. 

And it obviously wouldn't be a Christmas movie if there wasn't some major small town icon at risk of closing, and that's La Casa Milagro. Except it wouldn't really be closing. In fact, the entire premise of the movie is that the FMC is only in town to arrange a buy-out of the shop to make it part of a Kathe Wohlfahrt style business. Unlike most Christmas movies, some members of the family are even on board for the buyout, at first at least. 

So is this a Christmas movie? Not in the traditional sense. Like I said, it seems to hold true to what Christmas in Santa Fe really is, but that's not what I was looking for in a Christmas movie. But as I've never experienced Christmas in Santa Fe, I don't want to answer the question with a resounding no. 

Overall I give Holiday in Santa Fe 3 Santa hats. - Katie