12 Ways to Kill Your Family at Christmas, by Natasha Bache

 

Publication October 9, 2025

Hmm, let's see. Locked room mystery vibes. Trapped with unlikable family members. Egos. Nastiness. Family drama. Blizzard. Snowed in. Cut off from rescue. An "innocent" murder game. Then the real murders begin. And I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

I'm not going to divulge the plot other than to say the Agatha Christie vibes were strong. As twisted holiday gatherings go, this one was deadly with each victim offed in creative, even Christmas-y ways. Since it was so easy to dislike most of the characters, I found myself wondering more about how the next murder would happen than whodunit, to be honest. And, no, I didn't guess the culprit. My only concern was that the family dog be okay at "The End". Spoiler: It was. Other than that, as far as I was concerned, everyone else in the distasteful Weiss Family was fair game.

The story alternates between the point of view of Liv/Olivia and the killer. Oddly enough, there was humor, too. True, dark, dark humor at times, but humor. This is definitely one warped, twisted family. Money doesn't make you nice or kind. Yes, I know. No surprise there. Thanks, #HarperCollinsUK and #NetGalley for this entertaining, early peek at this truly despicable family. It was well written and kept me turning pages until well past my bedtime. Oh, that ending!

Sally's Snow Day, by Andrew Larsen, Dawn Lo (illustrator)

 Publication October 15, 2024

Having experienced my own dogs' snow days, I was naturally drawn to this book. My Florida dogs that moved here to Alaska with me were a hoot, let's just say. For those unaware, just getting those booties on their feet can be a workout in itself. I'll spare you the hard won information I have on how to select or make booties on your own. Grin.

In any case, reading about how Sally had to be properly dressed to go outdoors in the cold was cute. It should be a nice way to segue into making reluctant humans less resistant to the process. While not all dogs need booties and coats for the cold, we mere humans definitely do need protection unless we want to turn into human icicles. The artwork is fun and colorful, its simple style appealing to the target audience of ages 3-5, I'm sure. Enough detail to make it interesting without overwhelming. While the text is sparse, it's designed for that young audience and tells the story well. The author even manages to get in some subtle counting practice as well as science, ie regarding snowflakes. Cute idea, too, about building the snowdogs. I guess the author didn't feel the age-old caution about avoiding the yellow snow didn't fit with a kids' book, huh? 

Bottom line, a nicely done, cute story that even showcases the diversity of how the dogs look with all their different looks and outfits. Little ones should enjoy this story and it even brought a smile to my face. Thanks #OrcaBookPublishers for reminding me what fun those first few snow days can be with our furry friends. My Daisy enjoys her walks in the snow, that's for sure.