I loved hearing about your traditions. I know a lot of Europe have their main day on Christmas Eve but in the UK it is on Christmas Day. Christmas Eve for us (my family) is last minute wrapping, seeing my brothers and setting the table and preparing some food. Not much time for reading. Lovely tag and great books from your childhood.
Thank you 😊 That sounds really lovely too! I guess we have something similar on the 23rd, we call it Up Sitting Night (sort of 😂) and there's a special Bingo show on tv with extra prizes and things, and people can send in their rhymes for the gifts, or requests for rhymes. Not necessary to have the tv on, of course, but it's a bit of a tradition! Mulled wine and writing rhymes for the gifts. With or without bingo!
Thank you! 😊 Cool, I think that's a good way to do it! And then you have a couple of days afterward to chill, eat leftovers and play with all your presents 😊
Thanks Pat! 🥰 Haha yes, I don't think anyone was very surprised! It was a fun tag to do, I wasn't very excited about Christmas this year, but this reminded me it can be very cozy if you make an effort. Forgot to mention the chocolates though, very important part! 😊
I really want to pick up white cat black dog but I have so many short story collections to finish first 😅 I love the illustrations in the childrens books. The rice porridge sounds so cozy and good 🤤I love that you feed the gnome instead 😂My friend and I have a yearly tradition to watch an xmas movie at a rooftop theater (possible in LA in December)- we are on year 6! This is such a cute tag!
I'm only two stories in, but I think you'd like it! I would say it's darkly whimsical so far! Not very creepy, just a bit darkly weird. I love Sven Nordqvist's illustrations, and there are so many books of his. Haha yes feeding the gnome is very important, you don't want to upset you little helper! They can be very mean if you do. That sounds like an awesome tradition! That would not be very comfortable here ^^ Although you could do it in the afternoon, because it's dark by 3pm 😆
Thank you so much for doing the tag! I'm adding The Sápmi Trilogy) to my wishlist. Also, I love the idea of putting rice porridge out for my garden gnome Santa.
It was a fun one! 😊 The first part Stolen was good, I think the second part will have more focus on schools and how indigenous people were treated there, which I'm really intrigued to learn more about. Haha yes, it's a cute tradition 😄
Fun tag! I always want to do every tag video I see but then I hardly have enough time to make videos already on my schedule, haha. The struggle… You know I agree about Piranesi 😂😍 Okay so I loved Yellowface but yeah the main character sucks so much!! A very confusing reading experience haha. The Three Lives of Cate Kay seems like a cool premise! And I loved hearing about how you celebrate Christmas in Sweden and seeing the images! So cute that there’s a Disney Christmas special that everyone watches, that’s just so wholesome haha
@@LibrariesandLattes No pressure at all to do the tag, I mostly just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas! 😊 Haha yes very confusing! I think I have a hard time with a constantly sarcastic or annoyed tone like it was on the audiobook, I have a similar one going now and it’s triggering something for me 😂 Yellowface as a book is not bad, I just couldn’t stand it haha! It’s very wholesome ^^ It sounds a bit icky to me that everyone is in front of the tv, but everyone always has their favorites, like someone loves a specific dwarf from Snow White and someone else lives Ferdinand, and the humor is always silly, and there’s Santa’s Christmas Factory or whatever it’s called 😂 It’s a good time! It used to be the same man presenting everything as well and lighting a candle on live tv, and since he passed it’s a very coveted spot and always a big debate about who should do it this year and was it an appropriate choice 😂
so cool to hear about Swedish Christmas, when my Polish great grandma was still around we always celebrated on Christmas Eve in keeping with European tradition, so thats always been the meaningful day to me too! also you said 'yellowface' the SECOND i thought it hahah it came to my mind instantly! love this tag!! 🥹✨️
That's so sweet! I've always thought it was a special day too, obviosly because that's when we celebrate, but Christmas Day always felt a bit more formal to me, whereas Christmas Eve is a bit more casual. Which I much prefer ^^
@ellenmadebookclub i feel the exact same!!! like christmas day always felt like more of a formal lunch affair, whereas christmas eve dinner fills me with memories of my cousins and i sitting together chatting and just being lovely (i was also a kid though so perhaps my memories are rose-tinted) but i absolutely agree about it feeling more casual and almost intimate? if that makes sense!
Haha I'm predictable like that! 😄 One of my goals for 2025 is to get more books read so I can have some new answers for the tag videos! 😂 This was a fun one though, and I'm glad I got around to it before Christmas, and hopefully some more people have time to jump on it as well! Thank you for tagging me and for watching!
So lovely to hear about how you celebrated Christmas as a kid ^^ I kinda relate to the ambivalent feelings around Christmas in general, now that I'm an adult. Sometimes, I still enjoy the "magic" of it, but most of the time, it feels like a lot of pressure, obligations, and expectations, and I never like that ^^' Thank you for tagging me! I'll see if I manage to sneak it in this month among all the videos I'm trying to make. Cheers!
Q1. I most definitely started guessing, and I'm proud to say that I guessed it right 🤭 That's a book that I need to remember to read in 2025 LOL. I really don't keep up with any of new releases but I will have to check out The 3 Lives of Cate Kay once you read it and give it a review. I really liked 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo but haven't read First Lie Win! If you wanted to read it together, we can do that too 👀 When you open the kids picture books from your childhood really reminded me of a teacher reading to me. I almost expected you to start reading it to me 😂 I definitely wouldn't have mind that. I love hearing about how you celebrate your Christmas! The difference between the US's version vs Swedish's. Such as the porridge for Santa instead of cookies & milk. Personally, I didn't grow up celebrating Christmas but I found similarities to the New Year in my culture -- where we make rice cake soup for lunch/breakfast on the New Year 🥰
Haha well done! Yes, I want to hear your thoughts on it! 😄 I don't usually keep up with new releases either, I've looked a bit now for a video and because it's exciting, but this one I think came up as upcoming on my audiobooks app and it sounded good to me! I might be up for a buddy read of First Lie Wins! I'm trying to be as free as a bird now with my reading due to my brain not being able to handle commitments and obligations and the moment, but if it times well I would love to! Haha maybe next time they come out I'll read a bit from the children's books ^^ That's so nice, thanks for sharing that! I love that we can have such different traditions and still have similarites, even if it's something as simple as a rice meal! 😊 It can't be too old of a tradition here though, since rice doesn't grow here, I'll have to look into that! 😂
(Stream of consciousness comment...)Stone Blind is such an amazing audiobook! One of the best I listened to this year! I'm going to be reading Stolen in 2025 for one of my book clubs. I've heard great things about it, so I'm looking forward to it. I agree with you on Yellowface. I know we aren't supposed to like June, but my dislike of her made it hard for me to read. Thanks for the tag! I'm hoping to have this up next week!
(Those are my favorites! 😊) I agree, definitely one of my favorites as well! Oh fun! I look forward to hearing your thoughts on that, I hope to get to the second part next year. Exactly! I think the concept for Yellowface is good and an important topic and all of that, but I just can't help not enjoying it. Can't wait to see your version! And Happy Holiday season! 😊
This is such a fun tag, thank you for tagging me :) It's funny, we have the same tradition with the rice porridge with sugar and cinnamon for lunch on Christmas Eve, and then we celebrate in the evening as well.
A very good way to get into the Christmas spirit! 😊 That makes sense though, we probably have a lot of similar traditions! Do you treat your gnomes with porridge too?
@ellenmadebookclub We don't have gnomes, we have yule trolls 😆 They live in the mountains and come to town to harass and steal things. Their mother eats naughty children and they also have a cat that eats children that don't get new clothes for Christmas. 🤪
I had a feeling Piranesi would make an appearance! The Three Lives of Cate Kay sounds intriguing. I loved First Lie Wins and want to read Evelyn Hugo but they're so different I can't imagine how they overlap. Definitely interested. I loved hearing about Swedish Christmas traditions and your family's personal take on them. I like the idea of opening presents on Christmas Eve. The day after Christmas Day here (Boxing Day) is also a national holiday, so the festivities go on a while. The food you eat is really interesting but quite different from us. Santa definitely gets better treats in the UK, though he's much more likely to get alcohol related liver damage and diabetes :) (I made a comment on your Beartown book club review but ended up deleting because I can't remember what happens in each book and was worried about being spoiler-y. I'm still following along from the sidelines, though.)
Haha yes, I don't think anyone was surprised at this point! 😆 Right? We'll have to switch, I'll read First Lie Wins and you'll read Seven Husbands, and then we can decide if Cate Kay has any resemblance to any of them! It's setting the bar pretty high, but I'm intrigued. Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed 😊 We have Boxing Day too, although we just say Second day Christmas. Not very imaginative. I forgot to mention all the fish, that's probably even more Swedish. And schnaps, with songs. I don't eat meat or fish, but traditionally it's a lot of that! What's typical Christmas food for you? Haha we keep the alcohol and sugar for ourselves, I think! I saw your comment but didn't have time to respond right away, so I was sad to see it gone! 😄 I figured it was for spoiler reasons, but I didn't think there were any. I'm looking forward to starting The Winners soon. What are you reading at the moment?
Hi Ellen, thank you for doing our tag. Glad I connected with you. I loved Stone Blind, and pretty much anything else from Natalie Haynes.. I am a big fan of greek mythology retelling... Thanks for your insights on Swedish Christmas! I have fond memories of my only visit to your country, staying in Stockholm.
Hi Daniela! It's a great tag, really fun to do! Good mix of prompts, well done 😊 I definitely want to read more of Natalie Haynes, any favorites from her other works? I love retellings too, the ones I've read at least. Stockholm is a beautiful city, I'm glad you enjoyed your visit!
@@ellenmadebookclub Thanks Ellen! Of Haynes I loved A Thousand Ships and Pandora's Jar. She also hosts a great podcast on BBC called 'Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics Podcast' which expands to roman history too.
@ellenmadebookclub I want to talk about increasing your RUclips channel and video views. How to improve your video views. Can you give me some time? I will explain to you.
I loved hearing about your traditions. I know a lot of Europe have their main day on Christmas Eve but in the UK it is on Christmas Day. Christmas Eve for us (my family) is last minute wrapping, seeing my brothers and setting the table and preparing some food. Not much time for reading. Lovely tag and great books from your childhood.
Thank you 😊 That sounds really lovely too! I guess we have something similar on the 23rd, we call it Up Sitting Night (sort of 😂) and there's a special Bingo show on tv with extra prizes and things, and people can send in their rhymes for the gifts, or requests for rhymes. Not necessary to have the tv on, of course, but it's a bit of a tradition! Mulled wine and writing rhymes for the gifts. With or without bingo!
I enjoyed hearing about your Christmas in Sweden. Where I come from, Christmas Eve is the main celebration, too.
Thank you! 😊 Cool, I think that's a good way to do it! And then you have a couple of days afterward to chill, eat leftovers and play with all your presents 😊
Wonderful responses to these prompts, Ellen. I knew Piranesi would be your joyful book! ❤️ I loved hearing about Christmas in Sweden.
Thanks Pat! 🥰 Haha yes, I don't think anyone was very surprised! It was a fun tag to do, I wasn't very excited about Christmas this year, but this reminded me it can be very cozy if you make an effort. Forgot to mention the chocolates though, very important part! 😊
Omg I got tagged, I feel so special thank you 😆 This was such an interesting concept, I can’t wait to do mine!
Haha I know the feeling! 😆 Can't wait to hear your take on it! 😊
I really want to pick up white cat black dog but I have so many short story collections to finish first 😅 I love the illustrations in the childrens books. The rice porridge sounds so cozy and good 🤤I love that you feed the gnome instead 😂My friend and I have a yearly tradition to watch an xmas movie at a rooftop theater (possible in LA in December)- we are on year 6! This is such a cute tag!
I'm only two stories in, but I think you'd like it! I would say it's darkly whimsical so far! Not very creepy, just a bit darkly weird. I love Sven Nordqvist's illustrations, and there are so many books of his. Haha yes feeding the gnome is very important, you don't want to upset you little helper! They can be very mean if you do. That sounds like an awesome tradition! That would not be very comfortable here ^^ Although you could do it in the afternoon, because it's dark by 3pm 😆
Thank you so much for doing the tag! I'm adding The Sápmi Trilogy) to my wishlist. Also, I love the idea of putting rice porridge out for my garden gnome Santa.
It was a fun one! 😊 The first part Stolen was good, I think the second part will have more focus on schools and how indigenous people were treated there, which I'm really intrigued to learn more about. Haha yes, it's a cute tradition 😄
Fun tag! I always want to do every tag video I see but then I hardly have enough time to make videos already on my schedule, haha. The struggle…
You know I agree about Piranesi 😂😍 Okay so I loved Yellowface but yeah the main character sucks so much!! A very confusing reading experience haha. The Three Lives of Cate Kay seems like a cool premise!
And I loved hearing about how you celebrate Christmas in Sweden and seeing the images! So cute that there’s a Disney Christmas special that everyone watches, that’s just so wholesome haha
@@LibrariesandLattes No pressure at all to do the tag, I mostly just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas! 😊
Haha yes very confusing! I think I have a hard time with a constantly sarcastic or annoyed tone like it was on the audiobook, I have a similar one going now and it’s triggering something for me 😂 Yellowface as a book is not bad, I just couldn’t stand it haha!
It’s very wholesome ^^ It sounds a bit icky to me that everyone is in front of the tv, but everyone always has their favorites, like someone loves a specific dwarf from Snow White and someone else lives Ferdinand, and the humor is always silly, and there’s Santa’s Christmas Factory or whatever it’s called 😂 It’s a good time! It used to be the same man presenting everything as well and lighting a candle on live tv, and since he passed it’s a very coveted spot and always a big debate about who should do it this year and was it an appropriate choice 😂
Lovely tag questions, and I enjoyed your book answers and all the traditions
Thank you! Consider yourself tagged if you want to do it as well, still time before Christmas! 😊
so cool to hear about Swedish Christmas, when my Polish great grandma was still around we always celebrated on Christmas Eve in keeping with European tradition, so thats always been the meaningful day to me too!
also you said 'yellowface' the SECOND i thought it hahah it came to my mind instantly! love this tag!! 🥹✨️
That's so sweet! I've always thought it was a special day too, obviosly because that's when we celebrate, but Christmas Day always felt a bit more formal to me, whereas Christmas Eve is a bit more casual. Which I much prefer ^^
@ellenmadebookclub i feel the exact same!!! like christmas day always felt like more of a formal lunch affair, whereas christmas eve dinner fills me with memories of my cousins and i sitting together chatting and just being lovely (i was also a kid though so perhaps my memories are rose-tinted)
but i absolutely agree about it feeling more casual and almost intimate? if that makes sense!
YAY!! So glad you did our tag! I knew you would say, "Piranesi" for the first prompt! Made me laugh! Very enjoyable video - thanks!
Haha I'm predictable like that! 😄 One of my goals for 2025 is to get more books read so I can have some new answers for the tag videos! 😂 This was a fun one though, and I'm glad I got around to it before Christmas, and hopefully some more people have time to jump on it as well! Thank you for tagging me and for watching!
@@ellenmadebookclub it's been getting a pretty good response - it's so much fun to see it go around the world!
@@BeyondBooks-wt5il That's great to hear! 😄
So lovely to hear about how you celebrated Christmas as a kid ^^ I kinda relate to the ambivalent feelings around Christmas in general, now that I'm an adult. Sometimes, I still enjoy the "magic" of it, but most of the time, it feels like a lot of pressure, obligations, and expectations, and I never like that ^^' Thank you for tagging me! I'll see if I manage to sneak it in this month among all the videos I'm trying to make. Cheers!
@@Curious-Cat Exactly! No pressure to do the tag, I just wanted to spread the cheer and wish you a happy holiday season 😊
@@ellenmadebookclub I got that, thank you 💛 I'd still like to do it if I can, but that might be a bit ambitious, we'll see ^^
Q1. I most definitely started guessing, and I'm proud to say that I guessed it right 🤭 That's a book that I need to remember to read in 2025 LOL. I really don't keep up with any of new releases but I will have to check out The 3 Lives of Cate Kay once you read it and give it a review. I really liked 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo but haven't read First Lie Win! If you wanted to read it together, we can do that too 👀 When you open the kids picture books from your childhood really reminded me of a teacher reading to me. I almost expected you to start reading it to me 😂 I definitely wouldn't have mind that.
I love hearing about how you celebrate your Christmas! The difference between the US's version vs Swedish's. Such as the porridge for Santa instead of cookies & milk. Personally, I didn't grow up celebrating Christmas but I found similarities to the New Year in my culture -- where we make rice cake soup for lunch/breakfast on the New Year 🥰
Haha well done! Yes, I want to hear your thoughts on it! 😄 I don't usually keep up with new releases either, I've looked a bit now for a video and because it's exciting, but this one I think came up as upcoming on my audiobooks app and it sounded good to me! I might be up for a buddy read of First Lie Wins! I'm trying to be as free as a bird now with my reading due to my brain not being able to handle commitments and obligations and the moment, but if it times well I would love to!
Haha maybe next time they come out I'll read a bit from the children's books ^^
That's so nice, thanks for sharing that! I love that we can have such different traditions and still have similarites, even if it's something as simple as a rice meal! 😊 It can't be too old of a tradition here though, since rice doesn't grow here, I'll have to look into that! 😂
(Stream of consciousness comment...)Stone Blind is such an amazing audiobook! One of the best I listened to this year! I'm going to be reading Stolen in 2025 for one of my book clubs. I've heard great things about it, so I'm looking forward to it. I agree with you on Yellowface. I know we aren't supposed to like June, but my dislike of her made it hard for me to read.
Thanks for the tag! I'm hoping to have this up next week!
(Those are my favorites! 😊) I agree, definitely one of my favorites as well! Oh fun! I look forward to hearing your thoughts on that, I hope to get to the second part next year. Exactly! I think the concept for Yellowface is good and an important topic and all of that, but I just can't help not enjoying it.
Can't wait to see your version! And Happy Holiday season! 😊
This is such a fun tag, thank you for tagging me :) It's funny, we have the same tradition with the rice porridge with sugar and cinnamon for lunch on Christmas Eve, and then we celebrate in the evening as well.
A very good way to get into the Christmas spirit! 😊 That makes sense though, we probably have a lot of similar traditions! Do you treat your gnomes with porridge too?
@ellenmadebookclub We don't have gnomes, we have yule trolls 😆 They live in the mountains and come to town to harass and steal things. Their mother eats naughty children and they also have a cat that eats children that don't get new clothes for Christmas. 🤪
@ Seems fair! 😂
I had a feeling Piranesi would make an appearance! The Three Lives of Cate Kay sounds intriguing. I loved First Lie Wins and want to read Evelyn Hugo but they're so different I can't imagine how they overlap. Definitely interested. I loved hearing about Swedish Christmas traditions and your family's personal take on them. I like the idea of opening presents on Christmas Eve. The day after Christmas Day here (Boxing Day) is also a national holiday, so the festivities go on a while. The food you eat is really interesting but quite different from us. Santa definitely gets better treats in the UK, though he's much more likely to get alcohol related liver damage and diabetes :)
(I made a comment on your Beartown book club review but ended up deleting because I can't remember what happens in each book and was worried about being spoiler-y. I'm still following along from the sidelines, though.)
Haha yes, I don't think anyone was surprised at this point! 😆 Right? We'll have to switch, I'll read First Lie Wins and you'll read Seven Husbands, and then we can decide if Cate Kay has any resemblance to any of them! It's setting the bar pretty high, but I'm intrigued. Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed 😊 We have Boxing Day too, although we just say Second day Christmas. Not very imaginative. I forgot to mention all the fish, that's probably even more Swedish. And schnaps, with songs. I don't eat meat or fish, but traditionally it's a lot of that! What's typical Christmas food for you? Haha we keep the alcohol and sugar for ourselves, I think!
I saw your comment but didn't have time to respond right away, so I was sad to see it gone! 😄 I figured it was for spoiler reasons, but I didn't think there were any. I'm looking forward to starting The Winners soon. What are you reading at the moment?
Hi Ellen, thank you for doing our tag. Glad I connected with you. I loved Stone Blind, and pretty much anything else from Natalie Haynes.. I am a big fan of greek mythology retelling... Thanks for your insights on Swedish Christmas! I have fond memories of my only visit to your country, staying in Stockholm.
Hi Daniela! It's a great tag, really fun to do! Good mix of prompts, well done 😊 I definitely want to read more of Natalie Haynes, any favorites from her other works? I love retellings too, the ones I've read at least. Stockholm is a beautiful city, I'm glad you enjoyed your visit!
@@ellenmadebookclub Thanks Ellen! Of Haynes I loved A Thousand Ships and Pandora's Jar. She also hosts a great podcast on BBC called 'Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics Podcast' which expands to roman history too.
@@Uncommon_Reader Thank you! I loved her narration of the audiobook, so I can imagine the podcast is good too.
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I'll get right on that. I think I've had enough advice now though, ok? Have a nice day!
@ellenmadebookclub I want to talk about increasing your RUclips channel and video views. How to improve your video views. Can you give me some time? I will explain to you.
@@digitalmarketing-youtubeexpert I'm not interested. Thank you.