2026 Holiday Reading Challenge | The Running Bibliophile

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Who doesn’t love a good challenge, especially when it pushes you to read outside your comfort zone or discover a new author? I’ve always wanted to join a reading challenge or reading bingo, but so many of them feel repetitive. So, I decided to create something a little different. It doesn’t mean a challenge like this isn’t out there; I just haven’t come across one myself. Introducing The Running Bibliophile’s 2026 Holiday Reading Challenge, a fun and unique way to expand your reading list while celebrating the spirit of the year. This challenge features 14 books of your choice, with one key twist: each book’s plot must revolve around the specific holiday mentioned. The challenge runs for January 1 through January 31, 2026. To keep things exciting, you may not duplicate any books on the list. By the time you've completed the challenge, you will have read 14 new books to diversify your reading list. To kick things off, the first prompt is simple: choose any holiday-themed book as l...
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Book Review: How to Catch Santa Claus by Alice Walstead

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book review how to catch santa claus alice walstead

How to Catch Santa Claus by Alice Walstead is a children's picture book about Santa Claus delivering presents on Christmas Eve and trying to evade traps that kids have hidden in their houses to catch good old St. Nick.  Published by Sourcebooks Kids, this holiday book is due out on September 1, 2023.  A huge thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Kids for approving my request to read this book.

Having always loved the Christmas holidays, I enjoyed reading How to Catch Santa Claus as it brought back all the excitement I had as a little kid waiting for Santa Claus to visit my house and leave gifts.  As a child, I even asked my parents to stay up late and take a photo of the elusive St. Nick . . . a photo my parents gave me the day after Christmas.  Anywho, this book catches all the excitement a child might feel on Christmas Eve.  The writing was well done and the illustrations intriguing.

This is the perfect book to read with young children that they should find to be super fun and exciting.  They might even want to set their own trap to catch Santa Claus.  Five out of five stars is what I give How to Catch Santa Claus by Alice Walstead.

 

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