celiabreslin

Hi Blog Friends!

For this last blog post of the year, here’s some holiday cheer for you in the form of reading recs, book giveaways and sales, plus a recipe for the bakers in the group. 🤩

Comic Con

The weekend after Thanksgiving, I lucked into a free ticket for SF Fan Expo 2025. It was the last day of the con, so the crowd was fairly light but friendly. About half the attendees were in amazing costumes, and I ran into a festive R2D2 while I was wandering the aisles.

I was especially excited about attending the con because one of my favorite artists, David Mack, was there signing his work. He signed my copy of Kabuki, Vol. 6 – SCARAB, as well as the goodies I bought on the spot. And this is my reading rec for you! If you haven’t checked out his work, I highly recommend starting with the KABUKI Series.

Book Sale

📚 Smashwords is having their annual End of Year Sale, with tons of free and discounted reads, so go load up that e-reader, huzzah! 📚

Book Giveaways

💕 Do you read Dark Romance or Reverse Harem Romance? Check out these holiday gift guides and enter both giveaways (yes, TWO giveaways!) for a chance at two $50 USD Amazon gift cards!

💕 There are even more giveaways happening over on author Ellen Mint’s website. Enter her 💖 Romance Advent Calendar Giveaway 💖 now through the 25th of December. With 25 participating authors, there are MANY possible prezzies. Enter daily! Good luck!

Grandma B’s Banana Bread in a Can

You need a snack for your reading time, right? Here’s a recipe from my Irish grandmother’s collection. Yes, you can repurpose the tins from your canned goods to make tasty baked treats… 🤩

~ Ingredients ~
2 – 3 ripe bananas (2 if large)
1/3 c. butter, melted
1 large egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
dash of salt

~ Optional Items ~
chopped walnuts
chocolate chips
raisins
cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
Prepare tins with butter or cooking spray.
*
Mash the bananas, then stir in the melted butter.
Add vanilla extract, sugar, and beaten egg to mixture.
*
Combine baking soda, salt, and flour.
Add flour mixture to wet mixture and stir gently to combine.
*
Pour into your tins, about 2/3rd full.
Bake for 30-40 minutes.
*
Cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes.
Enjoy!

Merry, Merry!

That’s a wrap for 2025, my dear blog friends. See you back here in the New Year for more bookish fun.

Happy Holidays & Happy reading!
xo,
Celia