Finding Christmas (#870) by Karen Schaler was just the kind of Christmas read I was looking for: over the top, meet-cute, sweet romance with bonus recipes and tree decorating and disposal tips (because why would anyone ever have anything but a live tree despite the expense!).
How do two Christmas-crazed adults obsessed by work find each other? Through a Christmas scavenger hunt, of course! The only problem is that the wrong guy is following the clues. But we know as the readers that Sam is, in fact, the right person for Emmie. Grant, the Seattle lawyer for whom Emmie planned the perfect Christmas get-away weekend, can't be bothered to get off his phone to wonder why Emmie hasn't shown up for their scheduled time off. Why leave the city when there's work to do?
Emmie's managed, despite the all-encompassing community shelter programs she runs, to get away to honor her deceased parents commitment to celebrating Christmas and the good in people. Why can't Grant see that connection? Sam shows up instead and whole-heartedly joins in the Christmas fun. Why can't Emmie see what's staring her in the face?
It is a fun read, even if it would be waaay too much in the real world. There's a cute town, a cute dog, cute shops and even a cute gourmet restaurant tucked away in Christmas Point, Washington. It's a great place to spend a little bit of your holiday, despite the author's shameless self-promotion.
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Thursday, December 26, 2019
25 Days 'Til Christmas
The cover of 25 Days 'Til Christmas (#869) asks the question "Will This Christmas Be Her Best Ever?" beneath a clever illustration based on an Advent Calendar. I was expecting "a heartwarming, feel-good holiday" read. I was badly mistaken. This was a real Debbie Downer of a Christmas book. Author Poppy Alexander hit almost every negative cliché in this depressing tale of an British Afghan War Widow with an autistic child, miserable, degrading minimum wage job, unable to make ends meet while fending off a lecherous boss eager to find an excuse to fire her. Oh, and did I mention the grand-mother-in-law whose nursing home is about to give her the boot?
Yes, Kate does meet a lovely man, but she willfully refuses to give up her sacrifice of personal happiness in memory of her lost husband. Yes, there is ultimately a happy ending, but it comes too little, too late. By the time she calls the Crisisline where Daniel is working the Christmas shift (of course, because he's so noble and suffering from his own loss), I wanted to commit suicide!
At least Dickens in his A Christmas Carol, spread the redemptive feeling around when Scrooge realized the error of his ways! Kate, not so much. She just comes off as pathetic. If you are looking for a feel-good story, this definitely isn't it. I'm ashamed I spent precious time finishing this one. Bah, humbug!
Yes, Kate does meet a lovely man, but she willfully refuses to give up her sacrifice of personal happiness in memory of her lost husband. Yes, there is ultimately a happy ending, but it comes too little, too late. By the time she calls the Crisisline where Daniel is working the Christmas shift (of course, because he's so noble and suffering from his own loss), I wanted to commit suicide!
At least Dickens in his A Christmas Carol, spread the redemptive feeling around when Scrooge realized the error of his ways! Kate, not so much. She just comes off as pathetic. If you are looking for a feel-good story, this definitely isn't it. I'm ashamed I spent precious time finishing this one. Bah, humbug!
We Met In December
We Met in December (#868) by Rosie Curtis is a "meet cute" romance that begins and ends over the course of a year. Jess and Alex are both in their thirties and ready to change their lives to pursue their dreams. For Jess, it means making a daring move to a shared house in the Notting Hill district in London to take a job in the world of publishing. She could never afford moving to such a posh location if the house weren't owned by her old friend Becky from university, ready to charge her only a peppercorn rent. When she meets Alex, one of her new housemates at their pre-Christmas "get acquainted" dinner, sparks fly. Unfortunately, along with the peppercorn rent, Becky has included in "no romance" clause in their rental agreements. What to do?
For Alex, it's meant giving up a thriving career in a prestigious law firm to pursue nursing, a profession that makes a difference in the lives of the people it touches after witnessing the care given to his dying father. The fly in the ointment for him is his fiancée who had planned on a home in the suburbs with the requisite 2.5 children and a dog. That's only feasible on the income a lawyer would make, not a nurse. Despite having set the date, the wedding is off. Hence, Alex is recovering from a broken heart.
How will these two work out the differences between them and find out that they do belong together? It makes for an enjoyable Christmas time read.
For Alex, it's meant giving up a thriving career in a prestigious law firm to pursue nursing, a profession that makes a difference in the lives of the people it touches after witnessing the care given to his dying father. The fly in the ointment for him is his fiancée who had planned on a home in the suburbs with the requisite 2.5 children and a dog. That's only feasible on the income a lawyer would make, not a nurse. Despite having set the date, the wedding is off. Hence, Alex is recovering from a broken heart.
How will these two work out the differences between them and find out that they do belong together? It makes for an enjoyable Christmas time read.
Thursday, December 19, 2019
The Second Sleep
Robert Harris certainly has covered a wide range of history in his novels, many of which I have read with a great deal of pleasure. (See also my posts of 12/12/16 & 3/19/18.) His latest book, The Second Sleep (#867), charts new territory in science fiction in this novel set in fifteenth century England.
Father Christopher Fairfax is sent by the Bishop of Exeter to conduct the funeral services for the long-serving priest at St. George Addicott, Father Lacy. When he finally arrives at the remote village Father Fairfax discovers a trove of forbidden books and ancient artifacts in the priest's study. Was Father Lacy engaged in heretical activities when he fell to his death from The Devil's Chair?
Trapped in the village by a landslide which blocks the only road out, Father Fairfax begins examining the forbidden items for himself. Who were these ancient people who could fly through the air in special carriages, and communicate over long distances with items bearing the mark of the forbidden fruit; an apple with a bite taken out of it, displayed right there in Father Lacy's cabinet of curiosities?
Everything Father Fairfax has ever learned is being called into question as he sees the evidence of a highly advanced ancient civilization with his own eyes. What did cause the destruction of their way of life in the old-style 2020s?
I suppose The Second Sleep could also be called speculative fiction. But however you chose to label it, it makes for an interesting and thought-provoking read. Highly recommended.
Father Christopher Fairfax is sent by the Bishop of Exeter to conduct the funeral services for the long-serving priest at St. George Addicott, Father Lacy. When he finally arrives at the remote village Father Fairfax discovers a trove of forbidden books and ancient artifacts in the priest's study. Was Father Lacy engaged in heretical activities when he fell to his death from The Devil's Chair?
Trapped in the village by a landslide which blocks the only road out, Father Fairfax begins examining the forbidden items for himself. Who were these ancient people who could fly through the air in special carriages, and communicate over long distances with items bearing the mark of the forbidden fruit; an apple with a bite taken out of it, displayed right there in Father Lacy's cabinet of curiosities?
Everything Father Fairfax has ever learned is being called into question as he sees the evidence of a highly advanced ancient civilization with his own eyes. What did cause the destruction of their way of life in the old-style 2020s?
I suppose The Second Sleep could also be called speculative fiction. But however you chose to label it, it makes for an interesting and thought-provoking read. Highly recommended.
Monday, December 16, 2019
What Rose Forgot
One of my friends recommended Nevada Barr's latest: What Rose Forgot (#866). She said she resented being pulled away from it while she was reading it. After reading it myself, I see exactly what she meant.
When Rose Dennis regains consciousness as the novel opens, she's in a wooded area wearing a flimsy hospital gown. How did she get there? She is afraid, but she doesn't know of what. It soon becomes clear when orderlies from a local facility find her and literally drag her back. She's been suffering from the flu, but when she is returned to the hospital, it is back to the Memory Care Unit. Enough of the drugs has been purged from her system during her stay in the medical unit to let her realize that it's the medication causing her confusion. Rose hides the capsules being fed to her, and plans her escape from the memory unit. While she's out again, someone tries to kill her. She's not crazy, so why has her family committed her to this place? And for what purpose? With the help of her step-granddaughter and her friend, Rose aims to find out who is behind it all...
This is a very scary novel if you happen to be a woman in your sixties, because Rose's commitment, sedation and gradual demise are so very plausible. Rose is made to look as though she fits the profile of a patient with dementia, so who would question it? It's a sinister plot, and one which could so easily happen today. A crackerjack read.
When Rose Dennis regains consciousness as the novel opens, she's in a wooded area wearing a flimsy hospital gown. How did she get there? She is afraid, but she doesn't know of what. It soon becomes clear when orderlies from a local facility find her and literally drag her back. She's been suffering from the flu, but when she is returned to the hospital, it is back to the Memory Care Unit. Enough of the drugs has been purged from her system during her stay in the medical unit to let her realize that it's the medication causing her confusion. Rose hides the capsules being fed to her, and plans her escape from the memory unit. While she's out again, someone tries to kill her. She's not crazy, so why has her family committed her to this place? And for what purpose? With the help of her step-granddaughter and her friend, Rose aims to find out who is behind it all...
This is a very scary novel if you happen to be a woman in your sixties, because Rose's commitment, sedation and gradual demise are so very plausible. Rose is made to look as though she fits the profile of a patient with dementia, so who would question it? It's a sinister plot, and one which could so easily happen today. A crackerjack read.
Saturday, December 14, 2019
Daschund Through the Snow
Nothing says Christmas like Andy Carpenter, curmudgeonly lawyer, taking on a new case. This year it's Daschund Through the Snow (#865) by David Rosenfelt.
It wasn't his idea - Andy planned to spend the holidays curled up in front of the TV, watching basketball on Christmas, and endless Bowl games throughout the New Year. Blame it on his wife Laurie. She's the one who becomes Paterson, New Jersey's, Secret Santa each year. On a tree in a local pet store, a young boy has put his Christmas wish; a warm coat for his mother, a sweater for his dog, and for his Daddy to come home. Since there's a dog involved, she shows the wish to Andy who agrees with her charitable urge. But Laurie comes home after dropping off the gifts at the boy's home with a new client for Andy. Noah Traynor, the Dad, has just been arrested for a fourteen year old cold case murder. He claims he didn't do it, but the evidence against him puts him on the scene beyond question. Can Andy work a Christmas miracle? Even he isn't convinced until the bodies begin to pile up...
Entertaining as usual. What was behind this murder so many years ago, and what is worth concealing up to the present day? It's so much fun to watch Andy and his team at work.
It wasn't his idea - Andy planned to spend the holidays curled up in front of the TV, watching basketball on Christmas, and endless Bowl games throughout the New Year. Blame it on his wife Laurie. She's the one who becomes Paterson, New Jersey's, Secret Santa each year. On a tree in a local pet store, a young boy has put his Christmas wish; a warm coat for his mother, a sweater for his dog, and for his Daddy to come home. Since there's a dog involved, she shows the wish to Andy who agrees with her charitable urge. But Laurie comes home after dropping off the gifts at the boy's home with a new client for Andy. Noah Traynor, the Dad, has just been arrested for a fourteen year old cold case murder. He claims he didn't do it, but the evidence against him puts him on the scene beyond question. Can Andy work a Christmas miracle? Even he isn't convinced until the bodies begin to pile up...
Entertaining as usual. What was behind this murder so many years ago, and what is worth concealing up to the present day? It's so much fun to watch Andy and his team at work.
Monday, December 9, 2019
A Single Thread
The "surplus women" of Britain, those who were unable to marry between the two World Wars because of the lack of available men, did not have an easy life, as movingly illustrated by Tracy Chevalier in her latest novel A Single Thread (#864).
Violet Speedwell's fiancé was killed during World War I, but because of the social conventions of the time, she was expected to look after her mother at home, and was economically dependent on her married brother. When she decides to cut loose and requests a transfer to Winchester from her employer, she is charting new territory. Living hand to mouth in a women's boarding house, she stumbles upon a dedication ceremony for needlepoint cushions at the glorious Winchester Cathedral. Denied entry to the ceremony by an officious woman, Violet makes up her mind to join this exclusive group for the sake of gaining entry. She succeeds, and by doing so, meets friends and finds a new purpose in her own life.
I love this book. The details of the embroidery project were fascinating to me, since I participated in a similar project in New England. What was new to me was the intricacy of bell-ringing. I have heard the changes rung, but it is an art which is not so common in the United States - there are so few places where this kind of activity is even possible. And I was so happy for Violet in the end. She created her own happiness out of so very little.
But here comes the nit: it's about the cover art. While Ms. Chevalier gets the facts correct in her story, why couldn't the cover artist do the same? In a book about needlepoint, the cover is adorned with crewel work. Most people would shrug their shoulders and say "What's the difference?". To a needlewoman, that's like asking a sports fanatic what difference the shape of the ball makes between basketball and football. The devil is in the details.
Violet Speedwell's fiancé was killed during World War I, but because of the social conventions of the time, she was expected to look after her mother at home, and was economically dependent on her married brother. When she decides to cut loose and requests a transfer to Winchester from her employer, she is charting new territory. Living hand to mouth in a women's boarding house, she stumbles upon a dedication ceremony for needlepoint cushions at the glorious Winchester Cathedral. Denied entry to the ceremony by an officious woman, Violet makes up her mind to join this exclusive group for the sake of gaining entry. She succeeds, and by doing so, meets friends and finds a new purpose in her own life.
I love this book. The details of the embroidery project were fascinating to me, since I participated in a similar project in New England. What was new to me was the intricacy of bell-ringing. I have heard the changes rung, but it is an art which is not so common in the United States - there are so few places where this kind of activity is even possible. And I was so happy for Violet in the end. She created her own happiness out of so very little.
But here comes the nit: it's about the cover art. While Ms. Chevalier gets the facts correct in her story, why couldn't the cover artist do the same? In a book about needlepoint, the cover is adorned with crewel work. Most people would shrug their shoulders and say "What's the difference?". To a needlewoman, that's like asking a sports fanatic what difference the shape of the ball makes between basketball and football. The devil is in the details.
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