1. ‘Twas the Night

by Sandra Hill, Kate Holmes, Trish Jensen (Kindle)

Three successful men are each on their way to Snowdon, Maine to attend the Christmas Eve wedding of the man who was their mentor when they were all boys at the XX. The men are still best friends even though one is a Blue Angels pilot, one is an ex-NFL quarterback, and the other is a bounty hunter.

At the same time a massive storm is shutting down all the airports and roads in the northeast. The only transportation available to them is bright red bus driven be a female NASCAR-style driver. If anyone can get through she can. The bus actually belongs to a senior citizen group from Snowdon known as the Santa Brigade. The group is on a tour to deliver gifts and entertainment to homeless shelters and underprivileged children.

Along with the three men on the bus are three women. They are, of of orurse, attractive. This is, after all, a contemporary romance. There are lots of opportunities for sexy bantering and serious flirting among the three couples. Added in to the mix are the senior citizens who have their own ideas of fun.

This story was light-hearted and fun with all sorts of sizzle. Each one of the three authors wrote various chapters, each from the point of view of one of the men. It melded together very well as one story.

There was one negative: during parts of story where the senior citizens were involved, I thought they made jokes at the expense of the seniors. Some of the jokes were stereotypical-yet-untrue views of seniors. I’m sure I’m more sensitive because I am a senior, but the jokes weren’t funny to me.

Aside from that one negative, the story was great fun to read. Overall, a good story with well-developed characters, a few R-rated sections, and lots of laugh-out-loud moments.

2. The Christmas Brides

by Linda Lael Miller

Christmas Brides is actually two books in one, both by Linda Lael Miller. I read only the first book.

McKettrick Christmas

It’s 1896 and Lizzie McKettrick is on her way home for Christmas. She’s just completed her teaching degree and plans to teach in her hometown of Indian Rock, Arizona. She’s traveling by train from San Francisco accompanied by a young man she wants her family to meet.

As the train travels through the mountains, it is struck by an avalanche. Only a small number of passengers survive. That includes Lizzie and her young man, a mother and baby and her two small children, a wounded soldier, a peddler, an elderly couple and their bird, and a young doctor.

The doctor and Lizzie step forward to take measures to keep the small group physically alive until help can arrive. The peddler steps forward and keeps everyone’s spirits up. As the time slowly marches on, the true character of each person begins to surface.

I liked the story as it progressed toward Christmas Day. The resourcefulness and creative measures used by some of the characters to stay alive was admirable. The two little children were so worried that Santa wouldn’t find them. The measures used to create Christmas for them was heartwarming.

There was a very pleasant surprise in the last few chapters that was a wonderful bonus. I didn’t see it coming but it was a perfect tie-in for a Christmas story.

A McKettrick Christmas took me back to the McKettrick clan. I’ve read quite of few of the authors stories about various members of the family and it was nice to “visit” with them again. I’d recommend this to those of you who love stories set in the west during this time period, and especially for those who love Ms. Miller’s books. It made a good Christmas read.

AMAZING PEACE – A Christmas Poem

by Maya Angelou

Paintings by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher

Every fan of Maya Angelou will savor the reading of this beautiful book. It’s a pleasure for all the senses. The paintings are a perfect compliment to Ms. Angelous’s poetry. I can’t do a formal review that would do it justice so I’ll show you a little part of one page and the words that go with it.

We, Angels and Mortals, Believers and Nonbelievers.

Look heavenward and speak the word aloud.

Peace.

We look at our world and speak the word aloud.

Peace.

We look at each other, then into ourselves.

And we say without shyness or apology or hesitation.

I have no words to describe the beauty of this book. Her words and the pictures are so extraordinary. I just wanted to tease you enough to go look for this book. Read it and, if possible, find a child or someone else to read it with. There was a bonus cd in the front of the book so you can look at the pictures while Ms. Angelou reads her poem to you. Is that incentive enough?

I found my copy at the library but it’s also available at Amazon.

This is Book #10 in The Spirit of Christmas Challenge.

Subtitle

Author: Tina Barseghian

Illustrated by Alison Kendall

Published by: Harlequin Books

Genre: Christmas Non-Fiction

Summary: (from the publisher)

Making something with your own hands  -  whether it’s a plate of just-baked cookies, a handcrafted stocking, a homemade wreath, or a hand-folded origami ornament  -  is a great way to connect with the true meaning of Christmas. From holiday decorating to gift giving, A Homemade Christmas is chock-full of projects, recipes, tips, and helpful hints that are guaranteed to add a homemade touch to your holiday season.

What I liked or didn’t like:

• I liked the numerous ideas and suggestions on literally every page.
• The scope of the book was complete. The books covers everything from greetings, decorating, cooking, giving, to celebrations.
• I liked the values exemplified in the book – Christmas is not about buying “stuff.” The best gift are when we give thoughtfully of ourselves.
• The philosophy behind A Homemade Christmas is simple: Giving part of yourself – your time, effort and talent – will help you get into the genuine holiday spirit
• The book was small. I’d love to see it expanded.

Recommend?: Yes. Write this one down for next year, like about September.

I first found this book at the library and was immediately charmed. When I had a chance to get a review copy, I jumped at it. Thanks to Harlequin Books for the ARC you allowed me to download on my Kindle. A Homemade Christmas is also available at Amazon. (I am an Amazon Associate.)

This is Book #9 in The Spirit of  Christmas Challenge.

by Robyn Buttars
Published by Shadow Mountain Press, 2008
Winner of the League of Utah Writers Award

Rosie was two and half when she and her mama moved into a house behind the Pleasant Manor Senior Care Facility. Her mother worked in the kitchen and was allowed to keep her little one in a playpen nearby. Everything was fine until one day Rosie climbed out of her playpen, wandered around and then fell asleep in a very large mixing bowl.

Rosie’s mother became alarmed and asked others to help search for Rosie. Soon the twenty residents of Pleasant Manor were looking for Rosie, even those in wheelchairs who hadn’t moved by themselves in a long time. By the time Rosie was discovered in the mixing bowl, every resident knew of Rosie and they were interested in her welfare. From that day on Rosie was allowed to wander through the Manor and make friends with the elderly residents.

This is the sweetest story of a very loving little girl and her development up to about age 9. Each chapter is devoted to a different elderly friend and what Rosie learns about life from them. One of the residents, Bessie, becomes Rosie’s best friend and she is a constant throughout the story.

One of the things I liked about this story is the great respect shown to the elderly characters in the story. Each character was treated with dignity as was the care facility itself. I felt the author must have had some experience with seniors and health care facilities as she got it all just right.

Warning: Keep the kleenex box handy.

Thanks so much to Robyn Buttars for sending me a copy of the book.

Check your local library for a copy.  Christmas Rose is available at Amazon. (I am an Amazon Associate.)

This is Book #7 in the Spirit of Christmas Reading Challenge.

Edited by Otto Penzler

Publisher: Vanguard Press, 2010

My Rating: A

Every year since 1993, Otto Penzler, owner of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City, has commissioned an original short story from some of the finest mystery writers in America. Mr. Penzler required the stories be set during the Christmas season, include a mystery, and some of the action has to take place in the bookstore.

Once written, the stories were then printed, 1000 copies, and given as gifts to customers and friends of the bookstore. As you can imagine, the stories became very popular and some were even sold at high prices on ebay.

Now Mr. Penzler has collected all seventeen of those stories together in one volume called Christmas At The Mysterious Bookshop:’Tis the Season To Be Deadly: Stories of Mistletoe and Mayhem. Some of the stories are serious, some humorous, but all contain detection of some sort.

I’ve been reading one story at a time over the past three weeks. By the time I finished the last one I was thoroughly entertained. After the first few I began to anticipate how the bookstore and the owner would be included in each story. Of course, the writers were very creative in the way they included the bookstore and I liked how many of the writers poked fun at Otto Penzler. It was obvious that some of the writers have a great friendship with him.

Most mystery buffs will recognize the authors: Ed McBain, Donald Westlake, Andrew Klavan, Anne Perry, Mary Higgins Clark. As is usually the case with an anthology there were a few that were my favorites:

• Edward Hoch: The Theft of the Rusty Bookmark – A simple story that I solved before the character did, but I liked the way the author designed the story with subtle clues about the characters.
• Lawrence Block: As Dark As Christmas Gets – This story was so clever. The author used a couple of his regular series characters – Chip Harrison and Leo Haig – to help solve a mystery. They helped Otto Penzler find a prized manuscript by Cornell Woolrich that went missing during a party.
• Ed McBain: I Saw Mommy Killing Santa Claus - You have to love this one just because it’s Ed McBain and a very catchy title
• Anne Perry: My Object All Sublime - Her suspenseful description of the bookshop alone had this reader on edge. Beautiful writing.
• Mary Higgins Clark: What’s In a Name? I really liked the characters of the young woman and her grandmother in this story. I didn’t want it to end.

These are not stories of heavy crime or gore, but at the same time I wouldn’t call them all cozy. Some were humorous, some tongue-in-cheek, a couple were silly and others suspenseful. All were tales of pure detection.

If you are a mystery buff, or know one, this is a fun anthology at any time of the year. One of the values of a good anthology for the reader is the chance to discover authors you’d like to read again. There are several names in this book that I will put on my Author Wish List.

I was lucky enough to snag Christmas At The Mysterious Bookshop at my local library. It’s also available at Amazon. (I am an Amazon Associate.)

This is Book #6 for The Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge.

Author

Publisher: FaithWords (Hatchette Book Group), 2010

Genre: Christian Fiction

Format: Review Copy

Source: The Publisher

My Rating: B+

Peter Boyd is a husband and a father of two young children. He works in a factory and his wife is a schoolteacher. They own a nice home and have money in the bank. It looks like everything is going just fine.

But Pete is worried. Nothing is official, but there are wild rumors about the factory laying off people, including Pete. As Pete says, “I’m trying so hard to believe and trust, but I’m not sure how much longer I can hang on.”

And then, Pete wakes up one morning to discover a rare snowfall in his small Virginia town. He knows his wife and children will be home from school, so Pete decides to take an emergency vacation day – a snow day.

Pete’s wife sends him to the store to stock up on the proverbial bread and milk and to do a few other errands. These activities cause Pete to evaluate his life, his failed dreams and his relationship with God.

Pete is the narrator as he goes from person to person on his round of errands. Each encounter affords Pete a chance to learn something about himself and his faith.

Pete meets with so many people and there are lots of messages in this story. Let me just tell you one I liked a lot. Pete was in the parking lot prior to going into the Super Mart. He observed a poor family with a little boy and an older gray-haired man follow them in.

Inside the store he saw the gray-haired man snooping around and watching the little boy. Thinking the man may want to cause harm to the little boy, Pete is ready to step in.

After the little boy’s parents tell him Santa probably can’t bring him a certain toy he wants, the gray-haired man goes back later and buys the toy. The gray-haired man put the toy in the back seat of the family’s car before they came out and went back to his car to watch.

As the parents are putting their groceries in the trunk the little boy squeals with excitement as he discovers the toy. He is convince that Santa left it for him after all. The parents are shocked and befuddled, but happy in the excitement of their son. They discover a note attached to the toy and later Pete learns what it said.

“God gave to me, and now I give to you.

Merry Christmas.

Pass it on.”

I liked Pete and the people he met during this unexpected snow day. I read it off and on over the course of a week. Most of the twenty chapters had the feel of a devotional set in a story. I mean that in a very good way – there was no preaching here.

Although it wasn’t necessarily meant to be a Christmas story, with the the setting just before Christmas and the messages in the book, it fit. I’m counting Snow Day as Book #4 in The Christmas Spirit Challenge.

Check you local library for Snow Day.  It’s also available at Amazon. (I am an Amazon Associate.)

Author

Publisher: Abdington Press, 2010

Genre: Spiritual/Romance

Format: Kindle

Source: Review copy from the publisher

Why I Read The Book:

I like to read Amish stories. Usually there is a conflict between modern life and the culture of the old-order. In this book I thought I might get a closer look at the inside life of the Amish.

Synopsis:

Annie Weaver was born and raised Amish, but for the past three years she’s been living in Philadelphia among the Englisch. Those three years were her “rumschpringe” or time of rebellion. She used her rumschpringe to further her education. She’s now a Registered Nurse.

A month before Christmas Annie is called home to help with a family emergency – her father has broken both legs. Annie’s family is not aware of her nursing skills but Annie soon learns she can’t hide it. This is not a part of the Amish way and Annie is concerned she may not be able to use the skills she loves.

Another concern for Annie is Doc Samuel. He’s not a licensed doctor but the local Amish community looks to him to help heal a variety of everyday ailments. He’s a widower of about thirty and, for some reason, he and Annie clash on first meeting.

What I Liked:

• In all the stories I’ve read about the Amish, this is the first time I felt like the story was told from within the Amish community. Except for one character, all the people in this story were Amish. In addition, the characters were not white-washed as perfect people. There were real issues and conflicts just like other groups of people.
• There was solid depth to this story. It was not strictly a spiritual story or a romance. There were other issues such as an unmarried Amish girl about to give birth.
• I liked the messages in this story – messages about simplicity and hope and family/community and the beauty of God’s grace.
• I found the Amish practice of First and Second Christmas and their traditions very interesting.
• A very good set of questions at the end of the book for a groups reading the book together.

What I Didn’t Like:

• The ending was rather abrupt. I wanted it to be drawn out a bit more. Actually, I just wanted to spend more time with Annie and Samuel.

My Rating: A

Recommend? Yes, if you like a faith-based stories, especially stories about the Amish. I think this would make a good Book Club, Women’s Circle or Sunday School class study.

You’ll most likely to find this book at a local Christian bookstore. It’s also available on Amazon. (I am an Amazon Associate.)

This is book #3 for The Spirit of Christmas Challenge.

Narrator: Jennifer Van Dyck

Publisher: Mira Publishing, 2010

Genre:  Christmas

Format: Audio

Source: Library

Why I Read The Book: The synopsis appealed to me.

Short Synopsis from the author’s website: (Debbie Macomber)

This Christmas, Emily Merkle (call her Mrs. Miracle!) is working in the toy department at Finley’s, the last family-owned department store in New York City. And her boss is none other than…Jake Finley, the owner’s son.

For Jake, holiday memories of brightly wrapped gifts, decorated trees and family were destroyed in a Christmas Eve tragedy years before. Now Christmas means just one thing to him — and to his father. Profit. Because they need a Christmas miracle to keep the business afloat.

Holly Larson needs a miracle, too. She wants to give her eight-year-old nephew, Gabe, the holiday he deserves. Holly’s widowed brother is in the army and won’t be home for Christmas, but at least she can get Gabe that toy robot from Finley’s, the one gift he desperately wants. If she can figure out how to afford it…

Fortunately, it’s Mrs. Miracle to the rescue. Next to making children happy, she likes nothing better than helping others — and that includes doing a bit of matchmaking!

What I Liked:

• I like most of Debbie Macomber’s books, especially her older ones. I read that her inspiration for this story was the movie, Miracle On 34th Street. In comparison, I think Mrs. Macomber did quite well.
• My favorite thing about this book is the basic premise: there are angels everywhere. Sometimes we see them but don’t recognize them as angels. This story has me thinking about this: Who are the people in my life who have been angels in disguise? How did I treat them? Is there a possibility I could have been someone else’s angel?
• First of all, this was beautifully narrated by Jennifer Van Dyck. She played all the voices so well from the elderly Mrs. Miracle and the eight-year-old Gabe to the adult males and females. She helped me ‘see’ the characters. She even did a great job of reading the three recipes.

My Rating: B+

Recommend? Yes, especially if you like all the ends tied up and happily-ever-after.

The Hallmark Channel made a TV movie based on this book as well as the first Mrs. Miracle. Emily Miracle is played by Doris Roberts. Here she is (on the left) with the author, Debbie Macomber. I think Doris Roberts is the perfect inspiration while reading this book.

I borrowed my copy from the library. Call Me Mrs. Miracle is also available at Amazon. (I am an Amazon Associate.) This is Book #2 is The Spirit Of Christmas Challenge..

Summary:

Ms. Alcott’s protaganist in this story is Sophie. She lives in a big city with her guardian, but she’s feeling the pressure to make a decision about marriage. She needs some time to get away and think. She decides to travel to Vermont and visit Aunt Plumy and Aunt Plumy’s two grown children, Saul and Ruth. They live on a modest farm and life is much slower there.

Sophie asks permission and is allowed to invite two city friends to come up and visit for Christmas. Sophie wants to show them “a real old-fashioned frolic” as it’s done in the country.

At first, Sophie’s city friends look down on the country folk, but the country folk soon win them over with their honest look at people and life. The country hosts were able to show the city guests what a frolic is as well as the advantages of country living.

My Thoughts:

This is a short, simple story done in Louisa May Alcott’s classic children’s book style. It won’t surprise you to know that I liked it. Let me give you one little tease of a sentence, one little sample of Ms. Alcott’s writing. Here we have a description of Aunt Plumy:

[She's] a jolly old soul, with a face as ruddy as a winter apple, a cheery voice, and the kindest hearty that ever beat under a gingham gown.

Except for the gingham dress, she could be describing Santa. For me this was the right choice for Book #! in The Christmas Spirit Challenge – a sweet, comfortable story.

I downloaded Country Christmasto my Kindle. ($3.60) Otherwise, I suggest checking with your library. It may be part of a short story collection.

Publisher: Counterpoint Press, 2010

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Counterpoint Press for the TLC Book Tours

Why I Read The Book:

I wanted to read more about World Ward II. Plus, the premise of the story intrigued me.  It’s a combination of historical fiction, thriller, and romance.

Synopsis from the book jacket:

The Third Reich’s obsession with the occult has led them to create the Compound of Scribes. Concealed in a converted mine shaft complete with rose-colored cobblestone streets and a continuously shifting artificial sky, the Scribes’ sole mission is to answer letters written to the dead—thereby preventing the deceased from pestering psychics for answers and inadvertently exposing the Final Solution.

As Germany falls apart at its seams, a letter arrives written by eminent philosopher Martin Heidegger to his optometrist and friend, a man now lost in the dying thralls at Auschwitz. The presence of Heidegger’s words—one simple letter in a place filled with letters—sparks a series of events that will ultimately threaten the safety and wellbeing of the entire Compound.

What I Liked:

• The way the book starts out:

Even though they often met for coffee, [philosophers Martin Heidegger and Asher Englehardt] enjoyed writing to each other about tilted moments: the hammer that’s so loose it’s head like a bird. The picture that’s crooked and makes the room seem uncanny. The apple in the middle of the street that makes you forget what streets are for. The thing made close because it’s seen at a distance. The sense of not being at home. Falling out of the world.

• That short note was written after a mishap in which Heidegger temporarily forgot what his reading glasses were used for. For me that paragraph set the stage in reading this story. It got me to thinking about the tilted moments – in the novel and in my own world. And then, Heidegger’s reading glasses became the pivotal point in the plot of the story.
• Thaisa Frank took real events, the Holocaust, and real people, Heidegger and others, and wove them together with her fictional people, places, and events. She created a story that is totally believable.
• I liked the copies of letters interspersed in the book. They are in a person’s handwriting and at the bottom is the typed English translation of the letter. They were heart breaking when I thought about how false they were.
• The book is extremely well written with an excellent, fast moving plot. It was interesting, at times scary, and an emotional read. I can’t read about the holocaust without being angry and sad.

What I Didn’t Like:

• It’s a minor point but, I would have preferred quotation marks around the dialogue. It was distracting for me.
• Just a suggestion: I could have used a little “cheat-sheet” telling me what was real and what was fiction.

Recommend? Absolutely. Historical Fiction fans should love this one.

About the author from the author’s website:

The fiction of Thaisa Frank, according to the New York Times, works “by a tantalizing sense of indirection.” The critic Don Skiles has described her stories as being “in the grand tradition of the fairy tale, the legend, the spell,” and the reviewer Rob Hurwitt has called her work “domestic magical realism.”

For more about Thaisa Frank visit her website at Thaisa Frank.com

My hunch is that this book will be on the “Best of 2010″ lists for many book lovers. That should make iñt available at your local library. Heidegger’s Glassesis also available at Amazon. (I am an Amazon Associate.)

Thanks so much to Lisa at TLC Book Tours for asking me to read this book. For the complete tour schedule visit TLC Book Tours.