One Imperfect Christmas

Yes, I'm starting my Christmas reading early. I think this is the third Christmas book I've reviewed this week.

This offering is Myra Johnson's debut novel One Imperfect Christmas. I was triply blessed with this book. First, I won it on a blog giveaway. Second, when it came it was autographed by Ms. Johnson. And third was the book itself.

At one point I thought "this book is too long - I need to know what the ending is NOW!" lol. And at the end I thought "this book is too short - I'm not ready for it to be over!". I love a book that touches me so much that I don't want to say good-bye to the characters.

Natalie Pearce is a graphic artist with a loving family. Husband Daniel, daughter Lissa and her parents Bram and Belinda, and her brother Hart and his family. This is a close family and you can feel the love and compassion these people have for each other. As with every family there are misunderstandings and "life" rushes in on you when you least expect it.

Belinda suffers a stroke at the beginning of the book and Natalie blames herself for not being there. It happens soon after Christmas and changes what was once a the favorite family holiday. Belinda was the heart and soul of their Christmas, making it a lovely and memorable occasion every year.

Over the next year, as her mother lies in a rehab facility Natalie wallows in guilt and pushes her husband and daughter away. She throws herself into her job and lets her marriage fall by the wayside.

What follows is a journey as Daniel tries to reach out to Natalie and she gives in to her fear of letting him get close. She continues to blame herself for her mother's condition and as Christmas draws near she desperately looks for a way to heal her mother - as well as herself.

This was a heartwarming as well as heartbreaking book. It was so compelling I found it hard to put it down. An outstanding debut and I will certainly be looking forward to reading more of Ms. Johnson's novels in the future.

Jody

The Christmas Bus

The Christmas Bus by Melody Carlson is a perfect little book to get you in the Christmas spirit.

Collin and Amy are a young couple traveling in a Partridge Family style bus. They're headed to California and on the way they plot a course that will take them through Christmas Valley. Christmas Valley, of course, capitalizes on it's name by making an industry of Christmas. With businesses like Mrs. Santa's Diner (featuring Blitzen Burgers) to The North Pole Coffee Shop to the Shepard's Inn B&B they are fully immersed in Christmas.

The pastor Charles Ryan and his wife Edith operate the B&B, which is normally closed Christmas week. This year, much to Edith's dismay, their four children are unable to come home for Christmas. During Wednesday evening service Charles gives a sermon about entertaining angels unawares and it inspires Edith to open the B&B over Christmas.

A disparate group congregates, two couples with issues, a single elderly woman, a single older gentleman and a newly single mother with her small daughter. And then there's the bus parked in front of the B&B. Oh - did I mention - Collin and Amy are very young and Amy is very pregnant? Of course being a Christmas story I think you can see where this is going.

The beauty of this book is how Ms. Carlson brings all the characters together. There's lots of tension, people not getting along, people not wanting things to be different than they normally are and personality clashes. There are cliches, no room at the inn, angels in disguise, a crusty busybody and the ever present Christmas pageant - but they work. There's also laughter, fun, long held traditions most of us are acquainted with and a lesson to be learned.

The Christmas Bus is a shorter book so it's a good quick read. And better yet, it begs to be read all at once - it's just too good to put down.

Jody

The Sound of Sleigh Bells

The giveaway book was won by Deborah M. Congratulations!!




The Sound of Sleigh Bells by Cindy Woodsmall is the perfect book to read now as the weather is cooling down (well it is here in PA anyhow). The central character of the book is an Amish woman named Beth Hertzler. Beth is mourning the death of her fiance - but well past the normal mourning period - and harboring some guilt. Her family doesn't understand why she can't move on with her life and so they try different ways to get her to join the activities the family and community plans.

Beth works as a sort of go between for Amish craftsmen and "English" storeowners and customers. On one of her buying trips after taking an unexpected detour she finds a treasure in a small store. It's an intricate wood carving of Amish children playing in the snow. She falls in love with it but is afraid her bishop will find it to be too much of an idol to allow her to sell it.

Through some twists and turns she meets the carver and because very close to him. He has some issues of his own. Can they put their pasts behind them and move to the future they want together?

I have enjoyed Ms. Woodsmall's books for quite some time now. She writes from the knowledge gained by knowing the Amish personally. This book is a bit different from other Amish stories that I have read before. It examines some things not normally seen in Amish books. There is physical handicap - and I'm not sure why that isn't a topic in more Amish books. The Amish have a different view of handicaps than the world in general. Older people and people with handicaps, which sadly the "Englishers" tend to shy away from, are honored, cherished and protected in the Amish world. There's also another issue, which I won't reveal as it is a major plot point, but it is one that I have never read about in an Amish fiction book before.

If you haven't ever read Ms. Woodsmall's books, think in the lines of Beverly Lewis and Wanda Brunstetter - and pick up any book with Cindy Woodsmall's name on it.

You can follow this link to find information about purchasing your own copy:

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307446534

If you would like an opportunity to win a hardback copy of this lovely book - just leave a comment below (be sure to leave an email address so that I can contact you). I'll be picking a winner on Friday, October 16. This contest is open only to US residents and the odds of winning depend on the number of entries.

Jody

A complimentary copy of this book was provided to me for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Extraordinary, The Life You're Meant to Live

The giveaway copy was won by Kathy Carlton Willis. Congratulations!



For a change, I have a non-fiction book to review. I must say that this one was a bit difficult for me. I don't really do a lot of non-fiction because it's hard for me to focus on non-fiction. And this one was no different. I actually started it about four times before it really started to hit me how good it was.

The book is Extraordinary, The Life You're Meant to Live by John Bevere.

Let me start you off with the publisher's blurb:

There’s a question that troubles many believers: “Why am I not experiencing more joy, more hope, more satisfaction, more intimacy, more power, more everything in my Christian life--didn’t Jesus promise that?”

He did promise an abundant life, but too many people are trapped by the curse of “the ordinary.” They have accepted the wrong idea that following God means losing individuality, creativity, and a passion for achieving lofty goals.

Nothing could be further from the truth! John Bevere builds a convincing case, straight from Scripture, for a way of living marked by extraordinary experiences and accomplishments—the life God always intended for his children.

Here is a guide to understanding God’s incredible plans, and how to enjoy a life where he adds the “extra” to “ordinary.”

Mr. Bevere is quick to point out that there is a difference between God loving us and God being pleased with us. That ties directly in to the difference between the ordinary and the extraordinary. We're taught that God loves us no matter what, and that's true. But are our actions pleasing to God? And what are the rewards of pleasing God? No, this is not selfishly trying to "get" for ourselves. God wants to give us all things - but many times we ourselves hinder that process.

Mr. Bevere shows us through personal examples and the most wonderful scripture selections (that he clarifies right in the selection) how we can move forward in living our lives extraordinarily. I saw things that I have read and heard in church since I was a small child with a completely new view. There's so much more to life than the ordinary and God wants it all for us.

Pick this book up and see what you can learn from it. You can follow this link to information about purchasing this book:

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307457721&ref=externallink_wbp_extraordinary_sec_0817_01

If you leave a comment below you can be entered into a drawing to win a copy of this book. I'll be drawing a name on October 16. This drawing will be limited to US residents and the odds of winning will depend on the final number of entries.

Jody

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

The Lover's Knot, A Someday Quilts Mystery

My latest read is The Lover's Knot, A Someday Quilts Mystery by Clare O'Donohue.

Quilting and reading are my two favorite hobbies so when I get to combine both of them in one I'm one happy camper.

The Lover's Knot refers to a quilt that Nell Fitzgerald's grandmother Eleanor made for Nell and her finance Ryan. On the day that Nell receives it in the mail, however, Ryan tells her that he thinks they should put the wedding on hold. Shocked and hurt Nell goes to Archer's Rest, on the Hudson in NY, to see her grandmother and nurse her broken heart.

Eleanor owns a quilt shop, Someday Quilts. As soon as Nell arrives she meets Marc, the handyman fixing up Eleanor's house, who will be a major figure in her near future. She also meets the member's of Eleanor's Friday night quilting group, who, like most quilters I know, try to draw Nell in to their group.

Eleanor takes a spill on the stairs and Nell ends up staying in town to help run the quilt shop, which Eleanor has just decided to expand into the vacant diner next door - with Marc doing the renovations. Nell and Marc begin to get close, Ryan shows up and murder follows close behind.

A wonderful group of characters blend together in a heart warming tale of deciding when something is worth working on and when it's time to let go - whether it be a quilting project or a relationship. And of course there is the murder mystery - complete with widowed sheriff Jesse in charge of the investigation.

Obviously you can tell by the "A Someday Quilts Mystery" that this is the first of a series. And I'm so glad. When I make new friends, I like knowing they're going to be around for a while.

The story, the friends, the mystery, it all comes together like, well, a quilt. And I'll be happy to cuddle up with the next one - hopefully someday really soon. And it shouldn't be too hard, the second book, A Drunkard's Path, has already been released. It'll be nice to hear from my new friends again.

Jody

The Lost Hours

My latest read was The Lost Hours by Karen White.

The main character of the book is Piper Mills. Orphaned at six, she was raised by her grandparents. When she was twelve, Piper helped her grandfather bury a box of her grandmother's in the backyard.

After her grandfather's death, with her grandmother in a nursing home suffering from Alzheimer's disease, Piper inherits their beautiful home in Savannah, Georgia, along with the box and all it's secrets.

Piper opens the box and finds a charm necklace and some scrapbook pages and what follows is Piper's quest to discover her grandmother's story.

I will admit that the necklace was one of the main draws for me. I have a charm necklace. When my mother passed away we came across her charm bracelet while going through her things. It's still in her dresser drawer, my sister and I deciding that we would leave it there and if either of us wanted to wear it - it would be there waiting. I absolutely love that charm bracelet. It wasn't an anonymous charm bracelet - it held charms of things that represented her journey through life.

My charm necklace is like that. Every charm on it represents a part of my life. It's gotten very heavy as more and more charms have been added to it. In fact it's at the point I don't know how I'll add more to it and will probably need another one if I'm going to continue it.

The charm necklace in the book was also a representation of the events of the life of it's owners. Piper's grandmother and her two best friends owned the necklace and scrapbook. They each had it for four months of each year and wrote in the scrapbook and purchased a charm or two to add to it.

Until a terrible incident that tore the girls - and the scrapbook - apart.

Piper, who realizes she never really knew her grandmother, begins the quest to find the truth and learn her grandmother's story.

This book was so hard to put down. I read it until my eyes got so tired that the words blurred and I couldn't continue. Innocence is lost. Friendships are lost. But, where there is life, there is hope.

Pick this book up and lose yourself in Piper's adventures. You won't be sorry.

Jody

Sworn To Silence

I just finished reading Sworn To Silence by Linda Castillo.

One of the things I really like about Amazon is that they will take your purchase and viewing history and come up with some things to recommend to you. That's how I found Sworn To Silence. My purchasing/viewing history includes books on the Amish and suspense/thrillers and Sworn To Silence has both.

One of the main reasons I choose it was the Amish angle because to be honest, if I was going to pick up a thriller there are three (or maybe four by now) books by James Patterson in the Cross series that I would love to find time to fit into my reading time.

The main character of the book is Kate Burkholder, a police chief in the small town of Painters Mill, Ohio. Kate was born and raised Amish but has left the Amish faith to live in the "English" world. One of the reasons she is hired as the police chief is because she can relate to both the Amish and the English population of the area.

Then the murders start - or do they start again? Sixteen years ago there were a number of gruesome murders attributed to "The Slaughterhouse Killer". These murders are very similar but it is the same killer? (warning here that the murders are very detailed and very graphic).

Kate has very good reason to believe that this is not the same killer but a copycat. And she has very good reason for not revealing to anyone why she believes it is not the same killer.

I was hooked right away. I read way too late into the night and picked the book up as soon as I got home from work the next day and didn't put it down until I was finished.

I didn't find as much "Amish" in this book as I expected. It is a very violent and detailed book. Not for everyone's taste but if you like Patterson you are sure to like this book.

I've read some reviews where people said they knew very early on who the killer was and that astonishes me. I was thrown for a loop when it was revealed. I never saw it coming and wonder what I somehow missed that other people knew so early. Whatever it was, I'm glad I missed it because the reveal hit me in the way I'm sure Ms. Castillo hoped it would.

There's a great cast of characters from Kate to other members of the police department like Glock, Pickles, Skid (gotta love these names lol), Mona and the detective from out of town John Tomasetti (I will say that I did pick up on what would happen with him rather early). I'm hoping this is the first book of a series and that these great folks will return next time along with Kate's brother and sister and their families.

Not for the faint of heart or anyone who can't do "bad" language. But if you like suspense/thrillers I hope you will take a chance at getting to know Kate and her police force. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Jody