February 2012 Book Reviews

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Cupcakes and Cupids by Jennifer Conner

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


On Valentine's Day, Analeigh Russel, owner and founder of Let Them Eat Cakes, is enroute to deliver 300 Wedding Cupcakes when she is involved in a fender bender that totals her car and wrecks all but 100 of her cupcakes. The day and business is almost ruined by this automobile accident, Analeigh swears....until a handsome stranger appears and tows her car. This is a very short book that you can read in a day. I enjoyed this sweet story. This is a lovely short story anyone will enjoy reading time and time again on or near Saint Valentine's Day. Three cheers for the author! I will be reading more of her stories, namely, A Lesson in Passion.

Jennifer Conners is a part-time author with two children.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_GT06ICV...













Falling for Christmas by Debbie Macomber

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Mary Jo Wyse has gotten into one hell of a predicament. Falling pregnant by a man that lied to her, Mary Jo Wyse feels ashamed. It doesn't help having three very over-protective brothers who have vowed to make their sister's boyfriend pay for dishonouring their sister. Heavy with child, Mary Jo heads off on Christmas Eve to Cedar Cove to warn David's family about her three over-protective brothers who are out- to- get the father of their sister's unborn child and bring him to justice.



When Mary Jo Wyse arrives in Cedar Cove on Christmas Eve, all the Inns are full; but then she discovers the true meaning of Christmas when she and her unborn baby are showered with overwhelming hospitality. With the help of a friendly librarian and David's half sister, Mary Jo feels welcomed and at home at Cedar Cove. Grace Harding, the Librarian at Cedar Cove offers Mary Jo an apartment at the top of the barn where the animals for the Live Nativity are being kept. Mary Jo hates being a nuissance and when Grace asks her to come with her and her family to the Church Service, Mary Jo declines. Then on Christmas Eve, all alone in the apartment over the Barn, Mary Jo goes into labor. With the help of firefighter and EMT specialist, Mack, Mary Jo gives birth on Christmas Eve.



I fell in love with this book from the first page. Debbie takes you home to a cosy place that warms your heart and soul. The story has a happy ending. I found I couldn't put this book down. I found myself crying in places, laughing in other parts and felt the warmth of the Christmas Spirit.



As with some of Debbie's books, there are two stories in this book. The second story is Call Me Mrs Miracle. This is a heart-warming tale about a match-making person called Mrs Merkle whom others affectionately call Mrs Miracle.....because whenever she's around, miracles do happen. Emily Merkle works for a department store on the brink of going into administration. With Mrs Merkle on board, the company is spared and a few hearts are mended. I also have seen the Hallmark movie of Call Me Mrs Miracle....it's heart-warming.

The Angel over the Right Shoulder

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The Angel over the Right Shoulder The Beginning of a New Year by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A stressed and unfulfilled housewife and mother is asked by her husband to try an experiment; she's to have an hour or so each day just to do things for herself. The woman agrees and tries the experiment but everytime she goes into her room for a little 'me' time she is interrupted.
Unfulfilled and highly stressed out, the woman moans about how meaningless and mundane her life is until she gets a wake-up call and new lease on life by two Guardian Angels. This is a short story that can be read in one sitting. I truly enjoyed this inspirational book and identified with the main character. I thought the title ought to be 'A Woman's work is never done' until I read the ending.

The Christmas Angel

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The Christmas Angel by Abbie Farwell Brown

 On  Christmas Eve,  a miserable old Spinster sets out to destroy a box of old childhood toys; but before throwing each toy into the Library fireplace she conducts an experiment to prove that there is no Christmas Spirit left.  She  throws four old toys into the streets to see what becomes of them only to find that these old forgotten toys, which she calls rubbish,  bring out the worst in those who finds them........until she stumbles upon an old family ornament......a Christmas Angel from Miss Terry's childhood whom she and her brother often put on top of their Christmas Tree.   The Angel  helps Miss Terry see the error of her ways and reveals the truth behind each of her  'experiments', revealing the true outcome of each toy that Miss Terry threw out onto the pavement with a very different outcome from what Miss Terry assumed happened to each toy. 

          Each toy that Angelina Terry throws out touches the life of a person in a very special way.

• A little sick boy is given the gift of a Jack-In-the Box that was found by two Jewish Boys.
• An arrogant Millionaire turns over a new leaf  when he rescues a little boy who was about to be run over  by a truck when the toy Flannel Dog that Miss Terry threw out was crushed under a car.....when the arrogant Millionaire threw the dog unto the street in a haughty manner.
• An embittered mother who lost her child finds the true meaning of Christmas and has a change of heart when she finds Miss Terry's brother's  Noah's Ark.
• An abused child finds the true meaning of Christmas and a warm home when she finds Miranda, Miss Terry's old doll.
• A drunken old sinner finds a Guardian Angel who helps him mend his ways on Christmas Eve.

        

       This is a charming story full of the Christmas Spirit.  Abbey Farbel Brown has written a modern twist to Dickens's  A Christmas Carol in an original way.  I absolutely loved this story!  The story is short enough to read in one sitting and full of the true meaning of Christmas.

Abbey Farbell Brown, a descendant of the earliest New England settlers, was born on Beacon Hill,  in 1871 in Boston.  Brown attended the Boston Girl's Latin School and became intimate friends with  Prescott Peabody.  Abbey graduated from Radcliffe  College  in 1894. 

Also by this Author:

A Pocketful of Poesies (1902). The Curious Book of Birds (1903). The Star Jewels (1905). Brothers and Sisters (1906). Friends and Cousins (1907). Fresh Posies; Rhymes to Read and Pieces to Speak (1908). The Christmas Angel (1910). Their City Christmas; a Story for Boys and Girls (1912). Songs of Sixpence (1914). Kensington Town (1915). Surprise House (1917). The Gift; a Christmas Story (1920). Heart of New England (1920). The Rock of Liberty; a Pilgrim Ode (1920). What Luck! A Study in Opposites (1920). The Green Trunk; a Masque (1921). Round Robin (1921). The Lights of Beacon Hill; a Christmas Message (1922). The New England Poetry Club; an Outline of Its History, 1915-1923 (1923). Our Christmas Tree (1925). The Silver Stairs; Poems (1926). Under the Rowan Tree (1926). The Lantern and Other Plays for Children (1928). The Little Friend (1960).

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November Reviews

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I took a break in October but I'm back this month with another review. I am still reading The Ghosts of Sleath by Herbert and it will be a few weeks before I finish the book.

I have read  The Story of Solomon Bear, a cute little fairy-tale about a bear and his Princess:

The Story of Solomon Bear by Phillip Laird

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I really enjoyed this cute story about a bear and his relationship with 'his Princess', a little orphaned girl living with her step-family. The bear and the girl make a promise to always love each other no matter what in a loveless house. One night, the little girl has an altercation with her step mother and runs out of the house into the outside world. Solomon wonders where she has gone and is devastated about losing his Princess before going on an adventure to find her.

The story is a modern twist to the story, The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams. Although it bears a few similarities to The Velveteen Rabbit, Laird has written this enchanting book using a fresh modern twist. The book can be further enhanced by a few illustrations which will add to its enchantment, but as it is the book is very lovely. In this delightful book, Laird addresses such issues as loneliness, sadness, hope, courage, forgiveness and more importantly, love, and determination. There is a universal lesson not only for children but for parents to learn from this heart-warming tale.

Halloween Books

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To put you into the Spirt of Halloween, I've round up a few Howl-oween books guaranteed to chill your bones.

Halloween Books

Bibliography

Adult Fiction: Horror

Aris, M. (2011). The Curse of Anna Greene. Lulu.com.  ISBN: 978-1-4477-5841-9
Gordon, J. (2011). The Horror at Halloween (Part One) (Kindle ed.). Robinson. (2007). Kindle
Blatty, P. The Excorcist. Corgi. ISBN: 978-0552156882
Herbert, J. (1998). The Ghosts of Sleath. Book Club Associates.
Howe, K. (2009). The Lost Book of Salem. Penguin. ISBN: 978-0141038117
Irving, W. (2007). The Legend of Sleepy Hallow. Filiquarian. ISBN: 978-1599869308
Lawrenson, D. (2011). The Lantern. Harper. ISBN: 978-0062088727
Poe, E. A. (1987). The Fall of the House of Ushers & other Stories. Marshall Cavendish.
ISBN:0-86307-6700-X
Rowling, J. K. (2008). Harry Potter Adult collection Box set. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC; UK open market ed edition.  ISBN: 978-0747595847

Fiction—comedy-Horror

Geary, D. (2011). A Modern Witch (Kindle ed.). Fireweed Publishing.  ISBN: 1937041034
Haig, M. (2011). The Radleys. Canongate Books Ltd.  ISBN: 978-1847678614
Navarrette, V. Donaldson, J. (2002). Room on the Broom. McMillan.
 (2008) Dear Dracula. Image Comics; illustrated edition edition. ISBN: 978-1582409702

Non-Fiction

Barth, E. (1981). Witches, Pumpkins, and Grinning Ghosts (The story of the Halloween Symbols). Houghton Mifflin Company.  ISBN: 978-0613301954
Dewherst, C. (1993). My Tricks & Treats: Halloween Stories, Songs, Poems, Recipes, Crafts, and Fun for Kids. Smithmark Pub.  ISBN: 978-0831751722
Dunwich, G. (2007). A Witch's Halloween: A Complete Guide to the Magick, Incantations, Recipes, Spells and Lore. Adams Media Corporation. ISBN: 978-1598693409

Welcome to my World

Welcome to my little Niche within the library. So grab a coffee and let's review some books.

September Reads

Welcome to my little Niche within the library. So grab a coffee and let's review some books.

The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Deborah Lawerenson

In a little Hamlet in Provence lies Les GenÉvriers, an old run- down farmhouse in the Luberon valley of Provence. When Eve met Dom she thought she met her match. Dom and Eve decide to build a future in Provence in the Luberon Valley of Southern France. At first Eve is enchanted by the cottage and surrounding farmhouse when they first purchased it from the Estate Agents and went to live in it. But soon, as summer ends, Eve discovers secrets and ghosts in the cottage...secrets that haunt her. With each day Dom begins to withdraw within himself and Eve is left on her own to ponder the strange shadows and flickering lights that emerge throughout the house and garden.

Eve, an avid bookworm discovers a children's book in one of the wardrobes of the house and soon begins to delve into Le Genevries's history and previous owners....the Lincel family. When Eve and Dom meet a strange woman at a dinner party....a woman who claims to know about Dom's past and several legends surrounding Les GenÉvriers, Eve begins to question Dom....is he really the man he says he is. What became of Rachel, his first wife? Each day a new mystery unfolds and Eve is caught in a web of mystery, deceit and lies. What secrets does the house hold? Who is Benedict and Marthe?

The Lantern is a well-written story about how dangerous a wild imagination can be. It is a ghost story, a romance novel, a mystery, a Crime story and a Gothic Novel rolled into one. I fell in love with the story and couldn't put it down. As the story unfolded I wanted to find out what happened to Rachel. Was she murdered? Did she vanish without a trace like Marthe Lincel? The answers to all these questions are revealed within the descriptive pages of this wonderful book. The characters are well-rounded and I identified with the character of BÉnÉdicte. I disliked the character of Pierre Lincel. I was shocked by a scene in the book where Pierre strangles a cat and quarters it before Benedict’s eyes for being betrayed by his sister when their father, discovers a revolver which Pierre had asked BÉnÉdicte to hide for him. Yet, this story is well-written and highly descriptive. I love the plot twist in the end. I commend the author for a great story.










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The Radleys by Matt Haig

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The Radleys by Matt Haig


The Radleys is a book by Matt Haig. It is a book about Vampires, but with a twist. Meet the Radleys, four seemingly normal members of modern society living on 19 Orchard Lane in Bishothorpe, a very mundane village in York. The family is composed of Peter Radley, a doctor, his wife, Helen, Rowan...their son who suffers from a skin disorder and insomnia and his sister, Clara.....a sickly girl who is a vegetarian. On the surface, this is a normal family living in suburbia but on closer look this family is hiding a guarded secret..........a very dark and Gothic secret. Pete and Helen try to suppress this secret not only from society, but from their children whom they try desperately to protect.

One night, Clara is attacked by a boy whom she met at her friend Eve’s party. Pinning her on the ground the boy tries to have his way with her; but then something strange happens and Clara’s true colours bursts out leaving the boy dead. Confused, Clara phones her parents and they are forced to tell her and her brother the truth about who they really are.
The book isn’t just about vampires; it is a book about families and how they cope and come together as a family unit when dealing with crises. It is a book about facades and stigmas of family life....how people learn to suppress their true identity from society and hide it from their children in an effort to conform to society and normality. Within the book is another book called the Abstainer’s Handbook...a handbook for vampires to abstain from their cravings for blood. I thought this was funny and very original.

The book is well written and funny. Haig takes the overrated subject of Vampires and weaves it into a modern farce with humourous undertones; giving this overrated genre a human twist to it. I enjoyed reading this light but entertaining book. The characters are well-rounded and rich. One of my favourite characters is Uncle Will. He strikes me as a young version of Leslie Nelson in Dracula--Dead and Loving it. LOL The book ends on a positive note.





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