Hidden Star by Nora Roberts

Subtitle: Starts of Mithra --  A woman walks into a private detectives office with no memory, a bag full of cash and an amazing gemstone.  The detective takes on the case and helps her through trying to figure out who she is and what the story is behind her belongings.  Of course he falls in love with her and there is not much left to the imagination, but the build up of the story is done very well and not much was given away throughout.  There are two more books in this series and I am curious as to how Roberts will continue with the energy and creativeness she has started with in this book.

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum

Such a wonderful story about Santa and how it all began.  An amazing woods with tenders of the trees, flowers and animals all help Santa develop into who he became and who he is today.  It talks of the wonder of the children and obstacles that Santa had to overcome.  I loved this so much I am seriously thinking of recording it for my grandchildren to listen to next year.  A wonderful historical account of this amazing figure in our lives.

Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien

What a wonderful collection of pictures and letters that were sent to his children for Christmas.  I read this on my NOOK so I did not have full color, but could imagine how wonderful the pictures looked.  Such an imagination and wonderful gift to his children.  He introduces Father Christmas' friends the Polar Bear, some elves and gnomes and of course there are the reindeer.  I am looking forward to seeing a hard copy of this and I highly recommend this to everyone, young and old.

Some Christmas books

Every December I try to read a few Christmas themed books.  So far this season I have read four, and currently reading one more and have another one in the queue. Kentucky Christmas by Sarah Title was really just a bad romance story that took place around Christmas, really not very good.  A Cedar Cove Christmas by Debbie Macomber was very good.  She really knows how to tell a story and make you feel good.  A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens was good.  I don't think that I have ever read the whole thing, so I am glad that I have done so now.  But my favorite by far has been The Christmas Letters by Bret Nicholaus.  It is about a Christmas when the grandfather knew it was going to be his last one and he did something special for everyone in the family to let them know how they have made Christmas special for him.  He does have one special letter for everyone that they share and it is all very touching.  It is a short book, less than twenty pages, but bursting at the binding with heartwarming feeling and soul.

And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

What a beautiful story that in a way comes full circle from beginning to end.  At first it was a bit hard for me to follow, I could not see how things were connected.  What he did do was paint pictures for you that were so vivid and amazing you just had to keep on reading.  He has a way of almost quietly telling you something without you really sensing it until it has passed you by.  The emotion and tenuous relationships we have with others and ourselves comes out through the whole book.  What we can hang onto and let go of, how it affects our own lives and the lives of others can be staggering and so often we do not realize until it is too late.  A beautiful story written in a very difficult part of the world yet filled with emotion and depth can be translated to anywhere.

Hooke on Murder by Betty Hechtman

A fun murder mystery around crocheting.  Molly is a recent widow and is working as an event coordinator for a local bookstore.  A group gathers there once a week to crochet.  She becomes intrigued and learns how to crochet.  What she does not expect is to be returning some crochet materials to a members home and find her dead.  On top of that, she never expected to be the prime suspect.  There are some interesting escapades and funny happenings through out the book.  This is the first in a new series and Hechtman has done a very good job setting up characters and leaving you looking forward to learning more.

The Summer Girls by Mary Alice Monroe

What a wonderful story taking place in the low country of South Carolina.  I have really grown to love this area.  Mamaw is going to be eighty and wants to have her three granddaughters there for the celebration, even more for the summer.  Her granddaughters, all sisters, have taken different paths in their lives and are each are experiencing their own troubles.  All that Mamaw wants is for them to reconnect and have each other to fall back on once she is gone because they are all that they would have.  Monroe did a wonderful job making everyone different and very realistic.  She does bring to the forefront how important family is and that you need to foster those relationships.

Once There Was A Farm by Virginia Bell Dabney

Subtitle: A Country Childhood Remembered -- This was a wonderful recollection of growing up in rural Virginia.  She moved there when she was very young with her mom and two older sisters.  Her father was in Chicago working and would come during the summer for a vacation.  Dabney loved being outside when she was young and did much exploring.  She was much of the time an observer of her family, being the youngest.  There were definitely trials, especially with the depression.  It was a different time to be growing up, especially in such a rural area.  Dabney is a great story teller and painted beautiful pictures for the reader.

Tolstoy and the Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch

Subtitle: My year of magical reading -- Nina decides to read a book a day and review each book for a year.  This will be her "job".  She does this after realizing that since her sister died she just kept trying to fill her time and days running here and there.  She was volunteering for everything for her kids.  She was not taking the time to deal with her grieving and how to process this major change in her life.  Reading had always been a huge cornerstone in her family.  From the time she was a child with her parents reading to her and her siblings, to going on great adventures in the books she chose for herself.  She continued this with her own family and children.  One of the things that helped her sister in the end was reading.  So, she decided to take a year and read.  Through doing this she was able to get lost in many stories and many that were dealing with grief.  Through this process she was better able to work through her own grief and feel better about where she was.  It also allowed her to really see what was important within her family and know when to step up or back down.  She will always miss her sister and think of her everyday, but this year in books helped her make it a little easier.

the time keeper by Mitch Albom

This was a very interesting story about time.  When did we start to keep track of time?  Why do we keep track of time?  Why do people want to squander their time?  This book follows two people, one in the prime of her life and the other a gentleman who wants more time.  Both of these people are experiencing something "tragic" in their lives and are trying to deal with it in their own way without thinking of other people and the consequences of their actions.  We then enter into a type of Charles Dickens and the visiting of Father Time who can show them what will happen.  They are both struck by what they see and wish to do things differently.  The take away from this book for me is to embrace every moment and enjoy it for what it is, time will keep marching on and we need to choose how we are going to use that time.  Don't squander it.

Home of the Braised by Julie Hyzy

Hyzy never disappoints me.  Ollie and Gav are going to get married, but of course there are some hiccups in that whole process, especially when they come across five dead bodies.  Everything was very hush, hush about their findings, but there seemed to be some people very much in the know.  Of course Ollie cannot just let the authorities do their job, she sticks her nose right in there.  Over all things were more low key in the action and higher in the mental figuring.  There is a wonderful ending that I will not share, so you just need to get this book and see how things are progressing the the White House kitchen!

The Matchmaker by Elin Hilderband

Another good story from Nantucket.  Dabney runs the Chamber of Commerce and knows everyone and everything about the island and the people.  Her life is really good until she gets an unwelcomed visitor from her past.  It throws her summer into a tailspin and things just start tumbling around her.  The pain of keeping secrets catches up with her and how everyone deals with the unfolding of the story is very touching and real.  Hilderband did a wonderful job building characters and showing the pains and joys of relationships and their fragility.

Acadia-The complete guide by James Kaiser

This is really a great read that gives a wonderful overview of the island.  Hits on the history without bogging you down and the colorful culture with lightness.  Kaiser goes over the highlights of Acadia National Park and points out some good hikes and quiet spots.  He talks about each of the towns on the island and their characteristics, what they offer and what to take in.  If you just want to get a good overview of the area this is a great book.

The Story of Mount Desert Island by Samuel Eliot Morison

On Wednesday Terry and I hung out at the library for a while and I read this book.  Morison takes you through the whole island starting with the Indians and the French and English.  Then there were the artists and rusticators and the "cottage" era.  He spent his summers here and knew much local lore and stories.  Morison saw many changes over the years and was full of good background stories and antics.  

The good, good pig by Sy Montgomery

Subtitle: The extraordinary life of Christopher Hogwood -- What a wonderful story about a family that adopted a pig.  They raised it from runt-hood and had it for several years.  It not only enhanced their lives, but the whole community.  Christopher Hogwood was a star in his own right with everyone around.  People brought him slops, he made it in the paper and local news.  Everyone wanted to spend time with him and the Montgomery's were amazed and touched with the interest that Christopher brought into their lives.  Very well written, I felt like I missed something by never meeting Christopher Hogwood.

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey

I had passed this by a couple of times at the library and finally decided to give it a try.  It was a quick, easy read and very informative about snails.  Bailey was bed ridden with a mysterious illness that last several years.  She watched this snail for a year.  A friend had brought in some wild violets and found this snail along the way.  Bailey loved watching it and ended up getting an aquarium and making more of a woodland habitat for the snail.  She was fascinated by how it lived, moved about, ate, slept.  Watching the snail helped her feel less lonely.  Through her observations she became more and more curious and found literature and studies about snails.  They are very interesting creatures and I do not think that I will ever look at one the same again.  A very good observation of slowing down, being in the moment and appreciating the nature around you.

Snipped in the Bud by Kate Collins

An interesting little story about Abby who owns a florist shop and the trouble she gets into when she comes across a murdered professor and has the finger pointed at her.  Through disguises and sneaking around she is able to figure things out, but she does have quite the reputation of getting in trouble.  This was the fourth book in a series, and I have not read the others, so there is some back story missing for me, but it did not detract from this story.  An easy book to read that will make you chuckle and wonder what she could possibly get into next.

The Beach Street Knitting Sociey and Yarn Club by Gil McNeil

A very plain story about getting on in life.  Jo finds out that her husband is leaving her and then he dies in a car crash.  Her world is turned upside down.  She moves to the country with her kids to take over a yarn shop.  Many new people come into her life, she finds she loves working in the yarn shop and bringing in new ideas.  She realizes that she is really happy for the first time in a long time.  Of course there are many side stories that are funny and have left much to build on in the series.  I am not saying that it was not a good book, but it did not grab me.  I wanted to see how it would continue, but it was easy to put down.  An easy, almost comforting read that felt good coming back to.

The Art of Power by Thich Nhat Hanh

I have enjoyed Hanh's books over the years.  One of the reasons I did read this was that is fulfilled my World Literature Challenge.  Truly, the key to being in control and making people feel good about themselves is to be present and mindful in your own life.  I do believe that if you are happy in your life it is easier to make others feel good and have others feel like you care.  This was a good book, but for me it was a little wordy and out of my reach at this time.  I do love what Hanh has done over his many years working towards enlightening the world and will reflect back on this for a while to come.

French Pressed by Cleo Coyle

I was disappointed again.  Two books ago in this series I was not impressed, but the last one was great.  This one fell flat again.  I do not know if Coyle is struggling with ideas or what.  It really seems like she is just trying to fill pages with things that are not all that important, I feel.  In this book Clare's daughter, Joy, gets wrapped up in a murder and Clare gets involved in getting to the bottom of things.  The book was 260 pages and I think the bulk of the whole thing could have been told in 160.  There are still more books in the series, but I am not chomping at the bit to read them.

Catching Genius by Kristy Kiernan

The Sykes family home is going to be sold and Connie and Estella, sisters, have to go empty it out.  They have not spoken in years.  Connie is dealing with family issues, mainly her husband cheating on her and what she is going to do.  Estella is having some health issues and you are just not sure what is going on.  They are tossed together to do this and are able to mend some walls, understand each other better and really get closer.  It is amazing how one small thing can change a family dynamic that affects you into adulthood and how taking the time to listen and observe can change your perspective.

How to be an American Housewife by Margaret Dilloway

An interesting novel about a woman who has held many secrets from her family and as her health fails she wants to let these secrets go.  She wanted to go to Japan to reconcile with her brother but was not healthy enough.  She was able to get her daughter to go.  Mother and daughter learned much about each other, themselves and their histories.  It was beautifully written and really demonstrated the deep ties with family, how easily they can be broken and how they can be mended.

A Deadly Yarn by Maggie Sefton

Kelly, in her very short time in Colorado, has found herself in the middle of several murders and can't help herself from sleuthing.  A young and up and coming artist is getting ready to go to New York when she is found dead in her apartment.   At first it looked like suicide, but turned into homicide.  Kelly and her friend Megan don't leave a stone unturned and have some interesting encounters along the way.  Sefton has continued to build the characters and leaves you wanting more, wanting to know how things are going to proceed with them.  Another good book in the series.

Below the Surface by Karen Harper

At first I was not very impressed with the flow of the story, it seemed very amateurish to me.  But, as the story developed you could see the stronger story line, twists along the way that made you wonder and then an interesting ending.  This book is about twin sisters who run a diving and salvaging company.  One of the twins, Daria, dies and Bree, her sister is determined to figure out what happened.  Many times Bree puts herself in danger and does not know who to trust.  This was a very easy read, I read it in one day, but it was enjoyable and kept me intrigued until the end.

Trans-Sister Radio by Chris Bohjalian

Bohjalian sure can pick some interesting subject matter, and always leaves an interesting twist in the end.  This book focuses on four people.  There is Allie, who is a grade school teacher and mother.  Carly is her daughter who is getting ready to go to college.  Will is Carly's dad and ex-husband to Allie who runs the local public radio station.  Then there is Dana who is a college professor and a transsexual.  Bohjalian did an amazing job weaving these four people together, getting different perspectives and getting into the deep seated emotions that we have towards people that are different from the norm.  There was amazing depth of character and a true pull through out the whole story making you want to see it through.  Bohjalian pushed the envelope again and did it beautifully.

The Island by Elin Hilderbrand

This was a wonderful novel that wove together four women -- sisters, mothers, aunts -- dealing with very different things in their lives in the hopes that the old family cottage could solve all of their problems.  We have Birdie who is embarking on a new relationship.  There is India who is still dealing with her past.  Then we have Tate who is still feeling her way with relationships and then Chess who is working through the death of her ex-fiance.  There are fights and hugs and realizations that all work well together.  I have never had a problem feeling for Hilderbrand's characters and have never felt the situations to be so far fetched that it could not happen.  Hilderbrand did another great job with this novel.

On Folly Beach by Karen White

This is a wonderful novel that bounces back and forth between the early 1940's and present day.  In the 1940's we are dealing with World War 2, relationships, passions, deceit and love.  In the present day we are dealing with loss, change and figuring out a mystery.  White wove these two times together almost seamlessly.  Her characters were vibrant and you could feel all of the emotions -- the hurt, the loss and the love.  When is enough enough and when should you move on?  Questions I am sure we all ask ourselves at one point in time or another.  I have never read anything by White and am looking forward to finding more of her books!!

Decaffeinated Corpse by Cleo Coyle

This was so much better than her last one!!  This time there seems to be as much intrigue as there is murder.  New discoveries lead to secrecy, lying and affairs.  Of course Clare has to get involved and gets her ex mother-in-law involved also.  A couple side stories were there but were not over powering, so it will be interesting to see how she uses them in the future.  A very fun book that left me wanting to know what Clare will get involved in next.

One Small Thing by Jessica Barksdale Inclan

A woman plans her life.  As a child things were rough and this was her way to control things.  It was not going as planned.  She was unable to get pregnant and had been trying for two years.  Then, on the 4th of July her husband gets a phone call that turns their world upside down.  You are not sure how she will handle it and I was surprised at first.  This was very well written and really plays with your emotions.  You are not sure who to stand behind or which way things are going to go.  The whole thing makes you wonder how you would react in the same situation.

Married in Seattle by Debbie Macomber

This was two short stories.  One was about a grandfather arranging a marriage for his granddaughter.  The other about a daughter taking out an add on a dating site for her mother.  Neither of them were very good.  I was rather disappointed knowing how much I enjoy her books.  The story lines were a little lame, there was not much flow in the writing and there was no depth.

The Walkabouts by Mike Saunders

Subtitle: A Family at Sea -- What an interesting read.  The biggest reason I was reading it was because it met the requirements for this months world literature challenge of Sub-sahara and I fell in love with it.  The family was not happy with how things were going in Rhodesia so they decided to sail to England.  They had never done anything like this and there was a huge learning curve.  They were working on the boat in the most unpleasant conditions and started sailing in conditions that were not much better.  Many things broke, there was illness, but also a feeling of accomplishment.  At times the boat and weather really wore them out, but they had some amazing experiences.  Not something that is on my bucket list, but what a well written adventure.

Fonduing Fathers by Julie Hyzy

This time Ollie is trying to figure out what happened to her father 25 years ago.  She has never been satisfied with what her mother had told her.  Needless to say, she gets into some hot water, meets some interesting people and does get to the bottom of things.  There truly is never a dull moment.  The other thing happening through out the book is the development in her relationship with Gav.  I do hope that this was not the last book of the series, because I want more, much, much more.  Hyzy does a great job with the story line, bringing other characters in without a lot of extra garbage and developing the characters that are all ready there.

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

This takes place near the beginning of World War 2 and follows three people.  There is the postmistress, a radio gal and a woman whose husband goes to help.  This is not about war action as much as it is about things going on while the war is happening.  Blake layered the stories well and you could feel the helplessness of the people and the frustration.  Time and again you just need to keep on moving and hope to get through each situation to the next.  A bit long at times, but nice to have a different perspective during war time.

Murder Most Frothy by Cleo Coyle

This was not as good as her others.  There were a lot of back stories that I felt never really helped the story line.  On top of that, Clair, who likes to play detective, puts herself in some very, very unrealistic situations.  Some of the main characters were not working well together and I just wanted to bash their heads in.  I know that I will read more of the series, I just hope they are better than this one.

More Than You Know by Beth Gutcheon

An interesting novel that takes place in Maine.  There are two stories going at the same time, one taking place in present day and the other in the 1800's.  The present day story is of Hannah recalling a summer of her youth.  The story in the 1800's gives a back story that carries a history that affects many generations. The writing was not really fluid for me, I had to re-read passages, but how it was all presented was well done.  Being from Maine and knowing how things can be Downeast definitely made it more interesting for me.  The ending still left me questioning, but not to the point where I thought it was unfinished.  A different story with enough going on to keep you reading to see how it was going to end.

The Student Conductor by Robert Ford

I'm not quite sure what to say about this book.  Many people loved it and I can say there wa some beautiful writing, but for me it did not flow very well.  There is a student conductor from America who is fighting some demons.  There is the master conductor who hasn't been right since the war and many other characters that have a myriad of issues.  There was a lot of internal conflict that was taken out on others and not many things resolved themselves.  I just did not enjoy the book and was very glad when I finished.

The Pickup Artist by Terry Bisson

A bit on the strange side.  I can see how people would compare it to 'Fahrenheit 451', to a point.  This is about getting rid of centuries old artists, authors and musicians to make room for newer artists.  Then it goes on an interesting, strange tangent where one of the pickup artists wanted to hear something that he picked up.  It is a twisted path and a little twisted all together.  The history that was created for this as a parallel story was just as strange.

Sentenced to Death by Lorna Barrett

I really enjoy the bookshop mystery.  Tricia witness a tragic death and feels there is foul play.  Through her investigating she learns more than she wants to about many aspects of her little town.  One of the things I enjoy about Barrett's writing is there is not a lot of mellow drama, it us all pretty real stuff.  She does a great job building characters, but not too much so there is still room to grow.  She always has a twist I was not expecting.  It has been a great series and am looking forward to getting more!!

Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi

This was for my world literature challenge.  This was a book I had on the shelf for many years and am glad that I have finally gotten around to reading it.  Not really what I was expecting, but interesting nonetheless.  It starts and ends with a reading group that Nafisi started with some girls from the college where she taught.  They read all forms of literature and talked about the parallels in fiction to their lives in Iran.  In the middle we learned more about what was going on in Iran, how the regime was constantly changing, the morality police and so much more; I found it amazing on how they lived.  For many there was a pride of country and religion, but for many others it was oppressive and they were constantly trying to buck the system.  It was very eye opening for me, learning more about Iran and it's history.  I truly do not know how people can live that way.

To Be With You by Opal Mellon

I read this book because it fit a February challenge on Goodreads.com.  Something about the book had to be romantic.  The cover has a couple kissing on the beach with the sun setting behind them.  I think this qualifies.  It is about two people, Sean and Nicole, who had been close as kids and kept in touch writing letters after Nicole moved away.  Nicole always seems to attract the wrong guy and Sean is always trying to help her through it all.  There is a lot of back story that is not totally talked about, but you get the idea that Nicole had been in many abusive relationships and could not trust anyone, even her best friend.  It is interesting how they get together in the end.  There was nothing very compelling about this book, an easy read despite the difficult subject matter, just not very interesting.

Affairs of Steak by Julie Hyzy

Anther adventure with the White House chef, Ollie She seems to get it the thick of things without even trying.  She comes upon a double murder with her nemesis, Sargeant.  She is still having some problems with new staff and is not sure where her relationship is going with Gav and now she has to work with Sargeant,which is always a challenge.  There is hardly a dull moment.  Hyzy is great and I am looking forward to the next one in the series.

Summer People by Ellen Hilderbrand

Two families have had major shifts in their lives.  They were brought together by a tragedy and managed to stay together through it also.  Marcus' mother was a client of Beth's husband.  Marcus' mother ends up in jail and Beth's husband is killed in a plane crash.  Beth and her kids, Garrett and Winnie, and Marcus go to Nantucket for the summer, the annual retreat for Beth's family.  Dealing with loss, fitting in and trying to find your way after such loss was challenging for all of them.  Some mistakes were made, people were hurt, but new bonds were formed and they all came out stronger in spite of it all.  Hillderbrand does a wonderful job with character development and weaving a story.  She makes it all fit and puts situations out there that you may one day be in and tries to show the true colors of the whole thing, not just putting a pretty face on difficult situation.

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marques

I am doing a World Literature Challenge this year, a new country each month.  This month was South America.  I had heard about this book, but really did not know what it was about.  The short of it is that it is about a man who spends is whole life waiting for a womans husband to die so he could be with her, his first and only love.  That is a very simple synopsis, as there was deep character development, emotions, conflicts and acceptance.  It is a very descriptive novel without much dialogue spanning many years, changes and challenges.  My attention was peaked from the beginning and I only struggled through 100 pages or so.  I did not want to give up because I wanted to know how things resolved themselves.

Dyer Consequences by Maggie Sefton

I am always amazed at authors who are able to keep things fresh in a series.  Again, Kelly gets herself into trouble.  Not only is she having problems with her new canyon property and her little cottage, but someone gets murdered and she has to get to the bottom of the whole thing.  She put herself in some sticky situations and almost does not make it out okay.  Very fun book and I am really loving the series.

I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

Poppy loses her cell phone.  She is at a total loss.  Amazingly she finds a phone in a trash bin and starts using it.  This leads to a crazy interaction between her and the company that owns the phone.  There is much forwarding and many misunderstandings.  As Poppy does things you can tell it is going to get her in trouble and you are practically begging her to stop.  Kinsella tells a great story, keeps you going and wanting more.  Great book!!