Snow Hunters by Paul Yoon

Yoon is a very descriptive author, yet simple.  You can smell the sea and feel the breeze and are totally aware of your surroundings.  Yohan, the main character of it all, is followed to Brazil after the war.  The novel chronicles his time before and after the war, the people he meets and the relationships he cultivates.

A Quilter's Holiday by Jennifer Chiaverini

This is part of a series that I have been wanting to read but have not gotten around to.  Now I really want to start from the beginning.  These women are part of a community of quilters that have retreats for others.  The day after Thanksgiving they always get together to start to work on their projects for the Christmas season.  Throughout this novel we learned more about all of the characters and how they have gotten to where there are today.  I got bogged down a few times, but was glad that I stuck it out.  There is more room to grow with these women and I look forward to seeing what will happen in the future.  Chiaverini has a great talent in characters and weaving them together to compliment each other and pull you in to where you are part of the story.

Starry Night by Debbie Macomber

Carrie was sick of her job as the social editor at the paper, she wanted to do hard news.  When she threatened to quit her boss gave her an assignment that would be impossible to do, but she took it anyway.  She had to get an interview with an author that would not give interviews, no one even knew where he was!!  She was tenacious and found him.  What unraveled was, of course, a love story with twists and turns.  To write the story or not write it.  Have him trust her or move ahead in her career.  Yes, there is a happy ending and it was a little sappy, but with just the right amount of Christmas spirit to make you smile and hope for the best.

A Dog Named Christmas by Greg Kincaid

It all started with a commercial on the radio from the local animal shelter.  They were hoping to get people to adopt a dog over the Christmas holiday with the ability to return it the day after Christmas.  This way they would not be stuck in there cages with limited human contact over Christmas.  Todd heard this and could not resist.  His father, George, could.  Todd was developmentally challenged and his father was not sure he really understood that the dog would go back.  George did not want a dog, he had too many bad memories attached to dogs.  Of course the dog that Todd picked out was wonderful, but something even more amazing happened.  Every one in town helped out with the animal shelter and no dog was left behind.  It was a very heart warming story.  Some of the back story got a little bogged down and did not seem to flow well with the rest of what was going on but was important to know to understand feelings and emotions of some of the characters.  I laughed and cried, it made me want to go get a dog!!

The World's Strongest Librarian by Josh Hanagarne

Subtitle: A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength and the Power of Family -- This book was an education for me in many ways.  I never knew how challenging Tourette Syndrome could be.  You hear of people with twitches and outbursts, but I never knew how physically painful it could be.  It all started out small for Josh, but as he got older the episodes became worse and worse.  He had a hard time finishing school or even keeping a job.  His faith, Mormon, helped a little when he was younger, but left him questioning as he got older.  The one thing he found that seemed to help him was strength training.  He could have more control over himself and his tics.  Josh is funny and has had a lot on his plate, but I feel he has dealt with his challenges and worked through things instead of letting Tourette's run his life.  This was a very well written memoir that made me laugh, cry and realize we have to live in the moment with what we are given and keep taking steps forward.

Eggsecutive Orders by Julie Hyzy

Ollie is always involved in another mystery in dealing with her kitchen.  This time someone died after eating a meal and the kitchen is being blamed.  Along with all of this her mom and gram are in town, it is Easter weekend, which is a very busy time for the White House and her boyfriend, Tom, has been put in charge of the case.  She really does try to stay out of it all, but just can't.  You learn more about her and her staff through out the book.  Hyzy does a great job in giving you just enough information to make you not want to stop reading.  I can't wait to get my hands on the next book!!

Engaging Father Christmas by Robin Jones Gunn

A lovely story about a woman who has found the family she had always longed for.  She was too late to meet her father, but was embraced by her relatives, mostly.  She not only was experiencing what it felt like to be surrounded by loved ones and the warmth that comes from that, but also in her place in finding God and his warmth and love that helped her get through some of the rough times during this transition.  Wonderful things happened in this story, I laughed and shed a few tears.  Great Christmas story.

Santa's Angels by Janet Kaderli

You have a mom who is trying to make ends meat working two jobs and raising a daughter by herself.  You have an athlete who has let it go to his head and is now paying for the troubles he has caused.  On top of that it is Christmas.  These three things come together in a very neat and simple story of stepping outside of yourself, being gracious and experiencing the true meaning of Christmas that we should experience all year long.

A Virgin River Christmas by Robyn Carr

I love Virgin River.  I get so lost when I am there and love the stories, characters and growth.  Marcie lost her husband in the war and lost contact with his best friend from that time.  She went to find him.  Ian did not want to be found.  He went in on himself and made himself a hermit.  Well, she did find him and what an adventure it was.  She pushed him and he pushed back.  They made progress and she got him out a bit.  Once he experienced Virgin River it was kind of hard to go back.  Carr writes to you and makes you want to come back to Virgin River again and again to see what has changed, who is with whom and who she will introduce next.

Last Kiss by Luanne Rice

Another story on the beach.  A young girl, Nell, looses her love to what is thought as a random act of violence.  The mother, Sheridan, can not seem to come to grips with it all. Nell contacts an investigator to find the truth.  He, Gavin, ends up having a history with Hubbard's Point and Sheridan.  The depth of emotion and feelings for the characters was beautifully written.  Dealing with loss and moving on is not easy and Rice does not make it so.  Nell and Sheridan learn the truth and are able to have some closure and seem to be able to move forward.  Rice rarely disappoints, and did not here.  You fall in love with every aspect of the novel and don't want it to end.

A Street Cat Named Bob by James Bowen

Subtitle: And How He Saved My Life -- This guy in England was a recovering drug addict and was getting his life back in line.  He was a busker in a local park and that was how he was getting by.  One day he came home and found this cat on the doorstep.  He had grown up with cats and knew that this one needed some help.  His intention was to get him taken care of and then let him go.  He was having a hard enough time taking care of himself, he did not need anything else.  Well Bob, the cat, had other plans and stuck with him. Having this responsibility helped James look beyond himself and really work to get better and have a better life.  Simply written but a great story about how something that seems so small can make a huge difference in your life.

Final Exam by Pauline W. Chen

Subtitle: A Surgeon's Reflection on Mortality:  We all know that doctors go through a lot of training and spend many years learning and practicing.  What I find totally amazing is the lack of training in dealing with death.  Chen sheds light on how she was taught and how you keep death out of it.  You are to fix the patient, death is really not an option.  There are many layers when it comes to dealing with the end that play into how doctors deal with it.  If patients have hope the doctor does not want to dampen that and keeps them going.  The same goes with the family.  The one that disturbs me most is money driven, not only in the fact that the longer the patient is alive the longer they make money, but the malpractice of it all.  If there is one thing that is known in our life is that we are going to die.  Having dealt with death recently and knowing that it can be done in a loving and peaceful way, why would people want it any other way.  This was an enlightening book, that for me, really let me know that I need to be in charge and make sure that everyone knows what I want because the doctors are going to be looking at the bottom line, not always what is best for you.