The Perfect Christmas by Debbie Macomber

This is the kind of Christmas story I like.  It was fun to read and had a great ending.  It was about a girl who could not find the perfect man and was told about a matchmaker.  This matchmaker left a lot to be desired but said he would take her on but she had to do three things before she could meet her match.  She stuck it out through everything and ended up meeting her match, but it was not who you would have thought.  She learned a lot about herself and really grew and that made the story all the better.

A Very Holly Christmas by Sheila Robert

Sub-title: An Exclusive Short Story - The title sounded fun and cherry for Christmas but the story itself left a lot to be desired.  The town name was Holly and it was about the wife of a man who had lost his job in downsizing and was now a writer.  She sneaked a peak at something he was writing and took it all the wrong way.  Again, I do not see why some people feel the need to self-publish!!  It was free, but that was asking too much.(NOOK)

A Christmas Carol for Modern Times by Clare Tanner

This time of year I love to read Christmas stories.  Ones that make you feel all warm and good inside.  Well, this one was awful!!  It was a short story about a banker who was visited by all of the ghosts and what he took away from it was ridiculous.  I got it for free and it was not even worth that.  Not everyone should be allowed to self-publish. (NOOK)

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

She is such an awesome author.  This is a Chinese historical fiction and I could not put it down.  It follows two sisters from well to do Shanghai across the ocean to San Francisco and all of the trials and tribulations they encounter.  They forever remain the best of friends but are tested over the years.  What they sacrificed for each other and their country and families was tremendous.  See is an amazing storyteller and has never disappointed me.  I cannot wait to get my hands on another one of her books. (NOOK)

Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl

Subtitle: Growing up at the Table -- She is a great writer and I don't think that I will ever complain about the food I grew up with again.  Her mother was a manic depressive and you never knew what was going to hit the table.  Reichl had some other wonderful people in her life that introduced her to different foods and ways of cooking and over the years she found that it was a wonderful way to express herself and feel good about things.  Her curiosity of foods and the ability to just jump in also aided in her wonderful food experiments.  This book gave a great insight into her growing up and interest in food.  Another book that she wrote, Garlic and Sapphires, is about her being a food critic and her experiences doing that.  It is also a great book.  Some of the lengths that she went through were quite amazing!!  Great author!

Still Life with Crows by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Amazing book.  I really did have a hard time putting it down.  It was not good bed time reading, and probably not something to read around Halloween either.  Strange killings are happening in a sleepy town in Kansas and, of course, Pendergast gets involved with the whole thing, offering his insights and ticking off some of the locals.  So far, I think this has been my favorite in the series.  There were times that I wanted to turn my head away from what I was reading because it was so gruesome.  The writing was wonderful.  Preston and Child know how to weave a tale and just suck you in.  You keep learning more about Pendergast as the stories continue and their character development, at times, I feel is brilliant.  It keeps making you want to come back to more and more.

Love Comes Softy by Janette Oke

I read this to my mother-in-law over the past several days.  She has had a hard time concentrating to read on her own, so I read it to her.  It was a very enjoyable book and very descriptive.  There were many scenes that I could easily picture and see happening.  Many times we both were laughing about what was going on.  Many times my mother-in-law was laughing before I got to it because she knew it was coming!!!  The story is about a woman, Marty, who goes out west with her husband and he dies in an accident.  Right after this happens a gentleman, Clark, approaches her and says that he is alone with his little girl who needs a mama and maybe they can get married and then Marty would have a place to stay and his daughter would have a mama.  She was angry about the whole thing, but did it anyway.  The trials and tribulations were many and much growing for all parties occurred.  It was a wonderful story with much to contemplate and think about with your own life too.