Saturday, December 29, 2012

Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor


Christmas Eve at Friday HarborThis is my last holiday book of the season…and what a way to end the Christmas reading season.  I love, love, love this series…ridiculously cute and romantic, with just a touch of magic (and oh my, those Nolan boys!!!)  For those of you who have read Dream Lake and Rainshadow Road, this is actually the first book in the series...Mark, Holly and Maggie's story.
The next book in the series, Crystal Cove, comes out in February.  I can.not.wait.

Book Description via Amazon

New York Times bestselling author Lisa Kleypas’s new series begins during the most magical time of year

ONE LITTLE GIRL NEEDS A FAMILY
One rain-slicked night, six-year-old Holly lost the only parent she knew, her beloved mother Victoria. And since that night, she has never again spoken a word.
ONE SINGLE MAN NEEDS A WIFE
The last thing Mark Nolan needs is a six-year-old girl in his life. But he soon realizes that he will do everything he can to make her life whole again. His sister’s will gives him the instructions: There’s no other choice but you. Just start by loving her. The rest will follow.
SOMETIMES, IT TAKES A LITTLE MAGIC…
Maggie Collins doesn’t dare believe in love again, after losing her husband of one year. But she does believe in the magic of imagination. As the owner of a toy shop, she lives what she loves. And when she meets Holly Nolan, she sees a little girl in desperate need of a little magic.
…TO MAKE DREAMS COME TRUE
Three lonely people. Three lives at the crossroads. Three people who are about to discover that Christmas is the time of year when anything is possible, and when wishes have a way of finding the path home…

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Endangered by Eliot Schrefer


EndangeredThis is typically not “my” kind of book,  but I kept seeing it appear on the “best of “lists and thought I would give it a whirl.  I am so glad I did.  It was an intense, emotional read…this part of the world has experienced so much pain and suffering it is almost unfathomable.  And while it is hard to read in parts, it is infused with hope and happiness and compassion. **and it made me want a bonobo**

Review via Publisher’s Weekly

"Schrefer (The Deadly Sister) shines a light on an oft-overlooked part of the world with this intense adventure set in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. When Sophie, a half-American, half-Congolese 14-year-old, visits her mother at a bonobo sanctuary, her biracial origins make her feel out of place, but she finds purpose by bonding with and caring for Otto, an abused juvenile bonobo. Civil war breaks out while Sophie’s mother is away, and Sophie is inadvertently trapped in a country beset by starvation, roving bands of killers, and natural hazards. To stay alive, Sophie and Otto live off the land, travel in secret, and coexist with other bonobos, while seeking escape or refuge from the chaos. Schrefer spares no detail, fully exposing the horrors of war as he chronicles Sophie’s struggle for survival. This drama is clearly written from the heart, smoothly educating readers about the perilous dichotomy of the Congo and the heart-wrenching plight of the endangered bonobo, without sacrificing the intensity of the story. Sophie, meanwhile, demonstrates herself to be tenacious, resourceful, and strong, making decisions that, while not always smart, are driven by compassion. Ages 12–18.”

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

The Diviners by Libba Bray


The DivinersI absolutely loved this book.  The characters are well written and believable.  The setting is fantastic and almost becomes another, equally important, character.  New York City…in the twenties…speakeasies, flappers, Ziegfeld girls… it has is all with a dash of magic.  I can see why this book is making all the “best of 2012” lists!

Book Description via Amazon
Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies."

When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

1225 Christmas Tree Lane by Debbie Macomber

Christmas book #2...I can't get enough of these, just like Christmas cookies. 


1225 Christmas Tree Lane: 1225 Christmas Tree Lane\Let It Snow (Cedar Cove)Book Description Via Amazon

Release Date: October 23, 2012 | Series: Cedar Cove

The people of Cedar Cove know how to celebrate Christmas. Like Grace and Olivia and everyone else, Beth Morehouse expects this Christmas to be one of her best. Her small Christmas tree farm is prospering, her daughters and her dogs are happy and well, and her new relationship with local vet Ted Reynolds is showing plenty of romantic promise.

But…someone recently left a basket filled with puppies on her doorstep, puppies she's determined to place in good homes. That's complication number one. And number two is that her daughters, Bailey and Sophie, have invited their dad, Beth's long-divorced husband, Kent, to Cedar Cove for Christmas. The girls have visions of a mom-and-dad reunion dancing in their heads.

As always in life—and in Cedar Cove—there are surprises, too. More than one family's going to have a puppy under the tree. More than one scheme will go awry. And more than one romance will have a happy ending!