…. On a Bookshelf near you!
In January I hope to read….
Publication Date: January 6, 2015
Publisher: The Story Plant
Coming Soon….
Reply
Monthly Archives: December 2014
An Island Christmas
Author: Nancy Thayer 
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Genre: Holiday Book
Source: Purchased
Goodreads: In this enchanting holiday novel from New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer, family and friends gather on Nantucket for a gorgeous winter wedding with plenty of merry surprises in store.
As Christmas draws near, Felicia returns to her family’s home on the island to marry her adventurous, rugged boyfriend, Archie. Every detail is picture-perfect for a dream wedding: the snow-dusted streets, twinkling lights in the windows, a gorgeous red and white satin dress. Except a lavish ceremony is not Felicia’s dream at all; it’s what her mother, Jilly, wants. Jilly’s also worried that her daughter’s life with daredevil Archie will be all hiking and skydiving. Wondering if their handsome neighbor Steven Hardy might be a more suitable son-in-law, Jilly embarks on a secret matchmaking campaign for Felicia and the dashing stockbroker.
As the big day approaches and Jilly’s older daughter, Lauren, appears with rambunctious kids in tow, tensions in the household are high. With the family careening toward a Yuletide wedding disaster, an unexpected twist in Nancy Thayer’s heartwarming tale reminds everyone about the true meaning of the season.
Ope’s Opinion: This was a cute little Christmas story. Jilly’s flakey personality irritated me at times. She loved her daughters, but interfered in their lives. She was trying to get her daughter to marry the neighbor one day and happy at the wedding the next day.
The rest of the characters in the book were heart warming. I really liked the sisters relationships. They cared about each other, but didn’t always see eye to eye.
This is not my favorite Nancy Thayer book, but it was a quick Christmas read.
Rating: Three Chairs – I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.
Hope your holidays are full of family!
Enjoy your holiday!
Evergreen
Author: Susan May Warren
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers 
Genre: Holiday
Source: Purchased
Goodreads: An empty nest has Ingrid Christiansen dreading the upcoming holidays, but her husband, John, couldn’t be more excited about this new season of life. He even has a surprise trip abroad planned. He’s sure she’ll love it. What’s more romantic than Christmas in Paris?Before he can stop her, however, Ingrid agrees to spearhead a major church project. Then their faithful dog, Butterscotch, needs emergency surgery, draining their savings. And then–because disasters strike in threes–an unexpected guest arrives, dredging up old hurts.As a beautiful blanket of snow transforms the north woods into a winter wonderland, a deep chill settles over John and Ingrid’s marriage. With the holidays fast approaching, their only hope of keeping their love evergreen depends on turning the page on the past and embracing a new chapter of their future.
Ope’s Opinion: God gave me a snowy day to relax and read this book. It was a perfect reminder of what this season is really all about.
The Christiansen family has been one of my favorite families to follow. This Christmas book followed the family through a difficult time. The story showed that families come in all sizes and are made up of the people that are around you. Empty nests don’t have to feel so empty. I can relate as an empty nester too.
Susan May Warren wrote: ” The magic of a good-bye – it makes way for something new. An unexpected hello.” That is such a great reminder. As one part of your life moves on or changes, it opens up for a new part.
I love the fact that this series is a faith based family, yet I never feel preached at or condemned. It shows God’s love, acceptance and guidance.
Rating: Five Chairs – This book is so good it will be passed on and on and on…
And read again and again and again…..
Winter Street
Author: Elin Hilderbrand
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company 
Genre: Holiday Book
Source: Purchased
Goodreads: In bestseller Elin Hilderbrand’s first Christmas novel, a family gathers on Nantucket for a holiday filled with surprises.
Kelley Quinn is the owner of Nantucket’s Winter Street Inn and the proud father of four, all of them grown and living in varying states of disarray. Patrick, the eldest, is a hedge fund manager with a guilty conscience. Kevin, a bartender, is secretly sleeping with a French housekeeper named Isabelle. Ava, a school teacher, is finally dating the perfect guy but can’t get him to commit. And Bart, the youngest and only child of Kelley’s second marriage to Mitzi, has recently shocked everyone by joining the Marines.
As Christmas approaches, Kelley is looking forward to getting the family together for some quality time at the inn. But when he walks in on Mitzi kissing Santa Claus (or the guy who’s playing Santa at the inn’s annual party), utter chaos descends. With the three older children each reeling in their own dramas and Bart unreachable in Afghanistan, it might be up to Kelley’s ex-wife, nightly news anchor Margaret Quinn, to save Christmas at the Winter Street Inn.
Before the mulled cider is gone, the delightfully dysfunctional Quinn family will survive a love triangle, an unplanned pregnancy, a federal crime, a small house fire, many shots of whiskey, and endless rounds of Christmas caroling, in this heart-warming novel about coming home for the holidays.
Ope’s Opinion: This was the perfect read for your holiday season or to buy for your favorite book person.
There were a lot of characters and I did have to look back at the flap on the book to remember facts about who was talking. It didn’t take long to be invested in each person’s personal story.
I come from a family of five children, so seeing how these siblings were together, took me back home! They all love each other, but are also some times frustrated with each other. At the end of the day, they support each other. They want what is best for the other ones.
I would love to see where everyone is next Christmas!
Rating: Five Chairs – This book is so good it will be passed on and on and on….
A Nantucket Christmas
Author: Nancy Thayer
Publisher: Ballentine Books 
Genre: Holiday
Source: Mary Ann ( friend )
Goodreads: Known for her heartwarming observations of family life, New York Timesbestselling author Nancy Thayer showcases her beloved Nantucket’s snowy off-season in this emotionally gratifying and utterly entertaining story.
Holidays on this Massachusetts island are nothing short of magical, from the jolly decorations on the Brant Point lighthouse to the much anticipated Christmas Stroll, in which merrymakers promenade through quaint streets adorned with Yuletide cheer. The season’s wonderful traditions are much loved by Nicole Somerset, new to Nantucket and recently married to a handsome former attorney. Their home is already full of enticing scents of pine, baking spices, and homemade pie.
But the warm, festive mood is soon tempered by Nicole’s chilly stepdaughter, Kennedy, who arrives without a hint of holiday spirit. Determined to keep her stepmother at arms’ length—or, better yet, out of the picture altogether—Kennedy schemes to sabotage Nicole’s holiday preparations. Nicole, however, is not about to let anyone or anything tarnish her first Christmas with her new husband.
Nancy Thayer’s wonderful tale reminds us that this is the season of miracles. Before the gifts are unwrapped, surprise visitors appear, and holiday joy comes to all, both naughty and nice.
Ope’s Opinion: I read this on my airplane ride to Seattle. It kept my attention in spite of all the airplane interruptions ( safety check, do you want a drink, do you want food, etc. ). I enjoyed the story of Nicole trying to make a wonderful family holiday with a family that is new to her.
Nicole is my idea of a christian – she was gentle, kind and patient when those around her were difficult and disrespectful. What an awesome example.
There is quiet a bit of drama in this short story. So if life is already crazy for you, you might want to save this one until after the holidays when things are a little quieter.
Rating: Three Chairs – I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.
Save Me
Author: Kristyn Kusek Lewis
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing 
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: Grand Central Publishing
Goodreads: Daphne Mitchell has always believed in cause and effect, right and wrong, good and bad. The good: her dream job as a doctor; Owen, her childhood sweetheart and now husband; the beautiful farmhouse they’re restoring together. In fact, most of her life has been good–until the day Owen comes home early from work to tell her he’s fallen head over heels for someone else.
Unable to hate him, but also equally incapable of moving forward, Daphne’s life hangs in limbo until the day Owen’s new girlfriend sustains near-fatal injuries in a car accident. As Daphne becomes a pillar of support for the devastated Owen, and realizes that reconciliation may lie within her grasp, she has to find out whether forgiveness is possible and decide which path is the right one for her.
Ope’s Opinion: This is a slow moving, deeply emotional book. As you follow Daphne through her heartbreak, you can really feel her heaviness. I like books that are realistic, but at times this one is so realistic it is difficult to read.
It is hard to read about a marriage that has so many struggles. Daphne has hard decisions to make. Her family and friends don’t always agree, but they obviously love her and want what will be best for her.
I felt like Owen was lazy. Marriage takes work. It takes time and effort to put someone else first. Owen just thought of himself and the short term happiness.
Kristyn Kusek Lewis wrote a very real look at one marriage.
Rating: Three Chairs – I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.
Gifts for your Avid Readers
If you don’t want to pick out a book for your avid reader, I have several gifts that your reader might really enjoy receiving.
Bookmarks are always a small way to say happy holidays. Here are two examples. Find one that says something special for your reader. They can cost from $2 to $10.
Bookends are another great gift for book lovers.
This M is from Hobby Lobby. It cost $15.00 – an affordable gift.
This bookend is from Joann’s craft store. This size was $4.00. There are different sizes. You can paint them to go with the shelving in any room.
Another item that works as a bookend is a paperweight. This is from Barnes and Noble. The cost is $14.95.
My daughter bought me this bookend.
Another avid book reader gift is a book light. They run from $10 to $20 depending on what you choose.
When you just aren’t sure what else to get – a gift card to Barnes and Noble, Books a Million, or an independent book store is always appreciated.
Hope this helps your shopping!
Happy Holidays!
Books for Christian Fiction Readers
These are my suggestions if you want to
share the love of books for your christian fiction readers.
Take a Chance on Me 
By: Susan May Warren
Cost: $12.01
Goodreads: Darek Christiansen is almost a dream bachelor—oldest son in the large Christiansen clan, heir to their historic Evergreen Lake Resort, and doting father. But he’s also wounded and angry since the tragic death of his wife, Felicity. No woman in Deep Haven dares come near.
New assistant county attorney Ivy Madison simply doesn’t know any better when she bids on Darek at the charity auction. Nor does she know that when she crafted a plea bargain three years ago to keep Jensen Atwood out of jail and in Deep Haven fulfilling community service, she was releasing the man responsible for Felicity’s death. All Ivy knows is that the Christiansens feel like the family she’s always longed for. And once she gets past Darek’s tough exterior, she finds a man she could spend the rest of her life with. Which scares her almost as much as Darek learning of her involvement in his wife’s case.
Caught between new love and old grudges, Darek must decide if he can set aside the past for a future with Ivy—a future more and more at risk as an approaching wildfire threatens to wipe out the Christiansen resort and Deep Haven itself.
Ope’s Opinion: She is an amazing writer.
Goodnight, Brian
By: Steven Manchester 
Cost: $13.89
Goodreads: Fate was working against little Brian Mauretti. The food that was meant to nourish him was poisoning him instead, and the doctors said the damage was devastating and absolute. Fate had written off Brian. But fate didn’t count on a woman as determined as Brian’s grandmother, Angela DiMartino – who everyone knew as Mama. Loving her grandson with everything she had, Mama endeavored to battle fate. Fate had no idea what it was in for.
An emotional tale about the strength of family bonds, unconditional love, and the perseverance to do our best with the challenging gifts we receive, GOODNIGHT, BRIAN is an uplifting tribute to what happens when giving up is not an option.
Ope’s Opinion: This is an amazing family story.
Hope this helps your shopping!
Happy Holidays!
Books for Readers of Women’s Fiction
These are my suggestions if you want to
share the love of books for women’s fiction readers.
Heart Like Mine
By: Amy Hatvany 
Cost: $ 12.77
Goodreads: When a young mother dies under mysterious circumstances, those she leaves behind begin looking for answers in the past—and find a long-buried secret they could have never imagined.
Thirty-six-year-old Grace McAllister never longed for children. But when she meets Victor Hansen, a handsome, charismatic divorced restaurateur who is father to Max and Ava, Grace decides that, for the right man, she could learn to be an excellent part-time stepmom. After all, the kids live with their mother, Kelli. How hard could it be?
At thirteen, Ava Hansen is mature beyond her years. Since her parents’ divorce, she has been the one taking care of her emotionally unstable mother and her little brother—she pays the bills, does the laundry, and never complains because she loves her mama more than anyone. And while her father’s new girlfriend is nice enough, Ava still holds out hope that her parents will get back together and that they’ll be a family again.
But only days after Victor and Grace get engaged, Kelli dies suddenly under mysterious circumstances—and soon, Grace and Ava discover there was much more to Kelli’s life than either ever knew.
Narrated by Grace and Ava in the present with flashbacks into Kelli’s troubled past, Heart Like Mine is a poignant and hopeful portrait about womanhood, love, and the challenges of family life.
Ope’s Opinion: This is a fast read.
Carly’s Gift
By: Georgia Bockoven 
Cost: $11.99
Goodreads: From the author of Things Remembered and The Year Everything Changed comes a moving novel about love that lasts forever
What’s in the past is over and done with . . . or is it?
Sixteen years ago Carly Hargrove made a decision that would irrevocably alter her life. With little comprehension of the life-long consequences of her actions, she trades her own future happiness to protect the man she’s loved since kindergarten, David Montgomery.
With an ocean separating them, Carly builds a life for herself without David. She’s the mother of three, lives in a beautiful house, and is married to a man who comes home every night—even if most of those nights he drinks too much. What more could she want?
Her answer arrives on a cold fall day when David shows up at her door. In town for his father’s funeral, he has come to see Carly one last time, hoping to rid himself of the anger that still consumes him.
Instead, he is drawn into a web of secrets that rekindles the fierce need he once felt to protect Carly. He becomes caught up in her life in a way he never could have imagined—a way that will bind him to her forever.
Ope’s Opinion: Georgia Bockoven is a great writer.
The Daughter She Used to Be
By: Rosalind Noonan 
Cost: $ 12.93
Goodreads: In this emotionally charged and riveting novel from the author of One September Morning and In a Heartbeat, one woman is torn between loyalty to her family’s ways and to her most profound convictions. . .
The daughter of a career cop, Bernadette Sullivan grew up with blue uniforms hanging in the laundry room and cops laughing around the dinner table. Her brother joined New York’s finest, her sisters married cops, and Bernie is an assistant District Attorney. Collaring criminals, putting them awayit’s what they do. And though lately Bernie feels a growing desire for a family of her own, she’s never questioned her choices. Then a shooter targets a local coffee shop, and tragedy strikes the Sullivan family.
Anger follows griefand Bernie realizes that her father’s idea of retribution is very different from her own. All her life, she’s inhabited a clear-cut world of right and wrong, of morality and corruption. As Bernie struggles to protect the people she loves, she must also decide what it means to see justice served. And in her darkest hour, she will find out just what it means to be her father’s daughter.
Ope’s Opinion: A captivating read!
Ope's Opinions 
