Books – Page 23 – …on the B.L.

A Christmas Treasury

December 14, 2018December 13, 2018 RaeAnna

Should I Read Go Buy It
Length 368
Quick Review It is the quintessential collection of Christmas stories for the family. The perfect book to place on your coffee table year after year.

If there is one book you should purchase this Christmas season, it should be A Christmas Treasury. Not only is it a beautifully bound book, it is filled with iconic stories of the season and stunning illustrations. I also love the glossy pages. Nothing, to me, says classy like a glossy page. No bookmark needed; one comes included. Like I said: classy. It is the most beautiful book I have read all year.

Every year, books are published to celebrate the spirit of the season. (I have read a bunch this year.) This is not a new phenomenon. Over time, some stories and poems have become ingrained in our psyches and traditions being passed down through the generations. Some stories have even shaped cultural identities and celebrations regarding the imagery, language, and even food we eat during the Christmas season. Sugar plums! Do you know what a sugar plum is? It’s delicious. Even if you don’t know what it is, you most likely think about them around Christmas time. There’s a poem to thank for that, which is in the book!

A Christmas Treasury starts out with the legendary A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. If there is one Christmas story, it is this one. The rest of the pages are graced by the likes of Louisa May Alcott, O. Henry, L Frank Baum, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Clement Clarke Moore (of course), and more. The stories are beautiful and classic. They are sure to captivate even the youngest readers without disappointing the more seasoned Christmasers.

Even if you can’t make it through all the stories, you’ll have time to read one or two. It is perfect to read with your children – or someone else’s children with parental permission, obviously – before bed all through the Christmas season for years to come. Maybe, they’ll even read it to their children someday.

I really like this book. A lot. It is such a gorgeous anthology. It oozes Christmas spirit. I just want to hold it and walk around with it. That makes me cool, right?

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Title: A Christmas Treasury
Publisher: Sterling Publisher Co.
Copyright: 2017
ISBN: 9781435164598

Books, Fiction

Mutts and Mistletoe by Natalie Cox

December 13, 2018 RaeAnna

Beau and I curled up in our jammies reading Mutts and Mistletoe | My Jammies | Beau Jammies

Should I Read It Yes
Length 320
Quick Review There’s dogs, love, personal injury, English countryside, mystery, hunky men with accents, and Christmas, what else do you need in a satisfying Christmas tale, or should I say tail?

Natalie Cox rights a puppy filled Christmas romance in Mutts and Mistletoe from P.G. Putnam’s and Sons. She fills the pages with everything a reader could possibly hope for in an easy going novel to curl up with by the fire or with your four-legged friends. As I was reading this, I realized four out of the five Christmas themed books I’ve read this month are set in England. Spoiler alert, but there are several more books coming set across the pond before the big guy lands on December 25th.

Charlie hates dogs. The only thing she likes less than dogs is Christmas. Mutts and Mistletoe begins with top ten list of things she hates about Christmas. To be fair, she does try to find a handful of things she enjoys about the season. She’s overworked, but suddenly finds herself with a bunch of time on her hands when the apartment above falls on her. Literally. Impermanently homeless, she visits her cousin, who owns a dog kennel, in the English countryside for a few days. Her cousins tech-aided, long-distance, lesbian relationship is made possible when Charlie agrees to watch the dogs for a few days. A hot but hard to read veterinarian makes an appearance. A dimpled, rich man drops off a Great Dane. A pregnant beagle. A scary white van. A reindeer dressed as an elf. So many wonderful little things to look forward to.

The bit with the white van is everything my nightmares are made of. I’m not kidding. It’s my greatest fear as a dog mom. There could literally be nothing worse in my life.

One of my favorite aspects of Mutts and Mistletoe is the witty dialogue. It’s definitely giggle worthy: “Better pack your wool knickers, then.” | “Who has wool knickers?” | “Sheep.” Cox has a talent for coming up with dialogue that is interesting and comical. I can imagine having these conversations with my best friends.

The plot is cute. I definitely appreciated all the dog personalities and appearances. I wish the puppies on the cover more closely imitated the pooches on the page, but I’m being nitpicky. The plot, though engaging, is very thinly veiled and highly guess worthy. I think that is a flaw of romantic comedies; the reader expects their happy ending.

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Memorable Quotes
“Sian has long maintained that Beatrice and Eugenie will single-handedly bring down the monarchy, simply through their choice of hats.”
“Admittedly they (dogs) are rubbish at housework, but then, so is every man I’ve ever known.”

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Title: Mutts and Mistletoe
Author: Natalie Cox
Publisher: P.G. Putnam’s Sons (Penguin Random House)
Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 9780525539193

Beau was chewing on a marshmallow, which I used to bribe her into posing so cutely behind the book!

Books, Fiction

Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan

December 10, 2018December 13, 2018 RaeAnna

Reading Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery with Beau in my favorite pajamas.

Read Yes
Length 320
Quick Review Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery is the last book in Jenny Colgan’s trilogy. It’s a giggle worthy story about love and morality.

Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan is an adorable book. I don’t think you can read this without smiling a little bit. It’s the right combination of sweet, funny, and sassy.

Polly is the owner and baker behind the bakery in Mount Polbearne, a teeny island in Cornwall. She has a hunky, American fiancé named Huckle. A puffin named Neil decided to stick around. They all live in a very, very cold lighthouse. It’s Christmastime and everyone is bustling about dealing with family and friend drama.

I don’t want to give too much away because Christmas at Little Street Bakery is adorable. Jenny Colgan has a way of making a sweet story not Hallmark ridiculous. She is funny and smart in her usage of language. There’s a certain amount of conversational tone in her writing, which draws in the reader. It’s very enjoyable reading her writing; it’s not overdone nor underdone. I like that she includes a few recipes at the end of the book.

It’s a great read for Christmas.

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Memorable Quotes
“Then he’d accidentally fallen madly in love with this strawberry-blond whirlwind of baking powder and capability”
“It sounds a thousand years ago, but it wasn’t really.”

Title: Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery
Author: Jenny Colgan
Publisher: William Morrow (HarperCollins Publishers)
Copyright: 2017
ISBN: 9780062662996

Books, Fiction

A Christmas Revelation by Anne Perry

December 6, 2018 RaeAnna

A Christmas Revelation | Sweater (so soft and cozy) | Shoes (so sparkly) | Jeans

Read Yes
Length 160
Quick Review Set in Victorian London, this mild mystery is a sweet story about the meaning of Christmas spirit and never giving up.

Victorian London is an iconic Christmas setting perfect for any holiday mystery. Anne Perry sets A Christmas Revelation in the middle of not-so-respectable London. It’s a short novel perfect for a busy reader this holiday season.

Worm is a nine year old orphan wandering the streets of London, when he sees a beautiful young woman abducted. He lives at a medical clinic with Squeaky, a brothel owner turned bookkeeper, and an assortment of other characters. Worm goes home with the woman on his mind. He confides in Squeaky, who tries to distract him with the Christmas story. Squeaky is an old grump with no holiday spirit, but as he describes the traditions and history to Worm, who’s never had a true Christmas, he begins to melt a little. What ensues is a scramble for decorations and to find the woman because no matter how much Squeaky tries, Worm can’t forget about the woman he saw.

Perry does a very good job of showing the situations of the characters in A Christmas Revelation. In short books, it is easier to tell rather than show the reader. Perry does not succumb even in the earliest pages, “He walked quite quietly, since his boots were very thin…” She writes in the third person narrative, which allows the reader to see the thought process of both Squeaky and Worm. They are on opposite sides of the age spectrum of age, but they bond over a common goal. Perry does a decent job describing the thought process of Worm, but does a better job of getting in Squeaky’s mind. She easily narrates the ways an adult simplifies and side-steps complicated issues for children.

A Christmas Revelation is a sweet Christmas novel under 200 pages. It is small and easy to read. If you’re looking for something light with a super sweet ending, this is a good one. Anyone can easily finish it by Christmas. I read it in two hours.

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Memorable Quotes
“It was a deep sin to ignite dreams in a child that you could not live up to.”

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Title: A Christmas Revelation
Author: Anne Perry
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 9780399179945

Books, Fiction

One Day in December by Josie Silver

December 4, 2018December 4, 2018 RaeAnna

One Day in December is the must read Christmas book of the year. | Dress (it’s perfect for all occasions) | Heels (they go with everything | Belt (It’s a great pop of color) | Watch (so dainty!)

Read Yes
Length 416
Quick Review One Day in December was a surprise. It has the happy ending you want in a winter/Christmas novel, but it was complicated the way life and feelings and friendship are. Josie Silver didn’t simplify it.

Happy December!!! It’s officially Christmas month, which means it is the month of all good and happy things. At least for me. If it’s not so good and happy for you, you should pick up this book. It’s the must read winter book of the year. One Day in December was picked by Book of the Month and by Reese Witherspoon for her book club. All month long, I’m reading winter and Christmas inclined novels because I can.

One Day in December is a great place to start with the Christmas novels. It’s not too cheesy, even though it is truly just a love story. I knew exactly what the ending would be from the very beginning, so it won’t leave you speechless.

I took pictures at Levy Park in Kirby because there are iconic London phone booths! It’s fitting.

Laurie and Sarah are best friends living in London. One December, Laurie is on a bus when a beautiful man catches her eye and she his. They aren’t able to make a connection, but they can’t stop thinking about each other. Laurie and Sarah spend a year looking for bus-dude until Laurie finds him as Sarah’s new boyfriend, Jack.

The story of One Day in December follows Laurie through pivotal moments over the next ten years. The narration is mainly told by Laurie, but Jack tells his side of the story occasionally throughout the novel. The characters are all well developed. None of them come off in a bad light. They’re easy to empathize with because Silver does a good job laying the foundation and explaining the situation and the motivation behind their actions or lack thereof.

The novel is written with British spelling and cultural references. I like that the editors kept this style for American publication. The references were hard to understand sometimes because they aren’t necessarily relevant to the American audience. I love it because it reminds us there are cultures outside of our own.

I really enjoyed that One Day in December is set in London. It’s hard not to enjoy a winter novel when you’re imagining you’re in London. I wouldn’t say it’s a great novel, but it is perfect for this time of year.

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Memorable Quotes
“But I love you,” he says, as if it’s a magic phrase that trumps any other.”

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Title: One Day in December
Author: Josie Silver
Publisher: Broadway Books (Penguin Random House)
Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 9780525574682

Books, Reading Lists

Christmas Reading List

December 3, 2018April 15, 2019 RaeAnna

A Christmas Treasury | Christmas Camp | Last Christmas in Paris |Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery | One Day in December | A Christmas Revelation | Alaskan Holiday | The Nutcracker | An Irish Country Christmas | Sweater (this is so soft and cozy)

Merry Christmas! Or Happy Holidays to all my non-Christmassers.

I have a whole bunch of books I’m going to read this month. I’m being optimistic because eleven books in 22 days is insane. Reading a new book every other day. I’m a Christmas nut, so I’m only reading Christmas related novels this month. Several are new releases this year. Here we go!

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Alaskan Holiday
by Debbie Macomber
I read this already, and it was awful. Feel free to read my review here.

One Day in December
by Josie Silver
A winter story about love in London. This month, it is a Book of the Month book and chosen by Reese Witherspoon for her book club.

The Nutcracker
by Alexander Dumas
The classic Christmas story brought to the stage throughout the world in ballet form.

A Christmas Revelation
by Anne Perry
I’m branching out to read a mystery, but not too much because it’s still a Christmas book!

Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery
by Jenny Colgan
I don’t know anything about this book, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Colgan in the past.

An Irish Country Christmas
by Patrick Taylor
Enter the fictional Irish town of Ballybucklebo for a Christmas season full of adventure with familiar characters.

Mutts and Mistletoe
by Natalie Cox
I don’t know anything about this, but there are puppies on the cover.

Last Christmas in Paris
by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb
I’m looking forward to reading a historical fiction novel about Christmas in Paris.

The Adults
by Caroline Hulse
A novel about Christmas and family drama… It seems appropriate. The two tend to go together.

Christmas Camp
by Karen Schaler
I hear this is being turned into a TV movie.

A Christmas Treasury
This is an anthology of some of the greatest Christmas stories. If you buy one book this Christmas. I HIGHLY suggest this one!!!