GoodReads – Page 7 – …on the B.L.

Cruise Reading List

February 17, 2019February 17, 2019 RaeAnna

My suitcase is packed. My books are packed in my favorite weekender. I have my sunhat ready to go. Wearing my comfiest shoes and yoga pants for a roadtrip!

I’m off on another adventure. Technically, it’s my first adventure of the year. The year rolled over while I was on my last adventure. I’m spending a few days with family in New Orleans before heading on my first cruise. A bunch of my mom’s side of the family are taking a cruise to Mexico to celebrate my grandma’s 80th birthday!

I am working the next couple of days, but I am not working while on the cruise. Well, I’m not working three of the four and a half days on the cruise. Those three days will be the first days I’ve not worked in…. years. I’ll be doing work for the blog like taking pictures and writing. I like to think of that as fun(work). It’s work, but I love it.

I will actually get to sit down and read. Actually dedicate time to reading. I’m super behind on my reading list, so hopefully, I can catch up over the next few days. Fingers crossed. Besides reading, I get to actually put on clothes and look like a human being!!!

Shop the Post
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3479329″]

Work Optional: Retire Early the Non-Penny-Pinching Way
Tanja Hester
I’m currently reading this. It’s full of lots of great ideas. I kind of feel like I’m living a work optional life because I have the freedom of taking my work with me everywhere I go.
We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy
Ta-Nehisi Coates
I’m really excited to read this one.
Mother Winter
Sophia Shalmiyev
I’m looking forward to this memoir about emigration and motherhood.
The Bold World; A Memoir of Family and Transformation
Jodie Patterson
I love the cover, and I’m looking forward to reading about a mother’s journey with a trans child.
French Quarter Fiction; The Newest Stories of America’s Oldest Bohemia
Editor: Joshua Clark
I love New Orleans, and this is an obvious choice since I’m in the city.
American Spy
Lauren Wilkinson
I love the cover a whole bunch. The story sounds pretty great too.
Dreyer’s English; An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style
Benjamin Dreyer
My inner language nerd is going to have so much time reading this. This is my version of porn.

Books, Fiction

An Irish Country Christmas by Patrick Taylor

December 23, 2018December 23, 2018 RaeAnna

Christmas Tree Hunting! | An Irish Country Christmas | Shirt | Watch

Worth A Read Yes
Length 657
Quick Review An Irish Country Christmas has all the trimmings for a long winter read to escape from the hustle and bustle of the holidays!

An Irish Country Christmas by Patrick Taylor combines Christmas spirit, historic setting, and the Irish countryside to provide a lovely escape from the hustle and bustle of present day yuletide. It’s a long way from my current situation. Another in the “series,” you don’t need to read the others to enjoy this one. Taylor gives enough back story along the way you’ll know who everyone is in the grand scheme of things.

Dr. Barry Laverty is spending his first Christmas in the fictional town of Ballybucklebo with his attending Dr. O’Reilly, the indomitable Mrs. Kinkaid, a flirty dog, and a slew of other familiar characters to the returning reader. Barry is ready for the weather and the holiday until he finds out his sweetheart, Patricia, won’t be coming home from university. A competing doctor is building a practice in one of the neighboring villages with some practices not necessarily supported by science or logic. As always, things are going wrong for the citizens of Ballybucklebo, and they call on their trusted doctors, Laverty and O’Reilly, to save their health and care for their souls.

I wouldn’t call An Irish Country Christmas a quick read because it is a lengthy book, but it is an easy read. The prose is lovely. Taylor is a doctor himself. The medical terms and treatments are accurate to the time and locale, but you don’t drown in ridiculous terminology. It’s a lovely picture of rural life in Ireland several decades ago. The characters are pleasant. With the exception of one, no one is unlikeable. It’s a great read for this time of year. A little action. A lot of heart. An ending you want to read by a cozy fire.

Buy on Amazon | Buy on Book Depository

Memorable Quotes
“The big Labrador still seemed obsessed with a desire to mate with Barry’s trouser leg at the slightest provocation.”

Shop the Post
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3418266″]

Title: An Irish Country Christmas
Author: Patrick Taylor
Publisher: Forge
Copyright: 2009
ISBN: 9780765366856

Books, Fiction

The Nutcracker of Nuremberg by Alexandre Dumas

December 16, 2018 RaeAnna

The Nutcracker of Nuremberg | Fossil Watch (a favorite)

Worth A Read Yes
Length 142
Quick Review The Nutcracker of Nuremberg is not the ballet you’re probably familiar with, but it is just as entrancing.

Alexandre Dumas wrote The Nutcracker of Nuremberg; well, he retold it. E.T.A. Hoffman wrote the original Nutcracker, which is very dark and not necessarily the story you want to tell your children at bedtime. Alexandre Dumas reworked the story into something lighter and happier. It evolved and inspired a ballet that has inspired the imaginations of children and adults alike for generations.

Alexandre Dumas is famous for The Count of Monte Cristo and more. He is an exceptional writer. Even writing for younger audiences, he doesn’t abandon his style or pizazz.

The Nutcracker of Nuremberg has many of the elements we’re familiar with from the ballet, but there are many more storylines not included. It is darker than I expected, but that is in accordance with the times. Children’s stories were not completely happy way back when. If you don’t believe me, just read Grimm’s fairy tales.

The story begins when a father falls asleep. He wakes up to discover his children and their friends have tied him down. They refuse to let him up until he convinces them to with the promise of a story. He begins with a nod to E.T.A. Hoffman before diving into his own telling. The story consists of three parts I. The Story of the Nutcracker of Nuremberg II. The Story of the Nut Krakatuk and the Princess Pirlipate III. The story of Marie and the King of Toys. It’s a fun story to read at this time of year because of its impact on the season.

Some of the more interesting things about The Nutcracker of Nuremberg are the names. They all have meanings, which escape most of us who don’t speak German. Drosselmeier is a much stranger character in the story than the ballet. I love the language he uses. It’s beautifully written. There are so many literary and historical allusions. It makes it a little bit of an adventure trying to find and figure out all of them.

At only 142 pages, it’s a small time commitment to read a story that helped inspire an internationally iconic ballet.

Buy on Amazon | Buy on Book Depository

Shop the Post
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3410392″]

Title: The Nutcracker of Nuremberg
Author: Alexandre Dumas
Publisher: Sterling Publishing Co.
Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 9781435154520

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.

Buy on Amazon | Buy on Book Depository

Shop the Post
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3402730″]

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.

Buy on Amazon || Buy on Book Depository

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

Shop the Post
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3398083″]

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.

Buy on Amazon | Buy on Book Depository

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

Shop the Post
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3394595″]

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