London – …on the B.L.

Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

December 20, 2019 RaeAnna

Worth A Read Maybe
Length 448
Quick Review Becky is back to her shopaholic ways, and it’s Christmas time when everyone is a bit of a shopaholic.

20191217_193206 — How my face would be if I had to shop being followed by paparazzi. | Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella | Sparkle Booties | Purple Satin Skirt | Sweater | Scarf | Earrings | Glasses |

I haven’t read any of the other Shopaholic books by Kinsella, so this was my introduction into Rebecca Brandon née Bloomwood. Honestly, I can’t tell if Kinsella has created a series to critique the consumerism of today’s capitalist society or if she’s creating a hardcore shopping fantasy incarnate in Becky for women to live through. Both? I have my preference. Anyways… Christmas Shopaholic is the newest installment in the series.

Rebecca Brandon née Bloomwood is married to Luke. They have a young daughter Minnie and live outside of London near her parents. Becky works in her best friend’s shop. Luke does financial stuff. I won’t get into the plot because it’s very well done. Kinsella manages to throw a ton of subplots together in a way that truly mimics the complexities of life. Although, I’m not sure the characters are as believable.

Being up front and honest here. Rebecca, Becks, Becky – whatever she goes by – would irritate the ever living crap out of me. After reading Christmas Shopaholic, I don’t think I can read any more of these books. The title says it all; Becky is a true shopaholic. I don’t mean she likes to shop, I mean it’s a condition. She should see a therapist. I found her to be completely delusional about everything. She truly isn’t a bad person. She has good intentions. She’s just an idiot in many ways. She makes me cringe in just about every social situation. I also don’t know why she always has to introduce herself to everyone as Rebecca Brandon née Bloomwood. Is it a way to show she’s a feminist? Does she really like her maiden name? Is she trying to sound continental? I DON’T KNOW.

Another baffling thing is the marriage between Becky and Luke. I don’t know how her husband puts up with any of it. It seems like a really odd pairing anyways. A man who is very good with money and business married to a woman who finds an excuse to buy literally anything. When there isn’t something to buy, she comes up with a reason to buy something. The two together seem like a recipe for divorce and not at all an opposites attract situation. I kept wondering what Minnie, their daughter, would grow up to be like.

That being said… There were tons of really great moments. Kinsella makes poignant observations about sexism, classicism, family, holidays, consumerism, and more. I don’t think I can read any more of the Shopaholic series because Becky is not my cup of tea. I do think there are some really great parts about Christmas Shopaholic that override my disdain for the character. It’s a good book to curl up with and enjoy cookies this Christmas.

Memorable Quotes
Online ordering isn’t really shopping, it’s “procuring.” You procure stuff online. You don’t get the buzz of actually stepping into a shop and seeing all the gorgeous stuff, feeling it, stroking it, being seduced by it.”
“Whatever the Grinch can steal, that’s not Christmas.”

bisous und обьятий,
RaeAnna

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Title: Christmas Shopaholic
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Publisher: The Dial Press
Copyright: 2019
ISBN: 9780593132821

Books, Fiction

Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva

November 21, 2019November 20, 2019 RaeAnna

Worth A Read Yes
Length 271
Quick Review Charles Dickens is having a midlife crisis at Christmas time, and his publishers are demanding a Christmas novel when everything in his life is falling apart.

201910046980211226805544503 — Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva | Dress | Watch

Silva bases her novel, Mr. Dickens and His Carol, off a real winter of Dickens’ life but reimagines and reorders facts and people to make an interesting novel. I’ve read a fair few Christmas novels, and this is far from the worst.

Charles Dickens should be feeling joy welcoming another child into the world before Christmas, but instead he’s feeling everything but. His latest book was a disaster, his family’s debts are piling up, his wife takes the children and leaves him, and his publishers are demanding a Christmas book. A usually jolly and kind man, Dickens becomes a morose grump searching for a muse when he stumbles on inspiration.

Ebenezer Scrooge’s journey is paralleled with Charles Dickens’ character development throughout the plot of Mr. Dickens and His Carol. It’s a sweet story full of Christmas spirit and a little mystery. Silva gets three points for using “defenestration” in a sentence – not a word that normally comes up.

The style can be a little much for the story. Silva has a tendency to become overly descriptive in an attempt to mimic the real Dickens but with less success. When Silva is not decorating the page with her verbosity, she tells a pretty good story about Dickens’ internal struggle to be a good father, husband, citizen, and writer while not giving in to the whims of publishing or depression. The character development is solid and interesting if not predictable.

Mr. Dickens and His Carol is a great easy read for the whole family this Christmas season. It will warm the heart and make you wish you could be in London listening to the real Dickens tell his carol.

Memorable Quotes
“His father was north of sixty, but by temperament still a good deal south of death.”
“He knew that every person was a fiery furnace of passions and attachments, unknown to every other.”

bisous und обьятий,
RaeAnna

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Title: Mr. Dickens and His Carol
Author: Samantha Silva
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Copyright: 2017
ISBN: 9781250154040

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, Fiction

The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar

October 1, 2018March 29, 2019 RaeAnna

Read Yes
Length 496
Quick Review A tail of ruin and riches, love and heartbreak, joy and sorrow. History and fantasy entwine in Imogen Hermes Gowar’s debut novel The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock to completely captivate the reader.

*The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock* || Fountain in Charleston

I was hesitant about this novel. I don’t read much historical fiction anymore because I have a tendency of getting caught up in the historical inaccuracies because I love history. So when The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar arrived on my doorstep, well, I hoped the writing was as pretty as the cover. I was exceptionally surprised.

Set in London of 1785, Mr. Hancock is a middle-aged merchant widowered many years prior. Anjelica Neal is a courtesan with a tenuous position but a lot of confidence. They are both getting by without experiencing joy. Their lives have completely different trajectories and motivations. Due to circumstance, they are brought together.

*The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock* by Imogen Hermes Gowar

Courtesans are often the subject and driving force behind historical fiction. It’s rarely done well or with any respect to the conditions sex workers were forced to live and work under. This is different. It’s gritty and real. It doesn’t use courtesans as a thinly veiled excuse to create sex and passion for women readers thirsting for a little jolt into their lives. Instead The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock uses courtesans and a brothel to critique modern day racism, sexism, and sex work. A staunchly feminist piece of piece of literature, it drags the reader into a plot of betrayal, obsession, and mysticism.

I’m not a huge fan of fantasy. I like my literature real and a little bit stressful. Imogen Hermes Gowar creates a completely believable fantasy for me because the mermaid isn’t a star in this. Though it motivates the plot, it sits in the backseat letting the more realistic plot play out.

The writing and narrative style is beautifully constructed. The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock focuses on the perspectives of Mr. Hancock and Anjelica Neal shifting from chapter to chapter. Every once in a while, a secondary character’s perspective will be explored to add layers and complexities to the world created.

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Memorable Quotes
“Men are not fearful; they build one another to greatness. Women believe their only power is in tearing one another down.”
“Treat them as if they are the centre of the world, and they do not hesitate to believe it. A charmed life these men lead…”

Title: The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock
Author: Imogen Hermes Gowar
Publisher: Harper
Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 9780062859952