Review of Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball

Synopsis in a Sentence: Cora isn't sure she's in the holiday spirit this year as she's tired of family drama, but she finds festivity (and love) when she's invited to a Christmas ball.

My Thoughts:

This was such a fun, fast, and sweet read for Christmas. I love reading holiday themed books around Christmas and this was a good one. I actually noticed this book last year, but was too busy reading a lot of other books, and didn't pick it up. But I'm glad I remembered it for this year (thank you GoodReads to-read lists)!

Anyways, the plot is pretty simple. Cora is a vulnerable business woman who starts to fall for her boss, who is pretty stoic and doesn't have a lot of personal interaction with his employees. They bump into one another at a quaint bookstore, and begin a friendship. It turns out that Simon (her boss) is actually a really nice guy who helps take care of his mother, aunt, and sister after his dad dies. They both receive mysterious invitations to attend a Christmas ball, hosted by the owners of the bookshop where they first began talking.The rest of the story leads up to the ball, which is the conclusion of the story.

Pretty cliche of course, as we know they are being set up in a "fairy godmother" type way, and that they will eventually fall in love. However, it's still a pretty charming and cozy little story. It's a Christian Cinderella Christmas story!

The author, Donita K. Paul, has also written a Christian fantasy series about dragons, of which I've read the first book. I didn't realize she had branched out into regular fiction until I saw this. It's cool when authors write Christmas books...it's similar to when your favorite music artist records a Christmas album!

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and will have an amazing New Year :)!

Review of Tell Me Something True

Synopsis in a Sentence: Gabriella, daughter of a famous movie producer, travels to her mother's homeland, Colombia, as she struggles to make sense of who her mother really was.

My Thoughts:

I really did not care for this book. I'm giving it only 1 star, but that might be slightly harsh...it's probably more like 1 and a 1/2 or maybe even 2 stars.

I did enjoy reading about a country in South America, as I don't often read about this part of the world, and it was interesting to see how different their lives are there from ours. I also identified with Gabriella's feelings of devastation over the loss of her mother, as I also almost lost my mother at a young age. I thought her need to learn all she could about her mother was very realistic...don't we all want to know as much as we can about the ones we love while we have the chance?

Unfortunately, Gabriella finds out that her mother was not content with their well to do life in Hollywood, and had been going back to Columbia on pretense of visiting her family, only to actually be having an affair with a man there. Gabriella finds her mother's diary, and so we get to hear Helena's side of the story in her own words, which added a deeper layer to the novel.

Gabriella travels to Columbia, finding herself not ready for college yet, and stays with her mother's family, whom she doesn't treat very well, in my opinion. She also becomes involved in an unhealthy relationship with the son of a drug lord.

I'm just not sure if I saw any change or growth on Gabriella's part as a character, which is what I kept waiting for as I read. The end is left sort of a mystery as we aren't sure whether or not Helena was actually abandoning her family on her last trip to Colombia, where she died in a plane crash.

Overall, there were some interesting and thoughtful aspects to this novel, but not enough to really impress me or to read more from this author. I could see a teenager perhaps enjoying this book more, as it deals with a young lady trying to understand herself, her parents, and her place in the world.

Review of A Discovery of Witches

Synopsis in a Sentence: Diana Bishop, a witch, whose ancestry traces back to the Salem Witch Trials, is a visiting professor at Oxford who meets a vampire and begins to stir things up among the magical races.

My Thoughts:

I read this book over Halloween actually (once again, I'm behind on my reviews!) and thought that it was a perfect book for the holiday! Spooky in some parts, but not scary...I don't really enjoy being scared!

Anyways, I'm giving this book 5 keys because even though it is a huge book, I raced through it very quickly...I couldn't wait to see what happened next in every scene. I've heard that some people are calling this Twilight for adults, and I could actually see that being true. The vampire in this book (which is the first book in a planned trilogy), Matthew Clairmont (don't you just love his name?!) is definitely as dark, and maybe even sexier than much lauded Edward Cullen! If you don't believe that can be true, read this book and you will find out that I'm telling the truth haha. In fact, (gasp) in some ways, I believe this author, Deborah Harkness describes and fleshes out her characters better than Stephanie Meyer. In other words, Matthew is sexy, tall, dark, handsome, protective, intelligent, charming, rich, and a little bit tortured...everything a good vampire should be lol!

I really loved this book and I felt as if the book began and ended well, but there are some slow parts in the middle. There isn't a lot of action that takes place, and the action which does happen feels a little bit forced. But, the premise of the story is so engrossing that you almost don't even notice the lack of excitement!

Diana Bishop, who is a witch but has decided to forsake her magical heritage after the death of her parents, is a visiting professor of alchemical history at Oxford in England. She happens to stumble upon an important manuscript while doing research...a manuscript that may hold secrets to the origin and survival of the three magical races: witches, vampires and daemons.

There are elements of history, time travel, science and yes, romance in this book and they all work together to really make the story come alive. The romance between Diana and Matthew was some of the best I've read in a long time. I'm looking forward to the next installment in the series which promises more action it seems...Check it out, you won't regret it! :)

Review of the Anne series

Hi dear followers! Unfortunately, I have long been absent from the wonderful book blogosphere. I still love my blog and all of your blogs, but October proved to be an exceptionally busy month! I have been diligently working on my first book, among all of the other concerns and happenings of life :).

On to my review...Like so many other girls (young and old), I have always loved and been enamored by Anne of Green Gables! It's hilarious because I've actually used "Anne" as an icebreaker before! You mention the books or the CBC tv miniseries and you become instantly bonded in kinship with other women lol. There's just something about Anne, her spunk, her overactive imagination and her ability to always turn lemons into lemonade...not to mention her endearing love story with Gilbert Blythe! I know that characters such as Rhett Butler and James Bond have made women swoon over the years, but for me, Gilbert is the one I fell in love with! :)

Anyways, I recently re-read the entire Anne series, which is 6-8 books depending on whom you ask. The 7th and 8th books technically just focus on her children and their doings, rather than about Anne's life...therefore, I decided to only read the 6 books about Anne. Below, is a brief synopsis and analysis of these charming and enduring novels. I hope after reading this review, you too will be inspired to revisit this old friend. Enjoy!

All books written by Lucy Maud Montgomery.

Anne of Green Gables:

In this book, quirky, daydreaming Anne Shirley comes from an orphanage to live with Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert on Prince Edward Island, Canada. Her antics are laugh out loud cute and funny, and while she drives Marilla fairly crazy, she ends up winning the hearts of everyone she meets.

I love all of Anne's girlhood dreams in this book. LM Montgomery so accurately portrays the adventures and daydreams that most little girls have and it's so cozy and charming to revisit those golden days of youth! Anne's friendship with Diana Berry remains one of the sweetest and most compelling stories of female friendship that I've ever encountered in literature. It makes us all want to have that "bosom friend."

Anne of Avonlea:

In this book, Anne grows up a little bit, but still has plenty of her endearing misadventures! Gilbert is falling in love with Anne, but while Anne learns to accept his friendship, does not yet care to have romance in her life. During the course of this 2nd novel, several new "kindred spirits" are introduced and Anne teaches for several years at the Avonlea school.

This book was a little bit slower paced than Green Gables, with several random side stories, but overall, an excellent and heartwarming 2nd addition to the series.

Anne of the Island:

This happens to be my favorite book of the series! In this novel, spirited Anne attends Redmond College in Kingsport and begins to discover her love of writing. Several new characters are introduced including Anne's new friends Stella and Phillipa. Anne gains a suitor in this novel, much to the chagrin of Gilbert Blythe who is also attending college at Redmond! At the very end of the book, Anne realizes that it is, and always has been, Gilbert who she loves...*sigh*! :)

Anne of Windy Poplars:

This book is mainly comprised of letters written by Anne to Gilbert as they are engaged, but sadly, parted while Anne moves away to teach at an all girls school, and Gilbert begins attending medical school. The letters are sweet, touching and funny as she chronicles her newest misadventures in a new place. You can't help but feel (along with Anne) a little homesick for Green Gables and Avonlea, but it is fun to read about her experiences with teaching and growing into a graceful and happy woman.

Anne's House of Dreams:

In this book, Anne once again wins the hearts of all she encounters, including a sad young woman with a mystery behind her sadness. Here, Anne and Gilbert are reunited after several years of being engaged, are married and beginning their new life together in a small, cozy house at Four Winds Harbour.

I loved reading about Anne's newlywed bliss with Gilbert...you've rooted for them to end up together for so long that it's a huge "Yay" moment when they finally get to settle down!

Anne of Ingleside:

This was perhaps my least favorite Anne book, but I didn't dislike it by any means...it just focuses a lot on Anne's kids and has her giving up her writing. Anne (Mrs. Doctor Dear) and Dr. Blythe move into a huge, impressive mansion closer to town, which Anne names Ingleside. In this book, Anne is getting ready to have her 6th child and the rest of her children are all a fun mixture of Anne and Gilbert! By this novel, Anne has obviously changed a lot and is now a mother, but she remains a dear friend to all who read about her.

Review of Something More

I wasn't a huge fan of this book. Sarah Ban Breathnach tries to sell to women that we have something "missing" and we need to fill up that hole inside of us. I definitely agree that women can give so much of themselves that we need to "rediscover ourselves," but Breathnach just seems to talk a lot about herself and her divorce in this book and presents her ideas in a rather rambling and jumbled way.

I'm only giving this one 2 keys, but Breathnach's other book (which I read several years ago), Romancing the Ordinary was actually one of the best self-help/inspirational books I've ever read! Breathnach's ideas of how to connect with our five senses in simple ways was very comforting and inspiring to read. She includes recipes in this book from making herbal tea to homemade facials and fun things to add to your bath. With this book, Breathnach really does make you want to fall in love with the simple pleasures of life!

I'm definitely going to check out her other books at some point, but I just wouldn't necessarily recommend Something More.