Shocked! Shocked, I say!

On my online Shelfari bookclub, Bibliophiles, we were asked to list our faves and least fave books for 2014. When I did a quick search on my ratings for 2014, I was SHOCKED!!

I only listed THREE books with 5 looks in the entire year! Here they are:

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
Haiku Mama by Kari Anne Roy
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

I can't even believe it. What gives?

Am I choosing unwisely?

Am I becoming more discerning?

I had a LOT of 2 look ratings, but no 1 stars.

A lot of 2 look. Really, too many to list. You can search on the "2 looks" tag to see them.

I am going to have to think about this!

Christmas Gift: Reading Shawl

My husband gave me a Reading Shawl for Christmas! It is much like the one pictured here, but without the fringe. It is a plush fabric, and has the pockets, as pictured. I haven't worn it yet, but it is in the dryer as I type this (I don't want to get scabies - duh). Will post a pic later of this blogger wearing it!

Author Spotlight: Sarah Addison Allen

One of my "go-to" authors when I need a well-written book that I know will be satisfying is Sarah Addison Allen. She writes magical realism with a heaping spoon of romance and Southern living. However, she is not just a great author, she is also a great person. Read this, from her Facebook page:

A real life GARDEN SPELLS romance for Christmas:

Carl got in touch with my publicist at St. Martin's Press:

"Ms. Allen's book Garden Spells has a cute connection in our relationship because it was actually what my girlfriend let me borrow to read during our first "date." It was her copy of her favorite book, and I enjoyed it as well, so I think there's some special meaning to the work. I thought I could give her a new, maybe even a first edition of the book, as an early Christmas gift. However, I was wondering if Ms. Allen could personalize the copy, but also write something about me having a question for her, or 'Aliyyah, Will you marry Carl?' "

This made me smile, so of course I did it, and wished Carl good luck.

I'm happy to report that Aliyyah said, “Yes.”

How adorable are they??
 

Holiday Books

Tis the season to read some holiday books! Novels taking place around Christmas are a nice read any time, but especially this time of year. Here are some of my favorites:

The Christmas Pearl by Dorothea Benton Frank
Theodora is the matriarch of a family that has grown into a bunch of truculent knuckleheads. While she's finally gotten them all together in South Carolina to celebrate, this Christmas looks nothing like the extravagant, homey holidays of her childhood. What happened to the days when Christmas meant tables groaning with home-cooked goodies, over-the-top decorations, and long chats in front of the fire with Pearl, her grandmother's beloved housekeeper and closest confidante? Luckily for Theodora, a special someone who heard her plea for help arrives, with pockets full of enough Gullah magic and common sense to make Theodora's Christmas the love-filled miracle it's meant to be.

This is being developed into a movie starring Whoopi Goldberg, due out in October 2015. Excellent casting!!

The Christmas List by Richard Paul Evans
The New York Times bestselling author of The Christmas Box returns with a holiday novel of hope, love, and redemption.

I liked this one every much. It had a feel of reality that the Benton Frank novel missed, and encouraged the reader, I think, to step out during this season of giving to make wrongs right.

On a side note, I also read "The Christmas Box" by Evans, and cannot recommend it.

Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews
It's the week before Christmas, and antiques dealer Weezie Foley is in a frenzy to do up her shop for the Savannah historical district window decorating contest-which she intends to win. She throws herself into putting up a Graceland/Blue Christmas motif, with lots of tinsel, an aluminum tree, and all kinds of tacky retro stuff. The project takes up so much time that Weezie is ready to shoot herself with her glue gun by the time she's done, but the results are stunning. She's sure she's one-upped the owners of the trendy shop around the corner. But suddenly, things go missing from Weezie's display, and there seems to be a mysterious midnight visitor to her shop.
Merry Christmas, everyone!!

Deck the Halls with BOOKS!

Making trees out of books is the ultimate irony, no? I love Christmas trees made from books, and there is no shortage of designs, sizes, and schemes. Here are some of my faves: