Book Chick City is hosting a wonderful challenge for all book lovers! As an avid reader and book review blogger, I am joining in the fun!
All you have to do to join us is: read 100+ books between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2012. Post about this challenge on your blog and then link up with Book Chick City using the direct URL of your blog post or, if you review on Goodreads, Amazon or another site, use the direct URL of that post.
Come back often to see what I am reading as I link up with Book Chick City for the 100 Books in a Year Challenge! I look forward to visiting all the participants as well! Happy New Year to all!
The Christmas Note
Author: Donna Van Liere
Published: October 2011
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Hardcover
Pages: 208
ISBN: 9780312658960 Genre: Christian fiction
(from Amazon.ca) Donna VanLiere’s Christmas books have enthralled millions of readers. Now she delivers a new inspirational novel about an unlikely friendship between two women—a friendship that will change each of their lives forever.
Gretchen Daniels has recently moved into a condo with her two children to be closer to her mother, Miriam. As they build a life together in their new community, they notice a mysterious young woman, Melissa McCreary, who lives next door. She has few possessions, little personality, and keeps to herself. One day a local landlord who is looking for Melissa knocks on Gretchen’s door for assistance. Melissa’s mother has died and in the coming weeks the landlord needs Melissa to empty her mother’s apartment. Gretchen reaches out and offers to help Melissa, but the apartment is a gut-wrenching shamble of a home. There is little worth saving except for a few photos and a note that is discovered on the crate beside the bed. It is unfinished, but in the two scribbled lines, Melissa discovers secrets about her family that she never could have imagined. Can two very different women embark on a journey that explores a long-buried need for forgiveness, hope, and redemption?
About the Author
Donna VanLiere is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author. Her much-loved Christmas Hope series includes The Christmas Shoes and The Christmas Blessing, both of which were adapted into movies for CBS Television; The Christmas Secret; The Christmas Journey; and The Christmas Hope, which was adapted into a film by Lifetime. She is also the author ofThe Angels of Morgan Hill and Finding Grace. VanLiere is the recipient of a Retailer's Choice Award for Fiction, a Dove Award, a Silver Angel Award, an Audie Award for best inspirational fiction, and a nominee for a Gold Medallion Book of the Year. She is a gifted speaker who speaks regularly at conferences. She lives in Franklin, Tennessee, with her husband and their children.
My review:
The Christmas Note is a touching Christian novel about friendship and family, loss and hope. The story flows quickly and can be read in one sitting if one is so inclined. First impressions are rarely lasting once one gets to know the other and it is true here when Gretchen and her two children first meet their next door neighbour Melissa. Gretchen finds herself in the unenviable position of having to inform Melissa, whom she just met, that her mother has died and the landlord wants the apartment cleaned out. Certainly a difficult task but Gretchen delivers the message as well as an offer to assist Melissa with the task. Uncertain why she accepts, Melissa later agrees to the offer and the two begin to forge an uncommon bond as they work together to clean the remnants of a messy life. What they find in doing so is a note that will change both their lives.
Enjoyable and light, this story embodies the spirit of love and charity. I enjoyed it but found the ending a little too coincidental, the conclusion too neatly tied up in a bow of friendship and family and finding of unknown siblings. Overall, The Christmas Note is a good "feel good" read for the season.
To be released in two parts, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again, began filming March of 2011 in New Zealand. The first part, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be released in theatres December 14, 2012 and the second part, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, expected release date is December 13, 2013. The above is the official teaser poster for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Imagine this epic long awaited film in IMAX 3D! Fans, this is going to be worth waiting for!!!
I have read over 100 new books this year and a few stand out amongst the rest as memorable. As I recall, from the top of my head, I think of The Help by Kathryn Stockett (thought provoking and humorous), The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (dreamy fantasy world of the circus), Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (creative suspense), Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson (true genius), Little Princes by Conor Grennan (touched my soul), Huber Hill and the Dead Man's Treasure by BK Bostick (can't wait for the next in the series), The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (true friendship under occupation), Still Alice by Lisa Genova (loyalty, support, knowledge and humor), Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer (remarkable, 1st in a series), A Walk Across the Sun by Corban Addison (eye-opening and suspenseful), Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes (a languid visit to romantic Tuscany), Hot Water by Erin Brockovich and CJ Lyons (suspense!), Don't Let Your Mechanic Pick Your Pocket by George A. Moyer (an honest informative book for all car owners), Reflections of a Successful Wallflower by Andrea Michaels (funny and entertaining), Hunting for Hemingway by Diane Gilbert Madsen (who knew Hemingway was so intriguing?), Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda (a warm read recommended for every mother/daughter), Engage Commit Grow by Larry Smith (should be required reading for every business student, manager, and owner), Sudden Moves by Kelli Sue Landon (a best-seller in the making!), The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (fantasy meets mythology). But if I have to categorize them, by genres, it narrows the field somewhat.
I am looking forward to a new year of remarkable new reads, debuting authors, book previews, advance reader's copies. To curl up with a good book, a throw over your lap, and a favourite drink in hand and perhaps a little chocolate is pure delight. Imagine a fire crackling in the hearth and, perhaps, some Michael Buble playing softly in the background. Is there anything better when you are enjoying some time to yourself?
My copy of Coming Up For Air has not yet arrived, so in lieu of a review I am writing a "mention". The plot attracted me right away. I love stories about old houses, and one cloaked in mystery is right up there for me.
The following description is taken from the author's site:
On the coast of Alabama, there is a house cloaked in mystery, a place that reveals the truth and changes lives... Ellie Calvin is caught in a dying marriage, and she knows this. With her beloved daughter away at college and a growing gap between her and her husband – between her reality and the woman she wants to be – she doesn’t quite seem to fit into her own life. But everything changes after her controlling mother, Lillian, passes away. Ellie’s world turns upside down when she sees her ex-boyfriend, Hutch, at her mother’s funeral and learns that he is in charge of a documentary that involved Lillian before her death. He wants answers to questions that Ellie’s not sure she can face, until, in the painful midst of going through her mother’s things, she discovers a hidden diary – and a window into stories buried long ago. As Ellie and Hutch start speaking for the first time in years, Ellie’s closed heart slowly begins to open. Fighting their feelings, they set out together to dig into Lillian’s history. Using both the diary and a trip to the Summer House, a mysterious and seductive bayside home, they gamble that they can work together and not fall in love again. But in piecing together a decades-old unrequited-love story, they just might uncover the secrets in their own hearts… Coming up for Air is the story of one woman’s search for truth – and what happens when love steps in along the way.
There's something here for lovers of a few different styles of writing: mystery, suspense, romance, women's fiction. It truly appeals to me and I hope my copy arrives soon! Check it out!
The War Horse Journey follows the extraordinary adventure of a horse named Joey as he moves through the war, inspiring and connecting the lives of all he meets. Follow his path to explore War Horse content, travel the landscape of the film through time, and interact with exclusive materials including content from the British Imperial War Museum.
George Whitman, proprietor of Shakespeare and Company, the famous Parisian bookstore, has passed away December 14, 2011, two days after he celebrated his 98th birthday. George founded the bookstore Le Mistral in 1951 on rue de la Bûcherie which he later renamed Shakespeare and Company in honour of Sylvia Beach, the original owner of Shakespeare and Company which was founded November 17, 1919. Shakespeare and Company is currently located at 8 rue Dupuytren (as of 1964, when the current Le Mistral was renamed).
Sylvia Beach opened the doors of Shakespeare and Company to budding writers as well as to the bibliophiles of the area. During the war, Germany invaded the area, Sylvia was arrested, and her store closed December 1941. Hemingway rescued it from the German forces in 1944 but it remained closed. In Sylvia's honour, George Whitman named his bookstore, carrying on her traditions and adding his own including workshops, lodging for struggling and/or travelling writers.
Last month's issue of "France" magazine featured Shakespeare and Company, namely Sylvia Beach, who founded the original bookstore in Paris. I read this article just a few days ago and then came across a newspaper article announcing the passing of its current proprietor, George Whitman. He sounds like a fabulous supporter of the arts, following and enlarging the footsteps made by Sylvia. May he rest in peace. FYI, his daughter is now running Shakespeare and Company.
"An unforgettable journey into the underworld of modern-day slavery, A Walk Across the Sun begins on December 26, 2004, as seventeen-year-old Ahalya Ghai and her younger sister, Sita, are walking on the beach outside their home in Chennai, India. Suddenly, the unimaginable happens: a devastating tsunami hits the shore, tearing their family apart instantly and leaving them orphaned and alone. As they attempt to travel toward safety inland, they are kidnapped and delivered to a Mumbai brothel, to begin new lives as
captive prostitutes.
In Washington, DC, a young lawyer, Thomas Clarke, is forced to take a sabbatical from his prestigious law firm. He chooses to serve his time with a non-profit group working in the red-light areas of Mumbai, where his wife, Priya, has returned to live with her family following the tragic loss of their child. Little does he know that his reluctant penance will soon turn into an international quest for the woman he has lost and a child he has never met.
Though separated by half a world, the destinies of Thomas and the Ghai sisters become intertwined as Sita is trafficked to Paris and then New York. Before long, Thomas is navigating the brutal system of international human trafficking in an effort to reunite the sisters and save Sita’s life. Unflinchingly gritty yet ultimately hopeful, A Walk Across the Sun is an eye-opening tale of family and survival." (from Harper Collins)
''We’re taught in history class that slavery ended with the Civil War,” says author Corban Addison, “when in reality there are more slaves alive in the world today than ever before.” In fact, today there are 27 million slaves in the world. 2 million children are exploited in the global sex trade. Trafficking in persons touches every nation on the globe and reaps $32 billion in profits worldwide each year."
Shocked? Horrified? I was stunned by the statistics!
A Walk Across the Sun is the story of two sisters, Ahalya and Sita, enjoying their teenage years growing up in a loving family in a coastal town in India. The day of the earthquake and ensuing tsunami is the day their lives change forever. Lost to the forces of nature, their parents are dead and the girls orphaned. As they find a ride to take them to a city where an aunt will meet them, they are abducted and sold into a brothel.
The days ahead will see them sold again and separated. Sita finds herself in a restaurant in Paris, working as a slave and her sister Ahalya is confined to the prison of a brothel.
In another land, across the ocean, lawyer Thomas Clarke finds himself a scapegoat in his firm and takes a sabbatical in India, working pro bono with a team, CASE, whose cause it is to break up the human trafficking rings. When Thomas becomes involved in an operation that frees Ahalia, the cause takes on a human component, one that touches him deeply, and he vows to do all in his power to reunite the sisters. His promise takes him to three countries, emphasizing the magnitude of the nature of human trafficking, both into slavitude and prostitution.
A Walk Across the Sun is a compelling thriller that will open your eyes to the horrors of modern day slavitude. It is a story of hope, of love and loyalty. You will find it beseeching you to not turn a blind eye, but to feel a desire to make a difference yourself, and you can. In the acknowledgements, author Corban Addison offers links to organizations that make it their lives' work to fight the underground system of human slavery and trafficking.
I have to admit that the endorsement by John Grisham, one of my all-time favourite legal thriller writers, enticed me to read this book. As Mr. Grisham states he has been approached by others to endorse their novels, never before has he done so. This is the first time Mr. Grisham has endorsed a novel, and that, in and of itself, made it impossible to resist. The story and writing of Corban Addison made it impossible to put down!
If there is one new author in the field of legal thrillers you read in the coming year, make it Corban Addison. Great things are expected of this writer!
About the Author
Corban Addison holds degrees in law and engineering from the University of Virginia and California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. After completing a federal clerkship, Addison began his career specializing in corporate law and litigation. He has an abiding interest in international human rights, and is a supporter of numerous causes, including the abolition of modern slavery.
In researching A Walk Across the Sun, Addison traveled to India and spent a month with a team of investigators, attorneys and social workers from the International Justice Mission. During his visit, he went undercover into the brothels of Mumbai and met trafficking victims face to face. In addition, he spent time with activists in Paris and with a senior official from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Addison lives with his wife and two children in Virginia. This is his first novel. (from the press release)
Rated 4.5/5 (mature themes but no graphic details)
