The 13th Gift A True Story of a Christmas Miracle

The 13th Gift: A True Story of a Christmas Miracle by Joanne Huist Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I first picked up this book, a friend was currently reading it. I didn't realize until we talked that it was based on the author's true loss of her husband several months before Christmas. The Smith family was falling apart and becoming disconnected from grief, when an anonymous donor dropped the first gift of Christmas, a poinsettia, on their front stoop. At first the author is irritated with the gift, thinking it as an intrusion, but then the next day a second gift arrives and the mystery of the gift giver is questioned - Joanne and her children begin to look forward to each day and what it brings.

A book of anguish and grief that takes a 180 turn for hope...

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What We Keep

What We Keep by Elizabeth Berg
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm trying to catch up on Elizabeth Berg's writings and this one, as usual, didn't let me down. Berg's exquisite sense of sister/daughter/mother relationships shine through in What We Keep.

Looking back, a woman flying to a reunion of sorts, thinks back to the summer when everything went wrong... At 12 years of age, Ginny Young and her 13 year old sister Sharla felt safe in the cusp of their parent's love. Life was boring and predictable but that's what made them feel safe and secure. When a new neighbor moves in, right next door, the girls are excited to find that Jasmine is a very attractive woman, who dresses in the latest styles. The summer starts out well but begins to fall apart as Jasmine's influence takes over...

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I'll Be Seeing You

I'll Be Seeing You by Suzanne Hayes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rita Vincenzo and Glory Whitehall have become pen pals..their men are off fighting in World War II. As different as night is to day, Rita and Glory, manage to connect, share, learn, and support each other as only women can do, especially faced with the uncertainties of war..

This wonderful story is told from the correspondence between the two women as the United States enters the war. If you love books set in this particular era, this is a must read. I am looking forward to the two author's new writings...

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A Matter of Heart (Lone Star Brides, #3)

A Matter of Heart by Tracie Peterson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jessica Atherton, born into a life of privilege and wealth, has not had to work hard like her mother and father did when they first set up ranching. Spoiled Jess somehow comes round to understanding how self-centered she really was for she has lost all her friends. Trying to break free of her old ways, Jess finds that it's not that easy.



Predictable...

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Call the Midwife, Shadows of the Workhouse

Call the Midwife: Shadows of the Workhouse by Jennifer Worth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jennifer Worth continues her memories of being a midwife and serving throughout the docklands of postwar London. She paints a vivid picture of caring for her patients, some in very unfortunate situations and living in slums. She also gives up much information on the conditions in workhouses and the families broken by living in them.

Such good reads..I so hate to near the end of them...

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An Island Christmas

An Island Christmas by Nancy Thayer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jilly can't wait for her daughter, Felicia, to be back for her Nantucket wedding. Nevermind that Jilly doesn't care for Felicia's betrothed, Archie, or the house must be merrily and perfectly decorated for the reception or the cat that she and her husband just adopted will climb the tree. Lots of humor pours forth as Jilly has to lay down her ideas of the dream wedding that she had in mind.

Wonderful reminders to lay down our own "perceptions of a perfect Christmas"...

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All's Fair in Love

All's Fair in Love and Cupcakes by Betsy St. Amant
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Kat Varland is more than just chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry! Think more along the lines of gourmet raspberry lemonade torte! But, at Sweetie Pies Bakery, owned by her Aunt Maggie' gourmet is considered weird...and Kat is feeling stifled...by her Aunt and her parents. When her best friend Lucas, signs them for a reality TV cupcake bake-off contest, Kat is ready to reach for her dream!

Humorous and inspirational, without being preachy, All's Fair in Love is a delightful confection...

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All is Bright

Thomas Kinkade's Cape Light: All is Bright by Katherine Spencer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

At number 15, the Cape Light series is still going strong. In this book, Reverend Ben is doing some reminiscing of days gone by...when he first started preaching at his new church and his daughter Rachel was just a baby. Rachel, now 36 and widowed at 34, is still putting one foot in front of the other, trying to protect her two children from the effects of losing their father. Will she be able to remove the walls she built around them when possible love and hope are peeking in?

These sweet novels remind us of home, faith in humanity and God, and that there is always hope....

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