Title: What Light by Jay Asher
Pages: 251
Genres: YA, Romance, Contemporary, Christmas
Published by: Razorbill (Oct. 11, 2016)
Summary
Sierra’s family runs a Christmas tree farm in Oregon—it’s a bucolic setting for a girl to grow up in, except that every year, they pack up and move to California to set up their Christmas tree lot for the season. So Sierra lives two lives: her life in Oregon and her life at Christmas. And leaving one always means missing the other.
Until this particular Christmas, when Sierra meets Caleb, and one life eclipses the other.
By reputation, Caleb is not your perfect guy: years ago, he made an enormous mistake and has been paying for it ever since. But Sierra sees beyond Caleb’s past and becomes determined to help him find forgiveness and, maybe, redemption. As disapproval, misconceptions, and suspicions swirl around them, Caleb and Sierra discover the one thing that transcends all else: true love.
What Light is a love story that’s moving and life-affirming and completely unforgettable.
What I Thought
I just knew I was going to love this book! For one thing, it’s Christmas, and if you know me, you know I absolutely love Christmas (I had my tree up the first week in November, and I just took it down yesterday). So, What Light sounded absolutely perfect to begin with. Also, I love Jay Asher’s books. I’ve read both 13 Reasons Why and The Future of Us and thoroughly enjoyed both of them. So, when I found out he was writing another book I was super excited. What Light did not disappoint either!
Title: The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury
Pages: 258
Genres: Christian, Fiction, Romance, Christmas
Published by: Howard Books (Jan. 1, 2012)
Synopsis
Number one New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury delivers an instant classic with this heartwarming Christmas story about a hundred-year flood, lost love, and the beauty of enduring friendships. Molly Allen lives alone in Portland, but she left her heart back in Tennessee with a man she walked away from five years ago. They had a rare sort of love she hasn’t found since.
Ryan Kelly lives in Nashville after a broken engagement and several years on the road touring with a country music duo. He can still hear Molly’s voice encouraging him to follow his dreams; Molly, whose memory stays with him. At least he can visit The Bridge—the oldest bookstore in historic downtown Franklin—and remember the hours he and Molly once spent there.
For thirty years, Charlie and Donna Barton have run The Bridge, providing the people of middle Tennessee with coffee, conversation, and shelves of good books—even through dismal book sales and the rise of digital books. Then in May, the hundred-year flood swept through Franklin and destroyed nearly every book in the store.
Now the bank is pulling the lease on The Bridge. Despondent and without answers, Charlie considers the unthinkable. Then tragedy strikes, and suddenly, everything changes. In the face of desperate brokenness and lost opportunities, could the miracle of a second chance actually unfold?
The Bridge is a love story set against the struggle of the American bookstore, a love story you will never forget
What I Thought
This was a very enjoyable, Christmas-y book! After seeing the movies advertised on the Hallmark Channel, I was intrigued, and wanted to read the book before watching the movies. I am very glad I did, too!
Hello, and Happy New Year! Now that 2016 has come and gone, it is finally time for me to share with you all my favorite books from the past year! I read so many great books in 2016, so it was really hard for me to narrow it down to just 10. These are organized based on the date I read them, not how much I loved them.
10. The 5th Wave
This book was just so good! I ended up loving The 5th Wave way more than I expected. I found this book to be just so gripping and action-packed. I read it way back in January, and almost a year later, I am still thinking about this one!
9. Library of Souls
Library of Souls is the 3rd and final book in the Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children trilogy. This is one of my absolute favorite series and this book was very highly anticipated for me. When I finally was able to read it, I ended up really enjoying it. I felt like it was just one of the best endings to a series I had read in long time!
8. Safe Haven
This was my first Nicholas Sparks book, and while I’ve heard mixed things about his books, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It was fun and romantic, but also tense and action-packed. I flew through this book, because once I started reading it, I could not stop!
7. Room
This. Book! Room was so incredible. Written in such a unique, profound way, it will be a long time before I forget about this beautiful novel. So emotional, and raw, I really loved this book.
The movie is phenomenal as well!
6. Passenger
Passenger is such a captivating novel! It’s so adventurous, and so fun. I cannot wait to read the sequel, Wayfarer, which comes out today, actually!
5. Fahrenheit 451
I absolutely love Ray Bradbury’s writing style! Not only is Fahrenheit 451 so beautifully written, but it is such an incredible story. Even though it was written over 50 years ago, it is still very relevant in today’s day and age. It is one of those books that really just allows you to appreciate books and the written word.
4. Me Before You
I’m going to be honest, I did not expect Me Before You to make my top ten list. I have had issues with this book since before I even read it. I almost didn’t read it, because I disagree with what happens in this novel (sorry I’m so vague, but I don’t want to spoil anything, and if you’ve read the book you’ll know what I’m talking about). That being said, this book sucked me in. I read it so fast and found it so beautiful. I absolutely loved Lou, and while I’ve heard mixed things about the sequel, I definitely plan to read it this year.
I didn’t want to fall in love with this book. I tried really hard not to have that happen, but it didn’t work! I read this book back in July, and I still find myself thinking about the characters and their lives!
3. Someone Like You
Oh, how I love Sarah Dessen novels! They are so much more than just YA romance, and Someone Like You is no exception. It is quite easily in my top 5 Sarah Dessen novels of all time.
2. The Program
The Program is another book I did not expect I would see on this list before I read it! I had this book on my shelf for a couple years before finally deciding to read it. It is one of the best dystopian novels that I have read in a long time. It was super intriguing and completely drew me. I really need to get the sequel soon!
1. Hotel Ruby
So fun and mysterious, I just had to include Hotel Ruby! I completely enjoyed this book from beginning to end. I never had any idea on what was going to happen next. It was spooky, clever, and so enjoyable!
Ahhh! That was SUCH a hard to list to make! I had a really great reading year. 🙂 Some honorable mentions also include:
Runaway | The Importance of Being Earnest| The Unexpected Everything | Beastly
Let me know what YOUR favorite books of 2016 were!
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Can you guys believe there are only a few days left in 2016?! I sure can’t…wasn’t summer like, last week? This past year has been such an experience, especially when it came to blogging. I made this blog back in February, and I’ve certainly learned a lot! So far, my blogging experience has been very positive, but now that I’ve been at it for a while, I think it’s time to set some new goals in place! Likewise, I had a pretty great reading year, but it’s definitely time to set some new goals in place for next year’s reading as well! So, let’s get started!
2017 Blogging Goals
- Be consistent. That is probably my biggest goal for 2017, and it will really tie in with every other goal of mine. When I first created my blog, I was super consistent with posting. Every Saturday I posted a review, I did every Top Ten Tuesday, etc. The past couple of months though, I have gotten a little…relaxed, and while that is totally fine, and honestly, I think it was just what I needed to get motivated for next year, I think it is time for me to get consistent and organized again!
- Post 2 reviews a week. I’ll admit, this is going to be an ambitious goal for me, but I’m going to try my best. Ideally, I want to get a book review posted every Wednesday and Saturday.
- More Movie Mondays. I really love the idea of Movie Monday, and I’ve been pretty happy with the ones I have so far. I just need to be more consistent with it! Movie Monday. Twice a month/every other week. It’s happening!
- Friday Discussions. I’m still in the planning stages for this goal, but I really want some type of discussion post on my blog where I can talk about books and bookish hot topics and my thoughts and your thoughts.
- More creativity. I want to write more posts that are solely mine. I love things like Top Ten Tuesday and Waiting on Wednesday, etc. but I really want to have more independent posts, too. Maybe I’ll have a bookshelf tour, or maybe I’ll post about what got me into reading? More posts like that!
- Interact more. This is another thing I used to do that I just haven’t lately! I really want to read and comment on other bloggers’ posts. I want to find new blogs and form more friendships. I want to join more readathons and just participate with other bloggers more!
2017 Reading Goals
- Read 55 books. That was my goal for 2016, and right now I’m in the middle of book #51. So, I might make it this year…or might change my Goodreads goal to 50… 😉
- Read at least 1 classic per month. I started that out strong in 2016, but I haven’t picked up a classic since August! Last year I participated in The Pretty Books’ Classic Challenge, and while she is not continuing to host the challenge next year, I still plan on continuing the challenge by myself in my own way. Her challenge really pushed me to read more classics than I would have (even if I stopped in August…oops), and I really want to continue that next year!
- Read the books I’ve been putting off. There are several books on my TBR that I’ve been meaning to read, and yet I still haven’t! Mostly the problem is the size of some of these books, but others I’ve just put off for one reason or another. Some of these books include:
- Reread. There are so many amazing books out there, that I usually feel like I have to keep reading books I’ve never read! That being said, I want to reread some favorites. I want to see if they’re still my favorite, and also remember why I loved them so. Rereading books can be so nice and just as an incredible experience as reading a book the first time around.
That about sums up my reading and blogging goals for next year! I hope you had a great 2016, and even if you didn’t, I hope 2017 will be the best one for you yet!
Happy New Year!
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Title: The Angel of Forest Hill by Cindy Woodsmall
Pages: 208
Genres: Fiction, Christian/Amish, Romance, Christmas
Published by: WaterBrook (Oct. 4, 2016)
Summary
A time of anticipation. A season of miracles.
Because of Joel s impossible situation, twenty-one-year-old Rose must sacrifice everything. As days pass into years in the midst of the beautiful hills, the laughter of children, and God s providence is it too much for Rose to hope for love in return?
An amazing journey toward love and belonging, filled with the wonder of the season of Christ s birth.When Old Order Amish Rose Kurtz is asked to leave her family, travel deep into West Virginia, and help Joel Dienner with his children in the wake of tragedy, the quiet young woman recognizes a home where she might find kindness instead of criticism and hope replacing harsh words. She agrees to stay in Forest Hill and become Joel s wife for the sake of his family needs, but their marriage is to be a partnership, one built from need, not love and affection.
As the years pass, Rose continues to beckon Joel to join life again, to take joy in his growing children, and to awaken his heart to the possibility of new love. Joel hopes that Rose can move beyond deep-rooted hurts to see the beautiful Christmas ahead, their season. But will the arrival of a beautiful widow and a series of misunderstandings reverse how far Rose and Joel have come?
What I Thought
*I received this book in exchange for an honest review through Blogging for Books. A huge thank you to them, as well as Netgalley and WaterBrook & Multnomah.*
Amish culture has always intrigued me. I find their way of life so fascinating, and so when I saw this book, I was instantly interested. Also, it features an absolutely gorgeous cover that really put me into the Christmas spirit!
Ahhh! We are SO close to Christmas! I am so excited, but I cannot believe it’s almost here. Countdown to Christmas is a weekly feature where I recommend a different Christmas-y book each week to read during this holiday season, which was inspired by Kourtni Reads‘ Christmas countdown! Usually, it’s posted on a Sunday, but I was sick earlier this week and didn’t get a chance to post Week 5’s countdown…so here it is…on a Thursday!
This week’s book is The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans.
“Whatever the reason, I find that with each passing Christmas the story of the christmas box is told less and needed more. So I record it now for all future generations to accept or dismiss, as seems them good. As for me, I believe. And it is, after all, my story.” So begins “The Christmas Box”, the touching story of a widow and the young family who moves in with her. Together they discover the first gift of Christmas and learn what Christmas is really all about. “The Christmas Box” is a Christmas story unlike any other.
The Christmas Box is one of those sweet, heartwarming Christmas stories. It may make you cry, but it’s such an enjoyable book. It’s quite short, so it could easily be read in an afternoon. Or, if you’re busy preparing for the holidays, this is a great book to read because even if you can only read a couple pages each day, you’ll still finish the book quickly! I actually just discovered The Christmas Box is book 1 in a trilogy, so I hope to read the rest of the series probably next Christmas, but maybe this year…we’ll see!
Have any of you read this book? Let me know what you thought!
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I’m combining October and November’s wrap up for a couple of different reasons!
- It’s already December 16, and before I know it I’ll be doing December’s wrap-up
- I was in a reading/blogging slump in October, so not much bookishness occurred.
- I was in a major blogging slump in November, so not much blogging happened…
Okay, here we go…
Welcome back to Countdown to Christmas – Week Four! Countdown to Christmas is a weekly feature where I recommend a different Christmas-y book each week to read during this holiday season, which was inspired by Kourtni Reads‘ Christmas countdown!
This week’s pick is Clara Claus by Alexandra Lanc.
Jack Frost is about to lose everything. After attempting to again destroy Christmas, the Holiday that he hates more than anything, he is threatened with losing his job, and his Immortality. But, he is given one last chance at redemption.
That last chance lands Jack in the North Pole the week before Christmas, in order to help Santa Claus prepare for his busiest night of the year. There, Jack is tasked with the job of “Tour Guide”, in order to show Santa’s granddaughter, Clara, the sights of the Pole.
As Christmas draws nearer, and Jack’s time begins to run out, he finds himself becoming fond of Clara, who attempts to show him the real meaning of Christmas, all while shocking him with her unique view of the world.
But, the past proves hard to reconcile, and soon, Jack hatches one last plan to destroy Christmas, a plan involving Clara, which may prove fatal not only for the Pole, but for her, as well — unless Clara can melt his icy heart in time.
The first book in the fan-favorite series, the Snowflake Triplet, Clara Claus is a fantastical adventure that reminds us of the importance of hope, and the real meaning of Christmas.
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
Clara Claus is such a fun, Christmas book! It is definitely underrated. It is so entertaining and has a lot heart. Not only did I love Clara, I also really loved the author’s take on Jack Frost. I also really liked how the legendary characters (Jack Frost, Santa, the Sugar Plum Fairy, etc.) immortality was explained. I am still eagerly waiting for the next book in the series, which I think comes out next Christmas. Also, you can get this book for free wherever ebooks are sold!
Have any of you read this book? Let me know what you thought!
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Title: Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien
Pages: 111
Genres: Children’s, Christmas, Fantasy
Published by: Mariner Books (Nov. 15, 2004; originally published 1976)
Summary
Every December an envelope bearing a stamp from the North Pole would arrive for J.R.R. Tolkien’s children. Inside would be a letter in a strange, spidery handwriting and a beautiful colored drawing or some sketches.
The letters were from Father Christmas.
They told wonderful tales of life at the North Pole: how the reindeer got loose and scattered presents everywhere; how the accident-prone North Polar Bear climbed the North Pole and fell through the roof of Father Christmas’s house; how he broke the Moon into four pieces and made the Man in it fall into the back garden; how there were wars with the troublesome horde of goblins who lived in the caves beneath the house.
Sometimes the Polar Bear would scrawl a note, and sometimes Ilbereth the Elf would write in his elegant flowing script, adding yet more life and humor to the stories.
This updated version contains a wealth of new material, including letters and pictures missing from early editions. No reader, young or old, can fail to be charmed by the inventiveness and “authenticity” of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Letters from Father Christmas.
What I Thought
This was such a sweet book! I discovered it while searching through Amazon’s Prime books (sidenote: did you know Amazon has Prime books like Prime videos?! I just found that out!!), and didn’t really know what to expect from it other than the fact that it looked like a fun, quick, Christmas-y read.
Hello, and welcome back to another Movie Monday – a semimonthly feature on my blog where I compare and discuss books and their movie adaptation!
Today I’m discussing the 1990 movie, Lantern Hill, based off the book Jane of Lantern Hill by LM Montgomery.
*I received this movie in exchange for an honest review. A huge thank you to Sullivan Entertainment!*
Also, please be aware there may be spoilers!
After reading Jane of Lantern Hill (be sure to check out my review for it here), I was very excited to see the movie. While there were some significant differences from the book, the movie did not disappoint!
Some of the minor differences included Jane’s mother’s illness, as well as the fact that Jane visited her father in the fall instead of the summer. One more noticeable difference, was Jody. She was much bolder and far more daring in the movie. The biggest difference between the book and the film, however, was the ghost story.
As someone who loves faithful movie adaptations, when I first saw Lantern Hill was veering off into its own story, I was a bit unsure how I was going to like this movie. That being said, the differences ended up drawing me in. While I absolutely adored the book, I found myself really enjoying the movie, and its differences, as well. I found the mystery of Evelyn to be incredibly intriguing. It was so mysterious, and just the right amount of spooky. I also loved the addition of Hepziba. She was such a unique, strong character, and one I will not be forgetting anytime soon.
While there were many differences, that does not mean there were no similarities. In fact, all the best parts were there. I loved how it was even included that Jane was scared of cows! The spirit of the characters was there as well. The actress who played Jane, in particular, perfectly captured the role. She was exactly how I pictured Jane to be. The actor who played her father, Andrew, was absolutely perfect as well. All the actors in this movie did a phenomenal job. Everyone gave such a strong performance.
The pace of the movie was just right, as well. Events did not happen too quickly, nor did they drag out for too long. Also, the scenery was gorgeous! The cinematography, especially for the outside shots, was just so beautiful.
All in all, while there were a few significant differences from the book, making it not the the most faithful adaptation, Lantern Hill was able to stand on its own. With high quality actors, story line, and setting, Sullivan Entertainment managed create another wonderful, family-friendly movie.
the calico books 