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A Christmas Feast and Other Stories by Katie Fforde

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  To purchase from Amazon click here   As I've said before Katie Fforde is one of my go-to authors when I want a comforting read.  I was pleased to find this collection of short stories from 2014 a few months back, and have faithfully kept my promise not to dip into it until the Christmas season arrived.  However, I ripped into it a few days ago, and as the author promises in the forward, these short stories are perfect for those times you want to read but can't settle down for very long. A bite here, a bite there of stories involving women during the holidays in a variety of settings: Scotland on New Year's Eve, moving into a new cottage the day before Christmas Eve; going away on a post-Christmas vacation with a partner that seems to have lost his spark.  Each story is short: anywhere from ten pages up to 25 or so. Just enough to whet your appetite. It was fun to read stories where romance bloomed in a short time, in a variety of circumstances....

The Orphan of Cemetery Hill by Hester Fox

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  Blogger upgraded and I discovered I can add more fonts. After years of using one particular font, I decided to branch out and use this font, called "raleway". Exciting stuff!  Hester Fox has written three novels, and I've read them all. I still love her first novel the most, but this one was pretty interesting, a mix of spiritualism, grave robbers, and a secret society determined to reanimate corpses ala Frankenstein.  Did you know there were people who were hired to sit with someone as they died, and then sit with them a few days more to make absolutely sure they were really dead? All because people were terrified of being buried alive. Can you imagine having that job?! So. The orphan in this novel is Tabby, a young woman who, with her older sister Alice, ran away from their horrible aunt and uncle ten years before. The sisters were separated, and Tabby was forced to fend for herself as a young twelve year old in 1844 Boston. Penniless, wi...

Ink & Sigil by Kevin Hearne

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It's been many years since I've read Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid Chronicles series, so I was delighted to see he has returned to that world with this new series. I absolutely love contemporary fantasy that mixes in old magical elements, along with a sense of humor that makes me laugh as I read.  Set in Glasgow, with a few stints in Edinburgh and other places, this novel stars the charming Al MacBharrais, a sixty-something sigil agent who is caught up in a mystery involving the Fae.  A sigil agent works between the human world and the Fae world, making contracts that help keep both worlds apart, yet allow for some contact between the two when necessary. Sigils are handwritten symbols of magic, made with specially created inks. It requires years of apprenticeship and there are only 5 sigil agents around the world. Al owns a publishing house, and uses it as a front for his magical work. I loved the cast of characters and can't wait to read about future adventures. A ...

The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan

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Summer is Jenny Colgan time for me. Well, summer, fall, winter, spring, actually. I'm always ready to read one of her novels. Serious, but not too serious, gorgeous settings, and down to earth women who just want to live life, fall in love, and find what makes them feel complete. This novel features a few characters from The Bookshop on the Corner , but it's not necessary to read that first. If you have read it, you'll enjoy seeing what Lennox and Nina are up to. And what they've been up to brings Zoe, a single mother, to the shores of Loch Ness. Zoe is on her last dime living in London with her four year old son Hari. Hari's got a bit of a speech problem: he is mute-by choice, as Zoe has learned from doctors. For some reason, he chooses not to speak. Hari's father is a wanderer, and not any financial help to Zoe. On the verge of losing her flat, a friend recommends her for not one, but two jobs in Scotland: as part-time help for Nina's book van, and as the ...

I Finally Read Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

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My top ten reads list for 2019 is filling up fast and I've still got 5 months to go. This book is definitely on the list. It's a novel I've had my eye on since it first came out in hardcover; but as you know, other books crowd in and it's soon pushed waaaay back on the list. So far back that even buying the paperback earlier this year still didn't push it to the top of my TBR list.  However, on Instagram I follow Penguin Random House, and they've been showing a new book bag that features Eleanor Oliphant. I really would like that bag! But their Instagram did what it was supposed to do, and it had me looking through my bookcases at home to find my copy. There were a few moments of "I'm pretty sure I bought a copy...I'm pretty sure...I think..." and yes, I was right. I did have a copy tucked away. I spent Sunday afternoon diving into Eleanor's world, and I was immediately captivated.  Eleanor is the voice inside your head that says everything...

Flowers and Foul Play: A Magic Garden Mystery by Amanda Flower

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The theme for January's book club is Mystery.  We can read any mystery we want, and when you think about it, there's an overwhelming amount of mysteries to choose from, and it can be hard to decide. Do you go classic, with Agatha Christie, or Sherlock Holmes? Do you go with historical, or contemporary? Cozy, noir, or police procedural? What if you just want to read a stand alone mystery? Do they even exist anymore, in a genre that is mostly built on series?  Phew. A lot to think about. I started reading the second in Louise Penny's series, after reading Still Life last year and falling in deep like with everything about her writing and storyline. Then I was perusing through my stacks of books, and found a few cozy mysteries that I had received from a publisher last year and hadn't read yet. So I read Bad Neighbors by Maia Chance and it got me on the cozy mystery bandwagon. I've read them before, but mysteries have never been a huge part of my reading life. ...

Christmas Under a Cranberry Sky by Holly Martin

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Still on my holiday reading groove! I have to admit I've begun reading a few non-holiday novels just to balance out the sweet. I found this author at my local Barnes & Noble and I must confess I  immediately  bought every book of hers they had on the shelf, and ordered a few more. I know most of her novels are available as ebooks, but since my e-reader is out of commission, that's not an option.  Holly Martin is a British author, in the genre of Jenny Colgan chick-lit type novels. I was astounded at everything she's written! Needless to say, she doesn't just cover the Christmas season, but you've got a chance to enjoy her novels all year round. Check out her extensive title list on Goodreads. Some are available in paperback in the U.S., but many more are available as ebooks.  Christmas Under a Cranberry Sky is a full on holiday experience. Set on Juniper Island, a island north of Scotland, the folks of that tiny island have partnered with the owner of the Stardu...

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

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This was a quick read I found at the library as I was checking in books. At first I thought it was a YA novel, but I discovered shortly after that is was actually a middle school novel. I never would have guessed, because it was well written, had great pacing, and well developed characters. I can't wait to read the next in the Cassidy Blake series! Cassidy is pretty young; I think she's about 12 in this novel. She has a gift: she can see the dead. Not only that, but she can cross over into the "Veil" and see all of the restless spirits, and how they are each in their own little time bubble, trapped between life and death. Her sidekick, Jacob, is a young boy who saved her from drowning--and yes, he's a ghost. After her accident, she's got this crazy gift. And to add to the story, her parents are famous authors of ghostly tales. She doesn't dare tell her parents what she's capable of now, a year after her near fatal accident.  Expecting to go on the fami...

Plaid and Plagiarism: The Highland Bookshop Mystery Series, Book 1 by Molly MacRae

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I had high hopes for this mystery series, but unfortunately I was disappointed.  Set in the Scottish town of Inversgail, four women have purchased the local bookstore Yon Bonnie Books, with additional plans to open a tea shop next door, and have rooms upstairs for overnight guests.  Janet and her daughter, Tallie, have moved from Illinois. Janet's tie to Inversgail is a vacation home she and her now ex-husband bought and used for years before their divorce. It will now be Janet's permanent home. Janet's friend Christine, and Tallie's friend Summer have also moved to Inversgail to help run the tea shop and bookstore.  It's a fresh start for all the women--but murder and mayhem quickly make an appearance.  The local advice columnist and reporter is found murdered in the shed behind Janet's home. An unpleasant woman, Una is the local font of all gossip, and sticks her nose in everyone's business, while remaining secretive about hers. There are a number of susp...

The Cafe by the Sea by Jenny Colgan

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I've come to the conclusion that anytime is a great time to read a new Jenny Colgan novel.  I've very quickly become a reader who dives right into her latest release, often stopping my progress on other books so I can greedily gulp down another lovely tale.   Colgan's latest revolves around Flora MacKenzie, a young woman working as a paralegal in London, hopelessly crushing on her boss Joel.  Flora's definitely a small cog in a big law firm, and Joel certainly doesn't notice her.  Most people don't notice Flora, or if they do, wonder why she's so darn pale.  Tall, with milky white skin, blonde hair so blonde it looks white, and eyes that change from blue to green, to gray, Flora fades into the hustle and bustle of London.  She's from the island of Mure, way up north, off the coast of Scotland.  Rumor has it her mother, dead from cancer, was a Selkie, and Flora herself is one, too.  Flora fled to London with the encouragement of her mother, wh...