Six Sentence Saturday-Last of my holiday reading

Welcome to Six Sentence Saturday.

Where I try to express my thoughts on recent reads using only 6 sentences!!!!.
At the end of each review I will post a
rating scale of 1-5 using the cute and original (lol) Playing Cards.
Rating scale will be as follows:

5 of Hearts- You must read this book NOW!!
4 of Hearts- A great read, put it on your TBR list.
3 of Hearts- Happy that I read it...a good read.
2 of Hearts- Just O.K but nothing to write home about.
Joker Card - Don't bother (why did I?)

The Christmas Letters- Lee Smith
Source: Library
Recommended by: Nan
This book started out great, told in the fashion of Christmas letters that spanned three generations. I really liked Birdie Pickett and the letters that she wrote to family members. It was a great glimpse into days gone by from 1944 and through to the early 1960's. Then Mary, her daughter, took over. I liked her letters too, until the last two years where I thought she got way too personal for a Christmas letter. Forget the third generation as this daughter only wrote one letter. I think the author should've stopped with Mary if she wasn't going to develop Melanie's character...really, why bother? Anyway, if you enjoy reading Christmas letters with the added bonus of recipes then you may enjoy this one.
My Rating:

The Snow Globe by Sheila Roberts
Source: St. Martin's Press
I read a bunch of favorable reviews of this one, so when given the opportunity to review this I jumped at the chance. I'm glad that I took the time to read this holiday story as I really enjoyed Kylie's story and the back story about the Snow Globe. What I didn't care for was including two underdeveloped stories in addition to Kylie's. They both felt rushed with lackluster conclusions. I feel that Sheila would've have been better off to just expand on Kylie's story while including her friends in her journey with the Snow Globe. Overall, I laughed and my heartstrings were tugged with Kylie's story which helped even out my disappointment with the other two.
My Rating:

'2010 in Review'

Final Total for 2010- 179 books, 10 less than last year

Where the Books came from-
ARCS/Author/Publisher: 100
Books From My Shelves: too embarrassed to tell you
Books from the Library: 79 down by 50% from last year

Favorite Books read in 2010 in order that the book was read:

• The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte
• Almost Perfect
• The Secret History of the Pink Carnation
• Sounds Like Crazy
• The Hunger Games
• South of Broad
• The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott
• On Folly Beach
• Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English
• Still Missing
• A Breath of Snow and Ashes
• Heart with Joy
• The Winter Sea

Challenges Completed:
100+ Reading Challenge
All About the Brontes
Graphic Novel Challenge
Historical Reading Challenge
Jane Austen Reading Challenge
Japanese Challenge
The Pub 2010

Challenges that I didn't complete:
2010 States Challenge - only hit 31 states
Support Your Local Library Challenge- 79/100
GLBT Challenge
All Things Alcott- only read 1
Terry Pratchett 2010- didn't read a one
Gilmore Girls- doing this one again in 2011
2010 Reading From My Shelves- this was a disaster for me
Random Reading Challenge- only completed 3
Sookie Stackhouse-read 1

Reading Resolutions for 2010 and how I actually did with them!

• will only accept 1 ARC per month- HA! I accepted wayyyy too many ARCs again this year!
• continue to do book tours- stuck with this one and TLC book tours.
• try to keep my library check out to 10 books and less so that I can get all of them read! Accomplished
• will not buy any "new" books from stores for the first 6 months of the year- accomplished
• will READ my own books!!! FAILED BIG TIME
• will try to get through all of the ARCs just sitting on my shelves right now. Or if I don't read them I will give them all away!!!!!!!! DIDN'T GET THEM ALL READ- TOOK A BUNCH TO THE LIBRARY
• keep my reviews short and sweet!! DID PRETTY GOOD ON THIS
• Continue on with Six Sentence Saturdays YES..KEPT THIS GOING
• read deliberately!! I love that! TRIED HARD TO DO THIS

My resolutions for 2011:

• I will continue to stay true to who I am as a writer. I'm not a professional reviewer, nor do I claim to be one. Heck, I can't guarantee grammar, but I do my best to convey to my fellow readers the reasons why I liked or didn't like a particular book. I will never give away spoilers,  never tell you too much, and most importantly I will never ever try to dissect a book!! That's not why I do my blog. I will continue to read and review for the pure love of reading and sharing with others my thoughts. I like to share why a book moved me to tears or to boredom. I hope that when you spend time reading my blog you've enjoyed what you've read and maybe left with a book suggestion. 
• I've decided to accept review books from Sourcebooks, and the occasional request that intrigues me. I will no longer visit Shelf Awareness as it has become more of a hindrance to my goals of trying to read my own books. I need to get my ARC addiction under control!!
• I will still accept tour books from TLC- I love this company and they always deliver stellar reads to my hands. I did get a bit carried away and have booked myself solid for January and February, but I have claimed March and April for myself and will work really hard to keep it that way!
• Signed up for less challenges but still just having fun with them. NO STRESS FOR 2011 !!

I would like to thank each and every person who visits my blog and leaves me comments. Let's face it, it's nice to have someone interested in what you have to say and those comments really make me feel great!

As I ring in the New Year tonight I will be toasting and wishing all of the best to each and every one of you!!!!

'The Mischief of the Mistletoe' by Lauren Willig

Lauren Willig is the author of this historical fiction/romance book published in November, 2010.  It's about Arabella Dempsey who becomes a teacher at a Young Ladies Seminary. Her aunt marries which leaves Arabella out of the inheritance, so in order to take care of her family she goes into teaching. While there she becomes involved in a mystery filled with intrigue and espionage, that begins with a cryptic message wrapped up in a Christmas pudding. She meets "Turnip" Fitzhugh, a brother to one of her students, who helps her find out what the message means and puts a bit of romance into Arabella's life too. Overall I thought this was a splendid book. I loved the characters immediately and of course, I am a sucker for the time period (early 1800's England). I'm also just getting started with the Pink Carnation series, so this book kicked that desire to read book two into overdrive!  I liked how the author wove Jane Austen into the story. It was entirely plausible and it fit perfectly. The Yuletide adventure was sheer fun and  I didn't like that I had to say goodbye to the characters when this book ended!! I got this book from Dutton Publishing. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction and a well-written book that engages the reader from the very first page!!! If you haven't read any of the books from the Pink Carnation series, not to fear, this can be a stand-alone read without any problems. Especially because the author fills you in on the characters with a little guide in the back. This doesn't have to be read during the holidays either....it's pure fun during Christmas or not!!!!
I rated it 4/5
**Reviews Cruise Format by Lynne's Book Reviews

Source: Dutton-Penguin Group
Author: Lauren Willig

Published: November, 2010

Publisher:  Dutton

Pages:339

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance...pure magic!

ISBN: 9780525951872

 © 2010, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

'The Winter Sea' by Susanna Kearsley

Genre: Historical Fiction that captures the time-period wonderfully and pulls you into the story!
Author: Susanna Kearsley
About (from Sourcebooks)
Carrie McClelland came to Scotland to research her next book. Renting a cottage in the same town where her story takes place, Carrie embarks not only on her novel, but on a romance with her landlord's handsome son, Keith Graham. When the boundary between past and present begins to blur, Carrie finds herself channeling memories not her own. Pulled deeper and deeper into the memories of the past, Carrie realizes these visions are more than the means to another bestselling novel, but also way to right the wrongs of the past and create a future with the man whose love is her destiny.

My thoughts:
This book literally pulled me in from the very first chapter. I was enthralled with the setting and the main character is someone I wanted to be friends with. I envied her ability to be able to travel for her work and to actually visit the places that appeared within her novel. I loved the whole concept of genetic memory....this is something that I believe can actually occur. The way the author wrote the story kept me very much involved in the current day and also in the past. She wove the two story lines together seamlessly and I was sad to see the story end, especially because I realized that I was a little bit "in love" with two of the male characters and I really didn't want them to leave. This book had it all: romance, intrigue, mystery, historical fiction, kick-ass location, and a storyline that made me not want to put the book down. 'The Winter Sea' is on my top reads list for 2010 !

P.S. Before you read this or are thinking of reading this one..visit Susanna's website and look at her pictures from Scotland. These are the places that sparked her writing!!!

Rating: 5/5
* I will be reading Susanna Kearsley's other books for sure in 2011.




Thank you to Danielle @ Sourcebooks for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review.
My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.
They are my personal reflections based solely on MY experience while reading this novel.
Source:  Danielle @ Sourcebooks, Inc Publicity
Author: Susanna Kearsley

Published: December, 2010

Publisher:  Sourcebooks Landmark

Pages: 576

Genre: Historical Fiction

ISBN: 9781402241376

 

  © 2010, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

'Heart with Joy' by Steve Cushman

Genre: YA but appeals to older adults
About the book (from author) :
In Heart With Joy, fifteen year old Julian Hale’s life is turned upside down when his mother suddenly moves from North Carolina to Florida under the pretense of running her parents’ motel and finishing the novel she has been writing for years.  While Julian has always been closer to his mother and wants to go with her, she tells him he has to stay with his father until the end of the school year. Six weeks after his mother leaves, Julian’s father decides to run a marathon.  Once Julian agrees to help him train, the two develop the sort of close relationship they’ve never had before.  Also, with the help of an elderly neighbor, who loves to spend her days bird-watching, Julian learns that the most important thing in life is to follow your heart.  And Julian’s heart leads him to a passion for cooking and a young cashier at the local grocery store even as his own parents drift apart.  By the end of the novel, Julian is forced to choose between staying with his father and going to live with his mother.

Heart With Joy is an uplifting coming of age novel about the importance of following your heart and trusting that it will take you where you need to go.


Why I wanted to read this book: I read a wonderful review of this book on Jan's blog, Eating Y.A. Books,and just knew that I wanted to get my hands on this one. A week later I received an email from the author asking if I would like to review a copy and I had to say yes. I love YA books where the main character is a young man...just not enough of those out there!!!
 
What worked for me:

• I absolutely adored Julian. This is a kid who came out of nowhere and just stole my heart. I wanted to protect him, feed him, shelter him, listen to him, and tuck him under my wing to keep him safe from hurt.
• I liked Julian's dad...at first though I wasn't so sure. he does come across as someone who doesn't have time for others. But as Julian gets to know his dad better, so does the reader. I understood him as a parent and rejoiced when he finally decided to let his son know who he really was as a person, not just as a parent. It's not often that an author highlights and delves into the complexities of a father/son relationship. I found this to be one of my favorite aspects of the story.
• I've known many women like Julian's mom. Those that think they need to get away from it all and find themselves. She didn't mean to break her husband and son's hearts, and even though I honestly felt that she didn't see any other options for herself at the moment, I'm still on the fence with how I feel about her.
• Julian's next door neighbor was an absolute godsend. She was exactly what Julian needed in his life and I love the relationship that developed between the two of them. Julian became a much wiser and more thoughtful young man under Mrs. Peters' gentle guidance.
• As Julian's cooking really blossoms so did my interest in each of the recipes he tried out on his dad. I felt like I could cook also...he inspired me to try something new each day in the new year! His growing love for cooking was beautiful to watch unfold.

Recommend?  YES! YES! YES! The story is all about communication and having real conversations with each other. Too many families are busy with life and nonsensical things. We've forgotten how to just be in the moment and relish the birds singing or to be really in the moment when a loved one is talking to us. Julian was able to make some "real" connections with people in this story and it touched something within me that has made me refocus my attention on my son's when they're talking to me. They deserve to have me there....really aware and fully alive. This is easily one of my favorite books of the year!

My Rating: 5/5


Thank you to Steve Cushman for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist. They are my personal reflections based solely on MY experience while reading this novel.




© 2010, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Mailbox Monday and It's Monday...What are you Reading?

Mailbox Monday

is hosted by Jenny Q. @ Let Them Read Books (December Host)
We share what books that we found 
in our mailboxes last week.

By Fire, By Water- review request from author, Mitchell James Kaplan
Beautiful Disaster- review request from author, Laura Spinella

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Hosted by Sheila
One Persons Journey Through a World of Books
Weekly meme where we discuss the books you've read
and those you plan to read in the coming week.

Tentative reviews for this week:

Heart with Joy (YA)- Tuesday

The Winter Sea- Wednesday

The Mischief of the Mistletoe-Thursday

Six Sentence Saturday:

The Christmas Letters

The Snow Globe

Books on the nightstand

Merry Christmas Friends!

Merry Christmas

to my friends near and far..may the day be filled

with wonderment and pure joy!!