Holiday Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Introverted Reader

The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig: Book Review

Arabella Dempsey has just seen all her hopes dashed. She's been a companion to her aunt since she was a child and fully expected to inherit from her. She realizes that isn't going to happen when her aunt marries a much younger man--the very man that Arabella has been fantasizing about. Does it get any crueler? But Arabella is nothing if not determined and she determines to make her own way in the world and goes to work as a teacher in an all-girls school. Her first day there she literally bumps into everyone's favorite bumbling idiot, Reginald Fitzhugh. You might know him as Turnip. Turnip because he has the brains of one. But Turnip has a big heart and a younger sister and a secret message in a Christmas pudding, and it all adds up to one very fun book. I confess that I haven't paid a whole lot of attention to Turnip in the other books, but I did love the big doof in this book. He's handsome, and not the brightest crayon, but he has a gigantic heart. He's wrapped around his younger sister's finger, he's rich but doesn't even think about class as a general rule. Everything he's thinking moves across his face, and he's not afraid to defend a lady's honor. Heck, he's willing to play an even bigger idiot and thus put his life on the line for his country! A gentleman indeed! The action in this book takes place in between The Seduction of the Crimson Rose and The Temptation of the Night Jasmine. Well, it actually overlaps with Night Jasmine. It was interesting to see some of those events from a different perspective. Oh, and another thing. Jane Austen as a character. Need I say more? I always read Lauren Willig's books…

The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans: Book Review

The Christmas Box is about a young couple and their young daughter who move in with an elderly widow to help her out with light chores in exchange for rooms. Mary, the widow, becomes an adopted grandmother to them all and feels compelled to pass on wisdom she has gained with her years. This was a nice, easy read (I literally read it in about an hour). The lightness of the story, though, masks the underlying lesson about the first gift of Christmas and the preciousness of time. I would recommend this to anyone, but especially busy parents who are maybe starting to lose sight of what really matters to their children. Reviewed December 6, 2007

Christmas Tales by Charles Dickens: Book Review

I read this for A Christmas Carol but decided to read the rest and see what else Dickens had to say about Christmas. There were a few other little gems, although none were as good as A Christmas Carol, but there were some that I didn't like at all. A Christmas Carol was a 4 star book for me. It was entertaining, Dickens made his point pretty quickly, and it was actually kind of funny. That surprised me. I loved this part: "Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail. Mind! I don't mean to say that I know, of my own knowledge, what there is particularly dead about a door-nail. I might have been inclined, myself, to regard a coffin-nail as the deadest piece of inronmongery in the trade. But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile; and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the Country's done for. You will therefore permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as dead as a door-nail." I'm glad I read this, but at the same time, I can't help but feel that if you've seen one of the many, many movies, you know what the book is about. There is very little in the book that doesn't make it into the movies. Read it if you're curious, but don't feel you're missing out on anything if you don't. "The Chimes"--2 stars--This was similar to A Christmas Carol, but this time a poor man is shown how much worse the world could be. There aren't any little flashes of humor, the book got very preachy, it was too melodramatic, and I was left wondering why Trotty, the main character, is going through all this when he's surrounded by rich jerks who really need to be taught a lesson.…

Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews: Book Review

Weezie Foley is back and better than ever. She’s trying her best to win Savannah’s historic district decorating contest, but the couple across the street are throwing tons of money into their efforts. To add to her troubles, her boyfriend Daniel always becomes decidedly Grinch-like at Christmas, and she just can’t get him into the Christmas spirit. But nothing ever defeats Weezie for long, and there are plenty of laughs as we watch her determinedly spread Christmas cheer. I adore Mary Kay Andrews, and her Savannah books are my favorites. I wish I could be friends with Weezie and her best friend, BeBe. I would say that I have a crush on Daniel, but I have my own sexy husband who is also a fantastic cook. I’ll let Weezie keep Daniel. This was a short, easy, fun read that reminds us what is truly important about Christmas. I picked up a few other pointers along the way too. First of all, “Unless you scrub [your hands:] under hot water for at least three minutes with an antibacterial soap, you’re just inviting trouble.” And here the hospital I work for is teaching us to wash our hands for 15 seconds. Next, “Never, ever ask a former clergyman to say the blessing over a holiday dinner. Not if you like your dinner warm, anyway.” I kind of knew that one, but it never hurts to repeat the lesson. And finally, and most importantly, DO. NOT. EVER. interrupt a group of UGA football fans who are watching a replay of the 1980 Georgia-Florida championship game. Ever. Trust me. The results will not be pretty. But they will be hilarious. I was howling with laughter as I read about this extended family Christmas dinner! I recommend this for a fun little Christmas read. It…

The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore: Book Review

I can't even really say what this is about without giving anything away. Let's just say that the stupidest angel's mission to create a Christmas miracle goes horribly, hilariously awry in ways that only Christopher Moore could write about. This wasn't quite as funny as I expected it to be, but I think since reading A Dirty Job as my first Moore novel, my expectations for the rest have been unrealistically high. I still laughed all through the book though, and drove my husband crazy reading him funny quotes from the book that probably in all honesty made no sense out of context. The hubby's a good sport though, and laughed along with me. Here's a sampling that will hopefully make sense without giving anything away. "Dressed in their red suits and fake beards, [the Salvation Army Santas] rang their bells like they were going for dog-spit gold at the Pavlov Olympics." "[A black lab] was crowding Gabe in the doorway, his beefy tail beating against the open door like a Snausage war drum." "'Merry Christmas, you doomed sons a' bitches!' said Santa." I wouldn't be surprised if Moore has spent his entire life waiting to write the book that goes with that last quote. It's just too funny! If you're feeling a little overly-sugar-and-spiced, pick this book up for a nice change of pace. Just don't buy it for your grandmother. Christopher Moore warns you against that himself. Have you read any of Moore's work? What did you think?