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?

The Frog Prince by Stephen Mitchell: Book Review

4 Stars. It's been several years since I read this, so I can't say much about it except that I liked it. And I saved this quote from the book: "There are two kinds of women: those who marry princes and those who marry frogs. The frogs never become princes, but it is an acknowledged fact that a prince may very well, in the [...]

The Temptation of the Night Jasmine by Lauren Willig: Book Review

3.5 Stars. Charlotte just isn't quite Henrietta, Letty, or even Mary. She spent much of the book just fantasizing about Robert. While interesting enough, I kept waiting for the comedy of misunderstandings and the adventure of French spies pitted against our faithful British crew to get started. About halfway through, things [...]

Mama Makes Up Her Mind by Bailey White: Book Review

4 Stars. You should see my copy of this book. One of my co-workers, who, for various reasons, has only recently seen how much I read, saw all the neon post-it flags sticking out of the side of my book and asked me what on earth I was doing. I blushed and tried to explain how the people in Bailey White's humorous little [...]