by admin | Nov 21, 2011 | Amish, Books, Christmas
MY REVIEW:
Because of its title, many readers may expect ‘A Plain & Fancy Christmas’ to be just another warm and fuzzy Amish Christmas story. In actuality, Christmas plays only a very small role in this tale based on a highly unusual and unlikely “what if” scenario. What if two girl babies named Rachel were born about the same time in the same hospital and were accidentally switched at birth? What if one of them was an Amish baby and the other Englisch? And how would they feel if the only person who knew what happened had a touch of conscience some thirty years later and decided to let them know the truth?
So that is the basic premise behind the story related in ‘A Plain & Fancy Christmas’ which features Rachel Yoder, a young Amish widow with one daughter and Ellie Lawrence, a successful business woman in New York City. As the story progresses, each of the young women and their families experience a wide range of emotions and undergo monumental changes in their lives. As can be expected in most Amish novels, everything works out well at the end and this particular novel culminates happily at Christmas.
‘A Plain & Fancy Christmas’ is skillfully written with an imaginative plot and well-defined characters. Its emphasis is on relationships and the importance of being yourself. Although the events in the book are not likely to ever happen, it still makes for interesting reading. And that is what fiction is all about after all.
For those who enjoy Amish fiction, ‘A Plain & Fancy Christmas’ is a novel to add to your collection. And you don’t have to wait until Christmas to read it. This story would be enjoyable year round.
This book was provided for review by the Amazon Vine™ Program.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Raised in a Pennsylvania Amish community, young mother Rachel Yoder has led a simple life within her close-knit family. Widowed three years ago, she has moved back in with her parents, attempting to raise her daughter, Katie, without further emotional upheaval. Meanwhile, four hours and a whole world away in New York City, Ellie Lawrence is laser-focused on a high-powered public relations career, with too little time for her family, her friends, or even her boyfriend.
Then one fateful day, these two very different women receive shocking news of a mistake made three decades earlier and long kept hidden: Shortly after their births, the two were accidentally switched in the hospital. Shaken to the core by this momentous news, Rachel and Ellie are plunged into an exploration of who they are and where they really belong. While Ellie is eager to learn more about her Amish family and their life in the countryside, Rachel cannot help but feel jealous as she watches the only mother she has ever known bonding so easily with her natural daughter. But Rachel also knows that her own biological family is out there, and with Katie at her side she heads for Manhattan, where she establishes a connection with the raucous, spirited Lawrences.
As Ellie and Rachel make their way through unfamiliar landscapes, they face life-altering challenges and grapple with a crucial question: Will their old conventions and desires give way to new customs and yearnings? With the Christmas holidays fast approaching, it takes the love of two families for Rachel and Ellie to discover their own paths to fulfillment and happiness.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Cynthia Keller’s books speak to our conception of the American dream in more ways than one. Keller says, “My own concern about the environment made the Amish mode of living seem especially important to understand. Global warming, slow living—all the buzz words of today are addressed in Amish life. While I was writing AN AMISH CHRISTMAS, I started hanging my laundry out to dry instead of using the dryer. It got me thinking about food sources, cooking from scratch (I tested Amish recipes on my children) and wanting to learn how to make my own preserves (I’m planning to do that this year). It also made me rethink a slew of related issues, like the ways in which families find satisfaction in their lives and the influence of community.” Richly evoking the tastes, textures and rhythms of a life few of us experience but many of us secretly long for—elements of which we may be able to recreate at home—Cynthia Keller’s A PLAIN AND FANCY CHRISTMAS makes a perfect read heading into the holidays.
Cynthia Keller lives in Connecticut with her husband and two children.
by admin | Nov 19, 2011 | Books, Christmas, Historical, Romance
MY REVIEW:
Rick Denton’s relationship with his step-father was strained so he had not returned home after college but had become a successful businessman in another city. Although he had a ski trip planned for Thanksgiving weekend, he dropped everything to help in the family Christian bookstore after his step-father suffered an aneurysm. Totally out of his element, Rick could not wait to return to his own job. Unfortunately, the seriousness of his step-father’s condition required Rick to extend his time at the bookstore at risk to his own career. Listening to customers talk about his mom and step-dad and spending time with single mom Andrea and her daughter, self-centered Rick slowly began to develop a different perspective about his family and his own role in it. In fact, it was an experience that promised to change his life forever.
‘Remembering Christmas’ is a simple yet powerful story that demonstrates Walsh’s excellent writing skills. Filled with interesting and sometimes quirky characters, true-to-life events, a touch of action and suspense, and a bit of romance, ‘Remembering Christmas’ was a satisfying read. An unexpected twist or two helped to hold my attention. ‘Remembering Christmas’ highlights the importance of family, forgiveness, and redemption without being at all preachy. When I viewed the cover of ‘Remembering Christmas’ I thought of warm and cozy winter nights by the fire after a busy day preparing for Christmas. What I found when I opened the pages and began to read was not at all cozy. In fact I kept waiting to get to the cozy part and that just never happened. I loved the cover (especially since that is MY rocker) but for me it just didn’t depict what I found inside. That being said, I did enjoy ‘Remembering Christmas’ once I realized it was just not going to be a warm and fuzzy story. Although not exactly the kind of Christmas story I was expecting, ‘Remembering Christmas’ was well worth my time.
Available September 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
This book was provided for review by
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Can A Successful Executive See More Than A Single Mom Struggling To Provide Christmas For Her Daughter?
Dan Walsh Returns With Another Christmas Story Full of Nostalgia, Wonder, And Hope
Award-winning author Dan Walsh creates a nostalgic, Christmas story that takes readers back in time in Remembering Christmas (ISBN: 978-0-8007-1979-1, 272 pages, September 2011.) A time not so long ago in 1980 when IBM had not yet launched the personal computer; the Boombox was hot; Reality TV was unheard of; MTV was just launching; Ronald Reagan was president; the Winter Olympics witnessed the USA team defeat the favored Soviet team and win the gold; and Rick Denton was in pursuit of his career goals and climbing the corporate ladder.
During this time, the holiday season only slowed Rick from his frenetic normal pace. For Rick, holiday downtime for everyone else meant extra time to get ahead on goals and returning calls. His goal in life was to work hard, play hard, live life on his terms, and answer to no one.
Then the phone call came from his mother during Thanksgiving weekend informing him about his stepfather’s stroke. His mom needed Rick’s help at the little run-down bookstore they owned. He has never liked Art, his stepfather and resents the man’s presence in his life, despite the fact that his own father abandoned the family when Rick was just twelve. Reluctantly Rick agrees to help and when he arrives at the store, he soon discovers that a few days of managing the store turn into a few weeks.
While there Rick meets the patrons of the Book Nook – some quirky, some homeless, some chatty, some hip and cool – and one a lovely young woman who trains him on the job. He tends to judge them all– until a moment of truth and discovery: the true meaning of Christmas.
With skillful storytelling, Dan Walsh creates a Christmas story that will have readers remembering every good and perfect gift of Christmas.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dan Walsh is the award-winning author of The Unfinished Gift, The Homecoming, and The Deepest Waters. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Dan served as a pastor for 25 years. He lives with his family in the Daytona Beach area, where he’s busy researching and writing his next novel.
by admin | Nov 19, 2011 | Amish, Books, Christmas, Romance
This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingChristmas In SugarcreekAvon Inspire (October 25, 2011)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Since 2000, Shelley Sabga has sold over thirty novels to numerous publishers, including HarperCollins, Harlequin, and Abingdon Press. She has been interviewed by NPR, and her books have been highlighted in numerous publications, including USA Today and The Wall Street Journal.
Under the name Shelley Shepard Gray, Shelley writes Amish romances for HarperCollins’ inspirational line, Avon Inspire. Her recent novel, The Protector, the final book in her “Families of Honor” series, hit the New York Times List, and her previous novel in the same series, The Survivor, appeared on the USA Today bestseller list. Shelley has won the prestigious Holt Medallion for her books, Forgiven and Grace, and her novels have been chosen as Alternate Selections for the Doubleday/Literary Guild Book Club. Her first novel with Avon Inspire, Hidden, was an Inspirational Reader’s Choice finalist.
Before writing romances, Shelley lived in Texas and Colorado, where she taught school and earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education. She now lives in southern Ohio and writes full time. Shelley is married, the mother of two children in college, and is an active member of her church. She serves on committees, volunteers in the church office, and currently leads a Bible study group, and she looks forward to the opportunity to continue to write novels that showcase her Christian ideals.
When she’s not writing, Shelley often attends conferences and reader retreats in order to give workshops and publicize her work. She’s attended RWA’s national conference six times, the ACFW conference and Romantic Times Magazine’s annual conference as well as traveled to New Jersey, Birmingham, and Tennessee to attend local conferences.
Check out Shelley’s Facebook Fan page
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Judith Graber has always been the obedient daughter. When her older brother Josh struggled with his love life, she offered wise counsel. When her younger brother Caleb flirted with the idea of leaving their order, she firmly told him he was wrong. Over the years, she’s watched her younger siblings, helped around the house, and worked in her family’s store during her spare time. Judith feels overworked, overlooked, and underappreciated this holiday season.
But everything changes when her father hires Ben Knox.
Ben Knox is the “bad boy” of Sugarcreek. Though he’s never considered jumping the fence, he’s certainly never tried to be anything close to dutiful. Two years ago he left Sugarcreek under a cloud of shame. Rumors circulated that his rumspringa had been filled with more than the usual harmless explorations.
Now he’s back and working side by side with Judith.
As the chaos of the holiday season threatens to sap all joy, sparks fly between Ben and Judith. But Judith steels herself to ignore her infatuation. The last thing she wants to be is just one more girl who falls under Ben’s spell. Ben, on the other hand, wants Judith to realize there’s more to him than his bad reputation. When he fled Sugarcreek, he was running from a disruptive home life. Now that he’s back, he wants a fresh beginning.
Could this Christmas season bring love and a new life for the unlikeliest pair in Sugarcreek?
If you would like to read the first chapter of Christmas In Sugarcreek, go HERE.
Learn more about Shelley and her books on her Website .
MY REVIEW:
Originally reviewed for Amazon Vine™ Program on September 16, 2011.
Christmas in Sugarcreek is an easily read, sweet Amish romance that is just right for a lazy afternoon by the fire with a warm beverage. In this story, the reader returns to the small town of Sugarcreek where Judith Graber might just receive a Christmas surprise she never expected.
Judith is the quintessential “good girl”. In her opinion, everyone in her family depends on her way too much and seem to take her for granted. But being the good girl that she is, she stuffs her dissatisfaction and continues to help where needed without complaint. Just when she thinks she cannot handle another extra responsibility, her father hires a temporary employee to help her in the family store. Unfortunately that helper turns out to be Ben Knox, the former “bad boy” of Sugarcreek before he left town. Although they have both matured, Judith is not sure she can trust Ben because of everything she has heard about him. But as the two are forced to spend many hours working together, Judith slowly begins to realize that Ben is not the person she thought he was.
Yes, this is one of those “good girl” falls in love with the “bad boy” romances but it is one with a difference. Christmas in Sugarcreek teaches a valuable lesson about judging people by appearances or actions without looking to see the true inner person. Although the outcome of the story is obvious from the beginning, it is a charming and delightful read.
by admin | Nov 10, 2011 | Amish, Books, Christmas, Romance
MY REVIEW:
After having her heart broken by Gideon, the man she loved, Mattie has become a cake decorator with a successful business in a different town. She has a comfortable relationship with Sol, a good man she hopes to spend her life with. An unexpected catastrophe takes her back home where she cannot avoid spending time with Gideon. Old feelings are reawakened but Mattie is determined to ignore them. Gideon realizes he has never stopped loving Mattie but believes that a life with Sol is best for her. Old lies surface that change everything Mattie believed. Will she be able to settle for a safe life with Sol or can she take a chance on true love with Gideon?
“The Christmas Singing” is a short but sweet Christmas novella set among the Amish. I loved Woodsmall’s characterization of Mattie in all her ditziness. I also enjoyed reading about Beth and Jonah from “The Sound of Sleigh Bells” as they prepared for their wedding. Major theme of this book is forgiveness with an emphasis on how sometimes what is done with the intention of protecting someone may actually hurt them more.
“The Christmas Singing” is another good book from Cindy Woodsmall and is perfect for the holiday season.
This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Blogging for Books Program.
About The Book:
After Gideon coldly broke her heart, can the warmth of the season revive Mattie’s hopes?
Three years ago, at Christmastime, Mattie Eash’s life was everything she could hope for. That is, until her childhood sweetheart, Gideon, betrayed her.
Heartbroken, Mattie retreated to her brother’s home in Ohio and poured her life into the dream of running her own cake shop. There, she found someone unlike Gideon. Someone safe.
But a devastating situation forces her back home…and right into the path of Gideon Beiler.
Will learning the truth behind his rejection restore her Christmas joy—or open the door to even deeper heartbreak?
This holiday season, Mattie’s best gift might just be the harmony of unexpected truth and reconciliation.
Spend Christmas with the Amish in this story of love, romance, heartache, and restoration in The Christmas Singing.
Click here to download chapter one of The Christmas Singing.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Cindy Woodsmall is a New York Times best-selling author whose connection with the Amish community has been featured on ABC Nightline and on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. She is the author of six novels, two novellas and Plain Wisdom, a work of non-fiction co-authored with her dearest Old Order Amish friend. Cindy lives in Georgia with her family.
by admin | Nov 9, 2011 | Books, Christmas, Contemporary Fiction, Novella
MY REVIEW:
Much like Carlson’s previous Christmas novellas, “The Christmas Shoppe” is the perfect book to curl up with by the fire to get a renewed Christmas spirit. At this point, the Christmas season would just not be the same if I didn’t have a new Melody Carlson Christmas novella to read.
In the tiny village of Parrish Springs, life goes on in its usual humdrum manner. Many of its residents are just marking time, not even aware of how unhappy they are. When Matilda Honeycutt moves to town and prepares to open what appears to be a thrift store, the townspeople become outraged and chaos and controversy reign. But something unusual happens each time someone visits Matilda’s Christmas Shoppe and the visitor leaves a changed person.
Melody Carlson has managed to illustrate a broad range of human behavior and emotions within a few pages. An emphasis on the power of forgiveness to heal the heart is well conveyed through the story. A bit of romance adds extra interest without overshadowing the plot. Once again, Carlson has written a Christmas story that shines with the magic and mystery that is Christmas while giving the reader something to ponder.
This book was provided for review by
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Can a Christmas Store and a Stranger Bring Change to Small Town?
Much-Anticipated Christmas Novella From Award-Winning Author Melody Carlson
In sleepy little Parrish Springs, everyone seems to know everyone else’s business practically before they do. The empty Barton Building has finally sold– but not to the right person, according to Councilman Snider. He is successful in stirring up the townspeople and turning them against the new owner, Matilda Honeycutt. This older woman with scraggly gray hair and a different fashion sense doesn’t fit into the Parrish Springs tradition. The town is curious and yet afraid of her at the same time. But nothing convinces Matilda to give up her plans for The Christmas Shoppe (ISBN: 978-0-8007-1926-5, $15.99, 176 pages, September 2011) by best-selling author Melody Carlson.
The neighboring shop owners respond in horror when The Christmas Shoppe doesn’t look and feel like all the other charming stores on the town’s quaint main street. After all Christmas is approaching, and the last thing the town needs is a junky shop run by someone who looks and acts like a gypsy. But as townsfolk venture into the strange store, they discover that old memories can bring new life, healing, and love.
The Christmas Shoppe, by best-selling author Melody Carlson, offers a touch of Christmas with a mixture of nostalgia, joy, and hope.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books with sales of more than five million. She is the author of several Christmas books from Revell, including the bestselling The Christmas Bus, The Christmas Dog, and Christmas at Harrington’s, which is being considered for a TV movie. She is also the author of many teen books, including Just Another Girl, Anything but Normal, Double Take, and the Diary of a Teenage Girl series. Melody was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books in 2010 and 2011. She and her husband live in central Oregon. For more information about Melody visit her website at www.melodycarlson.com.
by admin | Nov 2, 2011 | Christmas, DVD
MY REVIEW:
Okay, I admit it, despite frequent ridicule, I actually enjoy Hallmark movies. In my opinion, Christmas Lodge falls into the same category of cozy, feel-good movies that are appropriate for the entire family or for those who just do not care for many of the current TV and movie offerings.
Christmas Lodge is a story of faith, hope, love of family, and following the path the Lord has for you. A sweet romance takes center stage but the interaction between Mary and her family, particularly her grandfather, were quite heart-warming. As a voracious reader, I wished for a bit more communication between Mary and Jack but I realize that the limited time of the medium precludes that option. Movies just require a bit more of my imagination even if I can actually see the action as it takes place.
I enjoyed Christmas Lodge and its positive message, however the breathtaking scenery and the architecture of the lodge and the Arts and Crafts home of Mary’s parents really captured my attention. More than once I found myself wishing for a home like either of them. It was like watching a Thomas Kinkade painting come to life.
I would absolutely recommend Christmas Lodge for a relaxing family movie night to help get in the holiday spirit as Christmas approaches.
“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services
mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I
only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255:
“Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
SYNOPSIS:
Thomas Kinkade presents Christmas Lodge: a place where a heart-warming past and loving future meet for one remarkable group of people. During a weekend trip to the mountains, Mary (Erin Karpluk) finds herself at the now- dilapidated lodge where she spent the holidays with her family growing up. She becomes determined to restore the building to its former glory. Inspired by her grandfather and guided by her grandmother in heaven, Mary throws herself into the project, and during the process finds herself drawn to Jack (Michael Shanks), a handsome man who loves the lodge as much as she does. Historically unlucky in love, this chance encounter allows Mary to renew her faith in life and discover her one true love. For an uplifting story about the importance of faith, family and the true holiday spirit, go to the Christmas Lodge.
Preview The Christmas Lodge at the Internet Movie Database:
To view the Featurette click
HERE.
To view the Trailer click
HERE.
CHRISTMAS LODGE GIVEAWAY:
I have one copy of the Christmas Lodge dvd to give away to a reader of this blog. If you would like to enter to win a copy, please leave a comment on this post with a short description of a memorable Christmas you have experienced.
Contest ends Saturday, November 5, 2011. No entries yet so I have extended the entry deadline to Saturday, November 12. Please include a way I can reach you if you win.
