The "Battle" Is Over! Christmas Comes Early "Tied Up In Tinsel" & Maybe Decked Out In "The Christmas Sweater"!

I finished reading the third book in the "Michael Vey" series by Richard Paul Evans last night. "Michael Vey: Battle For The Ampere" was awesome and fast-paced! Dr. Hatch is brought before the Board to account for his actions, including the abduction of Michael's mother and his failure to follow orders and release her. He ends up taking control of the Board, with some help from "his" electric children. Hatch overthrows Chairman Schema, and reorganizes the Board. The introduction of yet another electric child, Tessa (originally called Tesla), increases the membership of the Electroclan, though there are also some casualties. I will say that Wade (Michael's non-electric bully-turned-friend) is mortally wounded, and other members of the Electroclan consider abandoning the mission (sinking the Ampere--the flagship of the Elgen fleet) and returning to their families. It's hard to remember that this is just a group of teenagers. I can't wait to start Christmas early with "Tied Up In Tinsel" by Ngaio Marsh. Hopefully, I get to finish it this year! Holed up at Hilary Bill-Tasman's manor estate for Christmas, Troy Alleyn is to paint the man's portrait and, while she's there, view the Druid Christmas pageant. Along with a pack of eccentric guests, Troy enjoys the festivities-- until one of the pageant's players mysteriously disappears into the snowy night. Did the hired help-- each a paroled murderer from the nearby prison-- have a deadly hand in this Christmas conundrum? Inspector Roderick Alleyn arrives to join his wife in finding the lost man- and unraveling the glaring truth from the glittering tinsel. If I can actually read the book all the way through this time, I plan to finish out the year with Glenn Beck's "The Christmas Sweater." I received that book as a Christmas gift last year! In Beck's debut novel, the conservative radio and TV host (An Inconvenient Book) makes a weak attempt at a holiday classic in the vein of It's a Wonderful Life. Despite his single mother's financial hardships, 12-year-old Eddie is certain this Christmas he will receive his much-desired Huffy bike. To his dismay, what he finds under the tree is "a stupid, handmade, ugly sweater" that his mother carefully modeled after those she can't afford at Sears (one of four places she keeps part-time jobs). Eddie tosses the sweater and insults his mother before the two go visit his grandparents at their farmhouse. On the drive home, though, Eddie's exhausted mother falls asleep at the wheel and crashes, dying instantly. Sent to live with his grandparents, an increasingly bitter and angry Eddie lashes out at his accommodating guardians, engages in typical teenage angst and grapples with belief in God. For all his focus on traditional family virtues like respect, love and forgiveness, Beck's lightweight parable cruises on predictability, repetition and sentimentality. In spite of the book's description, I have no doubt that I will find Beck's novel as enjoyable as I would one of Evans' novels, as I enjoy anything that tugs at the heartstrings, be it a song, a movie, or a book!!!!