I was sadly bored by "Where The Heart Is," by Billie Letts. It was a little too drawn out for me. At any rate, it's not worth blogging about. I do, however, recommend the movie. That being said, I'm ready to start "The Mistletoe Promise," the most recent holiday novel by Richard Paul Evans.
"The Mistletoe Promise" is narrated by Elise Dutton, who dreads the arrival of another holiday season. Three years earlier, her husband cheated on her with her best friend, resulting in a bitter divorce that left her alone, broken, and distrustful.
Then, one November day, a stranger approaches Elise in the mall food court. Though she recognizes the man from her building, Elise has never formally met him. Tired of spending the holidays alone, the man offers her a proposition. For the next eight weeks—until the evening of December 24—he suggests that they pretend to be a couple. He draws up a contract with four rules:
1. No deep, probing personal questions
2. No drama
3. No telling anyone the truth about the relationship
4. The contract is void on Christmas Day
The lonely Elise surprises herself by agreeing to the idea. As the charade progresses, the safety of her fake relationship begins to mend her badly broken heart. But just as she begins to find joy again, her long-held secret threatens to unravel the emerging relationship. But she might not be the only one with secrets.
I've got my box of Kleenex ready, as I'm expecting a tearjerker. I've come to anticipate the necessity of tissues when dealing with Evan's novels, and I suspect that "The Mistletoe Promise" will elicit a few tears.
I also hope to FINALLY be able to finish "Tied Up In Tinsel" by Ngaio Marsh this year. I keep starting it, but end up misplacing it before I'm through reading the first chapter! Things are going to be different this year! I will read "Tied Up In Tinsel" from beginning to end, and I will blog about it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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.
I wonder if I'll have time to start Glenn Beck's "The Christmas Sweater?" Only time will tell!
When Eddie was twelve years old, all he wanted for Christmas was a bike. Although his life had gotten harder -- and money tighter -- since his father died and the family bakery closed...Eddie dreamed that somehow his mother would find a way to have his dream bike gleaming beside their modest Christmas tree that magical morning.
What he got from her instead was a sweater. "A stupid, handmade, ugly sweater" that young Eddie left in a crumpled ball in the corner of his room.
Scarred deeply by the realization that kids don't always get what they want, and too young to understand that he already owned life's most valuable treasures, that Christmas morning was the beginning of Eddie's dark and painful journey on the road to manhood. It will take wrestling with himself, his faith, and his family -- and the guidance of a mysterious neighbor named Russell -- to help Eddie find his path through the storm clouds of life and finally see the real significance of that simple gift his mother had crafted by hand with love in her heart.
Based on a deeply personal true story, The Christmas Sweater is a warm and poignant tale of family, faith and forgiveness that offers us a glimpse of our own lives -- while also making us question if we really know what's most important in them.
Wow! If I'm going to finish reading all of these books by the end of this month, I'd better get started on my "Journey" right now!
Monday, December 8, 2014
Thursday, July 3, 2014
"Walking On Water" Reduces Me To Tears And Brings Me To The "Heart" Of The Matter
I finished reading "Walking On Water," the final book in Richard Paul Evans' "The Walk" series, this morning. My favorite author has once again lived up to his nickname, the "King of Kleenex". Alan Christoffersen once again finds his walk interrupted when he decides to return home upon learning that his father has had a heart attack. Along the way, he meets a woman--grieving over the death of her own husband--who reminds him of the regret he feels at not having had children with McKale. Upon reaching the hospital, Alan is once again reunited with Nicole, the woman he met when he changed her flat tire, who subsequently took him in after he was stabbed. Alan also discovers that his
father has been recording the family history. (Incidentally, Pastor Tim--whom Alan met in "The Road To Grace"--was wrong about the origins of the surname "Christoffersen"). He is forced to a examine his feelings for both Nicole and Falene, his former secretary from his advertising days at Madgic, the company he owned before it was stolen from him by his former partner, Kyle Craig. (Never trust anybody with 2 first names!) In the end, he makes his decision, but goes through a lot in the interim--the death of his father, Kailamai's bad jokes, coming to terms with his feelings for both Nicole and Falene, and reaching the end of his journey and deciding what to do with the rest of his life. For Alan, it was never about Key West. It was about moving forward. "In the end, it is not by knowledge that we make our journeys but by hope and faith: hope that our walk will be worthy of our steps and faith that we are going somewhere. And only when we come to the end of our journeys do we truly understand that every step of the way we were walking on water."
As sad as I am to come to the end of Alan's walk, I am eager to start reading "Where the Heart Is," by Billie Letts. I've seen the movie adaptation, and I hope the novel lives up to its cinematic counterpart.
A funny thing happens to Novalee Nation on her way to Bakersfield, California. Her ne'er-do-well boyfriend, Willie Jack Pickens, abandons her in an Oklahoma Wal-Mart and takes off on his own, leaving her with just 10 dollars and the clothes on her back. Not that hard luck is anything new to Novalee, who is "seventeen, seven months pregnant, thirty-seven pounds overweight--and superstitious about sevens.... For most people, sevens were lucky. But not for her," Billie Letts writes. "She'd had a bad history with them, starting with her seventh birthday, the day Momma Nell ran away with a baseball umpire named Fred..."
Still, finding herself alone and penniless in Sequoyah, Oklahoma is enough to make even someone as inured to ill fortune as Novalee want to give up and die. Fortunately, the Wal-Mart parking lot is the Sequoyah equivalent of a town square, and within hours Novalee has met three people who will change her life: Sister Thelma Husband, a kindly eccentric; Benny Goodluck, a young Native American boy; and Moses Whitecotton, an elderly African American photographer. For the next two months, Novalee surreptitiously makes her home in the Wal-Mart, sleeping there at night, exploring the town by day. When she goes into labor and delivers her baby there, however, Novalee learns that sometimes it's not so bad to depend on the kindness of strangers--especially if one of them happens to be Sam Walton, the superchain's founder.
I guess I have a thing for sad stories lately, especially as the day that my Grandma would've celebrated her 81st birthday approaches. I still miss her, but she's on that "journey" we all must take, "a step on the road to Home." She has completed her journey in this life, and until I make my own "journey" Home, I'll continue the "Journey Through A Book!"
father has been recording the family history. (Incidentally, Pastor Tim--whom Alan met in "The Road To Grace"--was wrong about the origins of the surname "Christoffersen"). He is forced to a examine his feelings for both Nicole and Falene, his former secretary from his advertising days at Madgic, the company he owned before it was stolen from him by his former partner, Kyle Craig. (Never trust anybody with 2 first names!) In the end, he makes his decision, but goes through a lot in the interim--the death of his father, Kailamai's bad jokes, coming to terms with his feelings for both Nicole and Falene, and reaching the end of his journey and deciding what to do with the rest of his life. For Alan, it was never about Key West. It was about moving forward. "In the end, it is not by knowledge that we make our journeys but by hope and faith: hope that our walk will be worthy of our steps and faith that we are going somewhere. And only when we come to the end of our journeys do we truly understand that every step of the way we were walking on water."
As sad as I am to come to the end of Alan's walk, I am eager to start reading "Where the Heart Is," by Billie Letts. I've seen the movie adaptation, and I hope the novel lives up to its cinematic counterpart.
A funny thing happens to Novalee Nation on her way to Bakersfield, California. Her ne'er-do-well boyfriend, Willie Jack Pickens, abandons her in an Oklahoma Wal-Mart and takes off on his own, leaving her with just 10 dollars and the clothes on her back. Not that hard luck is anything new to Novalee, who is "seventeen, seven months pregnant, thirty-seven pounds overweight--and superstitious about sevens.... For most people, sevens were lucky. But not for her," Billie Letts writes. "She'd had a bad history with them, starting with her seventh birthday, the day Momma Nell ran away with a baseball umpire named Fred..."
Still, finding herself alone and penniless in Sequoyah, Oklahoma is enough to make even someone as inured to ill fortune as Novalee want to give up and die. Fortunately, the Wal-Mart parking lot is the Sequoyah equivalent of a town square, and within hours Novalee has met three people who will change her life: Sister Thelma Husband, a kindly eccentric; Benny Goodluck, a young Native American boy; and Moses Whitecotton, an elderly African American photographer. For the next two months, Novalee surreptitiously makes her home in the Wal-Mart, sleeping there at night, exploring the town by day. When she goes into labor and delivers her baby there, however, Novalee learns that sometimes it's not so bad to depend on the kindness of strangers--especially if one of them happens to be Sam Walton, the superchain's founder.
I guess I have a thing for sad stories lately, especially as the day that my Grandma would've celebrated her 81st birthday approaches. I still miss her, but she's on that "journey" we all must take, "a step on the road to Home." She has completed her journey in this life, and until I make my own "journey" Home, I'll continue the "Journey Through A Book!"
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Free From "Contempt," and Ready to Test the "Water"!
I finished reading Wendy Williams' steamy novel, "Hold Me In Contempt," last night. I am so glad to be done with it! It wasn't horrible, but it got a little boring in the middle, and picked up nicely in the end (and left room for a possible sequel.) It was a somewhat decent mix of romance, mystery, and friendship. I guess I would best describe it as "Romeo & Juliet" meets "Law & Order." Attorney Kimberly Kind falls for drug kingpin Rig "King" McDonald. Honestly, the only reason I would buy another book by Wendy Williams would be if it were a self-help book, or if I'm really desperate to find out what happens next in the story. She's got a series of books featuring a character named Ritz Harper that I thought I might enjoy, but after reading "Hold Me In Contempt," I've decided against purchasing any more fiction she writes. Instead, I'm getting ready to dive into a book by my favorite author, Richard Paul Evans. "Walking On Water" is the last book in his epic series, "The Walk," and I can't wait to see how Alan Christoffersen comes to the end of the journey!
In this fifth New York Times bestseller in the Walk series, Richard Paul Evans’s hero Alan Christoffersen must say some painful goodbyes and learn some important lessons as he comes to the end of his cross-country walk to Key West.
After the death of his beloved wife, after the loss of his advertising business to his once-trusted partner, after bankruptcy forced him from his home, Alan Christoffersen’s daring cross-country journey—a walk across America, from Seattle to Key West, with only the pack on his back—has taught him lessons about love, forgiveness and, most of all, hope.
Now Alan must again return west to face yet another crisis, one that threatens to upend his world just as he had begun to heal from so much loss, leaving him unsure of whether he can reach the end his journey. It will take the love of a new friend, and the wisdom of an old friend, to help him to finally leave the past behind and find the strength and hope to live again.
I expect I'll need a box of Kleenex to get through what is sure to be another epic page-turner by Richard Paul Evans, and I don't mind! I do have one question I hope RPE answers in his book: Who will Alan end up with, Nicole or Falene? I have a pretty good idea, based on something mentioned in one of the previous books in the series, that it will be Falene, but only time and the turn of a page will prove me right or wrong!
In this fifth New York Times bestseller in the Walk series, Richard Paul Evans’s hero Alan Christoffersen must say some painful goodbyes and learn some important lessons as he comes to the end of his cross-country walk to Key West.
After the death of his beloved wife, after the loss of his advertising business to his once-trusted partner, after bankruptcy forced him from his home, Alan Christoffersen’s daring cross-country journey—a walk across America, from Seattle to Key West, with only the pack on his back—has taught him lessons about love, forgiveness and, most of all, hope.
Now Alan must again return west to face yet another crisis, one that threatens to upend his world just as he had begun to heal from so much loss, leaving him unsure of whether he can reach the end his journey. It will take the love of a new friend, and the wisdom of an old friend, to help him to finally leave the past behind and find the strength and hope to live again.
I expect I'll need a box of Kleenex to get through what is sure to be another epic page-turner by Richard Paul Evans, and I don't mind! I do have one question I hope RPE answers in his book: Who will Alan end up with, Nicole or Falene? I have a pretty good idea, based on something mentioned in one of the previous books in the series, that it will be Falene, but only time and the turn of a page will prove me right or wrong!
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Starting Off On A "Contempt"-uous Note, Then Testing The "Water"!
I have been sadly neglectful lately in appeasing my literary appetite and in updating this blog. I am currently in the middle of "Hold Me In Contempt," the sultry new romance novel by TV talk show host Wendy Williams.
Move over 50 Shades, there’s a new romance in town. Superstar Wendy Williams brings on the heat in her first ever, no-holds-barred, down and dirty, romance novel.
Kimberly Kind is trying to get beyond her roots. A successful, beautiful, smart lawyer, she’s finally finding direction in her life and getting out of the streets. But a terrible accident threatens to throw her carefully laid plans off course. Now Kim’s hiding a huge secret… one that could threaten everything.
Enter King. A perfect mix of Justin Timberlake and David Beckham, the man oozes sex and has more swagger than anyone Kim’s ever met. Their chemistry is off the charts. But after passion-filled nights, the intensity of their emotions takes both of them by surprise.
Love was not supposed to be an option. Now it’s the only thing holding them together. When their pasts come back with a vengeance, can love possibly be enough? I can't wait to find out!
After I finish with the story of Kimberly Kind, I hope to conclude my journey through Richard Paul Evans' "The Walk" series. The final book, "Walking On Water," will supposedly be released on Tuesday May 6, but I will probably wait until Friday and pick it up from my local Target. In this fifth entry in the New York Times bestselling Walk series, Richard Paul Evans’s hero Alan Christoffersen must say some painful goodbyes and learn some important lessons as he comes to the end of his cross-country walk to Key West.
After the death of his beloved wife, after the loss of his advertising business to his once-trusted partner, after bankruptcy forced him from his home, Alan Christoffersen’s daring cross-country journey—a walk across America, from Seattle to Key West, with only the pack on his back—has taught him lessons about love, forgiveness and, most of all, hope.
Now Alan must again return west to face yet another crisis, one that threatens to upend his world just as he had begun to heal from so much loss, leaving him unsure of whether he can reach the end his journey. It will take the love of a new friend, and the wisdom of an old friend, to help him to finally leave the past behind and find the strength and hope to live again.
I have no doubt that I will need a box of Kleenex to get through this novel. Past experiences have taught me well!
Move over 50 Shades, there’s a new romance in town. Superstar Wendy Williams brings on the heat in her first ever, no-holds-barred, down and dirty, romance novel.
Kimberly Kind is trying to get beyond her roots. A successful, beautiful, smart lawyer, she’s finally finding direction in her life and getting out of the streets. But a terrible accident threatens to throw her carefully laid plans off course. Now Kim’s hiding a huge secret… one that could threaten everything.
Enter King. A perfect mix of Justin Timberlake and David Beckham, the man oozes sex and has more swagger than anyone Kim’s ever met. Their chemistry is off the charts. But after passion-filled nights, the intensity of their emotions takes both of them by surprise.
Love was not supposed to be an option. Now it’s the only thing holding them together. When their pasts come back with a vengeance, can love possibly be enough? I can't wait to find out!
After I finish with the story of Kimberly Kind, I hope to conclude my journey through Richard Paul Evans' "The Walk" series. The final book, "Walking On Water," will supposedly be released on Tuesday May 6, but I will probably wait until Friday and pick it up from my local Target. In this fifth entry in the New York Times bestselling Walk series, Richard Paul Evans’s hero Alan Christoffersen must say some painful goodbyes and learn some important lessons as he comes to the end of his cross-country walk to Key West.
After the death of his beloved wife, after the loss of his advertising business to his once-trusted partner, after bankruptcy forced him from his home, Alan Christoffersen’s daring cross-country journey—a walk across America, from Seattle to Key West, with only the pack on his back—has taught him lessons about love, forgiveness and, most of all, hope.
Now Alan must again return west to face yet another crisis, one that threatens to upend his world just as he had begun to heal from so much loss, leaving him unsure of whether he can reach the end his journey. It will take the love of a new friend, and the wisdom of an old friend, to help him to finally leave the past behind and find the strength and hope to live again.
I have no doubt that I will need a box of Kleenex to get through this novel. Past experiences have taught me well!
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