Ending 2019 by "Skipping Christmas" on "Noel Street"

I finished reading "Noel Street" by Richard Paul Evans last week.  It was pretty good, but not necessarily a tear-jerker. I honestly had a feeling of deja vu while reading it.  It reminded me a little of Evans' 2010 novel "Promise Me," but without the time travel twist.   That being said, I'm going to try my hardest to squeeze one more book out of 2019.  I saw the movie "Christmas With the Kranks," and I want to see how John Grisham's "Skipping Christmas," the inspiration for the movie, measures up!  Imagine a year without Christmas. No crowded malls, no corny office parties, no fruitcakes, no unwanted presents.  That's just what Luther and Nora Krank have in mind when they decide that, just this once, they'll skip the holiday altogether. Theirs will be the only house on Hemlock Street without a rooftop Frosty; they won't be hosting their annual Christmas Eve bash; they aren't even going to have a tree.  They won't need one, because come December 25, they're setting sail on a Caribbean cruise.  But, as this weary couple is about to discover, skipping Christmas brings enormous consequences--and isn't half as easy as they'd imagined.  The movie was OK.  I don't think it will ever be as classic or iconic as holiday flicks like "Miracle On 34th Street" (1947) or "A Christmas Story" (1983), but it still has a place in Christmas movie history.  That being said, I'm eager to end 2019 with a "journey" with the Kranks!  PS-The idea of actually skipping Christmas is one of the worst things I can think of!  I love the holiday, the music, and the movies!  Though, not all of them openly state the true meaning of Christmas.  JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON!  MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I Left "Rebecca" on "Noel Street"

Thanksgiving day was semi-enjoyable for me. I got to spend time with family, and it was also Dad's birthday.  However, it was the first major holiday following the passing of my mother, who succumbed to cancer in July.  That being said, and also due to a lack of funds, I was looking forward to doing nothing on Black Friday.  "Days Of Our Lives," my favorite soap opera and the only one I watch, did not air an episode that day, so I decided to pass the time by reading "Reecca" by Daphne duMaurier.  I'm surprised and pleased to say that I managed to finish it!  The relationship between Max and the unnamed narrator was easygoing and fun to watch play out until their return to Manderley, the estate of Maxim deWinter.  Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper, was hopelessly devoted to the titular character, the late Mrs. Rebecca deWinter.  She was obsessed with Rebecca and made it a point to mention her often to Maxim's new young bride.  Other characters also helped to shape Rebecca's character, though she is dead from the beginning of the story.  The gardener, the butler, another gentleman claiming to be her lover, and, of course, Mrs. Danvers.  It wasn't a horrible book, but I'm glad to be done with it just the same.  I'm looking forward to beginning my 'journey" through "Noel Street" by Richard Paul Evans, who (as I have stated numerous times in this blog) is my favorite author! The year is 1975. Elle Sheen—a single mother who is supporting herself and her six-year-old, African-American son, Dylan, as a waitress at the Noel Street Diner—isn’t sure what to make of William Smith when his appearance creates a stir in the small town of Mistletoe, Utah. As their lives unexpectedly entwine, Elle learns that William, a recently returned Vietnam POW, is not only fighting demons from his past, but may also have the answer to her own secret pain—a revelation that culminates in a remarkable act of love and forgiveness. I've already read several chapters, and the book is a real page-turner (I'm not surprised!)  There are no characters you "love to hate."  This isn't really that kind of book.  I can't wait to see where this "journey" takes me!  I'm banking on needing a box of Kleenex....