Finished 2024 Full of "Christmas Spirit", Starting Off 2025 With "The Colony"

 I finished reading both "Christmas In Bethel" by Richard Paul Evans and "The Christmas Blessing" by Donna VanLiere to close out the year 2024.  Compared to his previous Christmas novels, Evans' 2024 novel was underwhelming; though I did shed a few tears near the end of the book.  Hopefully, next year's Christmas book will be better.  "The Christmas Blessing," the second book in VanLiere's "The Christmas Shoes" series, was similarly emotion-inducing.  I'm already anticipating next year's holiday "journey"!  Shockingly, I read 15 books this year!  Yay, me!  I finished off this year with "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" and "How The Grinch Lost Christmas," both by the late Dr. Seuss (born Theodore Seuss Geisel)

I've already planned out my reading "journey" for 2025.  I'm starting the year off with "Michael Vey: The Colony," the final book in the series by Richard Paul Evans.

After saving Tara and Jack--and losing a few of their own--in a dramatic battle in the Peruvian jungle against the Elgen offshoot the Chasqui, the Electroclan has returned to the US to regroup.  But their downtime is brief, as Abi--who was abducted from her college dorm--is still missing.

Piecing together what few clues they have from video footage of the abduction as well as some additional information from Grace, whose consciousness has broken free from her physical body and connected with worldwide intelligence, they determine that she is being held somewhere in Peru by the leader of a group of other electrics known as the Colony.  And so--once again joining forces with Alpha Team for a dual-pronged attack--they return to South America for a rescue mission.

They've fought--and won--against incredible odds before.  But they've never had to face off against others with powers similar to--and potentially stronger--than their own.  Still, with the life of one of the Electroclan members at stake, failure is simply not an option as they take on their final mission.

Wow!  What an awesome way to start off my reading "journey" in 2025!

"Christmas" Came Early--Twice--When "Michael Vey" Showed Up Late!

 I started reading my favorite author's (Richard Paul Evans) latest holiday novel, "Christmas In Bethel," when his previously (but equally) anticipated book ("Michael Vey: The Colony") was delayed.  Once again, Evans lived up to his title as the "King of Christmas Fiction."  I confess to shedding a few tears, especially towards the end of the book.  At its core, the store is about two broken, imperfect people--one a writer, one a reader--who come together in the spirit of Christmas and love.  I don't know how to explain it without spoiling the story, so I'll just pick up where I left off with Donna VanLiere's "Christmas Hope" series and begin reading "The Christmas Blessing."

Dona VanLiere captured readers' hearts with her beloved Christmas  novel "The Christmas Shoes."  Now the story continues in "The Christmas Blessing," the next book in her inspiring Christmas Hope series....

In "The Christmas Shoes," young Nathan Andrews was a child who lost his mother to cancer.  Now his deepest wish is to become a doctor.  When a stranger named Robert gave him the money to buy a pair of shoes for her last Christmas, both Robert and Nathan learned the deepest lessons of love and giving.  Now a medical student in his third year, Nathan realizes there are still things to be learned about faith, blessings, and sacrifice.  Lessons he will learn from Meghan Sullivan--a young woman born with a hole in her heart that has nevertheless not kept her from becoming a champion runner.  And lessons learned from a young boy named Charlie, who teaches Nathan how to live a life of true courage.  Together, they will help Nathan through the most difficult period in his life.

"The Christmas Blessing" is an inspiring story about hope existing in the darkest places, and how love is always the greatest gift of all.

I can't wait to start on my "journey" through "Blessing," and, if time permits, conclude the year by re-visiting Richard Paul Evans and "Michael Vey," the latter of which I blogged about in a previous post.