The Kari AnnAlysis

Posts Tagged ‘christmas reading challenge’

Silver Bells is part of my Christmas Reading Challenge. I got it last year for Christmas, but of course, had to wait until this holiday season to read it. You can’t read about Christmas when it’s not Christmas.

What I didn’t realize about this book was that it is actually 4 romances. I wasn’t sure if I’d like it because I get really into characters and always want to learn more about their lives, but they were all written well enough that you weren’t left with questions.

First, there is Silver Bellsby Fern Michaels. Amy Lee is Hollywood startlet who decides it’s time to move home. She hasn’t been home in 20 years, that’s when her aunt whisked her away to California when her parents died. She goes home looking for something, closure, history, memories. But what she finds is her grade school boyfriend who has also come to town for the holidays. Hank is his name and while his brother is overseas with the Marines, Hank is left with more on his table than he is used to.

This story was VERY predictable, but it was cute. I liked the relationship between Amy and Hank, but I think the part I liked most about it was Hank’s drama. I don’t want to spill the beans, because it’s an integral part of the book, but as messed up as the drama is, it’ll keep you reading.

Second is Dear Santaby JoAnn Ross. Mystery author Holly Berry’s SUV breaks down and she ends up in Santa’s Village. While many would love being in a town like this on Christmas, Holly is not a fan of the holidays. Christmas Eve was when she was born, but it was also the day her father was murdered. Gabriel O’Halloran is Holly’s knight in shining armor. He stumbles upon her broke down SUV and just happens to have one of the only places in town to stay. And his little girl, Emma, has a Christmas wish for a new mom. Would Holly be her Christmas wish?

I liked this story because it was a little harder than the first one. I really liked the plot. If I ever got stranded somewhere during the holidays, I would REALLY hope it would be a place like Santa’s Village. It’s so small and quaint and Christmasy! Beware though, there is so major sexual activity in this one. I wasn’t prepared for it and I always find myself blushing wondering if my husband knows what I am reading

Third is Christmas Past by Mary Burton. Photographer Nicole Piper is finally getting back on track after escaping a violent husband. But when she gets clues to the murder of the woman who helped her escape, she must give the family closure before Christmas. Homicide detective David Ayden goes along for the ride with Nicole and as they deal with the danger that awaits Nicole, they rekindle the relationship they started but abruptly stopped a year before.

Every story in this book got better. The first one didn’t have much action. I liked the second one because I loved the town they were in, but this one was by far my favorite. It had action, a mystery, a couple of murders and some major drama. Yes, this one has some heat between the sheets as well! If the other stories don’t sound like something you would like, I would definitely buy the book just to read this one!

Fourth is A Mulberry Park Christmas by Judy Duarte. Alyssa Ridgeway is moving to her childhood home. Her husband left her for another family and she needs to get her life in order and get her kids adapted to a new life. The first day in town, because of some neighborhood drama, she runs into her high school boyfriend James “Mac” MacGregor. In just two days the two become a team and tackle the neighborhood drama, two young children and their long lost love.

This story really didn’t do it for me. Yes, Mac came in and saved the day. He was very much a super hero for Alyssa in this book. But there just wasn’t much to keep me reading. It was very predictable but not much of a page turner.

I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve read 5 holiday books in the past month, but they’re not really keeping my interest anymore. This was one that I’ve had for a year and hadn’t read, and it wasn’t what I expected, but it’s turned me off of holiday books for the year. I know there are just a couple more days left until Christmas and I have one more book to read, but I’ve gone back to normal reading. I love holiday reads and don’t want to burn myself out for next year.

I give this book/4 small books 3 bookmarks.

Christmas Reading Challenge
1. Ex-Mas
2. Snowed In
3. The Christmas Sweater
4. Secret Santa

Release: October 1, 2007

You guessed it, this is part of my Christmas Reading Challenge. This is my 4th book in the challenge. I am having so much fun with this. While the books haven’t been as great as I’d hoped, I am still glad I’m taking part.

In Secret Santa, we delve into the lives of a group of high schoolers. And, as you can tell by the title, the whole school takes part in Secret Santa. They all draw names from a hat and while some are happy with their choices, others make sure theirs are pre-chosen.

Noelle is our main character. She is a sophomore and has a HUGE crush on her neighbor Charlie. He’s a senior and one of the most popular players in the school. Although Noelle picks Charlie’s brother’s name out of the hat, she still buys gifts for Charlie. Ryan (Charlie’s brother), on the other hand is doing some great things for the person he picked, they are just a little confused about who is buying for whom.

Lily is Noelle’s best friend. Over the summer, she suffered a really bad breakup but is working really hard to make her Secret Santa happy. Lily is buying presents for Connor, who is the boyfriend of the second most popular girl in school, Shawna. But Lily keeps getting her wires crossed and buying presents that Connor is not a fan of.

Instead, Lily’s presents are more suited for Simon. He is the boyfriend of the most popular girl in school, Amber. But Amber isn’t sure if she still wants to date Simon, so she pre-chooses someone who is uber hot in hopes of getting a date.

And finally, we have Celia. Celia moved from California and somehow got stuck being friends with Amber and Shawna. She doesn’t really “like” them per say. She does as she is told, dresses as she is told and likes as she is told. Until now. She drew Jake’s name out of the hat and is bound and determined to get a date. But one of Jake’s co-workers, who is sadly named Froggy, gets gifts for Celia. He feels the way for her that she feels for Jake.

Ok, as confusing as that is - it is much easier than the confusion in the book. The Secret Santa swap sounded like a good idea when I first got the book, but the more I read into it, the more I realized it wasn’t that great of an idea. People were getting mad about their boyfriends and girlfriends getting gifts from others, some were trying really hard to get the perfect gifts and others just left theirs out completely.

Every couple of pages the main character changed. Right as soon as you’d get into the presents that Noelle was getting, you’d be thrusted into the crappy presents that Connor was getting. You’d be pulled out as soon as your got sucked in.

I thought this book had promise and you always knew who you were reading about, but there were so many characters, it was very easy to get confused. And while it ended happily for most, there was just so much drama and confusion throughout, it didn’t end happily with me.

I give Secret Santa two bookmarks.

Christmas Reading Challenge:
1. Ex-Mas
2. Snowed In
3. The Christmas Sweater

This tease comes from another one of my Christmas Reading Challenge books.

pg43 of Secret Santa: “I asked Mindy Yee to pull the names of the three hottest seniors out of the bag ahead of time,” Amber explained.  “They’re great boyfriend material. And we can’t be Secret Santas to just anyone!”

“B-b-but that defeats the whole purpose of being a Secret Santa!” Celia Sputtered.

Now Celia may have other reasons for not wanting to be set up with a Secret Santa, but I like her thinking. I’m a great fan of the holiday spirit.

What are you reading this week?

I got The Christmas Sweater last year for Christmas, but of course, the season was done by then, so I had to wait until this holiday season to start! Also, this is part of my Christmas Reading Challenge.

The Christmas Sweatertakes us to Eddie’s Christmas when he was 12. All he wanted was a red Huffy with a black banana seat. But, that’s not quite what he got. Instead, he was given a hand-knitted sweater from his mom. Although she spent many hours putting it together, he hated it. And he hated her for it. That evening, he is still mad and when his mom wants to stay at his grandparents house, he decides they should leave. What he doesn’t realize is this will be his last trip with his mother. After this trip, his life completely changes. He moves in with his grandparents, meets a new best friend who is uber rich and also meets Russell, the man who Eddie keeps bumping into at his neighbor’s house. Through Eddie’s bad attitude and lack of faith, he eventually learns what is really important in life.

This book is loosely based on Glenn Beck’s childhood. I always have a hard time with these books that are somewhat based on fact. Throughout the entire book, I am very curious which parts are real and which parts are made up. At the end of the book, Beck explains the real parts and how the other parts came along, but I hate waiting that long

I enjoyed this book. It’s the second one I’ve read lately that deals with a child searching for faith. I have always been religious, but have expressed it in different ways throughout my life. I haven’t always gone to church and my faith has fluctuated, but now I am attending a local church with my mom, mother-in-law and husband and am very happy with it. The more I attend church, the more these books appeal to me.

I think the thing I liked most about this book was the ending. It was definitely not what I expected, it exceeded everything I believed it would be.

Other than the fact/fiction part of this book, I have a hard time reading books about boys. LOL I know that may sound crazy, but it’s just really hard for me to relate to the life of a 12-year-old boy. I went through the 12-year-old phase with my brother and he’s been cranky since then, but when I was 15, I didn’t really care about his attitude, I had older boys to worry about. Yes, a girl could have gone through this, but I think it would be different. And I got a little angry at Eddie because I just wanted him to give in. It would have shortened the book and made it drastically different, but I wanted to smack him silly!

All-in-all, this book was just ok for me. I enjoyed the writing and the end of the story. I give it 3 bookmarks.

Christmas Reading Challenge
1. Ex-Mas
2. Snowed In

Released: October 6, 2009

I got this book for the Christmas Reading Challenge. It was my first book to read  for this challenge. I had it for a couple of months and had to force myself not to read it.

Meet Lila. She’s a high school senior – the most popular high school senior – at her school in California. She has the popularity, the friends, a boyfriend in college and plans for the perfect party to kick off Christmas break. Those plans don’t last long though. They all come crumbling down when her bratty brother intervenes. And to pay him back for ruining her perfect party, she “accidentally” drops the bomb about *gasp* Santa!

Well, 8 year old Collin is devastated. And to save Santa, he and his buddy Tyler head towards the North Pole. Lila and Tyler’s brother head on a coastal journey to get the boys home and save both of their butts. Along the way, they reunite their friendship, have a few fights, run into Lila’s boyfriend and try to find their bratty brothers. Oh yeah, did I mention that Lila’s partner in crime is her ex boyfriend Beau? Yeah, that complicates things.

I loved this book! It was fun and cute and as I’ve said before, I always give a book a good review when I think it’ll be a good movie and I can picture it.

From the get-go, I liked a number of things about this book. I liked the setting, Christmas in Cali. I’m used to snow and cold and they’re used to wearing mini skirts and putting out fake snow. I liked that while it’s still not a life I know, Lila’s family was down to Earth. Yes, she was the Queen Bee of the school, but she wasn’t necessarily spoiled. Her family wouldn’t buy her a car until they felt she earned it. I got my car a few months after I turned 16, but I can appreciate parents not giving children everything they want.

I like that in this book Brian did a great job of reaching out to her readers. She obviously knows who is picking up her books and wants to make sure they feel comfortable reading them and can relate. One of the first things in the book is a Gossip Girl reference. She doesn’t say Gossip Girl, but she doesn’t have to. Say Serena and Blair, and all the girls reading know exactly what you are talking about. Also, she mentions Twitter, but doesn’t explain what it is. I feel like a lot of times in movies and on TV when they talk about Twitter, they feel like they have to explain it. I feel like it dumbs down the reader, doesn’t give them anything to question if they don’t already know what it is. And if they do know what it is, they’re not wasting time saying “Duh, I already knew that.”

There really wasn’t anything about this book that I didn’t like. It kept me reading and it was well written. I give Ex-Mas 4 bookmarks.