Bright Lights, Big Christmas - Mary Kay Andrews

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Christmas

I do love a Christmas thing - Hallmark movie, yes! Christmas in July, yes! Contemporary Romance set at Christmas time, you bet! And I go in with expectations for sure. To be clear, I don’t mind the cliches; they are part of what I love. The really cool thing about Mary Kay Andrews’ Bright Lights, Big Christmas is that she exceeds all of the Christmas genre expectations. 

Kerry Tolliver has been hiding out at her family’s farm in North Carolina since she lost her job and has zero desire to travel with her brother gruff Murphy to sell Christmas trees in New York City. She has to live in a broken down travel trailer using the bathrooms of nearby businesses and apartments. But her dad is recovering from a health event, and she just can’t say no to her mom.

Cue the lovely corner tree lot, the handsome nearby apartment dweller, the helpful community of neighbors, an adorable little boy, and a mysterious artist. Let the magic begin. I love how the relationships develop between Kerry and the others. Seeing her creativity inspired through wreath making and illustrating is a delight. And while it is a lovely romance, the romance is not necessarily front and center. Kerry finding herself, learning to love her December neighbors, and trusting her instincts are. An intriguing mystery surrounding Heinz - who shows up to help Kerry rediscover her art - develops. (I confess, a small part of me wanted him to be Santa.) Along the way, Christmas is a delightful part of the setting.

So. If you love all things Christmas, this book is for you (maybe I’ll spend a December in NYC sometime?). If you are worried that this book will be formulaic and not transcend Christmas, do not. This book is for you. If you are facing change, if you want a burst of courage to pursue your dreams, if you love to watch friendships develop and love a neighborhood as a character, this book is for you. I am not as familiar with Andrews’ work as I intend to become. 

I’m thinking that the creative piece is what works the most for me in this novel. I find myself just a tad envious that Kerry recognizes the importance of reaching for dreams at such a young age.  Do things come together nicely for her to support that, yes, but certainly in part because she steps outside of her comfort zones again and again, and looks beyond herself to care for Heinz.  I am certain I can’t be reminded enough that if you put good into the world, good likely will come back. I’ve also been thinking so much lately about what to keep and what to discard (Those thoughts coming in spades.) People have tried to shame me for my love of all things Christmas (mostly the movies, but also the books); I think I’ll keep that love alive. Thanks Bright Lights, Big Christmas and Mary Kay Andrews.

Thanks to Net Galley for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

Do Tell

Do Tell - Lyndsay Lynch
Genre: Historical

If you are fascinated by 1940s Hollywood: the movies, the glamor, and perhaps, most of all, the gossip Lyndsay Lynch’s debut novel Do Tell is for you. Not a book for the starry eyed, this book is an often cynical look at the era - at the inside lives of the stars and the studios that own them. 

The narrator Edie O’Dare is brutally honest - as she finishes out her contract at a major studio and transitions to writing a gossip column. She walks a tightrope - needing to maintain access to the studio and the stars to have something to write and writing copy that will keep her editors and readership reading. The throughline is the story of a young actress who has the temerity to accuse a leading man of sexual assault. Edie has to make several decisions along the way that impact the case dramatically. I’m not sure I loved her, but found myself admiring her nonetheless. 

Lynch does an excellent job of keeping me interested in a cast of characters who are not overly likeable. She does an excellent job of recreating the uphill fight of women of the era. I celebrate the victories even if we don’t admire how they are achieved. I feel the frustrations and the sadness - even if we feel some might be deserved. Her setting is the best! She captures for her readers the fashion, the language, the physical settings and the culture of the time. 

As a new retiree - reflecting more than I like on my career and my future impact, I appreciated very much how Lynch created Edie as a character who is unflinching in her reflection. Her honesty is a lesson. Maybe someday I will have the courage to reflect as does Edie and embrace the choices good and bad. Professor Emiritus Terry Mitchell of the University of Washington suggests that reflection is critical for a rewarding retirement. He suggest you consider “what brings you pleasure” and “what is meaningful.” Perhaps I will find that courage. His article “The Retirement Process: A Psychological and Emotional Journey” is worth a read if you are like me :-)

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a review copy.

The Little Village of Book Lovers

The Little Village of Book Lovers - Nina George

Genre: Hmmm… 

If you love to read and believe in the power of books - this is a must read. If you want to believe in the power of love - also a must read. Nina George - author also of The Little Paris Bookshop - advocates beautifully for the power of stories to shape the lives of readers who read books. She lays the groundwork for this idea in The Little Paris Bookshop, and this librarian/literature teacher was dazzled - the way George intertwines this idea in The Little Village of Book Lovers with love and the fates and hate who are CHARACTERS no less is just stunning. 

To summarize this title feels silly to me. How to recapture in a few words the intricacies of what George does, in fact, seem a bit impossible. She begins with an orphaned baby, a sentient olive tree, an overwhelmed love, and a family. She creates within the new father this unexpected urge to read and to surround himself with readers and more importantly to surround his daughter with readers. His daughter sees lights that no one else can, and the child struggles to figure them out -she reads, studies, and talks to others. The whole village becomes involved as she learns what it means to love and be loved. 

So you don’t know that you need to read Nina George until you do. The characters are marvelously developed as is the plot. The fantasy elements blend seamlessly with those that are more “realistic.” I am not naturally drawn to fantasy but loved this title.

I suppose part of my love is that the title so fully supports my life’s loves and work. I have always believed in the power of reading - reading, becoming a literature and the importance of libraries - serving on the public library board, getting my MSLS, becoming a school librarian, and serving on the board again. George puts into words more eloquently than I ever could or will the power of reading to shape the reader. Beautiful. 

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ladies of the Lake

Ladies of the Lake
Cathy Gohlke
Genre: Historical Fiction/Christian
Narrated by: Stephanie Richardson

Anne Shirley fans - her spirit, the locations, the friendships, the dramas: this book is a good fit for you. Gohlke must love her too. Ladies of the Lake is the story of four kindred spirits - Addie, Dot, Ruth, and Susannah (I listened if I got the spellings wrong!) After Addie is orphaned at a young age, her half brother Lemuel packs her off the boarding school - where she and the other girls become fast friends, standing against the mean brood of older girls and working through the highs and lows of maturing into young ladies in the early 1900s. We learn their story through the adult voices of Addie (now Rosaline) and Dot. We know that with the backdrop of WWI and the Halifax explosion  looming along with the jealousy that comes with young love, some tragedy has destroyed the bond shared by the girls. We  yearn for some resolution for them because Gohlke has created characters and a world with whom we quickly fall in love.

Not because they are so classically lovable, but because they are so complex. Faced with difficult decisions, Addie and Dot both disappoint the reader on occasion. Gohlke portrays their humanity so effectively that we find ourselves hurting with them and rooting for them. Stephanie Richardson captures their spirits in such a lovely way contributing to their relatability. She also evokes that spirit of Anne Shirley in her performance - just reminding me of the many Annes whom I have loved over the years. L.M. Montgomery is featured as a correspondent to budding writer Addie. If, like me, you love Montgomery’s characters you will want to get to know Addie and Dot and their friends.

I have been lucky enough to visit both Prince Edward Island - where I did all of the Anne of Green Gables and L.M. Montgomery sites and Halifax where I learned of the explosion at the museums there. Gohlke is faithful to the spirit and history of these locations. If you love history and setting, you will want to dive into this book. The plot is engaging and suspenseful as the reader moves back and forth from past to present. Gohlke expertly offers details throughout and cleverly maintains some secrets until the very end. If you have lived long enough to appreciate the intricacies of maintaining friendships over time, you will want to walk through the journey of these four friends with them. The lessons of both friendship and faith are beautifully rendered. I am inspired to value my friendships more intensely and to respect my faith more fully. 

Thanks to NetGalley for and advance copy to read for this review.

The Favor

The Favor- Adele Griffin (audiobook)
Genre: Contemporary Adult Fiction

What an interesting and at times suspenseful look at adult friendship - in The Favor Adele Griffin (with Kristen Sieh as our narrator) takes us on a complex journey with Nora and Evelyn from the moment they meet in I’ll Have Seconds - a vintage retail store. Nora, who works there, finds just what Evelyn is looking for and more so it seems a friendship is born. The friendship immediately became awkward for me when Evelyn talks Nora into selling her some vintage books with an offer she can’t refuse. Here was a woman accustomed to getting what she wanted and a woman who was just a bit starstruck giving in. I was slightly uncomfortable with this dynamic throughout the novel (and to be fair to this reader, Nora’s husband is too). The women stay in touch, often in the form of Evelyn needing Nora’s help as a stylist and a personal assistant - often intruding into Nora’s personal life.

We learn that Nora and her husband are in significant debt largely due to their infertility journey. They are just keeping finances under control and have just one embryo left on which their hopes for a family of their dreams rest. The tension in their city apartment is palpable. When Evelyn offers to be a surrogate - at a really good financial deal, it almost feels too good to be true.

And that is where Griffin excels for me. I was on edge the entire time I was listening. Is Evelyn for real? Would Nora’s marriage survive the friendship? Would Evelyn carry the baby to term and let her go? Griffin does an excellent job of creating and maintaining these tensions. I also appreciated her look at the “influencer” lifestyle and exploring its impact on Evelyn’s pregnancy and Nora’s experience. This culture has become so prevalent, and I’m not sure we always think through the consequences of it for creators and for consumers. And, as with the relationships, Griffin doesn’t offer easy solutions here either. She doesn’t provide an easy answer. Neither does she resolve the friendship issues that ultimately develop between Nora and Evelyn easily. Nora’s struggle becomes the reader’s struggle, and again I was 100% engaged the entire time. The ending (spoiler free) does provide a twist, and not the one I expected.