Category: Books

I love Sabuda's pop-up books. I'm amazed by how he combines complexity in the paper-crafting and simplicity in the color and design to make his books truly magical. The Christmas is no excpetion. Each letter has a door to open that reveals a pop-up that is one of the sights or thoughts of the season. Most of the pop-ups are white, a style Sabuda has used before, so the occasional colors truly stand out. I loved the word choices, like J for joy. It's definitely a book to share with the younger children in your life, but not one to give to them to read on their own. It's fragile and some of the words are too difficult for little ones. I like that it includes several religious-centered images. It's not all toys and decorations, it's angels and the baby in the manger, too. I think it's the perfect addition to a family's Christmas book collection. 4 out of 5 stars Category: Christmas - Picture...

The Finder by Colin Harrison is a gritty, graphic thriller. It was engrossing, but I can't say I necessarily enjoyed it. I listened to it on audio. The plot's interesting. Jin Li is a beautiful, young woman who is runs a company hired by Manhattan corporations to shred and destroy paper, some of which is confidential. What the businesses don't know is that not all of the paper is shredded. Jin Li and her brother, Chen, have been using the discarded secrets to manipulate the international stock markets, making a lot of money. It's all going well, until someone at the Good Pharma corporation, whose stock is plummeting, starts having suspicions. Two of Jin Li's workers die a disgusting death, the details of which were difficult to listen to, and Jin is on the run. Her brother forces Jin's old boyfriend, Ray Grant, to track her down. The characters run the gamit from the barely literate Mexican workers to billionaires in penthouses, and the story kept me listening, even when an...

No Mistletoe Required by Jeanette Murray is a charming Christmas romance, a perfect way to start the season. It's a short read, I probably read it in an hour give or take, but with a limited cast of characters and settings, it worked. I truly liked the couple and wanted things to work out between them. Dan Beckins is our Grinch, the man who doesn't celebrate Christmas, who doesn't want anything to do with the holiday, and he does have his reasons. Anna is our Elf. She loves Christmas and every year coordinates a Winter Wonderland for the Children's Hospital. This year, Dan's friend has roped him into helping, and he's pretty grumpy about it, until he sees Anna of course. She attractive and definitely grabs his attention, making him think maybe this year the season won't be so bad after all. Anna is not ready for a relationship at this point in time, which is predictable, but she does have a...

I love baseball. Actually, maybe I should rephrase that. I love going to baseball games.  I've never played, not even softball, I'm not a big fan of wathcing games on tv and listening on the radio is almost torture, but I truly enjoy going to games in the summer, cheering, eating, wearing the requesite team t-shirt. And yes, often going away wishing my team had won - I'm a fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates, not the best team in the league. David and I have thought for a couple of years that it would be fun to go down to spring training. Hang out in warm Florida, see some games, a baseball vacation. Cat McDaniel, the main character in Jen Estes' Curveball, doesn't go to spring training, but she does head south, spending the winter in Santo Domingo at a Buffalo Soldier's training camp. She's hoping for a job with the team as the team writer, but first has to spend three...

I've been waiting patiently for the Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge 2012 to begin. It runs today, November 19, through January 6. I love Christmas stories and  and have already posted a couple of reviews, but today is the official start of the challenge, hosted by Michelle at The Christmas Spirit. I am signing up for the Christmas Tree level, 5-6 books. These books have to be Christmas novels, books about Christmas lore, a book of Christmas short stories or poems, or books about Christmas crafts. I'm also throwing in Visions Sugar Plums, since I do love children's books, and maybe a movie or two as part of Fa La La La Films. Here are some of the books in my pile, but I'm sure my list will change. The Nutcracker by E. T. A Hoffmann A Christmas Garland by Anne Perry Romancing the Holiday by Jaci Burton, HelenKay Dimon and Christi Barth No Mistletoe Required by Jeanette Murray And here's the list of what I've actually read. Christmas Tree Level No Mistletoe Required by Jeanette...