Merry Christmas! I hope you all are enjoying a blessed holiday, doing what pleases you, and surrounded by people you love. My hubby and youngest daughter and I are having a quiet day, since the other four children are celebrating with other factions of their families. Frankly, after the frenzy of the last three weeks, the quiet is a welcome respite, and I’ll be ready for the next round of activity next weekend. I’ve got quiet time for organizing, re-charging, and of course, reading.
This is Free Week at Four Foxes, One Hound, and I’m celebrating the fact that I finished reading 50 great books this year! This month I’m sharing the last three in my Goodreads Reading Challenge, and all three are Christmas books written by people with whom I’ve interacted in various writers groups. If you’re in the mood for a holiday romance, I hope you find something that piques your interest.
Romance Rekindled by Diane Burton
I’ve loved all of the Alex O’Hara mysteries, so I knew I had to read this story, set in Alex’s hometown of Far Haven, Michigan. With the lakeshore setting and the Dutch last names, I felt right at home. But instead of Alex and Nick, this story focused on another resident, Abby TenEyck. She owns a little gift shop in the resort town, and has built a comfortable life with her daughter. But her life is turned upside down when her formerly straight-laced mother changes things up by getting arrested – with her new boyfriend George! Abby is outraged at what she sees as immature behavior. There were times when I wanted to shake Abby for being so reluctant to the accept her mother’s life choices, but George’s son Sam sums it up nicely: Abby doesn’t like change. Her mother, George, daughter Bethany, and Sam all help her to grow in this way, along with plenty of Christmas cheer.
The More the Merrier by Liwen Ho
I enjoyed this friends-to-more story. It’s quite short, so it can be read in an afternoon. I quickly identified with the characters, since Alyssa’s parents, with their high expectations and adherence to Asian traditions, reminded me of my own. Barry was adorable, and I liked the way he kept his achievements and good deeds to himself. He’s the perfect “diamond in the rough” character. Alyssa is a health food blogger. She’s driven, a type A personality, and it’s easy to see how she would overlook Barry as a serious boyfriend. The turning point at the end is quite abrupt, but otherwise this is a good story. A cute read!
Gingerbread at Moonglow by Deborah Garner
I won a paperback copy of this book in a Facebook giveaway last week. The cover is cute and inviting, and since my eyes were bothering me from all my end-of-the-year computer time, I decided to read this instead of one of the many still waiting for me on my kindle app. This is a pleasant little novella set in a rural Montana inn. Mist is the inn’s chef and activities director. She’s also a painter, although it seemed odd that she painted the canvases when they were already in their frames. Other than that, the story is a cute and easy read. There’s no external conflict, other than a few of the characters have minor problems to work out. It’s just a sweet little story of a group of people celebrating the holiday together. Several recipes for holiday favorites are included.
I’m all set to sign on to read another 50 books in 2018! What are you reading this holiday?
Angela Schroeder
Patricia Kiyono
Elaine Cantrell
Jeff Salter
Joselyn
Tonette Joyce
Four Foxes, One Hound 
Merry Christmas Patty.
These all sound like great books to cozy up with at this time of year.
I have several books that I need to read. I like how you did the 50 books this year. I should do something like that.
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I’ve been doing the Goodreads challenge for five years now, and I love it. It really keeps me on track – and it REALLY makes me appreciate my editors!
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I hope the day is all you hoped for!
I am also in awe of 50 books a year and would love to set anywhere near that goal. I am especially impressed when I consider all of your other activities. (You must also be a wiz at house work!)
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I had a great day with my husband and daughter. We won’t see the grandkids until this weekend, so I got a little organizing done and some crocheting. Hope you had a wonderful day, too! As for house work, my tip is – hire someone! I told my hubby a long time ago that I would much rather work and pay someone else to do the cleaning.
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It continues to amaze me how you can do all you do — with writing, music, family, etc. — and still find time to READ. Not only read, as in dabble with a magazine, but READ… as in 50 books. That’s about one per week.
I don’t have a count of what I’ve read, but I always have at least one book going here at home… and at least one other going at my mom’s house. I hardly ever work it out to just sit in a chair and read until I tire of it, so most of my reading is in dribs and drabs. I suppose I might get an hour per day on the book here — over numerous sessions — and something under a half hour with the book at my Mom’s. Makes it rather disjointed.
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I used to have books in various places – one in the car (for when I waited for kids), one in the bathroom, and one by my recliner. Now that most of the books I read are ebooks, I have my laptop open to my kindle app while I’m doing something else (eating, crocheting), except when my eyes are sore and I need to read regular books.
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I switched reading gears this week and am reading a Tom Clancy novel. It’s been a while since I’ve read any of his books, so I have to familiarize myself with the characters again. But it’s been fun.
If I spent less time reading social media, I could probably read a lot more books… but social media is ‘marketing’ right?
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Yes, social media takes up way too much time for me, too! I have to limit myself to five or ten minutes at a time. As for revisiiting familiar characters, I’ve had to do that with a few series!
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