Happy Tuesday from the sunny and HOT south! I really wasn’t feeling this week’s TTT prompt — wishlist books. So, I decided to feature books with the word wish in the title. That quickly evolved into books with wish(es), hope(s), and dream(s) in the title. I hope you find one to love!
Have you started your Christmas reading yet? I generally wait until Thanksgiving before cracking open the holiday books, so it was with great expectation that I chose The Wish Book Christmas by Lynn Austin for the first novella of the season. It’s also my book club’s December selection. Find out all about it, plus my thoughts below.
From bestselling author Lynn Austin comes a nostalgic and endearing holiday sequel to If I Were You that reminds us that sometimes the most meaningful gifts are the ones we least expect and don’t deserve.
Best friends Audrey Barrett and Eve Dawson are looking forward to celebrating Christmas in postwar America, thrilled at the prospect of starting new traditions with their five-year-old sons. But when the 1951 Sears Christmas Wish Book arrives and the boys start obsessing over every toy in it, Audrey and Eve realize they must first teach them the true significance of the holiday.
They begin by helping Bobby and Harry plan gifts of encouragement and service for those in their community, starting by walking an elderly neighbor’s yellow Lab—since a dog topped the boys’ wish list for Santa. In the charming tale that follows, Audrey and Eve are surprised to find their own hearts healing from the tragedies of war and opening to the possibility of forgiveness and new love.
Award winning author Lynn Austin was a former teacher who now writes and speaks full time, has won eight Christy Awards for her historical fiction. One of those novels, Hidden Places, has also been made into a Hallmark Channel movie. Lynn and her husband have raised three children . Now that the children are now grown she’s experiencing the joy of grandchildren. She lives in Western Michigan where the woods and beaches of Lake Michigan inspire her every day.
My Impressions:
The Wish Book Christmas by Lynn Austin was the first book I chose to read this holiday season. First off, it is a sequel to If I Were You, so if you haven’t read that novel (like me), I recommend you do that first. There are a lot of spoilers. With that said, I plunged ahead. No real regrets here. This historical fiction set in America in the early 1950s follows two British friends who have left England for a new start in America. The women are now sharing a home and raising their kindergarten-aged boys alone. When the two boys discover a Sears Catalog Wish Book, the two women decide to teach them about the real gifts in life. What they don’t expect is to be reminded of the gifts that they have received from God. The novella-length book is filled with nostalgic details and a strong Christmas-vibe. The theme of real gifts is a reminder to the reader of the true meaning of Christmas. God is strongly portrayed as the giver of all good gifts — “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow” (James 1:17). I loved the message, the characters, the blend of poignant and humorous scenes, the romances, and the setting of a hope-filled era. I can’t wait to discuss The Wish Book Christmas with my book club!
Recommended.
Audience: Adults.
(I purchased the ebook from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
It’s Freebie time at Top 10 Tuesday! While the possibilities are endless, I decided to list the Christmas books (0r Christmas-adjacent) I am reading this month (and a couple I read during Thanksgiving week). I am in full Christmas spirit mode which is surprising for me because I am generally a Scrooge until mid-December. But I’ve already started shopping and I put the wreath on the door yesterday 😉 . The books have certainly jump-started the season for me. I hope you find a book to love!
My book club always chooses a Christmas book to read in December. This year our selection is The Wish Book Christmas by Lynn Austin. Filled with nostalgia, this book focuses on the real gifts of Christmas. If you have read If I Were You, you are in for a treat. If not, the novella-length book can be read as a standalone, but I would recommend reading IfI Were You first.
Have you read it? We would love to know your thoughts.
From bestselling author Lynn Austin comes a nostalgic and endearing holiday sequel to If I Were You that reminds us that sometimes the most meaningful gifts are the ones we least expect and don’t deserve.
Best friends Audrey Barrett and Eve Dawson are looking forward to celebrating Christmas in postwar America, thrilled at the prospect of starting new traditions with their five-year-old sons. But when the 1951 Sears Christmas Wish Book arrives and the boys start obsessing over every toy in it, Audrey and Eve realize they must first teach them the true significance of the holiday.
They begin by helping Bobby and Harry plan gifts of encouragement and service for those in their community, starting by walking an elderly neighbor’s yellow Lab—since a dog topped the boys’ wish list for Santa. In the charming tale that follows, Audrey and Eve are surprised to find their own hearts healing from the tragedies of war and opening to the possibility of forgiveness and new love.
Award winning author Lynn Austin was a former teacher who now writes and speaks full time, has won eight Christy Awards for her historical fiction. One of those novels, Hidden Places, has also been made into a Hallmark Channel movie. Lynn and her husband have raised three children . Now that the children are now grown she’s experiencing the joy of grandchildren. She lives in Western Michigan where the woods and beaches of Lake Michigan inspire her every day.
My book club read A Bookseller in Madrid by Mario Escobar this month. While I had high hopes for the book, I was disappointed. I just felt that there was something missing. But have no fear, I have books to recommend that you won’t want to miss! If you love the power of words and books, then these are for you!
The Librarian of Saint-Malo by Mario Escobar
Libraries are being ransacked. France is torn apart by war. A French librarian is determined to resist. Told through smuggled letters to an author, an ordinary librarian describes the brutal Nazi occupation of her small coastal village and the extraordinary measures she takes to fight back.
Saint-Malo, France: August 1939. Jocelyn and Antoine are childhood sweethearts, but just after they marry, Antoine is drafted to fight against Germany. As World War II rages, Jocelyn uses her position as a librarian in her town of Saint-Malo to comfort and encourage her community with books. Jocelyn begins to write secret letters smuggled to a famous Parisian author, telling her story in the hope that it will someday reach the outside world.
France falls and the Nazis occupy Jocelyn’s town, turning it into a fortress. The townspeople try passive resistance, but the German commander ruthlessly begins to destroy part of the city’s libraries. Books deemed unsuitable by the Nazis are burnt or stolen, and priceless knowledge is lost.
Risking arrest and even her life, Jocelyn manages to hide some of the books while desperately waiting to receive news from her husband Antoine, now a prisoner in a German camp.
Jocelyn’s mission unfolds in her letters: to protect the people of Saint-Malo and the books they hold so dear. Mario Escobar brings to life the occupied city in sweeping and romantic prose, re-creating the history of those who sacrificed all to care for the people they loved.
Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles
1918: As the Great War rages, Jessie Carson takes a leave of absence from the New York Public Library to work for the American Committee for Devastated France. Founded by millionaire Anne Morgan, this group of international women help rebuild destroyed French communities just miles from the front. Upon arrival, Jessie strives to establish something that the French have never seen—children’s libraries. She turns ambulances into bookmobiles and trains the first French female librarians. Then she disappears.
1987: When NYPL librarian and aspiring writer Wendy Peterson stumbles across a passing reference to Jessie Carson in the archives, she becomes consumed with learning her fate. In her obsessive research, she discovers that she and the elusive librarian have more in common than their work at New York’s famed library, but she has no idea their paths will converge in surprising ways across time.
Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin
Alice Grace Ripley lives in a dream world, her nose stuck in a book. But happily-ever-after life she’s planned on suddenly falls apart when her boyfriend, Gordon, breaks up with her, accusing her of living in a world of fiction instead of the real world. Then to top it off, Alice loses her beloved job at the library because of cutbacks due to the Great Depression.
Fleeing small-town gossip, Alice heads to the mountains of eastern Kentucky to deliver five boxes of donated books to the library in the tiny coal-mining village of Acorn. Dropped off by her relatives, Alice volunteers to stay for two weeks to help the librarian, Leslie McDougal.
But the librarian turns out to be far different than she anticipated–not to mention the four lady librarians who travel to the remote homes to deliver the much-desired books. While Alice is trapped in Acorn against her will, she soon finds that real-life adventure and mystery — and especially romance — are far better than her humble dreams could have imagined.
Happy Tuesday! I live in Georgia, a state with many natural delights. Beaches, mountains, swamps, even a little grand canyon! — lots of places to explore nature. Today’s TTT topic is nature found in book titles or on covers. I chose two rambles — the woods of north Georgia and the beaches of the Golden Isles. The titles of the books I chose feature things that can be seen on nature walks in both locations. Some of the covers do double duty for today’s topic too! I hope you find a book to excite your imagination!
For more nature musings, check out The Artsy Reader Girl.
Happy Tuesday! Today’s TTT is Water. Bloggers could choose titles or covers depicting water. I could have gone with places you find water — lakes, creeks, rivers, oceans, bays, waves, rain . . . even tears, but I chose to stick to plain old water(s) in the title. I was amazed at how quickly I compiled 10 titles. All but one of the novels has water on its cover too! Win-win! The books chosen represent a variety of genres, so there should be one you like.
Happy Tuesday! Today TTT is featuring favorite heroines. I have been a bookworm since forever, and I love a character that shares my passion for books and reading. They are the kind of characters that become friends. My list today includes heroines that are unapologetic book nerds like me, or are those who come to love books in the course of the novel. It’s an eclectic list, as I am an eclectic reader. I hope you can find a book and heroine to love! Note on the list: all are randomly listed. In the case of series in which they appear, I have listed the first book.
Happy Tuesday! Surprise, surprise! I am actually sticking to the topic today. It was fun looking back at the books I’ve read to find titles (and covers!) that could be found on a map, albeit a fictional one. 😉 Many genres are represented. I hope you find a book to love!
I read all parts of a book. That’s right — the prologue, the afterword, even the copyright page 😉 . I also read epigraphs — any quotes that the author chooses to begin the story. Many authors choose scripture or a quote that gives some insight into what their book is all about. I like to keep them in mind as I delve into the stories. Today I am sharing those quotes from random books on my shelves. In the cases of the author using several quotes, I randomly chose just one. Lots of genres represented — enjoy!
Top Epigraphs — Quotes That Authors Chose to Begin Their Stories
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Yet he commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven, and he rained down on them manna to eat and gave them the grain of heaven. Man ate of the bread of angels.
Psalm 78:23-25
*****
I speak of peace, while covert enmity
Under the smile of safety wounds the world
William Shakespeare, King Henry IV, Part 2
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“I once was lost, but now I am found, was blind, but now I see.”
John Newton
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I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:5
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Love is not consolation. It is light.
Simone Weil
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Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
Psalm 82:3-4
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Loose yourself from the chains around your neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
Isaiah 52:2
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For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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