Thursday, November 5, 2009

Review: The Christmas Clock by Kat Martin

The Christmas Clock The Christmas Clock by Kat Martin




My rating: 4.5/5.0

I received this ARC from Kim Miller at Nancy Berland Public Relations for review. 





My Review:

This is your perfect holiday feel good read. The note I made myself in my notebook while reading this says, "You know where this book is going from the start, but the joy of this book is reading how it gets there." And that is so true. After 10 or so pages you know exactly who was talking in the prologue and how it will end, but the journey is amazing.

I fell in love with the small town and the characters. There are actually several stories going on with Syl and Joe's old romance and strange circumstances to Syl's leaving town years ago being at the forefront. The other stories involve Lottie Sparks trying to find a home for Teddy Sparks because she has Alzheimer's. And the final story is between Doris and Floyd Culver whose marriage is showing wear from the years together.

Kat Martin weaves these three storylines magically together and it's a pure feel good novel. I loved the romance of the book. It's a wonderful story to read during the magical Christmas season. It reminds you there is good out there and if you try you can find it.

About the book:
Sylvia Winters just found a job and an apartment in her hometown of Dreyerville, Michigan, but she is hesitant to return. Eight years ago, she jilted her fiancĂ©, Joe Dixon, telling him that she was moving to Chicago because small-town living was not for her. But she was lying. Syl was headed to Chicago to be treated for cervical cancer. Sadly, Joe never knew the real reason she left him. Confused and distraught, he turned to drinking to heal the pain, until he accidentally killed a man and served years in jail. Now Syl and Joe are both back in town, but it will take a miracle to bring them back into each other’s arms.
Also in town is Lottie Sparks and her grandson, Teddy. Ever since Lottie’s daughter was killed in a drunk-driving accident, Lottie’s been in charge of Teddy. He appreciates her love more than she knows, so much so that the industrious eight-year-old hits up Joe’s auto body shop, so he can save enough money by Christmas to buy his grandmother a Victorian clock she adores—one that vividly reminds her of her childhood, even as the rest of her memories are slipping away with the onset of advanced Alzheimer’s.
As spring turns to summer and summer to fall, matters in the Sparks’ household take a turn for the worse. And with winter approaching, will a little hope and a big dose of Christmas magic be enough to make everything all right again?

Challenges:
100+ Book Challenge
Fall Into Reading Challenge 2009


October Summary

October was a busy month around my house, but I still managed to get a lot of reading done.  It was a fun month and Halloween was a blast - with my youngest a year older, we actually managed to trick-or-treat in two neighborhoods. The classic line of the night was uttered by my 4-year-old when a nice older lady gave him 50 cents - "But you're supposed to give us candy".  We'll have to work on teaching him about money.  The 8-year-old on the other hand was thrilled with the money.  The big take of the night was a glow stick - next year I'm buying some of those for the boys to start out the night with!

I read a grand total of 31 books this month - my largest total to date and it came out to 7,699 pages. I also read 15 new authors again this month.

Library books read:

  1. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith and Jane Austen - review
  2. Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz - review
  3. Hell's Gate by Stephen Frey - review
  4. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe - review
  5. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare - review
  6. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson - review
  7. Maze of Bones (39 Clues Book 1) by Rick Riordan
  8. Always Watching by Brandilyn and Amberly Collins - review
  9. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Review Books read

  1. Stretch Marks by Kimberly Stuart - review
  2. The Last Word by Kathy Herman - review
  3. See Mom Run: Side Splitting Essays from the World's Most Harried Blogging Moms by Beth Feldman - review 
  4. Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly - review
  5. Love You To Death by Shannon K. Butcher - review
  6. Spinning Forward by Terri Dulong - review
  7. Last Breath by Brandilyn and Amberly Collins - review
  8. Sex, Drugs and Gefilte Fish by Shana Liebman - review
  9. The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate
Audiobooks listened to with my son:

  1. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis - review 
  2. Tonight on the Titanic by Mary Pope Osborne - review 
  3. Buffalo at Breakfast by Mary Pope Osborne - review
  4. Tigers at Twilight by Mary Pope Osborne - review
  5. Twister on Tuesday by Mary Pope Osborne - review
  6. Earthquake in the Early Morning by Mary Pope Osborne - review
  7. Revolutionary War on Wednesday by Mary Pope Osborne - review 
  8. Civil War on Sunday by Mary Pope Osborne - review
  9. Dingos at Dinnertime by Mary Pope Osborne - review
Audiobooks:

  1. Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris - review
  2. Purity in Death by J.D. Robb - review
Booksfree subscription books read:

  1. Against All Odds by Irene Hannon - review
  2. Would I Lie to You by Cecily von Ziegesar - review

I did well with my reviews this month - just a few to catch up on the next few days