Book Review: The Christmas Shoppe by Melody Carlson

The Christmas Shoppe by Melody Carlson

Publisher: Revell

Publish Date: September 1, 2011

Hardcover, 168 pages 
Fiction, Christian
 ISBN:  978-0800719265

My Review:
As a quick Christmas read, I really enjoyed The Christmas Shoppe.  It has a nice message, interesting characters and I like the small town setting of the book.  That said there isn't a whole lot of time to develop much more than that in a short book, but if you recognize the limitations of the format, then this book is a real gem to perk up your holidays and get you thinking about what is truly important to you.

First off the characters are interesting.  You have your good guys, your bad guys and a few who fall in between.  Matilda's shop opening seems to have polarized the town, with Councilman Snider's people on one side and then the people who don't think Matlilda is hurting anything on the other.  Matilda sits right in the middle, the mystery of it all in her when she remains vague on what her shop will actually be.  I really liked Susanna, she's new to town as well and trying to do her best job as town manager and as a single mother.  Tommy is the newspaper owner who is trying to decide whether to stay in town and keep the paper or run off roaming the world as he once wanted to do.  Of course these two single people meet each other but I'm not giving away anything else.

The Christmas Shoppe is at the center of the story and provides the magic.  I like how it wove into the story and changed lives.  It was cute, uplifting and profound at times.  I think anyone who reads the book will find someone to relate to in this book.  I know I could relate to several.

The book is well-written and interesting though it ends much too quickly.  I wish I could have more of the characters and the town, but alas it's just a short Christmas book.  However it is a well-done short Christmas book and my second by Ms. Carlson and I will continue to read her Christmas books each year to find that little bit of Christmas spirit in an unusual and thoughtful way.

My Rating: 4.25/5.0


About the Book:
The small town of Parrish Springs is not ready for Matilda Honeycutt. A strange older woman with scraggly gray hair and jewelry that jangles as she walks, Matilda is certainly not the most likely person to buy the old Barton Building on the town's quaint main street. When it becomes apparent that her new shop doesn't fit the expectations of Parrish Springs residents, a brouhaha erupts. After all, Christmas is approaching, and the last thing the town needs is a junky shop run by someone who looks and acts like a gypsy. But as townsfolk venture into the strange store, they discover that old memories can bring new life and healing.

Once again, Melody Carlson delivers a Christmas story that will touch hearts and delight the senses. Sure to be a classic, The Christmas Shoppe is filled with the special magic the best Christmas stories share--that intangible mixture of nostalgia, joy, and a little bit of magic
Available September 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

About the Author: 
Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books with sales of more than five million. She is the author of several Christmas books from Revell, including the bestselling The Christmas Bus, The Christmas Dog, and Christmas at Harrington’s, which is being considered for a TV movie. She is also the author of many teen books, including Just Another Girl, Anything but Normal, Double Take, and the Diary of a Teenage Girl series. Melody was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books in 2010 and 2011. She and her husband live in central Oregon. 

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FTC Information: I received this book from the publisher for an honest review. 

Book Review: The Three Trees by Elena Pasquali, Illustrated by Sophie Windham

The Three Trees: A Traditional Folktale by Elena Pasquali
Illustrated by Sophie Windham 

Publisher: Lion Hudson PLC

Publish Date: January 21, 2011

Children's Hardcover with dust jacket, 32 pages 
Fiction, Children's, Christian
 ISBN:  978-0745961705

My Review:
Beautifully illustrated and thoughtfully told, this re-telling of the traditional folktale really gets to the heart of the matter for children I thought.  Both of my boys seemed moved by the story.  For my 10-year-old who is all heart this admittedly does not take much. He takes all things to do with Jesus very seriously and I am proud of him for that. So hearing this tale just brought things more to home for him.  My 6-year-old is more restless and a little harder to get through to (I'm sure some of you understand), he understands about Jesus but at times he doesn't seem as reverent as my older son was even when he was 6.  However this book seems to get through to him.  Maybe it is the conciseness of the telling of Jesus' life in how the three tree's serve Him.  Maybe it's the powerfulness of the tale.  Maybe it was his mood.  But this book got through to him.  I have to admit it moved me as well.

Concise and to the point as a children's book should be, The Three Trees tells the story with the right amount of words and gorgeous illustrations that truly bring home the message of the words.  I think the illustrator did a wonderful job bringing the words to life in pictures.

I wish this book would have come into my house about 7 years ago so it could have become a Christmas and Easter staple.  I am sure I can get a few more years out of it, but my boys are quickly outgrowing picture books, but if you have children who are young then this is just the book for them and you as a parent.  You may be familiar with the story, I have to admit I was not, but I am glad I am now because it is a special story and one I will remember for quite awhile.

My Rating: 4.5/5.0


About the Book:
Three forest trees dream of what they will one day become. One dreams of becoming a royal throne; one of being a ship that can withstand any storm; and one longs to stay in the forest and grow as tall as tall can be. When they are felled, it seems their dreams are over. But as each tree is crafted into a new item--a manger, a fishing boat, and a rugged cross—it becomes clear that through the role they play in one important life their hopes are more than fulfilled.

This traditional folktale is accompanied by stylish artwork from a highly sought-after children's book illustrator, and will help set the Christmas and Easter stories into the overall context of the Christian faith.

About the Author: 
Elena Pasquali studied romance languages at university and has a special interest in researching folk tales. She worked for some years in children's publishing before going on to be an author in her own right. 
About the Illustrator: 
Sophie Windham has illustrated books for Bloomsbury and Orchard and was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal for Unicorns! Unicorns! by Geraldine McCaughrean. 

FTC Information: I received this book through Kregel Publications for an honest review. 

Waiting on Wednesday (8)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

I have been seeing this one for several months and have entered every contest I have seen trying to win this one, but haven't won it yet.  It looks like I'll be purchasing this for my Kindle unless you know of some giveaways still out and about.  If you do please let me know.  I have to have this book! :)

Dead to You by Lisa McMann
Publish Date: 2/7/2012

Ethan was abducted from his front yard when he was just seven years old. Now, at sixteen, he has returned to his family. It's a miracle... at first. Then the tensions start to build. His reintroduction to his old life isn't going smoothly, and his family is tearing apart all over again. If only Ethan could remember something, anything, about his life before, he'd be able to put the pieces back together. But there's something that's keeping his memory blocked. Something unspeakable...

So what are you waiting on this week?

Book Review: A Lasting Impression by Tamera Alexander

A Lasting Impression by Tamera Alexander

Publisher: Bethany House

Publish Date: October 15, 2011

Paperback, 424 pages 
Fiction, Historical, Christian, Romance
 ISBN: 978-0764206221

My Review:
Wow talk about being sucked right into a book.  Ms. Alexander managed to transport me right into post-Civil War Nashville within a few pages of A Lasting Impression.  And the only reason it took a few pages is the book starts off in New Orleans.

Right from the start I was enraptured by Claire Laurent.  So much tragedy has struck her life, yet she manages to keep rolling with the punches.  And yes she has done wrong but only because she had to and now she is trying to make a better life for herself in Nashville.  I like that Claire has a conscious and that it keeps telling her that she must tell her secret.  But of course, the story would not be a book if she told her secret right off.

I also really liked Sutton.  He is trying to put his life back together after tragedy as well.  He has no land, not much money and not much to fall back on besides his job with Mrs. Acklen.  However he finds himself falling for Miss Laurent as time passes.  But he has obligations and then there is that niggling bit of doubt about her as well.  Sutton  is a good strong male and I liked that about him.  He's at a place that he doesn't have much besides his job helping Mrs. Acklen but he enjoys that and he enjoys his time with Claire.  He also likes that Claire seems to see him for who he really is and she is one of the few people who really does.

The romance element was the obvious part of the story, but there is so much more to it than that.  I felt like each chapter I was unwrapping a present finding a new one beneath full of new surprises.  I loved learning new things about the Belmont mansion and about it's mistress, Mrs. Acklen.  The intrigue of Claire's secret following her around is always there too, and the reader is always wondering when that will come into play.  There are lots of delightful scenes of romance, happiness and some of sadness and all contribute to the overall feeling of this book.  It has the feel of a sweeping saga wrapped up in a pretty cover.

A Lasting Impression held my interest through the whole book.  I would often read 100 pages in a sitting with my two boys yelling and carrying on in the same room with me, yet I still felt like I was in Tennessee with the Acklens, Sutton and Claire.  It sweeps you away and doesn't let you down until you finish the last page.  And then the characters and places still stay with you after you close the book.  And you know with me, that is the mark of a good book.  This is my first Tamera Alexander book and I love finding new historical authors to read and she will surely be added to my list.

With wonderful themes of honesty, forgiveness and love of others, a plot that moves the book along quickly and characters I could identify with, A Lasting Impression did just that - it made a lasting impression on me.  And it's not one I will soon forget.  Claire, Sutton, the Acklens, Cordina, Eli, Zeke and many others will be remembered for quite some time as this delightful book continues to replay itself in my head.

My Rating: 5.0/5.0


About the Book:

A fake. A forger. More than anything, Claire Laurent longs for the chance to live an authentic life, to become the woman she wants to be. And she'll be given that choice. But will it come at too costly a price?

Claire Laurent's greatest aspiration is to paint something that will bring her acclaim. Yet her father insists she work as a copyist. A forger. When she's forced to flee from New Orleans to Nashville only a year after the War Between the States has ended, her path collides with attorney Sutton Monroe. She considers him a godsend for not turning her in to the authorities. But after he later refuses to come to her aid, Claire fears she's sorely misjudged the man. Finding herself among the elite of Nashville's society, Claire believes her dream to create a lasting impression in the world of art is within reach--but only if her fraudulent past remains hidden.

The Federal Army has destroyed Sutton's home and confiscated his land, and threatens to destroy his family's honor. His determination to reclaim what belongs to him and to right a grievous wrong reveals a truth that may cost him more than he ever imagined--as well as the woman he loves.Set at Nashville's historic Belmont Mansion, a stunning antebellum manor built by Mrs. Adelicia Acklen, A Lasting Impression is a sweeping love story about a nation mending after war, the redemption of those wounded, and the courage of a man and woman to see themselves--and each other--for who they really are.

About the Author: 

Tamera Alexander is a best-selling novelist whose deeply drawn characters, thought-provoking plots, and poignant prose resonate with readers. Having lived in Colorado for seventeen years, she and her husband now make their home in Nashville Tennessee, along with their two adult children who live near by. And don't forget Jack, their precious--and precocious--silky terrier.

For more information please visit www.tameraalexander.com  

Link to buy the book:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0764206222/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=sprightly-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0764206222&adid=1SZK3Y9GZE37X3HZPY6J

While Tamera and her book,  A Lasting Impression, are traveling across the country virtually (with a few international stops as well!), she will be hosting a Kindle Fire Giveaway (11/4 - 11/15) and preparing for a lavish Southern-Style Facebook Party (11/15) (dripping with hospitality, of course). She will be giving away Southern Food Baskets, books, and an array of other fabulous freebies! Don't miss a minute of the fun. Swoon!

Read what the reviewers are saying here.

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A Brand New Kindle Fire (shipped as soon as it releases)
• A copy of A Lasting Impression and 3 other special books Tamera wants you to have (for Kindle)

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends at noon on November 15th. Winner will be announced at A Lasting Impression Facebook Party on the 15th. Tamera will be wrapping up the A Lasting Impression celebration with an author chat and giving away Southern Food Baskets (Loveless Cafe Food Baskets, books, Amazon & Starbucks gift certificates, and copies of Christy Jordan's Southern Plate cookbook), six gift certificates to Starbucks and Amazon.com, and copies of A Lasting Impression! So grab your copy of A Lasting Impression (it's okay if you don't have one yet- you might win one!) and join Tamera on the evening of November 15th for an author chat, a trivia contest (How much do you know about the 1860's?) and lots of Southern-inspired giveaways (complete listing here).

Don't miss a moment of the fun. RSVP today and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER. Hope to see you on the 15th!

FTC Information: I received this book through Litfuse Publicity for an honest review.