Grades have been turned in. Holiday road trip is complete. Final performance of the season is behind me. I am officially on vacation! I started the change of pace before leaving Plainview and got quite a bit of reading done along the way.
What I Finished This Week
The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore. Even though this wasn’t the Christmas novel that I thought I was going to be reading, I thoroughly enjoyed this trip to the town of Dream Harbor. Hazel manages this cute bookstore in town. She is searching for adventure as she nears her 30th birthday at the end of the summer. Mysteriously, some books are being shelved backwards and have pages earmarked (the horror!). Each book seems to indicate a personal adventure for her to take. What fun are adventures alone? So Hazel enlists the help of Noah, Dream Harbor’s handsome fisherman. As any reader would expect, the adventures turn into romantic outings, our characters fall in love, and the outrageousness ensues. Is this series rather cheesy? Absolutely. Did I still enjoy it? Apparently, because I’m reading the next book in the series as part of the Christmas mini-challenge.
A Christmas Murder by Mary Grand. I’m not sure if this short novel qualifies as a cozy mystery, but it was a book that I struggled to read. The premise is simple enough — father of an eccentric family dies under questionable circumstances — and an amateur sleuth steps in to save the day. I suppose the book was well-written enough. I just didn’t find the plot or characters compelling. I think I need my mysteries to include a little more intrigue and suspense. I made it through because I just wouldn’t let myself pick up anything else until I had attempted to finish this mystery.
JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography by Liz McNeil and RoseMarie Terenzio. With large portions of four days spent in my car last week, I was able to devote significant time to finishing this 14 hour audiobook. Truly, the account of the life of John Kennedy, Jr. by those who knew him personally was fascinating. However, I think the book could have been shortened by a few hours without negative impact. After the reports about the plane crash, the public’s response, and John’s funeral, the biography should have ended. While Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s death is clearly linked to John’s story, the lengthy exploration of her memorial service and the family’s blame of John for her death was unnecessarily long. The coda included a final opportunity for each contributor to say one final thing about why JFK Jr. was so important to society. The reader already had a clear understanding about how much each cared for the man based upon their statements throughout the book. The coda simply felt like an unnecessary pissing match — an attempt to say “I knew him best.”
What I’m Currently Reading
I needed new books before heading to Nashville for a quick performance. I wasn’t ready for another mystery and I certainly did not want another biography. I wanted something fast-paced and still in the holiday spirit, so Christmas romances are the order of the day again. The plan is to head to the local library this week to see if I can find another holiday genre to clear my palette after reading these.
The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore (p. 56 of 342). Another of the Dream Harbor books, I knew exactly what to expect when I started reading this short novel. Like Cinnamon Bun Book Store, I’m finding the book has a very slow start. Since the main characters were briefly introduced in the previous book, I’m not coming into this environment completely blind, but I’m still not invested in their relationship. I’m hoping that the pace will pick up as I get a little further into the book and the romance begins to bloom between our unlikely lovers.
My Favorite Holidate by Lauren Blakely (p. 112 of 479). Talk about a cliche premise! Fable, our heroine, walks in on her boyfriend having a little too much fun with the caterer at her boss’ Thanksgiving dinner. When Fable’s sister announces at the same dinner that she is getting married at Christmas at the boss’ Christmas extravaganza and the two-timing ex-boyfriend is also in the wedding party, Fable has to come up with a plan to survive. That’s when she and her handsome billionaire boss concoct a scheme to “fake date” through the end of the holidays. Fable wants to stick it to her ex; her boss wants to show her how a woman should be treated….and maybe fall in love in the process. Blakely’s books are always for mature audiences and are mixed with lots of humor and innuendo. I’m really enjoying this read just because of how outrageous the situation is, but I’m also rooting for Fable to land the man who will treat her as she deserves.
Reading for Me 
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