Book

Priceless (Rylee Adamson #1) By: Shannon Mayer

Priceless

Priceless (Rylee Adamson #1) By: Shannon Mayer

Plot:

“My name is Rylee and I am a Tracker.” When children go missing, and the Humans have no leads, I’m the one they call. I am their last hope in bringing home the lost ones. I salvage what they cannot. I’m on the FBI’s wanted list. I have a werewolf for a pet, a Witch of a best friend, and have no need for anyone else in my life. But when a salvage starts to spin out of control, help comes from a most unexpected direction. One that is dangerously dark, brooding, and doesn’t know a thing about the supernatural. One whose kisses set me on fire.

Review:

Wow! This book is so great and it blindsided me. I’m always looking for something to tide me over until the next Ilona Andrews or Patricia Briggs book comes out, but no matter how many recommendations I get nothing ever measures up. This was as close as I’ve gotten and I’m so freakin happy!

Rylee reminds me of Kate Daniels, she’s not as big a badass, but she’s got that same moral compass and feel to her. O’Shea is definitely not the beast lord but he’s the perfect match for Rylee and I love him already.

Enjoyed all the strays that were picked up along the way and I’m looking forward to learning more about the world.

When I bought this it was $.99 and it is worth so much more than that. As soon as I finished I bought the second one and I am thrilled to see that I have so many books ahead of me to read.

5/5

The Fat Man: A Tale of North Pole Noir By: Ken Harmon

The Fat Man The Fat Man: A Tale of North Pole Noir By: Ken Harmon

Plot: A satire of traditional Christmas stories and noir, The Fat Man makes the perfect gift for the literary-minded. A hardboiled elf is framed for murder in a North Pole world that plays reindeer games for keeps, and where favorite holiday characters live complex lives beyond December. Fired from his longtime job as captain of the Coal Patrol, two-foot-three inch 1,300-year-old elf Gumdrop Coal is angry. He’s one of Santa’s original elves, inspired by the fat man’s vision to bring joy to children on that one special day each year. But somewhere along the way things went sour for Gumdrop. Maybe it was delivering one too many lumps of coal for the Naughty List. Maybe it’s the conspiracy against Christmas that he’s starting to sense down every chimney. Either way, North Pole disillusionment is nothing new: Some elves brood with a bottle of nog, trying to forget their own wish list. Some get better. Some get bitter. Gumdrop Coal wants revenge. Justice is the only thing he knows, and so he decides to give a serious wakeup call to parents who can’t keep their vile offspring from landing on the Naughty List. But when one parent winds up dead, his eye shot out with a Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model BB gun, Gumdrop Coal must learn who framed him and why. Along the way he’ll escape the life-sucking plants of the Mistletoe Forrest, battle the infamous Tannenbomb Giant, and survive a close encounter with twelve very angry drummers and their violent friends. The horrible truth lurking behind the gingerbread doors of Kringle Town could spell the end of Christmas-and of the fat man himself. Holly Jolly!

Review: The first two thirds of this book were good bordering on great. I was wondering if Ken Harmon had any more books to read and was planning on looking into them immediately. Then I was side swiped with an overly sentimental and religious ending and it totally killed my buzz. The book was filled with all kinds of innuendo and language so I was surprised at where Harmon went with the ending. I wasn’t surprised at the inclusion of Christ in the story, he had everyone else associated with Christmas, I was surprised at the complete change in tone of the story. It went from very noir in language and feel to just another religious Christmas book.

2.5/5

The Autobiography of Santa Claus As Told To: Jeff Guinn

The Autobiography of Santa Claus

The Autobiography of Santa Claus As Told To: Jeff Guinn

Plot:

It all started when Jeff Guinn was assigned to write a piece full of little-known facts about Christmas for his paper, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. A few months later, he received a call from a gentleman who told him that he showed the story to an important friend who didn’t think much of it. And who might that be? asked Jeff. The next thing he knew, he was whisked off to the North Pole to meet with this “very important friend,” and the rest is, well, as they say, history. An enchanting holiday treasure, The Autobiography of Santa Claus combines solid historical fact with legend to deliver the definitive story of Santa Claus. And who better to lead us through seventeen centuries of Christmas magic than good ol’ Saint Nick himself? Families will delight in each chapter of this new Christmas classic-one per each cold December night leading up to Christmas!

Review:

Wow this book took me forever to read. It’s not difficult and there’s almost always something going on, but it’s very much a history book so sometimes it can be dry. Santa also seems to be a collector of famous people. King Arthur, Saint Francis, Leonardo Da Vinci, Ben Franklin. Really?

They constantly referred to Santa as being fat and he was very sensitive about it which was kind of odd.

I can’t say if the dates and history mentioned are accurate, obviously not all the history facts are true, but it seems well researched just from what I remember of history.

I thought the overall idea was really interesting but ultimately this was a book for Christians that still want to teach their children about Santa and at the same time feel like they aren’t taking away from Christ.

3/5

 

Landline

Landline

Landline By: Rainbow Rowell

Plot:

Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble. That it’s been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that almost seems beside the point now. Maybe that was always beside the point. Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn’t expect to him to pack up the kids and go home without her. When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything. That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts . . . Is that what she’s supposed to do? Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?

Review:

I never should have doubted Rainbow Rowell. I wasn’t sure about this book, the blurb seemed alright, just not my cup of tea. I started reading and then had to force myself to stop at two in the morning because my daughter has been waking up at five and I needed sleep.

I love the fact that her characters are so real. The husband at one point is described as a hobbit. All the sags and wrinkles of the woman are mentioned, these aren’t the models that normally have stories, these are real people. Love it!

I cried, of course. She knows exactly what strings to pull and normally I hate crying when I read. Nope, not with Rowell. Her books make me cry for the people but at the same time she still gives them hope. There’s a real ending, a happy ending, but not an unrealistically happy one.

This also happens to be a Christmas book. If you can count Die Hard as a Christmas movie then this is definitely a Christmas book. The setting is Christmas. Christmas is mentioned by the characters and it plays a part of the story. It’s not a huge part, but it’s still there. Wonder why it wasn’t released at Christmas?

Anyway, if you liked Rowell’s book Attachments I think you’ll like this one. It’s not like Eleanor and Park or Fangirl, those are both YA. This is closer to Attachments, another great book, by the way.

So looking forward to whatever she has yet to come.

5/5

A Very Klingon Khristmas By: Paul Ruditis Illustrated By: Patrick Faricy

A Very Klingon Khristmas

A Very Klingon Khristmas By: Paul Ruditis Illustrated By: Patrick Faricy

Plot:

This hilarious parody firmly plants Klingons at the center of the Christmas story;where they rightly should be; including everything from a Santa equipped with retractable claws, tribbles in the stockings of naughty Klingon boys and girls, and the spirited holiday warmth of a hot cup of mulled blood wine. Illustrated in a classic Norman Rockwell;inspired style, A Very Klingon Khristmas is the perfect holiday gift for every Star Trek fan!

Review:

Now this is a Christmas book you can read to your children with pride. Great artwork. Great story. This is a wonderful, classic, heartwarming Christmas story.

I don’t happen to know Klingon, sadly, but there are several times it is used in the story. However, having watched plenty of Star Trek, and the fact that it rhymed, I didn’t have any problem reading it.

Honestly if you like Star Trek there is really no reason not to own this book. Imagine the joy you can have by introducing your young children to Star Trek through this book.

5/5