Brenda Reads

On A Snowy Night by Debbie Macomber

Wow, I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't been reading lately.  Until this week, I hadn't picked up a book for a few months.

Yesterday and today though, I did some light and enjoyable Christmas reading.  On A Snowy Night by Debbie Macomber actually contains two stories.  The first is called the Christmas Basket, the second is the Snow Bride.  Both are rather sappy predictable romances, but I enjoyed them immensely, particularly the second story.  They were perfect light reading for this Christmas weekend.

A few days earlier, I finally finished Yarn Harlot's first Bookbookbook, At Knits End.  I took my time with this book as I really wanted to savour it.  It was an enjoyable read, and since this book is old news in Blogland, I'm not going to say any more about it.  I'm happy to report that I received Stephanie's second book, Yarn Harlot : The Secret Life of a Knitter for Christmas, and am looking forward to reading it as well.

Merry Christmas!

River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze

by Peter Hessler

This book was loaned to me by my sister, and came very strongly recommended.  I was not dissappointed as this book "grabbed" me from the start.  The book describes the author's two years in China, teaching at a college as a Peace Corps volunteer, beginning in 1996.  I really enjoyed his insights into Chinese culture, and accounts of some his experiences in that country.  As a Canadian of partial Chinese descent, I always enjoy learning more about the country where some of my ancestors originated. 

To learn more about this book, you can visit Amazon (including reviews and ordering info) here, and you can read an interview of the author here.

Book Quiz

Not much reading happening here, but I'm trying to change that.  I'm actually about a quarter way through a really interesting book (see sidebar) that I'll hopefully finish and be able to blog about soon.  In the meantime, I just took this fun quiz, and thought I'd post the result here:

You're Anne of Green Gables!
by L.M. Montgomery
Bright, chipper, vivid, but with the emotional fortitude of cottage cheese, you make quite an impression on everyone you meet. You're impulsive, rash, honest, and probably don't have a great relationship with your parents. People hurt your feelings constantly, but your brazen honestly doesn't exactly treat others with kid gloves. Ultimately, though, you win the hearts and minds of everyone that matters. You spell your name with an E and you want everyone to know about it.
Take the Book Quiz at the Blue Pyramid.

Some of this is true, but some not so much.  I'll leave it at that, use your imagination!

A Good Yarn

I really enjoyed the second book in this series by Debbie Macomber, possibly even more than The Shop on Blossom Street.  Once again, there were great characters that you really felt like you knew.  My only disappointment was that the characters from the first book were given only minimal mention.  I really wanted to know more about what was going on in their lives.  There were very sappy moments in this book (particularly the ending) but I loved it nonetheless, and will have to admit my sappy tendencies.  For more info on this book, go here.

I've certainly been reading books of the light and fluffy genre here lately.  I think I'd better pull out something of more substance next.

Moon Over Water

by Debbie Macomber

I found this book in the office book exchange a little while ago, and knowing that the author also had written The Shop on Blossom Street, I grabbed it.

What I liked about this book:

• The characters and story line were completely different than Blossom Street.  I liked that, as it shows the writer's diversity.
• The plot kept me interested in the book
• There was a nice, happy ending.  Intersestingly, I read a review over at Amazon where the reviewer didn't like the ending, but it worked for me.

The only thing I didn't like about the book:

• rather melodramatic at times.

But, all in all, a good book that I'd recommend as nice light reading.  Rather than describe what this book is about myself, you can read more about it here.  Basically though, it is a romantic adventure tale.

Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella

Since I enjoyed the Shopaholic Series so much, I decided to pick up another book by its author.  This book was written in much the same style, and I felt that the characters were very similar as well.  The setting is once again England, and the heroine is again a single woman in her twenties.  There is a romantic twist to the book as well.   It was however a very entertaining book with some "laugh out loud" moments.  I enjoyed it very much, despite some rather disparaging references to crochet!

I'm going to pick something else light to take along on my trip to the North Island tomorrow, but I really must get into something of more substance soon.

The Shop On Blossom Street

by Debbie Macomber

I began this book with very low expectations.  It's the book that has been talked about on knitting blogs and knitting lists, about four women whose lives come together around a yarn store.  The was very light reading, but very enjoyable.  I really enjoyed the characters, and couldn't put the book down.  I'd highly recommend this book, and will definitely be looking for the author's newest release, A Good Yarn.

Other info:  for more info about this book, including an excerpt, go here.
Info and excerpt about the sequel, a Good Yarn, here.
And finally, the author's blog is here.

The Convict Lover

Last night I finished reading the Convict Lover by Merilyn Simonds.  This book was recommended and loaned to me by a co-worker.  This true story is set in Ontario shortly after the First World War.  A young teen and her family live near a penitentiary, and she begins a correspondence relationship with a convict.  You can read more about this book here.  This was a really interesting book that I enjoyed a lot. 

Shopaholic and Sister, by Sophie Kinsella

This book was a very kind RAOK from Anne, all the way from the UK.  The softcover book isn't even available here in North America, and it was so nice of her to send it.  Anne, if you're reading, thanks again!

I finished this book earlier this week.  Now compared to the last book I read, this was pure fluff.  It was however very enjoyable light reading that I could not put down.  Shopaholic and Sister is the fourth book in a series.  A self-confessed Shopaholic myself, I find these books entertaining.  I can identify with the main character, although I'm not NEARLY as bad as her.  I do afterall, pay off my bills every month.  You can read more about this book here.  I recommend this book, and in fact the whole series, for a light and enjoyable read.

Great Read!

This was an absolutely fabulous book.  You can learn more about it by clicking on the above image, which will take you to the Publisher's website.  Seems fitting that the first book I read in 2005 be by the same author as the first book of 2004 (and the start of this blog).  Ann Marie MacDonald's second book, The Way the Crow Flies, is in my humble opinion, far superior to her first, Fall on Your Knees, which was still a really good book.  I did find it a little hard to get into initially, but once into it, couldn't put it down.  I read about two-thirds of this 800 page book in the last five days alone.  What did I like about it?  Great plot, undpredictable twists, and well-devleoped characters.  I also appreciated the pop culture references from the Sixties and Seventies, and the Canadian setting.  I'd definitely recommend this book, and will be passing my copy on to family and friends.