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Molly J (Cover To Cover Cafe) (106 KP) rated The Gift Of Christmas Past in Books
Feb 27, 2019
As a long time fan of Cindy Woodsmall, I was excited to see what she what co wrote with her DIL. It was a book that I wouldn't be used to by her, as she's a wonderful Amish fiction novelist, and this is a contemporary novel. But, I was pleasantly surprised with this collaboration by these wonderful ladies!
I am a person who sometimes, unintentionally, holds on to the past and that can hinder me with my here and now. That's what this book is like. Hanging on to the past, and not being able to full move on or forgive. Hadley and Monroe are beautifully chiseled and have been through so much in their lives. My heart truly ached for their early years. But, both Cindy and Erin pieced together a beautiful story of hope, forgiveness and tenderness and gave readers an unforgettable Christmas story.
This is definitely worthy of 4 stars and keeping on the shelf! Both ladies are talented and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this collaboration. I highly recommend this Christmas read to all and look forward to more of these great stories! Well done, ladies!
*Cafinated Reads received a complimentary copy of this book from LitFuse Blog Tours and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
I am a person who sometimes, unintentionally, holds on to the past and that can hinder me with my here and now. That's what this book is like. Hanging on to the past, and not being able to full move on or forgive. Hadley and Monroe are beautifully chiseled and have been through so much in their lives. My heart truly ached for their early years. But, both Cindy and Erin pieced together a beautiful story of hope, forgiveness and tenderness and gave readers an unforgettable Christmas story.
This is definitely worthy of 4 stars and keeping on the shelf! Both ladies are talented and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this collaboration. I highly recommend this Christmas read to all and look forward to more of these great stories! Well done, ladies!
*Cafinated Reads received a complimentary copy of this book from LitFuse Blog Tours and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated A Christmas Carol in Books
Apr 27, 2018
We all, at one point or another, have heard the story of A Christmas Carol, whether we read the book in school, watched a movie with the family, or saw the Muppets version on youtube (which, by the way, is my favorite. I heartily recommend it.). But there is so much more to the story that we don’t grasp because of how our culture has changed. This is the way it is with every classic book. But A Christmas Carol is a story that needs to be understood in it’s full impact because of the story it tells and the lessons it teaches. Stephen Skelton has made it possible.
The Special Edition of A Christmas Carol is a small book, perfect to fit in a small handbag (or a stocking!) with a beautiful cover. The book itself is printed with Dickens’ story in the main section of the pages, and the notes, subtext, and annotations printed in the outer margins. After every “Chapter” (called a Stave in the text) there is a discussion section, perfect for any age group, either young children or mature Christians. The discussion features Bible verses and questions, and relates events, topics, and themes from A Christmas Carol to our everyday Christian walk with God. Extra verses and topics follow the end of every discussion section for those older individuals who wish to go further into studying the themes targeted in the book: Selfishness, Regret, Repentance, Salvation, and Rebirth. At the end of the book is a list of resources for further study.
The story of A Christmas Carol remains, to this day, a classic in literature because it is a wonderful story of sin and greed turned around to Christianity and charity through allegory and parable. It has proved itself a wonderful story to every reader, and will continue to do so forever. Hopefully, this will be the edition that becomes the standard.
Recommendation: All ages. Wonderful for family discussions or group Bible studies. Perfect Christmas gift or stocking stuffer!
**Thank you to FSB Associates for providing my review copy!**
The Special Edition of A Christmas Carol is a small book, perfect to fit in a small handbag (or a stocking!) with a beautiful cover. The book itself is printed with Dickens’ story in the main section of the pages, and the notes, subtext, and annotations printed in the outer margins. After every “Chapter” (called a Stave in the text) there is a discussion section, perfect for any age group, either young children or mature Christians. The discussion features Bible verses and questions, and relates events, topics, and themes from A Christmas Carol to our everyday Christian walk with God. Extra verses and topics follow the end of every discussion section for those older individuals who wish to go further into studying the themes targeted in the book: Selfishness, Regret, Repentance, Salvation, and Rebirth. At the end of the book is a list of resources for further study.
The story of A Christmas Carol remains, to this day, a classic in literature because it is a wonderful story of sin and greed turned around to Christianity and charity through allegory and parable. It has proved itself a wonderful story to every reader, and will continue to do so forever. Hopefully, this will be the edition that becomes the standard.
Recommendation: All ages. Wonderful for family discussions or group Bible studies. Perfect Christmas gift or stocking stuffer!
**Thank you to FSB Associates for providing my review copy!**
Johana Lee Scott (4 KP) rated Amazon in Apps
May 25, 2018
free shipping (3 more)
shows
movies
product selection
My Main reason for Prime is Shipping
I love Amazon. They offer products I cannot find locally. My main reason for getting Amazon Prime was for the free shipping. This last Christmas season I literally saved 600 on SHIPPING alone. The shows and movies are pretty good, but the selection ins't that great.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2460 KP) rated Candy Cane Murder (Hannah Swensen, #9.5) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
This novella collection contains three Christmas themed mysteries starring the author's regular series characters. As a fan of the first two, I loved their stories. Leslie's left me a little cold, but I do intend to give her series a try soon.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/03/book-review-candy-cane-murder-by-joanne.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/03/book-review-candy-cane-murder-by-joanne.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Caitlyn Ould (6 KP) rated What Do You Meme? in Tabletop Games
Jan 23, 2019
Lot of Laughs
I played this game with my family on Christmas Day and while some people didn't get what the pictures meant, it was still funny to have the captions that match them. If you add in the adult pack of cards then it's even funnier, luckily we were playing with people who were all over 18.
Pedro Costa recommended Diary of a Country Priest (1951) in Movies (curated)
Violent night (2022)
7.0
Rate It
Movie
An elite group of mercenaries break into a family compound on Christmas eve taking everyone hostage....
I’ve not actually read Summer at the Comfort Food Cafe, but I was happy when I realised that this could easily be read as a standalone novel – there were only a small amount of moments when I felt like I was missing some information that came from the main novel.
It’s only a very short book, but that made it all the better for me because I prefer reading short stories over Christmas than trying to dig into a really big novel, just because I struggle for time over Christmas.
The characters were all brilliant. I loved Becca because I know people with the same attitude over Christmas as her, so it made me laugh a bit seeing people I know as Characters in a book.
It was a cheesy festive romance, and there were a few parts where I wasn’t too sure on how far the novel was going to go, but thankfully it balanced out the romance with the plot really well.
It’s only a very short book, but that made it all the better for me because I prefer reading short stories over Christmas than trying to dig into a really big novel, just because I struggle for time over Christmas.
The characters were all brilliant. I loved Becca because I know people with the same attitude over Christmas as her, so it made me laugh a bit seeing people I know as Characters in a book.
It was a cheesy festive romance, and there were a few parts where I wasn’t too sure on how far the novel was going to go, but thankfully it balanced out the romance with the plot really well.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2460 KP) rated I Am Half-Sick of Shadows (Flavia de Luce, #4) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
It’s the week before Christmas, and a movie crew is coming to film at Flavia’s family home. While excited, Flavia is plotting how to trap Father Christmas when he shows up on Christmas morning. However, that takes a back seat when the lead actress is film is murdered. Fortunately for Flavia, the suspects are trapped in her home due to a massive snow storm. Can she figure out who the killer is?
While I do like the characters and didn’t find Flavia nearly as annoying in this book as I did the previous one, I found the plot way too slow. The murder happened half way through the book, and the tension and set up to justify that just wasn’t present. Once the murder took place, the book definitely picked up, however.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/02/book-review-i-am-half-sick-of-shadows.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
While I do like the characters and didn’t find Flavia nearly as annoying in this book as I did the previous one, I found the plot way too slow. The murder happened half way through the book, and the tension and set up to justify that just wasn’t present. Once the murder took place, the book definitely picked up, however.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/02/book-review-i-am-half-sick-of-shadows.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2460 KP) rated Silent Knife (Celebration Bay, #2) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Liv wants her first Christmas as the event coordinator in Celebration Bay to go well, but she’s hit some unexpected snags. First, Trim a Tree has opened with their tacky gifts. Then the store hires a second Santa, a violation of town policy. However, when that Santa is found murdered, Liv really has her work cut out for her.
After enjoying the first, I was looking forward to revisiting this festive town for Christmas. The plot got bogged down a bit in the first half, and I could not stand one character. However, those were minor issues. I did mostly enjoy the book, and things picked up by the end. I couldn’t wait to figure out who had done it. There were lots of references and things to help get us in the Christmas spirit as well.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/12/book-review-silent-knife-by-shelley.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
After enjoying the first, I was looking forward to revisiting this festive town for Christmas. The plot got bogged down a bit in the first half, and I could not stand one character. However, those were minor issues. I did mostly enjoy the book, and things picked up by the end. I couldn’t wait to figure out who had done it. There were lots of references and things to help get us in the Christmas spirit as well.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/12/book-review-silent-knife-by-shelley.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.