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Molly J (Cover To Cover Cafe) (106 KP) rated An Amish Christmas Kitchen in Books
Sep 5, 2019
A Wunderbaar Christmas Collection!
I love Christmas, I love novellas (they’re fast and easy to read!), and I love Amish, so what better combination than all three wrapped up into one amazing collection? There isn’t anything better, if you ask me. And, I have to say, this collection was worth the anticipation, worth the wait. All these authors did a fabulous job!
But, one specific story I want to focus on is Kate Lloyd’s An Unexpected Christmas Gift. After reading all of Lloyd’s other novels, I knew I needed to read this story. And, I will tell you, I was not disappointed! It was a quick read, I read it in just an hour, but it was packed full of amazing characters, and one heart warming, soul moving message of truth and forgiveness.
Following Maria Romano and her story was moving. I loved every minute of this holiday novella. I fell in love with Naomi, Nancy, Anna and Silas, the Amish family that invited her in, I fell in love with Maria herself and Naomi’s sister Linda, I loved Troy Bennett and despite my food allergies and not able to eat a lot of delicious amazing food, I fell in love with the recipe that Lloyd included in the story. I will definitely be making the Christmas Caramel Cake for my guys!
If you’re a fan of Christmas, Amish, and working in the kitchen, then I will tell you right now. This is a collection of stories you don’t want to miss. All the stories are worthy of 4 stars and have a touch of romance woven in. Don’t miss it! You’ll be sharing this collection of holiday stories with all your book loving, Amish loving friends.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Publisher, Bethany House Publishers and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
But, one specific story I want to focus on is Kate Lloyd’s An Unexpected Christmas Gift. After reading all of Lloyd’s other novels, I knew I needed to read this story. And, I will tell you, I was not disappointed! It was a quick read, I read it in just an hour, but it was packed full of amazing characters, and one heart warming, soul moving message of truth and forgiveness.
Following Maria Romano and her story was moving. I loved every minute of this holiday novella. I fell in love with Naomi, Nancy, Anna and Silas, the Amish family that invited her in, I fell in love with Maria herself and Naomi’s sister Linda, I loved Troy Bennett and despite my food allergies and not able to eat a lot of delicious amazing food, I fell in love with the recipe that Lloyd included in the story. I will definitely be making the Christmas Caramel Cake for my guys!
If you’re a fan of Christmas, Amish, and working in the kitchen, then I will tell you right now. This is a collection of stories you don’t want to miss. All the stories are worthy of 4 stars and have a touch of romance woven in. Don’t miss it! You’ll be sharing this collection of holiday stories with all your book loving, Amish loving friends.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Publisher, Bethany House Publishers and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
'Twas the Morning of Easter
9.0
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A follow-up to the popular ’Twas the Evening of Christmas from beloved author Glenys Nellist....
Easter Holiday Relglious Picture Books Children Kids
Food Book : All Free Recipes
Food & Drink and Health & Fitness
App
Foodbook is an awesome recipe search app. It helps food lovers to cook wide variety of healthy and...
The Forecast Looks Like Reindeer (Part of: Double-Booked for the Holidays)
8.0
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What happens when two strangers, a shifter omega and a human alpha, are forced to share a room...
MM Paranormal Seasonal Romance
Tangled In Tinsel
8.0
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Book
Dear Santa, please leave a red-headed lumberjack under the tree. I’ve been a very good boy. ...
Contemporary MM Romance Seasonal
Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated The Girl Who Saved Christmas in Books
Jun 14, 2018
The Girl Who Saved Christmas by Matt Haig is a very charming story that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. It is the story of Amelia Wishart, who is the first child ever to receive a gift from Father Christmas. She never loses hope throughout the misery she encounters in her very young life and however much she would like to stop believing in magic and goodness, she never fully does. Her hope made that first visit possible, and, just a couple of years later, her hope might just save Christmas itself.
The story takes place in two locations that couldn't be more different: Elfhelm, where it is clean and only ever gets as cold as you want it to be, and in 1841 London, where it is dirty, cold and unfriendly place to orphans.
The characters in the story are quite fun. Amelia and Father Christmas both have strong personalities with a firm determination to get things done. Mr. Creeper is just as his name predicts, he is creepy and not a nice man at all. The guest appearances of a ruling head of state and a famous author are perfect. One passage was hilarious and it took me several minutes to sop laughing before I could continue reading. I was amused.
I recommend this book for read-a-loud's to children and for middle grade readers.
I received this book from NetGalley via Random House Children's Knopf Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.
The story takes place in two locations that couldn't be more different: Elfhelm, where it is clean and only ever gets as cold as you want it to be, and in 1841 London, where it is dirty, cold and unfriendly place to orphans.
The characters in the story are quite fun. Amelia and Father Christmas both have strong personalities with a firm determination to get things done. Mr. Creeper is just as his name predicts, he is creepy and not a nice man at all. The guest appearances of a ruling head of state and a famous author are perfect. One passage was hilarious and it took me several minutes to sop laughing before I could continue reading. I was amused.
I recommend this book for read-a-loud's to children and for middle grade readers.
I received this book from NetGalley via Random House Children's Knopf Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.
ClareR (6256 KP) rated Afraid of the Christmas Lights in Books
Dec 1, 2020
I don’t like Christmas books. Usually. I like A Christmas Carol, but I tend not to read many modern Christmas books - unless they’re children’s ones at work, or when I used to read them for my own children when they were little. Which is probably why I liked this so much. Usually in anthologies, there will be a few standout stories that make reading the collection as a whole worthwhile, but I’ve really struggled to single out one or two - I enjoyed them all far too much for that.
Most of the stories are set around Christmas with only a couple of exceptions. That didn’t cause me to like them any less though. The real standouts for me (if I absolutely HAVE to choose!) were: Phoebe Morgan’s Unexpected Present - the gift wrapped so nicely in expensive M&S paper being the main protagonists husband; The Switch by James Delargy had a Stephen King vibe to it (and I should add that it wasn’t because of The Green Mile!); Fresh Meat by Elle Croft gives new meaning to a raw meat diet for your cat; and The Vigilante by Clare Empson was a sad story of a Charles Dickens look-a-like who tries to save victims of crime in the dead of night.
If you need an excuse to buy this, then the proceeds go to ESDAS and Rights of Women, both domestic abuse charities.
Many thanks to The PIgeonhole for serialising this book, and to the authors who joined in. As always, it was a great experience!!
Most of the stories are set around Christmas with only a couple of exceptions. That didn’t cause me to like them any less though. The real standouts for me (if I absolutely HAVE to choose!) were: Phoebe Morgan’s Unexpected Present - the gift wrapped so nicely in expensive M&S paper being the main protagonists husband; The Switch by James Delargy had a Stephen King vibe to it (and I should add that it wasn’t because of The Green Mile!); Fresh Meat by Elle Croft gives new meaning to a raw meat diet for your cat; and The Vigilante by Clare Empson was a sad story of a Charles Dickens look-a-like who tries to save victims of crime in the dead of night.
If you need an excuse to buy this, then the proceeds go to ESDAS and Rights of Women, both domestic abuse charities.
Many thanks to The PIgeonhole for serialising this book, and to the authors who joined in. As always, it was a great experience!!
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Black Christmas (2019) in Movies
Dec 17, 2020
Fuck I really hated this.
Ignoring the politics side for a moment - it's a hugely poor horror film. It's devoid of any scares, it cuts away from any gore, and perhaps worst of all, it has the audacity to be called "Black Christmas" - which is quite simply one of the best slashers ever made.
Did this film even start as a Black Christmas remake? It basically goes: Men are shit - some people get killed offscreen - weird supernatural twist - oh shit, it's Black Christmas, better throw in a glass unicorn sculpture.
The supernatural part is something I'm not mad at actually - at least it tried something different rather than being a straight re tread.
Then of course, there's the aformentioned politics, which is what most people's issue is with this film. Feminist messages in horror movies can be hugely effective - the original Black Christmas does it well for example - but I can't help but feel that the message this version putting out there is severely mishandled. As a guy, I am willing to hear how I'm wrong in this instance, but it feels sooooo over the top with what it's trying to do. It's not too hard to be on board with for the most part, but the final scenes really go for it - I mean the lines "you're insane!" "No, we're just men" - really!? It just feels very in the nose to me.
Other than that, this film is turd. It gets a star for Imogen Poots and the creative snow angel death scene at the start. Watch the original instead.
Ignoring the politics side for a moment - it's a hugely poor horror film. It's devoid of any scares, it cuts away from any gore, and perhaps worst of all, it has the audacity to be called "Black Christmas" - which is quite simply one of the best slashers ever made.
Did this film even start as a Black Christmas remake? It basically goes: Men are shit - some people get killed offscreen - weird supernatural twist - oh shit, it's Black Christmas, better throw in a glass unicorn sculpture.
The supernatural part is something I'm not mad at actually - at least it tried something different rather than being a straight re tread.
Then of course, there's the aformentioned politics, which is what most people's issue is with this film. Feminist messages in horror movies can be hugely effective - the original Black Christmas does it well for example - but I can't help but feel that the message this version putting out there is severely mishandled. As a guy, I am willing to hear how I'm wrong in this instance, but it feels sooooo over the top with what it's trying to do. It's not too hard to be on board with for the most part, but the final scenes really go for it - I mean the lines "you're insane!" "No, we're just men" - really!? It just feels very in the nose to me.
Other than that, this film is turd. It gets a star for Imogen Poots and the creative snow angel death scene at the start. Watch the original instead.
Lindsay (1812 KP) rated Santa Claus Worldwide in Books
Apr 15, 2023
Are you into learning about Santa Claus or how he came about? I have found a book that is called “Santa Claus Worldwide” by Tom A. Jerman; it a decent and excellent book. I learned quite a bit about Christmas and some of the many holidays. The history is not bad.
This book is primarily nonfiction and stands set on the history of Santa Claus. How it the name Santa Claus come about? The many different characters that Santa Claus exists and become. You will be surprised at how many other names are associated, and these lovely children call him.
You will learn a bit about the origin of Christmas and Santa Claus. I learned much about how the Christmas tradition came about and how it changed over the years. What we know about our Christmas traditions today differs from when they first came about and how our practices have evolved.
This book is okay for me. It was not rated low because of how it was written. It was slow and tedious for my taste. Suppose you are a fan of nonfiction books and would enjoy learning about the history of St. Nicholas and Other Holiday Gift Bringers. In that case, This book may be just for you. I enjoy learning about St. Nicholas and the many other holiday gift-bringers. I just thought it was not for me. But not where I did not understand what it was about. This book was okay, and I enjoyed learning new history.
This book is primarily nonfiction and stands set on the history of Santa Claus. How it the name Santa Claus come about? The many different characters that Santa Claus exists and become. You will be surprised at how many other names are associated, and these lovely children call him.
You will learn a bit about the origin of Christmas and Santa Claus. I learned much about how the Christmas tradition came about and how it changed over the years. What we know about our Christmas traditions today differs from when they first came about and how our practices have evolved.
This book is okay for me. It was not rated low because of how it was written. It was slow and tedious for my taste. Suppose you are a fan of nonfiction books and would enjoy learning about the history of St. Nicholas and Other Holiday Gift Bringers. In that case, This book may be just for you. I enjoy learning about St. Nicholas and the many other holiday gift-bringers. I just thought it was not for me. But not where I did not understand what it was about. This book was okay, and I enjoyed learning new history.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Santa Suit in Books
Oct 28, 2021
Ivy Perkins buys a 106-year-old farmhouse, sight unseen, after a divorce. Known as Four Roses Farm, it was once home to Bob and Betty Rae Rose. Bob was famous as the town's Santa Claus, which Ivy learns when she discovers his lovely Santa suit tucked in a closet. In the pocket is a note from a young child, who simply wants her father to return home from the war. The note strikes a chord with Ivy, who finds herself wondering who the child was--and did she ever reunite with her father? Her investigation brings her in contact with the local townspeople, including Ezra, her realtor, neighbor, and handyman; a young woman named Phoebe; and a sweet town elder named Everett. Despite her reluctance to join in the town's many Christmas traditions, Ivy cannot help but be swept up in the small town and its spirit of Christmas.
"You mean, what's a nice, single, big-city girl like me doing in a hick town like Tarburton?"
This was an incredibly adorable, silly, cheesy book (more of a novella really). If you love Christmas movies, you'll find that this is basically a Hallmark Christmas movie in book form. And, as such, it's practically perfect: the snowy setting, a magical Santa suit, and a small town romance. What more could you ask for? Yes, you could pick at plot pieces and motives, but why? This is a quick read and a sweet one. Read in front of the fire with a cup of hot chocolate. 4+ stars.
"You mean, what's a nice, single, big-city girl like me doing in a hick town like Tarburton?"
This was an incredibly adorable, silly, cheesy book (more of a novella really). If you love Christmas movies, you'll find that this is basically a Hallmark Christmas movie in book form. And, as such, it's practically perfect: the snowy setting, a magical Santa suit, and a small town romance. What more could you ask for? Yes, you could pick at plot pieces and motives, but why? This is a quick read and a sweet one. Read in front of the fire with a cup of hot chocolate. 4+ stars.