One Day in December by Josie Silver

Two people. Ten chances. One unforgettable love story.

Laurie is pretty sure love at first sight doesn't exist anywhere but the movies. But then, through a misted-up bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man who she knows instantly is the one. Their eyes meet, there's a moment of pure magic... and then her bus drives away.

Certain they're fated to find each other again, Laurie spends a year scanning every bus stop and cafe in London for him. But she doesn't find him, not when it matters anyway. Instead they "reunite" at a Christmas party, when her best friend Sarah giddily introduces her new boyfriend to Laurie. It's Jack, the man from the bus. It would be.

What follows for Laurie, Sarah and Jack is ten years of friendship, heartbreak, missed opportunities, roads not taken, and destinies reconsidered. One Day in December is a joyous, heartwarming and immensely moving love story to escape into and a reminder that fate takes inexplicable turns along the route to happiness.

I thought this book would be a mushy Christmas love story and the description sounded interesting even though I wasn't in the mood for a Christmas story.  But I got tied into the book and invested pretty quickly. I wanted to visualize and really see Laurie so I could see her in my mind. I could picture her sitting on the bus and really feeling what she felt when she Jack for the first time.  I wanted her to get her happy ending.  I liked how it was also read from Jack's point of view and I saw him as this muscular, dark haired man who was very desirable.  The only downside of this story was the language.  I would rate it higher if it hadn't been for all the f-bombs I heard along the way.  Wasn't there some other word/language she could have chosen to write for her characters?  

 

The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman

 

Falling in love is easy. Staying in love—that’s the challenge! How can you keep your relationship fresh and growing amid the demands, conflicts, and just plain boredom of everyday life?

In the #1 New York Times bestseller The 5 Love Languages, you’ll discover the secret that has transformed millions of relationships worldwide. Whether your relationship is flourishing or failing, Dr. Gary Chapman’s proven approach to showing and receiving love will help you experience deeper and richer levels of intimacy with your partner—starting today.

The 5 Love Languages is as practical as it is insightful. Updated to reflect the complexities of relationships today, this new edition reveals intrinsic truths and applies relevant, actionable wisdom in ways that work.

My sister in law talks quite a bit about the love languages and she often gives bridal shower gifts that relate to the love languages, to help remind couples that if they speak their loved ones love language then it helps their relationship become stronger and last longer.  So I was intrigued to listen to this book and see if I could figure out my own love language.  My sister in law always commented to me that my gift was the gift of receiving gifts, but after listening to the book I feel like mine is acts of service.  While I do enjoy gifts I do prefer to give them and  not really receive them. But I do get warm little fuzzies if I do acts of service for others or they do them for me.   I am still trying to decode my husband's love language as he seems to be a mix, but I'll keep working on it.  I did decipher that my little boy's love language is quality time.  He loves being around us and doing activities with us whether it a movie night, game night or a family outing.   This is a very good read. 

A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas

With her inquisitive mind, Charlotte Holmes has never felt comfortable with the demureness expected of the fairer sex in upper class society. But even she never thought that she would become a social pariah, an outcast fending for herself on the mean streets of London.

When the city is struck by a trio of unexpected deaths and suspicion falls on her sister and her father, Charlotte is desperate to find the true culprits and clear the family name. She’ll have help from friends new and old—a kind-hearted widow, a police inspector, and a man who has long loved her.

But in the end, it will be up to Charlotte, under the assumed name Sherlock Holmes, to challenge society’s expectations and match wits against an unseen mastermind.

This book was a bit of a letdown in my mind. I had waited weeks for this book with high expectations. This book was hard to follow with the characters and it was had to get into. It became more interesting when Watson came into the plot. I'm all for a good mystery, but I didn't think this one was up to par. I may still read the 2nd book in the series just to see if it gets any better. 

 

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson

 

Kevin Wilson’s best book yet — a moving and uproarious novel about a woman who finds meaning in her life when she begins caring for two children with remarkable and disturbing abilities

Lillian and Madison were unlikely roommates and yet inseparable friends at their elite boarding school. But then Lillian had to leave the school unexpectedly in the wake of a scandal and they’ve barely spoken since. Until now, when Lillian gets a letter from Madison pleading for her help.

Madison’s twin stepkids are moving in with her family and she wants Lillian to be their caretaker. However, there’s a catch: the twins spontaneously combust when they get agitated, flames igniting from their skin in a startling but beautiful way. Lillian is convinced Madison is pulling her leg, but it’s the truth.

Thinking of her dead-end life at home, the life that has consistently disappointed her, Lillian figures she has nothing to lose. Over the course of one humid, demanding summer, Lillian and the twins learn to trust each other—and stay cool—while also staying out of the way of Madison’s buttoned-up politician husband. Surprised by her own ingenuity yet unused to the intense feelings of protectiveness she feels for them, Lillian ultimately begins to accept that she needs these strange children as much as they need her—urgently and fiercely. Couldn’t this be the start of the amazing life she’d always hoped for?

With white-hot wit and a big, tender heart, Kevin Wilson has written his best book yet—a most unusual story of parental love. 

This book was an unexpected surprise. The description sounded intriguing when I was looking for a new book to listen to. While there was some language I wasn't a fan of, the storyline was new and different. I think it would be fun to have a sequel eventually to see what has become of Lillian and the twins.  I would recommend this book highly. 

Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery

 

At sixteen, Anne is grown up...almost. Her gray eyes shine like evening stars, but her red hair is still as peppery as her temper. In the years since she arrived at Green Gables as a freckle-faced orphan, she has earned the love of the people of Avonlea and a reputation for getting into scrapes. But when Anne begins her job as the new schoolteacher, the real test of her character begins. Along with teaching the three Rs, she is learning how complicated life can be when she meddles in someone else's romance, finds two new orphans at Green Gables, and wonders about the strange behavior of the very handsome Gilbert Blythe. As Anne enters womanhood, her adventures touch the heart and the funny bone. 

While this book is also a classis I realized that most of this story was not in the movie. I had totally forgotten about the twins in this story and how she helps Marilla bring them up and how she influences them, especially Davy. It was fun listening to her adventures and how she continues to grow and also with her relationships around her. 

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

 

As soon as Anne Shirley arrives at the snug white farmhouse called Green Gables, she is sure she wants to stay forever . . . but will the Cuthberts send her back to to the orphanage? Anne knows she's not what they expected—a skinny girl with fiery red hair and a temper to match. If only she can convince them to let her stay, she'll try very hard not to keep rushing headlong into scrapes and blurting out the first thing that comes to her mind. Anne is not like anyone else, the Cuthberts agree; she is special—a girl with an enormous imagination. This orphan girl dreams of the day when she can call herself Anne of Green Gables.

The last time I read this series I was a teenager. Growing up I loved watching the movies and listening to this book it was fun to see what they included in the movie and what I had missed and forgotten over the years.  This book is such a classic that I would highly recommend that any girl who loves to read should read at least this first book in the series and it will help give scope to their imaginations.