Countdown to Christmas 2024 Day 2
Day 2 and yet…it’s November book review day as well! Bonus, right?
I actually got two books read this month. I started a different one, but it was more intense than I could handle for the roller coaster that is the holidays, so I shelved it for January. Also, one of the books I read is the one I co-wrote, which sort of felt like cheating.
So without further ado…here is the review for The Quilting House and Journey through the Christmas Chaos.
The Quilting House by Elizabeth Bromke was okay. I had set down the more difficult book I was reading about women who served in British intelligence during WW2 and this was definitely not something that absorbed me.
The book was a quick read for me and is set at Christmas time, which is what drew me to pull it out of the small borrowing library box outside the YMCA a month ago. The cover caught my eye as it is a quaint barn set in a pretty winter scene.
Told in third person, the story covers two women: Liesel,who is in her 50’s and facing unmet expectations and twenty-something Gretchen, who has dreams for a future that she feels under resourced to make happen.
It was sweet, but I often felt like I had walked in on the middle of a movie. There were references that seemed important and yet I had no context for them.
A quick search of the book after reading reveals that it is part of a series. While the books sort of work independently, the characters have a development process that would have been helpful to fully engage in this particular story.
So with that in mind, I can recommend the book as having a nice story and a simple enough plot that it is entertaining without becoming something my personality would obsess over.
Here is the link for purchase https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54017061-the-quilting-house
Book #2 was the book I wrote with Shelly D. Templin. I have told you about it here, but it is a collection of our Christmas stories and musings available on Amazon.
Journey through the Christmas Chaos is a short read and one I would suggest you use as a daily break from the holiday rush.
If I was not associated with the book and received or purchased one, I would set it by my comfortable chair and plan to read a chapter each day around 3:00 with a cup of tea or coffee and let that be my break time.
Also, if you could leave a review on Amazon/both stars and written review, that would be so helpful to bring the book up for others to see when ordering. For some reason, the written reviews help bring it into visibility for Amazon shopping. Much appreciated!
Happy reading!