The first Wednesday of each month, Carolyn Astfalk hosts #OpenBook, where bloggers link posts about books they’ve read recently. Here’s a taste of what I’ve been reading:

Christmas

It’s that time of the year, so I figured I might as well give these a category all their own! Some people watch Hallmark movies; I read Christmas novels. And novellas. And short stories.

The Gift of a Lifetime by Melissa Hill. A sweet novel for movie lovers. I’d made a list of rom-coms to watch by the time I finished reading it! Not very Christmas-y but labeled a Christmas novel, this is the story of Beth, an Irish emigrant working in the shoe department of a NYC store. Her suddenly-distant boyfriend is giving off a weird vibe, she meets a sweet guy at work, and she finds herself in a scavenger hunt around the city, following movie-themed clues that she thinks will lead her to true love.

Christmas in Evergreen by Nancy Naigle. This movie-to-book novel is a fun story of a young veterinarian in a town that’s all about Christmas. Allie plans to say goodbye to small-town life and head to DC where her ambitious boyfriend awaits. Time and again, things prevent her from leaving. Meanwhile, a widowed dad and his young daughter are headed to Florida to escape the sadness of Christmas after bereavement — and they can’t get out of Evergreen, either.

Christmas at the Heartbreak Cafe by Melissa Hill. Cafe owner Ella injures her ankle just before Christmas, and her plans for a townwide Christmas bash might have to be scuttled. Friends offer to pitch in, but then a letter is delivered that announces the end of her lease after 30 years. The solution is more than a little far-fetched, but it’s an enjoyable holiday read.

The Christmas Mix Up (a children’s Christmas novel) by Justin Johnson. Penelope discovers she’s been put on Santa’s naughty list, and she knows it has to be a mistake. With only a week until Christmas, there’s no time to lose: she takes a train to the North Pole to meet with Santa and set things straight. This would be a fun read-aloud for parents and kids to enjoy together.

Fiction

On Magnolia Lane (Blue Ridge #3) by Denise Hunter. Pastor Jack’s friends know he has a crush on Daisy, the florist, but that he doesn’t have the guts to ask her out — so they create an online dating profile using his nickname. Jack takes it from there, building an email relationship with Daisy even as his real-life feelings for her grow deeper, and hers for him. But a secret she’s keeping, and his secret about the dating profile, could ruin things for them for good. You can’t help rooting for these two.

Hunger (short story) by Jane Lebak and Elissa Strati. Horror is not a genre I read, but I’m a big fan of Jane Lebak so I gave this story a try. It’s not at all gory or graphic, and I was surprised to see how much the good vs. evil conflict really came into play in this story. Waitress Sarah stays at her job in a small-town diner to protect patrons from the hungry creature that seems to want to protect her — and that kills anyone who slights her in any way. Come for the pie; don’t hassle this waitress!

We Never Asked for Wings by Vanessa Diffenbach. You’ll be drawn deep into the world of a fatherless family struggling to make it in San Francisco after the grandparents’ returned to Mexico. High-school-student Alex is really the star of the novel, trying to straddle the world between his hardscrabble life where he must care for his young sister and the life he wishes he could have with the father he’s never known. A powerful read.

The Promise Between Us by Barbara Claypoole White. Artist Katie Mack doesn’t realize right away that one of her art students is the child she abandoned as an infant because of her severe postpartum depression. Fighting her own compulsions, she notices that the girl shows definite signs of OCD. But to help her, she’d have to reveal to her ex that she’s seen the daughter she promised never to contact. The most intense novel I’ve read in years. I was in a crowded room, reading this, and someone approached me and called my name — I jumped a good foot in the air. Trigger warning: postpartum depression/psychosis and difficult, graphic birth scene.

One Lavender Ribbon by Heather Burch. Adrienne escapes an emotionally abusive marriage and throws herself into renovating a beach home in Florida. When she finds a bundle of love letters from World War II, she sets about locating their author — and then discovers that she wants to see him reunited with his lost love. But it’s complicated, and his grandson finds himself alternating between being annoyed by Adrienne and falling for her.

YA/Children’s

Henry the Green Zebra-Pig by Christina Leigh Daly. “Not all works of art come in a frame.” Gently-colored drawings and rhyming text underscore the book’s message that everyone is precious, no matter what they look like. This book is a perfect bedtime story or classroom read-aloud.

Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel by Val Emmich. I requested this Netgalley because I wanted to see what all the fuss was about — my teenager and his friends are huge fans of the musical. I didn’t like the story: it’s based on deception. Evan Hansen, completing an assignment from his psychotherapist, has a note to himself stolen by Connor, who’s made a name for himself by making everyone around him miserable. After Connor’s suicide, the note is found and Evan perpetuates the myth that he and Connor were close friends, even dating Connor’s sister. I didn’t find any character to be sympathetic or even likable. (Netgalley review)

Nonfiction

The Catholic All Year Compendium by Kendra Tierney. All the liturgical-living information you need is right here in one book. You won’t have to dig through the free calendar you pick up at church, five websites, and four books about the lives of the saints to find some ways to observe the Church’s feasts, fasts, and everything in between — and make them work for your family. Read my full review. (Review copy provided by the publisher)

Links to books in this post are Amazon affiliate links. Your purchases made through these links support Franciscanmom.com. Thank you!

Where noted, books are review copies. If that is not indicated, I either purchased the book myself or borrowed it from the library.

Follow my Goodreads reviews for the full list of what I’ve read recently (even the duds!)

Visit today’s #OpenBook post to join the linkup or just get some great ideas about what to read! You’ll find it at Carolyn Astfalk’s A Scribbler’s Heart and at CatholicMom.com!

Copyright 2018 Barb Szyszkiewicz