That Just Happened!

Ahern, Cecelia. The Gift.  HarperCollins Publishers (2008).

If you could wish for one gift this Christmas, what would it be?

Every day Lou battles with the clock. He always has two places to be at the same time. He always has two things to do at once. When asleep he dreams. In between dreams, he runs through the events of the day while making plans for the next. When at home with his wife and family, his mind is always someplace else.

On his way into work one early winter morning, Lou meets Gabe, a homeless man sitting outside the office building. Intrigued by him and on discovering that he could also be very useful to have around, Lou gets Gabe a job in the post room.

But soon Lou begins to regret helping Gabe. His very presence unsettles Lou – and how does Gabe appear to be in two places at the same time?

As Christmas draws closer, Lou starts to understand the value of time. He sees what is truly important in life yet at the same time he learns the harshest lesson of all.

This is a story about people who, not unlike parcels, hide secrets. They cover themselves in layers until the right person unwraps them and discovers what’s inside. Sometimes you have to be unravelled in order to find out who you really are.

http://cecelia-ahern.com/books/the-gift

The good news is: I liked this story. The interesting news: this author also wrote P.S. I Love You.  The really neat-o news: She is the co-creator of the hit  the cancelled show Samantha Who? on ABC! I loved that show. It was witty and Christina Applegate was pretty darn good if I do say so myself.   It does make you kind of go “Ah ha!” when you think back to this book. It seems she has written/continues to write a lot for the screen. I wonder if that is how she wrote this novel.  It seems as though there were parts that didn’t quite translate on paper, but if I had the visual cues (and possibly some instrumental music) it would have been more powerful. 

Overall, this was a good book. Did I like it as much as some of the other books? No. Could I put it down? Not really. When I ask myself, what stops me from loving this book I can’t really put a finger on it. Maybe it was just the mood I was in when I read it (looking more for comedy, perhaps). I think I can’t really rave about it because this was not specifically a Christmas book, it just takes place around the holidays.  However, it’s message was one we could stand to remember all year round; selflessness and emphasis on the truely important things in our lives (like family).  I would recommend it to anyone who needs to remember the spirit of the holidays and to the workaholic in your life.

I read this toward my 2009 Holiday Reading Challenge.  See my list of books here.

Macomber, Debbie. A Cedar Cove Christmas. Mira Books. 2008.

I really enjoyed this book. Although it is part of a series, Macomber did a good job of giving you a little bit of background on each of the characters in Cedar Cove as they appeared in the book.  This is yet another book I have read that has had very punny names. The protagonist Mary Jo (Mary & Joseph) and her three brothers (last name Wyse) are perfect examples of this.  It follows a very familiar Christmas story, but we all know who the father is (and he is a jerkface!) and there actually is a manger! 

I liked the fact it was a quick read and that the story line moved at a good pace.  It definitely touches on the themes of charity, kindness and the holiday spirit.  The characters were just so likeable, Cedar Cove definitely seems like a place I would want to visit.  The other thing I really liked about this book is that as I was reading and being introduced to the characters, little tidbits about their past was mentioned.  It made me want to know more about their past as it seemed so troubled, yet everything seems to have worked out. Still, I got the feeling there was an underlying tension in Grace’s house (the character who takes Mary Jo in on Christmas Eve).  The relationships seem solid, but like they have to work really hard for it.  Macomber writes a Cedar Cove series and I am guessing you get to know the past lives of the characters a lot better and I really think I need to pick some of them up.  For more information on the author you can go to her website www.debbiemacomber.com

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick read about a modern take on a classic Christmas tale.

Evans, Richard Paul. The Gift. Simon & Schuster. 2007.

Nathan Hurst hated Christmas. For the rest of the world it was a day of joy and celebration; for Nathan it was simply a reminder of the event that destroyed his childhood until a snowstorm, a cancelled flight, and an unexpected meeting with a young mother and her very special son would show him that Christmas is indeed the season of miracles.

From the beloved aythor of the interbational bestseller The Christmas Box comes another timeless story of faith, hope, and healing.

From the Back Cover

This book was a very good read.  It was touching and I must admit, I did tear up just a bit. Nathan’s spirit is so broken and it is very emotional reading about how he is finding himself again.  The young mother, Addison, is so real and obviously cares for her family so much. She is just trying to do the best by them, while trying to figure out her feelings for Nathan.  However, this isn’t about two people dating. This book is so much more than that.

I liked how the author described Nathan’s journals and then used different coloured ink to indicate what part of the journal you are reading. When the author, who suffers from Tourette’s syndrome, describes Nathan’s Tourette’s you can tell it is coming from experience.  The way it is written is very realistic and honest, however, when he is writing the fictional parts of the book there is a difference in tone. This disrupts the continuity a bit. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a moving, touching book to remind us of what the holidays are about.

I read this toward my 2009 Holiday Reading Challenge.  See my list of books here.