My New Favorite Old Novel: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Much like my Jane Eyre review, this one will also be a bit of a mess because I just loved this novel! My first experience with The Count of Monte Cristo was through the 2002 movie starring Jim Caviezel as Edmond Dante (The Count of Monte Cristo). I thought this film was really good, but to my surprise it wasn't quite like the actual novel. The basic plot of being wrongfully imprisoned and then seeking revenge is present in both, but so much more complex in the novel. My image of the Count though while reading was Jim Caviezel.

The book opens in the port city of Marceilles, France with the homecoming of the Pharaon, a merchant ship owned by a man named Morrel. The ship has lost its captain to disease and Edmond Dantes has taken control of the ship in his place. The captain's final wish to Edmond is to deliver a letter to the inmate of the Isle of Elba, who is Napolean Bonaparte. Edmond honors this wish and is given another letter to deliver to Paris. Edmond feels obligated to do this in honor of his dead captain's dying wish. Danglars, the ship's clerk, overhears this transaction and makes plans to use this information against Edmond as he is jealous of him. Upon arriving at Marceilles, Morrel suggests that Edmond take over as captain of the Pharaon permanently, which is a great honor for a nineteen year old man. However, this promotion only makes Danglars more jealous, and he puts his plan in to action.

Edmond meantime visits his father and his true love Mercedes. Everything seems to be going right for him, and this blinds him to people who seek his downfall. Danglars conspires with Fernand, who is in love with Mercedes, to have Dantes arrested for treason. They manage to do this during Edmond's wedding breakfast.

Edmond tells his story to the young deputy magistrate, Villefort, who feels pity for him and believes in his innocence. However, upon looking at the letter Dantes is supposed to deliver to Paris, he discovers that it is addressed to his father, Nortier, a fact that could ruin him politically. Villefort burns the letter and sends Edmond to the notorious prison, The Chateau D'If where Edmond spends the next fourteen years. He manages to escape and to seek his revenge as The Count of Monte Cristo.

This novel is definitely a page turner. His revenge while just, at times goes too far and has some unintended consequences, which he regrets. I think this is part of the reason why I loved this book because Edmond/ The Count maintained a sense of morality in his revenge. He plans his revenge with tunnel vision thinking himself an agent of God. Yet in the reality of pulling it off, he gets sidetracked by other characters who he comes to love, and he must adapt his plans. Awesome, awesome novel!

Before Women Had Wings, The Girl Who Chased the Moon, and Second Nature

Last week I read three books. I'm not sure how I accomplished this considering the weather was gorgeous here, and the boys and I played outside on most days.

Before Women Had Wings by Connie May Fowler is one of those books that I appreciated for its good writing, but wouldn't necessarily recommend it to anyone because of its gloomy subject matter. Therefore, this review is going to be short. The story centers around a young girl, Bird, and her effort to survive in a home of violence. The husband beats the wife. The wife beats the kids. The voltures kill the kittens. (Sounds like a really bad round of The Farmer in the Dell.) The one shining character in the book is Miss Zora, the loving grandmotherly figure who befriends Bird. I kept hoping something good would happen to Bird to make up for all the awful things in her life. While the ending was hopeful, I was left unsatisfied.

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen, on the other hand, is very enjoyable. I picked this book up right after I finished Before Women Had Wings, and I'm glad I did. This book just made me smile. I've read Allen's other two novels, Garden Spells and The Sugar Queen. Out of the three, Garden Spells is still the best.

Allen uses magical realism in her novels: apple trees with attitudes, books that follow people around, and in this latest novel ever changing wallpaper. This technique makes the books whimsical and charming.

Of Love and Other Demons by Gabriel Garcia Marquez was the first time I encountered magical realism, and I loved it. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Marquez is considered the masterpiece of magical realism and is an amazing family saga if you can keep all the Jose Arcadio's and Aureliano's straight. Of course Allen's books are much easier to read and lighter than Marquez. If you enjoy his novels, you might consider Sarah Addison Allen.

The Girl Who Chased the Moon opens with Emily, an orphaned teenager who goes to live with the grandfather she's never met in Mullaby, NC. This grandfather happens to be an eight foot giant. As her mother has never spoken of her childhood, Emily doesn't know that the people of Mullaby are not happy with her arrival, especially the Coffey's. Reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet, Emily falls for Win Coffey. Together they try to heal what has happened in the past. This is a ridiculously simple synopsis of the story, but I'm scared of giving too much of the mystery away.

The only issue I have with this book is that there is a scene that reminded me of Twilight.

Second Nature by Alice Hoffman was another gloomy read though I did find it very interesting. Robin, who is separated from her no good cheating husband, goes to visit her brother at a mental hospital where he is a doctor. In the waiting room, she sees the infamous Wolf Man, a wild man who was raised by wolves. Handcuffed and awaiting transportation to a permanent institution, the Wolf Man asks Robin to help him. She ends up creating a story to get his handcuffs taken off and then smuggles him home where she and her teenage son work to socialize him. Most of the middle of the story is a trio of love stories between Robin and Stephen, the Wolf Man, and Conner, the teenage son, and Lydia, his girlfriend, and Stuart, Robin's brother, and his ex-wife, Kay. When first animals and then a person are murdered in the town, Stephen becomes the prime suspect.

Overall, I liked this book. The parts where Stephen struggles with identifying himself as a wolf or as a human are really interesting. The ending was a let down. I've not read too many books by Alice Hoffman, and I've yet to find one that I just love though I think there might be one out there. If anyone has any Alice Hoffman book recommendations, please let me know.

The Scapegoat by Daphne Du Maurier

Although I haven't read all of Du Maurier's novels, I've read enough of them to officially acknowledge that she is one of my favorite authors. The first person narration of The Scapegoat reminded me a lot of Rebecca in that the reader is privy to the psychological state of mind of the narrator. Maybe adding the word "super" would better explain the intensity of this POV...super first person narration...yes, much better. I felt that I had truly stepped into the mind of the narrator, John/Jean de Gue'.

At the beginning of the novel, John is an English professor of French language and culture on holiday in France for research. He is dissatisfied with his life, commenting that he is simply an observer and not an active participant. John wishes he could belong to a French family and feel the sense of kinship and community instead of always feeling on the outside of life.

The phrase "Be careful what you wish for" applies here as John meets Jean de Gue', a French aristocrat who shockingly enough looks exactly like him. After a few drinks and some intimate conversation, John discovers that de Gue' has the opposite problem; he is overburdened by his family. They drink quite a bit. The next day John discovers that de Gue' has drugged him and absconded with his identity, clothes, and car. De Gue's family driver does not believe John when he denies he is Jean de Gue' and takes him to the family chateau. John's first puzzle is figuring out which woman in the sitting room is his "wife."

This book was hard to put down as it was utterly fascinating how John handles his mistaken identity not only in dealing with the family members, but how he becomes so involved with this new identity that he begins to think of himself as Jean de Gue' and not as John. There is a lot of intrigue and family trouble that he is forced to handle. Ultimately, he comes to love the family. The ending is a bit of a shock, but of course I won't share it here. I will end with my two favorite passages from the novel.

One had no right to play about with people's lives. One should not interfere with their emotions. A word, a look, a smile, a frown, did something to another human being, waking response or aversion, and a web was woven which had no beginning and no end, spreading outward and inward too, merging, entangling, so that the struggle of one depended upon the struggle of the other (74-75).

Sometimes it's a sort of indulgence to think the worst of ourselves. We say, 'Now I have reached the bottom of the pit, now I can fall no further,' and it is almost a pleasure to wallow in the darkness. The trouble is, it's not true. There is no end to the evil in ourselves, just as there is no end to the good. It's a matter of choice. We struggle to climb, or we struggle to fall. The thing is to discover which way we're going (200).

Du Maurier, Daphne. The Scapegoat. New York: Doubleday, 1957.

The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte by Syrie James

The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte by Syrie James is my third selection for the All About the Brontes Challenge. It took me several weeks to finish this one. Not because it was slow, but because I wanted to read it when I could give it my full attention. I enjoyed this book very much. However, it felt more like a memoir than a diary as most of the text was Charlotte reflecting on her life and not daily diary entries as events occurred. This in no way disturbed my enjoyment of the novel. The writing felt very true to Charlotte Bronte, as if I was actually reading her words.

This book is wonderfully researched. I learned so much about Charlotte and her family. I especially enjoyed how James revealed the inspirations for Charlotte, Emily, and Anne's novels. I didn't realize the extent that these books were based on people the sisters knew and events that actually happened to them. The most tragic of which was the Helen Burns story based on Charlotte's loss of two of her sisters from tuberculosis at The Clergy Daughters School. This school was the inspiration for the Lowood School that Jane attends in Jane Eyre. I'd like to give away more of these parallels as I marked each one of them in my book with a Post-It, but I won't.

I was also fascinated by Branwell Bronte, Charlotte's brother and a literary genius in his own right. He was a bit of an enigma. At times, I pitied him and at others, I found his behavior despicable and inexcusable. I don't know if I want to read The Infernal World of Branwell Bronte knowing what I do now about his tormented life. I did really appreciate James' sensitive treatment of Branwell's madness.

Additionally, James treated the love story between Charlotte and Arthur Nicholls with delicacy. It was so tenderly expressed, and I love the contrast between what Charlotte imagined love to be and what she experienced love to be with Mr. Nicholls, who was so unlike Mr. Rochester. I couldn't help but compare their love story to Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy's considering all the misunderstandings and false judgements.

Emma Brown by Clare Boylan

Emma Brown: A novel from the unfinished manuscript by Charlotte Bronte is my second selection for the All About the Brontes challenge. This novel is actually based on two unfinished manuscripts by Charlotte Bronte, Emma Brown and The Story of Willie Ellin.  The first two chapters were written by Charlotte and are the first 20 manuscript pages of Emma Brown. Clare Boylan finishes the novel and adds Charlotte's character, Willie Ellin.  The result is successful and enjoyable, albeit it doesn't quite seem like the voice of Charlotte Bronte.     

The story begins when a young girl, Matilda Fitzgibbons, is dropped off at a boarding school by her uncle.  The three Wilcox sisters who run the school are thrilled as she is dressed in very expensive clothes, and they are in need of some extra income to keep their fledging girls school in operation.  After attempting to write to the uncle for payment, the sisters discover that he has given them a false address.  Matilda is abandoned at the school where the Wilcoxes strip her of her clothes and treat her cruelly.  

Two people of the town become interested in Matilda's plight, a widow named Mrs. Chalfont and a bachelor named Willie Ellin.   Mrs. Chalfont opens her home to Matilda while Mr. Ellin seeks to uncover the mystery of her abandonment.  Matilda can not provide the key to the mystery as she has lost her memory.  She does eventually remember that Emma is her real name. Emma (no longer Matilda) runs away to London in pursuit of her history, leaving the childless widow grieving her absence.  Mr. Ellin continues the search for Emma's uncle.  The second half of the story takes place primarily in the slums of London revealing the poverty, prostitution, and crime of the time.  (These sections reminded me more of Dickens than C. Bronte.) There are several coincidences that connect all of the main characters to Emma in the end.

  

Much like Jane Eyre, Emma has an independent spirit and a strong amount of common sense. She struggles to make it in the grim streets of London and uses her cleverness to avoid the workhouses.  Forgiveness and redemption are also themes of Emma Brown as several of the characters struggle to overcome their unfortunate pasts. While Jane is the only narrator in Jane Eyre, there are several different narrations in Emma Brown.  A few times these switches in POV were confusing.  However, I loved seeing the story from the perspectives of the various characters and how their pasts influenced the way they treated Emma.  

I highly recommend this book.  I didn't feel as if I was reading a Charlotte Bronte novel and with the exception of the first couple of chapters, I wasn't.  It was very courageous of Clare Boylan to finish the novel of such a beloved author.  Many reviews of this book have a "How dare you?" attitude toward Boylan.  I say, "How daring of you! Bravo!"

Random Ramblings About Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre is my first novel for the All About the Brontes Challenge hosted by Laura's Book Reviews. It is one of my top three favorite books, so I'm a bit overwhelmed with how to even begin writing about it.  I apologize for the following random thoughts.

SPOILER ALERTS:  (If you've never read Jane Eyre and want to...BEWARE!)

Short Synopsis:

The story opens with the orphaned ten year old Jane Eyre who is living with her cold and unloving Aunt Reed and her three cousins who exclude and torment her.  She is sent to Lowood, a charity school for girls.  It is a cold place where the girls are starved.   Jane finds a true friend in Helen Burns who tragically dies in her arms.  After her training is complete, Jane teaches at the school for a few years before advertising for a governess position.  She becomes a governess at Thornfield Hall, a lonely and mysterious place.  It is here where Jane finds true love.  Her happiness is short-lived as she suffers a great shock, which causes her to suddenly flee the manor in the middle of the night.  Weary and hungry, Jane is reduced to begging.  She finds help in the form of St. John Rivers and his two sisters who tend to her physical and emotional needs. After a year of making her way alone in the world, Jane returns to Thornfield Hall and to her true love, Mr. Rochester.  

Jane and Me:

My father suggested I should write an entry based on how my life relates to Jane Eyre's.  While I may be tempted to run off to the Moors in a state of emotional distress brought on by the antics of the my little sons, I never have and likely will not as we don't have those here. What I can relate to is Jane's love of learning and reading.  At the beginning, she escapes her troubles by reading a book.  Reading is a great escape for me as well.  I can also relate to her chosen profession as I am a teacher as well.  

Jane Eyre: The Feminist

Jane Eyre expresses a desire to take care of herself early on in the book when she advertises to be a governess.   When offered marriage, she insists on maintaining her work and receiving her salary.  She doesn't like the thought of being dependent on Mr. Rochester after they are married.  Jane express her independence when facing the moral dilemma of staying with Mr. Rochester as his mistress or leaving him.  She decides to leave and become independent of him. 

I love when she says to herself, "No; you shall tear yourself away; none shall help you: you shall yourself pluck out your right eye; yourself cut off your right hand: your heart should be the victim; and you the priest, to transfix it" (Jane Eyre, chapter 27).  This statement is incredibly eerie considering what actually happens to Rochester during the night of the fire.

Another Favorite Quote:

from Chapter 23 

"Do you think because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am souless and heartless?  You think wrong! I have as much soul as you, and full as much heart!"  

The entire paragraph this quote comes from is pretty amazing.  When watching Jane Eyre films, I'm always anticipating this particular line.

Speaking of Jane Eyre Films

I hadn't read Jane Eyre in several years and couldn't wait for the part where Mr. Rivers finds her exhausted on the Moors and carries her away to his home. This actually never happens. I guess I was recalling a scene from a film not the actual book.  I was kind of disappointed.

Jane Eyre and Rebecca

Rebecca by Daphne Du Murier is another favorite of mine.  I had no idea it was based on Jane Eyre until Laura listed it as one of the challenge books. Well, of course while reading Jane Eyre I noticed many similarities.  Most obvious of which are secrets about psychotic first wives, the romance of a young woman and older man of varying social stature, and the destruction of the mansions by fire.  

I can't wait to read my next selection for this challenge.  It is Emma Brown: A Novel from the Unfinished Manuscript by Charlotte Bronte by Clare Boylan.  

All About the Brontes Challenge 2010

Here are my picks for the All About the Brontes Challenge 2010 hosted by Laura's Reviews:

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte

Juvenilia by Charlotte Bronte

The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte by Syrie James

The Infernal World of Branwell Bronte by Daphne Du Maurier

Emma Brown: An Unfinished Manuscript by Charlotte Bronte by Clare Boylan

I am focusing mostly on Charlotte, but wanted to add Agnes Grey because it's the only Bronte novel I've never read....or maybe I have read it and just don't remember.  Daphne Du Maurier is one of my favorites so I added the Branwell Bronte biography (if I can find it somewhere).

This challenge begins on Jan.1 and runs to June, so there is still plenty of time to sign up! Laura has an extensive list of books and movies on her blog.

Blog Update and Margaret Atwood Novels

Blog Update

I've noticed a lot of blogger folk are giving a kind of "State of the Union Address" about the direction and progression of their blogs.   The end of a year and the beginning of the next is a good time for reflection.  When I started this blog last summer, I thought to focus only on cooking.  Since then I have branched out to other things such as crafts and book reviews.  So I guess the focus of my blog is a bit unfocused.  For now, I'm okay with that.  So expect more random entries in 2010.  Random/unfocused is sort of the theme of my life right now!

Margaret Atwood

I am adding Margaret Atwood to my ever growing list of favorite authors.  This year I read two of her books, The Handmaid's Tale and Oryx and Crake. Out of all the books I've read this year, these are the only two my mind continues to return to ponder. Both take place in the future and most people would label them science fiction. However, Atwood doesn't like this label and would prefer to call them speculative fiction.  I agree with this and would add that even people who would not typically enjoy science fiction would really like these books.

Oryx and Crake reveals a futuristic society that is divided between the elite science community who live in "safe" gated compounds and the pleebians who live outside these communities in an atmosphere of violence and disease. The science community focuses on using genetic engineering to make life better. Jimmy, who later is renamed Snowman, grows up in a compound where his father creates pigoons, pigs who have been genetically engineered to grow human body parts. Jimmy befriends Glenn, who later becomes Crake. They grow up together playing violent video games and watching internet porn. Both boys become fascinated with a young girl on the porn site, who they later meet and rename Oryx. 

The book begins with Snowman/Jimmy as a grown man. He seems to be the last man on Earth with Crakers, genetically engineered humanoids, as his only companions. In these scenes, Snowman is just trying to stay alive. He is hunted by the genetically engineered animals such as pigoons and wolvogs. Through his flashbacks, the reader learns how he (and the Earth) has ended up in this dire situation. It is an incredibly complex and interesting novel.

After reading Oryx and Crake, I wanted to reread The Handmaid's Tale, which presents an alternate future outcome of society.  The Handmaid's Tale is written from the perspective of a handmaid, a woman whose sole purpose is for breeding, much like Rachel used her servant in the Bible to bear her a son.  Her life depends on her ability to do this. 

This handmaid experienced the transition from a society much like ours to this one where she has been stripped of her rights. Everything has been taken away from her including her daughter and husband from her previous life.Women are not allowed to own property or to read. Some women become Wives through arranged marriages.  Others become household workers called Marthas. It is heartbreaking and amazing portrait of survival....and eventually escape.  

An Irish Country Christmas

If I could only use one word to describe An Irish Country Christmas by Patrick Taylor it would be charming! Reminiscent of Jan Karon's Mitford series, this novel centers around the lives of two country doctors and the colorful people they encounter in the small town of Ballybucklebo in Northern Ireland, 1964. Much like Father Tim, the doctors O'Reilly and Laverty go beyond the call of duty when caring for their"flock." 

O'Reilly, the owner of the medical practice is a large bear of a man while Laverty is the competent young assistant with hopes of becoming a partner. They both experience uncertainty in their romantic lives. O'Reilly, a longtime widower, renews a relationship with an old sweetheart, Kitty. Laverty laments over his girlfriend, Patricia, who is away at school and doesn't seem to be making much of an effort to come home for Christmas.  

There are laugh out loud moments as well as heart-wrenching ones. One of my favorite parts begins with a little boy who is upset about not being cast as Joseph in the local Christmas pageant. I don't want to give away what happens, but his plan for revenge ends with one of the most hilarious scenes I've ever read in fiction.

An Irish Country Christmas is the third book in the Irish Country Doctor series. Of course, there is a little catching up in the beginning for people who are new to the series like me, but overall is could be a stand-alone book. I will definitely be reading the first two books.  

Taylor has also written a Christmas short story available to read for FREE on his website. 

Here are some of my favorite Irish expressions I learned while reading:

bletherskite: a nonstop talker

heart of corn: someone who has a heart of corn is good natured

gobshite: an insult literally meaning dried nasal mucus

take your hurry in your hand: wait a minute

hooley: a party

This novel is my third and last selection for The True Book Addict's Christmas Challenge.  I tried to read Tidings of Great Joy by Sandra Brown, but couldn't get past this line on page 12,"He bit into the succulent slice of turkey breast.  It never had occured to Ria that teeth could be sexy, but she felt that bite right above her belly button." With a roll of my eyes, I put this book down never to pick up another Sandra Brown book ever again!  

Review of Glad Tidings by Debbie Macomber

I finished my second selection, Glad Tidings by Debbie Macomber, for The True Book Addict's Christmas Reading Challenge.I finally found some time today to write my review.  (Christmas is coming along quite nicely here as I finished shopping both physically and virtually yesterday. Whew!)  Glad Tidings is a collection of two Christmas stories: There's Something About Christmas and Here Comes Trouble!  The protagonists in both stories are journalists, making it a nice pairing.  

The Lowdown on Debbie Macomber Books

Having read several Debbie Macomber books, I know what to expect from one of her stories. First, there will be some sort of conflict between two people who are attracted to each other. These two people will outwardly show disdain for each other, while inwardly long to be with each other. Due to circumstances beyond their control, the characters will find themselves forced to be in each other's company.  This contact will allow them to get to know each other. The resulting friendship paves the way for a deeper romantic bond.  The book will likely end with a marriage.  I have never read one of her books that deviated from this basic plot line.

So, Why Read Debbie Macomber Then?

Every once in a while, I enjoy reading a nice, wholesome love story.  The characters in Macomber's books are nice people, even though they sometimes have rough edges.  The situations she puts her characters in are fun to read...my favorite being The Midnight Sons series where lonely Alaskan Bachelors advertise for woman...so cute and usually pretty funny. 

Back to Glad Tidings

Out of the two stories, I enjoyed There's Something about Christmas better. The premise of this story revolves around a journalist, Emma Collins, who must face her fear of flying in order to further her career.  Her big break is to write a series of articles on National Fruitcake finalists in Washington state. The love interest is Oliver, the outwardly cocky, overly good-looking, maverick of a pilot who takes her to visit these contestants in his small aircraft. After a fair amount of misunderstandings and fights, he wins Emma's love through several heroic acts such as finding her a place to live after she is evicted from her apartment. (This new apartment just happens to be the one right next to his.)  He even manages to help Emma relearn the joy of Christmas, which is very endearing.  Plus, I loved all the fruit cake recipes!

The second story, Here Comes Trouble, begins on Christmas Eve when the young daughters of the protagonists ask to hear how their parents met.  Of course, the couple despises each other at first, being rival Seattle newspaper columnists.  Nolan, the father, publicly insults the mother, Maryanne by calling her a spoiled Debutante who depends on her daddy for home and career.  Maryanne is embarrassed, but sees some truth in this portrayal. Determined to be independent from her father, Maryanne quits her job and moves out of her posh Seattle apartment.  Nolan feels guilty about this and offers to help her.  He (surprise, surprise) finds her an apartment right next door to his.  There are misunderstandings and fights. Nolan must find a way to look past her wealth and upbringing, to see her for who she really is.  There was one small detail in this story that really bothered me, but that clearly reveals the wholesome nature of Debbie Macomber's mind.  Maryanne dresses for a date and wears a long black velvet skirt, a blouse, a black velvet blazer, and a cameo necklace.  Not exactly what I think a young woman in her twenties would wear on a date! 

    

Overall, Glad Tidings is an enjoyable book.  I'd recommend it to people who like light romances.  If you'd pick up this book because of the cute puppy on the cover, you're probably the type that would enjoy reading it.  

Christmas Reading Challenge: The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans

Christmas is so over-commercialized that a part of me, just a small part, dreads it's arrival every October. Yes, October.  I'm a bit weary of the Christmas ads that overfill my newspaper, the articles about the must-have toy of the season (It's the Zhu Zhu Pet this year.), people who put up their lights before Halloween, the Christmas commercials, the nonsense of camping out in front of some store to get the best deals, and what seemed outrageous this year...The Merry Madagascar special that aired before Thanksgiving.  

My children are especially greedy this time of year. My five-year old wants every large LEGO set available.  This child informed me that Santa doesn't have to worry about how expensive something is.  He'll make it happen. Santa will make it happen.  (cringe)

But this is sounding a bit down on Christmas, which is not my intention.  The child in me still gets excited about picking out the tree, holiday baking, and singing Christmas songs. The adult, however, finds it increasingly harder to experience the wonder of Christmas.  

The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans helped me to recapture that feeling of Christmas wonder this year.  It is not an elaborate story, but a remarkably simple one.  A young couple and their small daughter go to live with a lonely widow in her large estate.  In exchange for their room and board, the family does nominal work for the widow, such as preparing meals. This arrangement has deeper emotional consequences for both the family and the widow.  The father discovers an old Christmas Box in the attic, which intrigues him.  Tear stained Bible pages, dreams of stone angels, and unidentified music help to unravel the mystery of the Box. Through this mystery, Evans reveals the first gift of Christmas.  

I am a person who is very sensitive to cheesiness.  If I find it cheesy, I won't be able to take it seriously.  This novel definitely passes the cheesiness test.  I think it's because the emotion is not contrived, but is honest. Evans originally wrote the novella for his children.  It was definitely a welcomed reprieve from all the holiday madness.  I highly recommend this book.

Christmas Reading Challenge

I've been checking out book blogs lately and came across The True Book Addict: Christmas Reading Challenge.  Since I've already purchased several holiday books, I decided to sign up for fun.  It starts on Thanksgiving and runs until New Year's.  You only have to read 1-3 books.  Join us! 

Here are my picks:

The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans

An Irish Country Christmas by Patrick Taylor

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Glad Tidings by Debbie Macomber

Tidings of Great Joy by Sandra Brown

By the way, this is last year's tree.  I don't believe in putting up the tree until after Thanksgiving, but I do know people who have already put theirs up...you know who you are!