A Simple Amish Christmas - Vannetta Chapman

Annie Weaver always planned to return home, but the 20-year old RN has lived in Philadelphia for three years now. Her time of rumschpringe is about to come to an abrupt end, bringing for Annie an overwhelming sense of loneliness. She returns home and finds herself face-to-face with a budding romance with an Amish farmer and Annie has several important choices to make.

Vannetta Chapman's debut novel is far from "simple." Annie is an unconventional heroine, full of doubt and constantly striving to do the best she can for her family and her community. Samuel is insecure and and still hurting from a long ago accident that claimed his family. The protagonists of this Christmas tale have to learn that God's grace can wipe away their pasts and bring something new and wonderful into their lives - together.

A Simple Amish Christmas is full of quirky and lovable secondary characters (some of whom captured my heart in such a way that makes me wonder if Chapman plans to expand on their stories in another novel?) and has a wonderfully Christmassy and chilly setting which makes you want to wrap up under a blanket (or perhaps an Amish quilt!) with a cup of hot chocolate. Chapman has captured the essence of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania perfectly, not only in its landscape and culture but also the spirit of community that is present among the Amish. Annie's family and friends welcome her back with open and arms and encourage her to use her nursing skills to help those in need. This is a far cry from the likes of Beverly Lewis's novels where characters are shunned or flee their families because of past transgressions. Instead, I was reminded of Amy Clipston's Kauffman Amish Bakery series, where the focus is on dealing with day-to-day problems that anyone could face, inside or outside the Amish community - a pregnant teenager, a troublesome home-birth, a car accident, a misunderstanding between a new couple. I have a feeling that Chapman could be following in Clipston's footsteps to become the next bestseller in the Amish genre - and pride of place on my bookcase!

Although I found this a leisurely and unchallenging read, this debut novel is not the "Simple Amish Christmas" story it sells itself as. Annie and Samuel have to learn to trust God and each other and overcome their fears and doubts in order to reach happiness in this endearing romance peppered with challenges, subplots and snowstorms. Vannetta Chapman is an author to look out for, especially if you're a fan of the Amish genre or just a hopeless romantic like me. 10/10

I'm very grateful to have had the chance to review this book from NetGalley and Abingdon Press.

The Confession - Beverly Lewis

Katie Lapp, a young Amish woman who questioned the strict rules of her upbringing and even her own identity, has been shunned from her Amish community. Katie--now known as Katherine Mayfield--sets out to find her birth mother, and a life, she has never known. 

Her birth mother is seriously ill and Katie must struggle to find her, and prove her own identity, before it's too late. But in the world of electric lights, telephones, and fancy things, Katie stumbles into a web of greed and betrayal where the garb of the Amish is misused to disguise an evil conspiracy. Meanwhile, unknown to Katherine, her long-lost love, Daniel, has returned to the Amish community to find her. Can they ever be together again?

I read the first book in this series, The Shunning, over a year ago and as a result of this had forgotten a lot of the details. I've also read several other Amish-themed books between then and now and have established my views on who the best authors are in this genre and which series is my favourite. Unfortunately, this book isn't among them. As much as I enjoyed the first book and all of its drama and angst, this one just seemed unnecessarily over-dramatic and cliched. Although I wanted to read about Katie meeting her birth-mother and being reunited with her lost love, I didn't feel so connected to her and there were several passages devoted to the points of view of the servants in her birth-mother's house - many of whom were, bizarrely, English. Was it typical to have English servants in an NY home in 1997? Particularly ones who appeared to have stepped out of an Agatha Christie novel? I did enjoy reading about the "imposter" and wondering whether Katie would ever get to meet Lydia face-to-face (although considering the predictability of this novel, it was rather obvious that this would eventually happen) but I felt that this series lost its charm once it was no longer based in Hickory Hollow. I tend to prefer the Amish novels that focus on people who embrace their beliefs, rather than those who escape the lifestyle. I will read the last book in the trilogy as I checked it out of the library last week, but I definitely prefer Lewis's Abram's Daughters series to this one. But to give the author credit, this trilogy was her first and it's obvious that her writing has grown immensely since this was published. 6/10

Diary of a Wimpy Vampire - Tim Collins

Like Edward Cullen in "Twilight", Nigel Mullet was transformed into a vampire when he was still a teenager, and will remain this age forever. Unfortunately, Nigel became a vampire at the awkward age of fifteen, and must spend eternity coping with acne, a breaking voice, and an ineptitude with girls...In this, his excruciatingly funny diary, Nigel chronicles his increasingly desperate attempts to be noticed by the love of his life, Della Sparrow, the constant mortification caused by his vampire parents (not to mention the worry that they might accidentally eat one of his friends), and the frustration one feels when you've got the whole of boring eternity stretching out in front of you and you can't even have a lie in (vampires don't sleep). Forced to hang out with the Goths and emo kids due to his pale skin and social awkwardness, and constantly battling his embarrassingly overwhelming desire to sink his fangs into Della's neck, will Nigel ever get his girl? Fantastically witty and hugely enter taining, this fun and accessible diary will appeal to any fan of "Twilight" or "Adrian Mole", teenage or otherwise...

I got this book through the First Reads program at GoodReads. This book was amusing enough but I'm afraid I'm probably not the target age group. I could imagine a 12 or 13 year old boy - one who is fed up with all of the girls in his class swooning over Edward Cullen and has a warped sense of humour - finding this funny, but I'm not sure how well it would do in the female audience. It had several one-liners that made laugh out loud and I liked how Collins kicked holes in the Twilight premise - who would really want to be teenager for all eternity? - so I'll admit that found it rather amusing, but I don't think I'll be recommending it to any of my friends! I think that this book would be most appreciated by preteen boys who're looking for a laugh, particularly those who enjoyed Mark Haddon's Agent Z series. 6/10

Plain and Fancy - Wanda E. Brunstetter

Is it good for two people-one plain, the other fancy-to fall in love? Laura Meade loves her modern life, yet she fascinated by the Amish culture in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where she is studying interior design. Upon their first meeting, she is immediately attracted to Eli Yoder, one of the Plain People, but Laura has no real concept about faith, God's love, and forgiveness of sins. Eli is also enamored with Laura, but to marry outside his faith would be forbidden. What then is the hope for love?

This is the second Wanda Brunstetter novel that I've read and I have to admit that I'm not really compelled to read any more of hers. This story was so simplistic with no space for originality or creativity - just a standard romance set in an Amish community. While it was a bit more fleshed out than the other novel I've read from this author - On Her Own - the characters were total caricatures and not developed enough to actually have motives behind their actions. And the speech was incredibly stilted and fake-sounding. Furthermore, the main character really irritated me - she was so selfish and childish, definitely not mature enough to be getting married and taking on all the responsibilities that an Amish wife and mother has! She only redeemed herself in the last few pages but by this point I was rather fed up with her. I'm giving this book 5/10 as it was fairly enjoyable to read and did keep my interest, even if I feel like I could write a more compelling novel myself! I have one more Brunstetter novel on my TBR and I really hope it's better than this - otherwise, I won't be trying any more of her books.

The Shop on Blossom Street - Debbie Macomber

There's a little yarn shop on Blossom Street in Seattle. It's owned by Lydia Hoffman, and it represents her dream of a new life free from cancer. A life that offers a chance at love . . . 

Lydia teaches knitting to beginners, and the first class is "How to Make a Baby Blanket." Three women join. Jacqueline Donovan wants to knit something for her grandchild as a gesture of reconciliation with her daughter-in-law. Carol Girard feels that the baby blanket is a message of hope as she makes a final attempt to conceive. And Alix Townsend is knitting her blanket for a court-ordered community service project.

These four very different women, brought together by an age-old craft, make unexpected discoveries -- about themselves and each other. Discoveries that lead to friendship and more . . .

Although the story was fairly predictable and each of the characters conformed to a stereotype, I did enjoy this book. My mum's a fan of Debbie Macomber and has a dozen of her books on her bookcase, so I thought I'd better check out her work. This only took me a day and a half to plough through and, naturally, it didn't involve a lot of effort or intellect in order to get into the story. But sometimes you want an easy book to lose yourself in, something mindless that makes you smile. And that's exactly what this novel was. I'll probably read the next in the series when I'm next in need of some light escapism. 6/10

Before the Storm - Judith Lennox

A wild autumn day in 1909: Richard Finborough catches sight of twenty-year-old Isabel Zeale at the harbour at Lynmouth and is captivated by her beauty. Scarred by her past, Isabel has no intention of letting anyone get close. But Richard pursues her, and his persistence and ardour win her heart.

The couple marry and have three children, Philip, Theo and Sara. A fourth is added when Ruby, the daughter of Richard's old friend, comes to stay with them after her father mysteriously disappears. The Finboroughs' lives seem enviably perfect.

Then, in the 1930s, the reappearance of an old acquaintance turns Isabel's world upside down, while Ruby uncovers a series of dark truths about her father that lead her to a terrible conclusion. As conflicts simmer in Europe, it seems that love, war and secrets are set to tear the family apart...

The best way I can describe this book is as a good summer read. Although the 600+ pages might seem daunting, this is an easy book to read and I plowed through it in three days. A great historical blockbuster that spans two generations of a family from the turn of the twentieth century until the end of WWII, this is perfect is you like romance, family sagas or historical settings. I'll admit that Lennox didn't exactly delve deep into the emotions of the characters - difficult with such a large cast - and I didn't always feel terribly connected to them, but she's fantastic at capturing the setting and the period. There was so much drama going on in this book, which made it difficult to put down, but I felt that it was quite sad in places. No one seemed to get what they wanted until near the end of the novel and there were so many broken and dysfunctional relationships - which I suppose is realistic for such families where marriages are made for social and financial reasons rather than love. All in all, a compelling, light summer read although nothing new or original. 7/10 

Shades of Grace - Barbara Delinsky

Grace Dorian is The Confidante, America's favorite advice columnist. Her wisdom has helped to guide two generations—including her daughter, Francine, and granddaughter, Sophie, who manage the vast Dorian empire and oversee the thousand details of Grace's world.

But a national treasure is losing her brilliance. Her once razor-sharp mind is showing strain; her columns have begun to wander. Concerned about Grace's health and future, Francine must step in to fill her legendary mother's shoes and somehow also live her own life, which now suddenly includes her confusing feelings for Grace's handsome doctor and new worries about tempestuous Sophie, who needs more guidance than Grace's public.

I'm a massive Barbara Delinsky addict and I'm constantly amazed at how compelling her books are and how she can create so many unique characters. I've yet to encounter a Delinsky novel that I hate and I've only read one so far that I felt was simply okay. This novel, on the other hand, was fantastic. Although released in 1995, Delinsky is fantastic at painting the portrait of a family dealing with their matriarch's sudden decline into Alzheimer's Disease. The main character of the novel is Francine, who is struggling to come to turns with how much her mother is changing, and taking over the family "business" - writing an advice collumn. Other characters are Grace, declining because of her disease and struggling to hide secrets in her past; Sophie, Francine's daughter who previously went out of her way to rebel against her grandmother and is trying to find her place in the world; Davis, Grace's doctor and Francine's love interest; and new-comer Robin, a journalist whose life was dominated by Grace's collumn who ends up helping Francine. As a result of this large cast of characters, I can understand how some readers could find the many plots and sub-plots difficult to follow. Personally, I love stories with as much drama as this! Hidden family secrets! Secret pasts! Love interests! Yes, I'm a romantic at heart - but this isn't simply a romance. It's a story of families and the ties that bond them together - and building new bonds. I was satisfied with the outcome of the story, even if I did see it coming. And I was pleased with the way that Grace's story panned out. Despite all the drama and new relationships being created, Delinsky didn't forget Grace's disease and it progressed in a very realistic manner. My own grandmother was diagnosed with AD when I was about 11 and although she's taken almost 8 years to get to the stage that Grace does at the end of the book, the difficulties that she and her family suffered really struck a chord with me. Even if you're not a fan of this style of novel or of Delinsky's work, this book is worth reading for the depiction of AD alone. And if you do love family sagas and romances, then this an especially deep and meaningful one! 9/10