So this was originally supposed to be a holiday picture book roundup, like I do every year, but then my ten-old-niece and I had to have the “Is Santa real?” discussion in real life, and even looking at the rest of the Santa books is too much for today, so here you go, let’s talk about The Day Santa Stopped Believing In Harold. What a good, non-cynical twist on the “Is Santa real?” story; what if Santa stopped believing in one particular child, instead of […]
“Having kids sent a tornado through your marriage, then made you happy at the devastation.”
Prior to joining CBR, I had never heard of Rainbow Rowell. She’s the kind of author I never would’ve encountered out in the cold and barren landscape of the real world. I don’t typically read romance novels or the young adult genre (though this book doesn’t fit into the latter category). Which is weird, because some of my favorite, most beloved movies, are romantic comedies: When Harry Met Sally, Notting Hill, Love Actually (yes, I’m one of THOSE people)…. And I love Disney and Pixar movies, which may […]
Make Merry – no matter the season
So what if the holidays are over? Bring a little joy into your life by reading this anthology of Regency romances by some of the best historical romance writers. Well, some of my favorites, anyway. This delightful collection of tales overlap and intertwine around a Yule party, but each one is complete in and of itself and offers both delicious temptation and savory seductions, as well as some surprisingly deep emotional connections – not at all easy to pull off in short stories, much less […]
A life measured and found wanting
We all know this story. We’ve seen it acted out with Muppets, or Mickey Mouse, or monstrosities that reside in the Uncanny Valley of Doom. We had the story read to us when we were children, and grow up to read it to our own brood. It’s been adapted numerous times for every medium. It is as ubiquitous as Shakespeare, and as indelibly tied to the Christmas season, ironically, as Capitalism itself. Which makes it almost impossible to review. It’s impossible to look at this […]
The Manger’s Just the Middle of the Story
The Short Version: A book about Christmas, read just after Christmas, academically meaty by “gift book” standards—hurrah! I started reading this the last week in December because 1) it was a gift from my parents, 2) the Christmas tree and all the holiday decorations were still up, and 3) I wanted to read a book about Christmas to stretch the season a little further (and also so it wouldn’t go on the shelf and never be read, because it is hard to make time for […]
A historical romance with seasonal cheer
3.5 stars After Miss Louisa Oliver broke her betrothal to Viscount Matheson, her step-sister and former intended was subjected to quite a scandal, due to the gossipping ways of Matheson’s friend, the dissolute Alexander Edgware, Lord Xavier. Matheson and Louisa’s step-sister got married, and the scandal passed, but Xavier isn’t really a favourite in the Oliver or Matheson family circles any more. So when Louisa, with her formidable aunt as chaperone, receives an invitation to his house party, rumoured to be quite a raucous event, […]