Make My Wish Come True by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick

 Make My Wish Come True by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick - 320 pages

Summary: Hollywood teen actor Arden James' messy reputation is interfering with her career when a notoriously picky director won't give her a role based on her party-girl image. So she and her publicist make up a lie – not only is she from a small town (true) but her childhood best friend Caroline, is her long-term girlfriend (false) and she can prove it when she goes home for Christmas.​

Caroline Beckett hasn't thought about her ex-best friend Arden James for years, focusing instead on her dreams about becoming a journalist. When Arden turns up on her doorstep and promises her an article in Cosmopolitan magazine on their twelve snow-covered romantic days together, Caroline agrees to play along.
​
But when old feelings start to bubble up, what will fall faster – Arden and Caroline or the Christmas Eve snow? ​

A gorgeous, heartwarming cozy romance - perfect for the holidays!

Opinion: I honestly thought the book was kind of boring. But it was an easy read and had good holiday vibes, which is why I read the whole thing. 

THE LEAVING SEASON: A MEMOIR IN ESSAYS by KELLY MCMASTERS

 THE LEAVING SEASON: A MEMOIR IN ESSAYS by KELLY MCMASTERS (175 PAGES)

A memoir in intimate essays navigating marriage and motherhood, art and ambition, grief and nostalgia, and the elusive concept of home. Kelly McMasters found herself in her midthirties living her fantasy: she’d moved with her husband, a painter, from New York City to rural Pennsylvania, where their children roamed idyllic acres in rainboots and diapers. The pastoral landscape and the bookshop they opened were restorative at first, for her and her marriage. But soon, she was quietly plotting her escape. 

In The Leaving Season , McMasters chronicles the heady rush of falling in love and carving out a life in the city, the slow dissolution of her relationship in an isolated farmhouse, and the complexities of making a new home for herself and her children as a single parent. She delves into the tricky and often devastating balance between seeing and being seen; loss and longing; desire and doubt; and the paradox of leaving what you love in order to survive. Whether considering masculinity in the countryside through the life of a freemartin calf, the vulnerability of new motherhood in the wake of a car crash, or the power of community pulsing through an independent bookshop, The Leaving Season finds in every ending a new beginning.

I enjoyed reading this book.

THE SERVICEBERRY: ABUNDANCE AND RECIPROCITY IN THE NATURAL WORLD by ROBIN WALL KIMMERER

 THE SERVICEBERRY: ABUNDANCE AND RECIPROCITY IN THE NATURAL WORLD by ROBIN WALL KIMMERER (112 PAGES)

As indigenous scientist and author of Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. How, she asks, can we learn from indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most? Our economy is rooted in scarcity, competition, and the hoarding of resources, and we have surrendered our values to a system that actively harms what we love.

Meanwhile, the serviceberry’s relationship with the natural world is an embodiment of reciprocity, interconnectedness, and gratitude. The tree distributes its wealth—its abundance of sweet, juicy berries—to meet the needs of its natural community. And this distribution insures its own survival. As Kimmerer explains, “Serviceberries show us another model, one based upon reciprocity, where wealth comes from the quality of your relationships, not from the illusion of self-sufficiency.”

I did not read the description before I read this book, and it wasn't quite what I was expecting, but I did enjoy it. I thought it was going to be more about the tree itself, and this book ties in with the authors' philosophical ideas about the connections between ecology and our economy. 

A HIGHLAND CHRISTMAS (Hamish Macbeth 15.5) by M.C. BEATON

 A HIGHLAND CHRISTMAS by M.C. BEATON (130 PAGES)

Christmas is an ancient Roman festival, not to be celebrated by decent folk in the Scottish Highlands. Police Constable Hamish Macbeth has always loved the festivities, but this year his family is vacationing in sunny Florida. He is stuck with the long, lonely Christmas shift in freezing Lochdubh. A cranky old lady kicks off the holidays by reporting her cat missing. Then the Christmas lights and tree in a nearby village disappear soon after the local council voted to allow decorations. As Hamish finds a way to bring Christmas to the Highlands and make a little girl's dreams come true, he finds -- to his delight -- that he has the best Christmas ever.

I love the Hamish Macbeth series. This was an enjoyable little novella, an easy read for the holidays.

BEATRIX POTTER'S GARDENING LIFE: THE PLANTS AND PLACES THAT INSPIRED THE CLASSIC CHILDREN'S TALES by MARTA MCDOWELL

 BEATRIX POTTER'S GARDENING LIFE: THE PLANTS AND PLACES THAT INSPIRED THE CLASSIC CHILDREN'S TALES by MARTA MCDOWELL  (340 PAGES)

There aren’t many books more beloved than The Tale of Peter Rabbit and even fewer authors as iconic as Beatrix Potter. Her characters—Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddle Duck, and all the rest—exist in a charmed world filled with flowers and gardens. In Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life , bestselling author Marta McDowell explores the origins of Beatrix Potter’s love of gardening and plants and shows how this passion came to be reflected in her work.

The book begins with a gardener’s biography, highlighting the key moments and places throughout her life that helped define her. Next, follow Beatrix Potter through a year in her garden, with a season-by-season overview of what is blooming that truly brings her gardens alive. The book culminates in a traveler’s guide, with information on how and where to visit Potter’s gardens today.

Beautifully Illustrated! I enjoyed reading about the countryside where Beatrix Potter grew up, and all the struggles she encountered and overcame in her life. 

Stone Age Beasts by Ben Lerwill

Stone Age Beasts by Ben Lerwill - 47 pages

I read this book in preparation for a homeschool class.  I found the information interesting.  There were several animals that I had not heard of before.  I did think it could have had better writing and also included a little more information.  However, it was a good introductory text to the topic.

 

Reunion in Death by J.D. Robb

Reunion in Death by J.D. Robb, 371 pages

Eve Dallas was still a fresh face with the NYPSD when she helped put away Julianna Dunne, a black widow with a bad habit of murdering ex-husbands and lovers. Julianna charms the system and is released to kill again. This time the bodies she piles up are only a smoke screen to hide her real target: Lieutenant Eve Dallas by way of murdering her beloved husband Roarke.

This installment of the In Death series had a much better antagonist than the previous few.  Julianna felt like real opposition for Eve, instead of some overblown scifi villain with a random kink.