Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham - 304 Pages

"Imagine a year without Christmas. No crowded malls, no corny office parties, no fruitcakes, no unwanted presents. That’s just what Luther and Nora Krank have in mind when they decide that, just this once, they’ll skip the holiday altogether. Theirs will be the only house on Hemlock Street without a rooftop Frosty, they won’t be hosting their annual Christmas Eve bash, they aren’t even going to have a tree. They won’t need one, because come December 25 they’re setting sail on a Caribbean cruise. But as this weary couple is about to discover, skipping Christmas brings enormous consequences—and isn’t half as easy as they’d imagined.

A classic tale for modern times, Skipping Christmas offers a hilarious look at the chaos and frenzy that have become part of our holiday tradition."

I didn't realize that this book was related to the film, Christmas with the Kranks, when I first picked it up, so it was a nice refreshment as it brought back memories to when I had watched the film with my family here and there whenever it aired on TV.

On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan

On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan, 203 pages

On Chesil Beach follows two young newlyweds Florence and Edward as they travel to a hotel on the Dorset coast for their much anticipated honeymoon in July 1962.  Both are virgins from very different backgrounds.  Edward is eager to get physical with his new bride.  But, to the contrary, Florence is disgusted to have any physical contact with Edward.  It is actually quite a sad story.  One cannot help feel sympathy for both Florence and Edward.

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier
320 pages

"When she was sixteen years old, Angela Wong--one of the most popular girls in school--disappeared without a trace. Nobody ever suspected that her best friend, Georgina Shaw, now an executive and rising star at her Seattle pharmaceutical company, was involved in any way. Certainly not Kaiser Brody, who was close with both girls back in high school.

"But fourteen years later, Angela Wong's remains are discovered in the woods near Geo's childhood home. And Kaiser--now a detective with Seattle PD--finally learns the truth: Angela was a victim of Calvin James. The same Calvin James who murdered at least three other women.

"To the authorities, Calvin is a serial killer. But to Geo, he's something else entirely. Back in high school, Calvin was Geo's first love. Turbulent and often volatile, their relationship bordered on obsession from the moment they met right up until the night Angela was killed.

"For fourteen years, Geo knew what happened to Angela and told no one. For fourteen years, she carried the secret of Angela's death until Geo was arrested and sent to prison...

"Now the obsessive past catches up with the deadly present when new bodies begin to turn up, killed in the exact same manner as Angela Wong."

I received a Kindle galley edition of this book.  The story line is just average and it's a bit graphic for me.  Also, the writing style seems more suited to teens/young adults.  It was advertised as a psychological thriller, but I think it falls a bit short.  I gave it 2 out of 5 stars.

On the Road by Jack Kerouac

On the Road by Jack Kerouac, 307 pages

"On the Road" is Jack Kerouac's autobiographical novel detailing the events of his travels across America in the 1940's.  The book reflects people and events from Kerouac's life with fictionalized names, most notably the author as Sal Paradise, Neal Cassady as Dean Moriarty, and Allen Ginsberg as Carlo Marx, along with other key figures from the Beat Generation.

For what it's worth, I enjoyed the book.