Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Gifts for the Book-loving Mom



Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you had a wonderful holiday. My son and daughter-in-law joined us today, along with my in-laws. We all had a great time and enjoyed some yummy food. I am so full I don't think I can eat another bite.

Books must have been on many minds, as I am now the owner of nine new titles thanks to my family and my Amazon Wish List. Here is what I received:



The Alpine Path is the story of this Canadian author's career and her life. The title comes from a bit of verse the author clipped from an old magazine that said: The Alpine path, so hard, so steep, That leads to heights sublime; How I may reach that far-off goal Of true and honoured fame, And write upon its shining scroll A woman's humble name."

I'm a Lucy Maud Montgomery fan and have read her Anne of Green Gables series numerous times. I've also read The Story Girl series and other titles about residents of Avonlea.


Little House on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls Wilder's heartwarming story of a pioneer girl named Laura and her family's covered wagon journey to Kansas, is one of the most beloved children's books ever written. Ever since her story was first published sixty-five years ago, readers have clamored to know more about Laura and her real life on the prairie.

Now, in this beautifully illustrated volume, you can experience life as it was in the little log cabin. Discover how Laura's real life was both similar to and different from the life she described Little House on the Prairie. Find out what it was really like to homestead land, cook over an open fire, and build a prairie cabin. Make Mary's and Laura's star headbands, cook Ma's stewed blackberries, and plant your own prairie garden. You can even sing the songs that the Ingallses sang to the sound of Pa's fiddle!

For anyone who has ever treasured Little House on the Prairie, Inside Laura's Little House brings Laura's world vividly and remarkably to life.

This book has been on my wish list for a long time. I'm so glad the kids bought it for me.


She may be thirty-fifth in line for the throne, but Lady Georgiana Rannoch cannot wait to ring in the New Year—before a Christmas killer wrings another neck…

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me—well, actually, my true love, Darcy O’Mara, is spending a feliz navidad tramping around South America. Meanwhile Mummy is holed up in a tiny village called Tiddleton-under-Lovey with that droll Noel Coward! And I’m snowed in at Castle Rannoch with my bumbling brother, Binky, and sourpuss sister-in-law, Fig.

So it’s a miracle when I contrive to land a position as hostess to a posh holiday party in Tiddleton. The village is like something out of A Christmas Carol! But no sooner have I arrived than a neighborhood nuisance, a fellow named Freddie, falls out of a tree dead. On my second day, another so-called accident results in a death – and there’s yet another on my third. Perhaps a recent prison break could have something to do with it…that, or a long-standing witch’s curse. But after Darcy shows up beneath the mistletoe, anything could be possible in this wicked wonderland.

Includes an English Christmas companion, full of holiday recipes, games, and more!

I've talked about this book a couple of times lately. It was suggested by a literary agent whose blog I follow.


The year is 1864 in the Colorado Territory. Charlie is all alone on the ranch that sits between the empty prairie and the Rocky Mountains. As the orphaned boy cares for his dying grandpa and tries to figure out how to survive the approaching winter, he keeps remembering the old man's words: "Failure's not an option, son." As the first storm of the season hits, a mysterious mountain man shows up at the isolated ranch and good things start to happen. But to get free of his one gnawing secret, Charlie must learn to trust the giant stranger. On Christmas day he learns that trusting means he'll never have to be alone again.

I also received the second and third books in this series, Rock of Refuge and In Green Pastures.





Any couple who spends the night in the Christmas cottage shall have love everlasting...

Lacey Quinn did not believe in happily ever after or the legend of the Christmas cottage. As maid of honor for her best friend Ava, her duties included decorating the cottage for the newlyweds. It was a simple enough task, but she hadn't counted on sexy Ean Callahan, the bride-to-be's brother, to be assisting her.

Spending the evening ensconced in the overly romantic setting while a blizzard howls outside has Lacey wondering if fairy tales really do come true...

The Kindle version of this one is only 99 cents right now.


Christmas has always been a sad time for young widow Holly Brown, so when she's asked to look after a remote house on the Lancashire moors, the opportunity to hide herself away is irresistible – the perfect excuse to forget about the festivities

Sculptor Jude Martland is determined that this year there will be no Christmas after his brother ran off with his fiancée. He’s keen to avoid the family home. However, he will have to return by the twelfth night of the festivities, when the hamlet of Little Mumming hold their historic festivities and all of his family are required to attend.

Meanwhile, Holly is finding that if she wants to avoid Christmas, she has come to the wrong place. When Jude unexpectedly returns on Christmas Eve he is far from delighted to discover that Holly seems to be holding the very family party he had hoped to avoid.

Suddenly, the blizzards come out of nowhere and the whole village is snowed in. With no escape, Holly and Jude get much more than they bargained for – it looks like the twelve days of Christmas are going to be very interesting indeed!

The Kindle version of this one is also 99 cents right now.


One winter wedding, two happy couples, three ex-boyfriends... And a very uncomfortable weekend.

Carol hates Christmas. Being recently dumped, she's not crazy about weddings either. So her sister Marley's nuptials, over the Christmas weekend, are making her positively Scrooge-like. When she arrives for the weekend at the stately home in rural Scotland to find her three ex-boyfriends in attendance, Carol has no choice but to face her ghosts to discover what really happened in those relationships, learning a lot about herself in the process. As the snow falls outside and the fire crackles in the hearth, might one of the wedding guests become the harbinger of Christmases to come?

This is a novella of approximately 100 pages in paperback, and is a British import. It has been written and edited in British English rather than American English, including all spelling, grammar and punctuation.

This Kindle version is $2.99 right now. I love it that my family is willing to gift me Kindle books.

Now you know what I received for Christmas. How about you? Any good books you would like to share with us?

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