Monthly Bookshelf Review - December 2018

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December's Books Completed and Reviewed

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - I didn't get a lot of reading done during this very busy month, but I  did enjoy this book club pick. It's also required reading for my daughter for her American History class, so it was a good thing I could refresh my memories of this favorite! (Read my full review HERE)

Jo uttered a groan, and fell back in her chair; remembering that she had given a last hasty powdering to the berries out of one of the two boxes on the kitchen table, and had neglected to put the milk in the refrigerator. She turned scarlet, and was on the verge of crying, when she met Laurie'z eyes, which would look merry in spite of his heroic efforts; the comical side of the affair suddenly struck her, and she laughed till the tears ran down her cheeks.

The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry - another book club pick that was a re-read for me. The ending sat better with me this time around - the characters might be thought foolish in how they went about their gift-giving, but their loving generosity is its own kind of wisdom. (Read my full review HERE)

Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, and she had only $1.87 with which to buy Jim a gift. She had put aside as much as she could for months, with this result.

Silent in the Sanctuary: A Lady Julia Grey Mystery by Deanna Raybourn - I felt compelled to revisit the Lady Julia series, which is one of my all-time favorites. I'm not sure where I put the first in the series, but I liked starting with this one anyway, since it takes place over a Christmas holiday season. (Read my full review HERE)

We exchanged a smile, and I thought then that this might very well be the most interesting house party that Bellmont Abbey had seen since Shakespeare had spent a fortnight here, confined to bed with a spring cold. Of course, I was entirely correct about that, but for reasons I could never have imagined.

During December I started reading:

My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge: Laurel's Dream by Pepper Basham - I'm reviewing this book in the "My Heart Belongs" series soon. It's set in North Carolina during 1918. Jonathan Taylor is a British schoolteacher come to a remote mission school in Appalachia.

Somehow having an ally in this desolate place didn't make it seem quite as lonely, especially with his uncle's absence. Laurel McAdams was certainly an unexpected ally though. Her shock of golden waves danced in the breeze like the leaves across the autumn ground, and though her grammar was questionable at best, she held herself with more kind confidence - a natural assurance - than most women he'd met in his parents' social circles.

During December I shelved:

Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries by Kory Stamper - Having left off reading this awhile ago, I'm finding it difficult to find motivation to pick it up again. I'll give myself a week or two more to find the time before I decide whether to give up altogether.

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe - This was required reading for the History class I teach, so I started reading it. I didn't get very far before needing to let my daughter read it, so I decided to drop it for now, as I have enough other things to keep me busy!

Coming Up in January!

American Princess: A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt by Stephanie Marie Thornton (ARC)
Silent on the Moor (A Lady Julia Grey Mystery Book 3) by Deanna Raybourn

  

This post will be linked at:

5 Minutes For Books - Our LAST What's On Your Nightstand - December 26
The Book Date - December Reading Month in Review

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Recent Reads - Silent in the Sanctuary

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Silent in the Sanctuary: A Lady Julia Grey Mystery by Deanna Raybourn - The Lady Julia series is one of my all time favorites, and I decided it was time to re-read it. I started with this second in the series because it takes place during the weeks leading up to Christmas. In the first novel in the series, Silent in the Grave, Lady Julia's husband was murdered and she insisted on helping enigmatic private investigator Nicholas Brisbane in finding the motive and perpetrator of the crime. And an undercurrent of romance began brewing between the two of them. Silent in the Sanctuary picks up with Julia and her two brothers in Italy where she has been convalescing. They receive a summons from their father to return home for the holidays, presumably because he is unhappy about the news that one of the brothers has wed an Italian woman.

When they arrive at the family home, Bellmont Abbey, Julia is shocked to find Brisbane in attendance at the house party - and with a fiancee! Several other family members are there as well, including an impoverished cousin and her fiance, and their companions. Julia suspects that all is not as it seems - her father is up to something, Brisbane's fiancee doesn't seem well suited to him, and the situation with her cousin and her impending marriage seem a bit off as well. One evening the guests are all playing a game of sardines, and one of the guests is murdered in the chapel of the abbey. Cousin Lucy confesses and immediately claims sanctuary in the chapel, but something doesn't add up, and Julia's father orders her and Brisbane to work together to discover what really happened and to clear Lucy if possible. To complicate matters, it turns out the Brisbane is already at Bellmont Abbey as part of his pursuit of a jewel thief, and there's a heavy snowfall the night of the murder which confines them all to the building.

The complicated and simmering relationship between Julia and Brisbane, as well as the eccentricities and complicated relationships of the rest of the March family and their guests add to the confusion and lend several interesting sub plots to the story. In the end, the crimes are solved, and Brisbane's engagement is broken, but he has also disappeared so Julia is left at loose ends again. Which, of course, sets up the next novel in the series, when Julia discovers where he is and decides to take matters into her own hands.

Lady Julia is a fascinating heroine with a delightfully odd family, and the undercurrent of her relationship with Brisbane moves the story forward as much as her pursuit of truth and independence.

By the same author: A Treacherous Curse, A Perilous Undertaking, A Curious Beginning, Night of a Thousand Stars, Bonfire Night, Twelfth Night, City of Jasmine, Whisper of Jasmine, Midsummer Night; A Spear of Summer Grass, Silent in the Grave, Silent in the Sanctuary, Dark Road to Darjeeling, The Dark Enquiry, Silent Night, The Dead Travel Fast

This book is a Reread for the Full House Reading Challenge 2018 hosted by The Book Date.

©2008-2018 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

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Scripture and a Snapshot - We Are Filled With Joy

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

~John 3:16~

The LORD has done great things for us,

and we are filled with joy.

~Psalm 126:3~

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I hope this Christmas season has brought you great joy so far, and I pray that God's peace and joy will be abundant in my heart and yours throughout the year to come.

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Recent Reads - The Gift of the Magi

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The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry - This classic short story was a book group pick for December. Perfect because it's got a Christmas theme, and it's a quick read, which is important during these busy days!

Della and Jim are newlyweds who don't have much money, but want very much to give each other special gifts for Christmas. Della has been saving every penny but realizes her small hoard won't buy her Jim a gift good enough. As she is considering what she might be able to get, she realizes she can sell her hair. Her glorious long hair is cut off and provides her funds to buy the watch chain she thinks will be perfect for Jim's fine gold watch. But when Jim comes home his reaction to her gift and her now short cropped hair is not quite what she expects. (Spoiler alert!) It turns out that Jim sold his watch in order to buy Della a set of beautiful jeweled hair combs for that long gorgeous hair.

The ending is rather open-ended but does indicate that Jim, at least, sees the irony and humor in their sacrificial gifts. The author closes with a comparison of these impulsive and perhaps foolish gift-givers to the famous gifts of the wise men in the Christmas story. And although Jim and Della may not have been wise in the gifts that they chose, they were also very wise in giving gifts of great value to demonstrate great love.

This book is a Holiday Season selection for the Full House Reading Challenge 2018 hosted by The Book Date.

©2008-2018 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

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O Holy Night

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God."

~Revelation 21:3~

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means "God with us"). 

~Isaiah 7:14~

God is with us. Emmanuel. 

O Holy Night!

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Scripture and a Snapshot - Such Wonderful Things

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest heaven, 

and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

~Luke 2:8-20~

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What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't he also give us everything else?

~Romans 8:31-32~

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©2008-2018 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

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Recent Reads - Little Women

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Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - I recently re-read this lovely classic for two reasons - it was the book club pick for a Facebook group I recently joined; and it's required reading for my daughter's American History and Literature class. And perhaps more importantly, because it's a favorite book!

Of course, the 'little women' of the title are Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March; and the story takes place over a year's passing during the War Between the States. The young ladies are at home with their mother while their father serves in the army. Although they must live frugally and the oldest two girls are earning an income to contribute to the household, they are generous and creative. In fact, in the opening chapter, the girls are fretting somewhat about their reduced circumstances as Christmas is upon them, but when their mother comes in with news of a poor immigrant family in desperate straits, the girls give up their meal and comforts in order to help someone less fortunate. This act of generosity does not go unnoticed by their neighbor, Mr Laurence, either. And very soon, Jo finally has the chance to meet the 'Laurence boy' at a party, and she and Laurie quickly become fast friends.

Over the course of the year, the girls learn and mature as they take their Marmee's advice and work on overcoming the temptations to poor behavior that are very personal to each of them. Meg learns to be content with the blessings she does have and to be industrious and gracious, and earns the love of Laurie's tutor, Mr Brooke, in the process. Jo works to control her temper and to conduct herself as a lady without giving up her bold and boisterous personality. Although the girls think of their quiet sister Beth as having no faults, she is very timid and even she can be lazy or forgetful, so those are the challenges she faces. And little Amy is vain and selfish, but learns to think of others and to be helpful.

The charming domestic drama has little in the way of suspense or action, but the characters are real and well-developed, and the little day-to-day struggles and triumphs are realistic and relatable, even though the world they live in is far removed from modern entertainments and social expectations. The society the March girls fit into and the rules of behavior they try to follow are very different, but just like girls today, they had to balance fitting in with staying true to themselves and they had to deal with temptations to compare themselves to others, to focus on appearance and status, and to be envious. 

This book is a Book Adapted to a Movie for the Full House Reading Challenge 2018 hosted by The Book Date.

©2008-2018 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.