End of the Year Read-a-thon Wrapup

I finished 3 books, Call Me Mrs. Miracle, Along for the Ride, and The Alchemyst and completed 5 mini-challenges. My total pages read was 1132 pages which is great for me! Overall not a bad read-a-thon. I still have several books I need to read before the end of the year, but this was a good start. Thanks to Dana and Jen for hosting!

Mrs. Miracle and Call Me Mrs. Miracle by Debbie Macomber

I read both of these for the Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge. I have seen both of the movies and loved them, so I wanted to give the books a try. These are also the first Debbie Macomber books I have read, so I used Mrs. Miracle as a New Author read.

In Mrs. Miracle, we are introduced to Seth, a single dad who is raising twin boys. Seth is a widower who has closed his heart to love and rarely talks to his boys about their mother. The other main character is Reba, who was betrayed by her sister and refuses to forgive her. In order to remind these two about the beauty of Christmas, Mrs. Emily Merkle appears as a nanny for the twins. Mrs. Miracle as the boys call her works to try to bring Seth and Reba together and to remind them of the power of family and love. Mrs. Miracle also works to bring together Seth's in-laws whose marriage has crumbled since the death of their daughter. Can Mrs. Miracle work her magic and bring the couples together?

In Call Me Mrs. Miracle, Jake is the heir of Finley's department store and currently running the toy department. He wants to make his father proud and makes a risky purchase for the store. He is going to need a miracle to sell 500 robots before Christmas and of course his miracle is Mrs. Miracle. Jake and his father also need help remembering the joy of Christmas, since they have avoided it after the death of Jake's mother and sister. Holly is trying to raise her nephew, Gabe, while his father is fighting in Afghanistan and works under a demanding boss who desperately wants to be loved herself. Gabe's one desire for Christmas is one of the expensive robots that Jake has in his department store. Can Mrs. Miracle bring Jake and Holly together and give Gabe the greatest present of all?

Favorite Quote: "To forgive is to set the prisoner free and then to discover the prisoner was you. Mrs. Miracle"

Both stories are heartwarming and simple stories of Christmas joy. Mrs. Miracle shows the value of forgiveness and how hate can ruin our lives. Call Me Mrs. Miracle shows how a little faith and love can make all the difference. They are the perfect way to get into the Christmas spirit and great, quick and easy reads. I think Mrs. Miracle was my favorite of the two, because you could not help rooting for Seth and Reba to open their hearts again. Mrs. Emily Merkle (Miracle) is a great character and I hope Debbie Macomber writes more of her stories! 4 cups of cocoa for both!

End of the Year Read-a-thon Update: Day 12-14

Day 12:
Currently reading:  Call Me Mrs. Miracle, Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover, Scarlet
Pages read: Call Me Mrs. Miracle- 85 pages and finished!, Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover- 35 pages, Scarlet- 4 pages
Books finished: 3

Day 13:
Currently reading: Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover, Queste, Scarlet
Pages read: Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover- 18 pages, Queste- 55 pages, Scarlet- 6 pages

Day 14:
Currently reading: Queste, Forest of Hands and Teeth, Splintered
Pages read: Queste- 12 pages, Forest of Hands and Teeth- 36 pages, Splintered- 22 pages

End of the Year Read-a-thon Mini-challenges

 

Spine Poetry: Hosted by Lori @ Writing My Own FairyTale
You must use book spines to make a poem and you can only use books that you read in 2013.You can include as many extra words in your poem as books that you use.
 
Here is my poem:
Full Moon Kisses
Dirty Little Secrets
The Art of Wishing
Beauty Sleep

Seasonal Challenge: Hosted by Michelle @ Book Briefs

Recommend a book good for a snow day

 

I had to read this for one of my history classes about writing a narrative and how we use "evidence" and sources. I loved the storytelling in it along with the lessons I learned.

 

Recommend a book good for a rainy day

 

One of my all time favorites. It reminds me of a slightly stormy day.

 

Recommend a book good for a beach day

 

It is just a nice and quick read, perfect for the beach!

 

Recommend a book good for a spooky night

One of the most terrifying books I have ever read! I don't like horror or serial killer books and this one gave me lots of nightmares, but this one hooks you.

Song Challenge: Hosted by Tanya @ BookLovingHippo

I am going to pick Hero by Althea Kontis and the song Roar by Katy Perry. Sunday seems to think she is the only one not special in her family and that she has ruined everything at the beginning of the story, but she becomes the hero she is meant to be.

End of the Year Read-a-thon Update: Day 8-11

Day 8:
Currently reading: Along for the Ride
Pages read: Along for the Ride- 84 pages

Day 9:
Currently reading: Along for the Ride, Queste
Pages read: Along for the Ride- 22 pages, Queste- 35 pages

Day 10:
Currently reading: Along for the Ride, Queste
Pages read: Along for the Ride- 42 pages, Queste- 30 pages

Day 11:
Currently reading: Along for the Ride, Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover
Pages read: Along for the Ride- 35 pages and finished!, Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover- 18 pages
Books finished: 2

End of the Year Read-a-thon Update: Day 7 and Week one

Day 7: I did not read at all, but did finish a short review of Pride and Prejudice. December 15 is our anniversary, so I spent time with my husband. We went to a Christmas concert and went shopping, since Christmas is only 10 days away (now just 9)!

Week one: I am proud of my first week, even though I have only finished one book and it was a reread. I read 593 pages so far and finished two mini-challenges. I plan on making a mini-challenge post tomorrow and completing a few more challenges.

I have to read Along for the Ride by Friday, since that is the high school book club book. I really like it so far, so I don't think that will be a problem. I am over halfway through Call Me Mrs. Miracle, so I feel like I will finish that by the weekend too. I just can't seem to get fully involved in any book right now, so I am just hoping that one of the books on my TBR pile will steal my attention and keep it. Hope everyone else is having a great reading time!

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen- short review

I don't think there is much I can add about the storyline or even reviewing the book, since everyone in the world has read it. I can finally say I have read it too! I love the movies and the mini-series and I am surprised I waited this long to read it. It was absolutely wonderful! I love how well the BBC mini-series with Colin Firth matched this story and I love the 2005 version with Kiera Knightly too.

Jane Austen's satire on her time and the way men and women in a well-to-do country society behaves is a classic for good reason. You can't help falling in love with the characters and wanting them to triumph in love.

Favorite Character: Jane, she is so sweet and loving and never has a harsh word for anyone. However like most people I identify more with Elizabeth and her snarkiness and pride in herself. 
Favorite Quotes: "I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun." This is the perfect description of falling in love and staying there.
"Till this moment, I never knew myself." I just love this line and have felt this way on a number of occasions!

This is of course a 5 cups of cocoa book! This is definitely in the top 10 of my favorite reads ever and I can't believe it took me this long to pick it up and read!