The Sunday Salon and Holiday Themed Novels

Welcome to The Sunday Salon! It's the day of the week where we sit down and talk books. So, pull up a chair, get comfy, grab a cup of joe and relax. The Christmas season seems to be flying by fast with just a little over 2 weeks until Christmas. Are you done with your Christmas shopping?! Are you taking time for yourself to relax? Sometimes Christmas can be a hectic, stressful time of year. So, today's post is about relaxing with a good Christmas themed book, that let's you slip out of hectic and remember what the season is all about with these stories that find hope, romance and miracles within their pages. Here are some novels that I found that may just fit the bill….

The Snowglobe by Sheila Roberts… On a blustery afternoon, Kylie Gray wanders into an antique shop and buys an enchanting snow globe.  “There’s a story behind that snow globe,” the antique dealer tells her.  The original owner, he explains, was a German toymaker who lost his wife and son right before Christmas.  When the grieving widower received the handcrafted snow globe as a Christmas gift, he saw the image of a beautiful woman beneath the glass—a woman who would come into his life, mend his broken heart and bring him back to the world of the living.  For years, the snow globe has passed from generation to generation, somehow always landing in the hands of a person in special need of a Christmas miracle.

Every year my book club reads one of Sheila Roberts Christmas theme novels. This was the first that we read and it was wonderful, charming and was like a nice cup of cocoa on a cold wintry night. Sheila knows how to write characters that we can relate to and like. Her books have wonderful romance without the need for overtly sexual scenes. And this book is short, under 200 pages, and should be easy to fit into a busy schedule.

Candlelight Christmas by Susan Wiggs… A single father who yearns to be a family man, Logan O'Donnell is determined to create the perfect Christmas for his son, Charlie. The entire O'Donnell clan arrives to spend the holidays in Avalon, a postcard-pretty town on the shores of Willow Lake, a place for the family to reconnect and rediscover the special gifts of the season. One of the guests is a newcomer to Willow Lake—Darcy Fitzgerald. Sharp-witted, independent and intent on guarding her heart, she's the last person Logan can see himself falling for. And Darcy is convinced that a relationship is the last thing she needs this Christmas. Yet between the snowy silence of the winter woods, and toasty moments by a crackling fire, their two lonely hearts collide. The magic of the season brings them each a gift neither ever expected—a love to last a lifetime.

Susan Wiggs is a favorite among romance readers, and this is her newest Christmas themed novel.

Starry Night by Debbie Macomber… Carrie Slayton, a big-city society-page columnist, longs to write more serious news stories. So her editor hands her a challenge: She can cover any topic she wants, but only if she first scores the paper an interview with Finn Dalton, the notoriously reclusive author. Living in the remote Alaskan wilderness, Finn has written a megabestselling memoir about surviving in the wild. But he stubbornly declines to speak to anyone in the press, and no one even knows exactly where he lives. Digging deep into Finn’s past, Carrie develops a theory on his whereabouts. It is the holidays, but her career is at stake, so she forsakes her family celebrations and flies out to snowy Alaska. When she finally finds Finn, she discovers a man both more charismatic and more stubborn than she even expected. And soon she is torn between pursuing the story of a lifetime and following her heart.

Another favorite in the romance category, this is Debbie Macomber's newest Christmas themed novel.

Do you enjoy Holiday themed novels? Would you read them any other time of year? I think that it's a treat that some of our favorite authors write something special for the Holiday season. A book that we can enjoy on it's own without further commitment. What are your favorite Holiday themed novels?

Hope you are enjoying the season and are able to relax a bit and open a good book. Maybe one of these books will be the answer to that!

Happy reading… Suzanne

The Snow Globe by Sheila Roberts Virtual Book Tour

"This is for someone who needs a miracle.

If that's you, please take it."

Ready for the Holidays?! Well, author Sheila Roberts brings readers a heartwarming story of family, friendships and love in The Snow Globe! This really is the perfect little story to treat yourself to when things are starting to get hectic this holiday season! And my first Holiday Book choice!

Three close friends have a girls weekend away... Kylie recently lost her job (and her fiance to her sister!), Suzanne is a workaholic & neat freak (but doesn't really realize how either is impacting her family), and Allison is missing her grandmother who held her chaotic family together, especially during the holidays... They each could use a little Christmas magic to make their lives a little brighter... And on that "girls only" weekend, Kylie finds herself drawn to a little antique shop...

On a blustery afternoon, Kylie Gray wanders into an antique shop and buys an enchanting snow globe. “There’s a story behind that snow globe,” the antique dealer tells her. The original owner, he explains, was a German toymaker who lost his wife and son right before Christmas. When the grieving widower received the handcrafted snow globe as a Christmas gift, he saw the image of a beautiful woman beneath the glass—a woman who would come into his life, mend his broken heart and bring him back to the world of the living. For years, the snow globe has passed from generation to generation, somehow always landing in the hands of a person in special need of a Christmas miracle.

Kylie loved the story the shop owner shared (I did too!), and thought maybe the snow globe could bring her a little Christmas miracle. She bought it, took it home, and the wonderful story begins to unfold...What Kylie saw when she shook the snow globe was indeed a little bit of Christmas magic... She shares the story with her friends and the snow globe, and we are treated to a story of how dreams can come true if we just open our hearts a little.

I loved this book! The friendships between the women were so rich and authentic, the way they each came to realize their own miracles was refreshing and the story was just perfect. If you enjoy holiday themed stories sprinkled with a bit of magic, you will enjoy The Snow Globe. An uplifting and charming holiday story! At about 175 pages this is the perfect book to relax with over a nice cup of tea during the holiday season! *P.S. This Book is Kindle Ready!

About the Author... Sheila Roberts lives in the Pacific Northwest. Her novels have appeared in Readers Digest Condensed books and have been published in several languages. Her novel Angel Lane was an Amazon Top Ten Romance pick for 2009 and her holiday perennial, On Strike for Christmas is slated to be a Lifetime Channel movie presentation this December. When she’s not hanging out with her girlfriends or hitting the dance floor with her husband, she can be found writing about those things dear to women’s hearts: family, friends, and chocolate. Visit Sheila's website to learn more about the author and her fabulous books!

Chick with Books is part of the Virtual Book Tour of The Snow Globe by Sheila Roberts sponsored by Pump Up Your Book! I want to thank Sheila for sending along a copy of The Snow Globe for me to review!

The Sunday Salon with "Books with Buzz", Upcoming Events and a Man Booker Bargain!

Welcome to The Sunday Salon! This week just flew by me! How about you?! Now it's time to relax, grab a cup of joe and chat about some books! This week I picked up The Distant Hours by Kate Morton, which I was eagerly awaiting the release of & talked about in a Sunday Salon last month. With a crumbling old castle, spinster sisters and the appearance of a mysterious letter 51 years after it was mailed, how could this book be bad?! I can't wait to crack the spine on this one! I'll let you know what I think. (I actually did read a little of it and loved what I read!) This week I saw some other interesting reads that should be added to our TBR pile! First, The Bells is historical fiction, and one of my favorite genres! Think Vienna and Opera and a long kept secret. Second up is Under Fishbone Clouds, a love story with elements of folklore as the story is told through the voice of the Kitchen God who was challenged by the Jade Emperor to unravel the secrets of the human heart, and finally The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey which looks to be a story to tug at our heartstrings with the friendship between a 91 year old man, Ptolemy, and a 17 year-old girl that renews Ptolemy's will to live... Here's how the publishers describe them...

The Bells by Richard Harvell... The celebrated opera singer Lo Svizzero was born in a belfry high in the Swiss Alps where his mother served as the keeper of the loudest and most beautiful bells in the land. Shaped by the bells´ glorious music, as a boy he possessed an extraordinary gift for sound. But when his preternatural hearing was discovered–along with its power to expose the sins of the church–young Moses Froben was cast out of his village with only his ears to guide him in a world fraught with danger. Rescued from certain death by two traveling monks, he finds refuge at the vast and powerful Abbey of St. Gall. There, his ears lead him through the ancient stone hallways and past the monks´ cells into the choir, where he aches to join the singers in their strange and enchanting song. Suddenly Moses knows his true gift, his purpose. Like his mother´s bells, he rings with sound and soon, he becomes the protégé of the Abbey´s brilliant yet repulsive choirmaster, Ulrich. But it is this gift that will cause Moses´ greatest misfortune: determined to preserve his brilliant pupil´s voice, Ulrich has Moses castrated. Now a young man, he will forever sing with the exquisite voice of an angel–a musico–yet castration is an abomination in the Swiss Confederation, and so he must hide his shameful condition from his friends and even from the girl he has come to love...

I resisted this book for a few months before picking it up at my local bookstore. When I did finally open it up and started reading it, I fell in love with Richard Harvells writing. I was immediately swept back in time and loving every moment of it. It was so hard to put this book down, but I'll be starting this right after my reading obligations later this month! *P.S. This Book is Kindle Ready!

Under Fishbone Clouds by Sam Meekings... a universal love story, a family saga, and a journey through Chinese history, myth, and culture. Following a young Chinese couple as their love grows, and is tested, during Mao's Cultural Revolution, this elegant debut novel provides a rare and personal glimpse into the birth modern China. When the Kitchen God is challenged by the Jade Emperor to fathom the workings of the human heart, he chooses to follow the life of Jinyi and his wife Yuying, from their blossoming love until their old age, in hope of finding an answer. The Kitchen God watches as the new government strictures split their family in two, living inside their hearts as they they endure the loss of two children, homesickness, and isolation, all while keeping alive a love that survives famine, forced labor, and even death. Weaving together the story of their life with China’s recent political history, as well as traditional folktales and myths, the Kitchen God illuminates the most impenetrable aspects the human condition.

I just love the idea of the Kitchen God being challenged by the Jade Emperor, and having the love story of this young couple unfold before our eyes. I also love this time period. Under Fishbone Clouds will be released Dec. 7th!

The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey by Walter Mosley... At ninety-one years old, Ptolemy Grey is one of the world’s forgotten: by his family, by his friends, by even himself. Marooned in a cluttered Los Angeles apartment overflowing with mementos from his past, Ptolemy sinks deeper into lonely dementia and into a past that’s best left buried. He’s determined to pass the rest of his days with only his memories for company. Until, at his grandnephew’s funeral, he meets Robyn and experiences a seismic shift, in his head, his heart, and his life. Seventeen

and without a family of her own, Robyn is unlike anyone Ptolemy has ever known. She and Ptolemy form an unexpected bond that reinvigorates his world. Robyn will not tolerate the way he has allowed himself to live, skulking in and out of awareness barely long enough to cash his small pension checks, living in fear of his neighbors and the memories that threaten to swallow him. With Robyn’s help, Ptolemy moves from isolation back into the brightness of friendship and desire. But Robyn’s challenges also push Ptolemy to make a life-changing decision that will affect both of them: to recapture the clarity and vigor of his fading mind and unlock the secrets he has carried for decades.

For all my mystery reading, I have never read Walter Mosley. This definitely isn't one of his mystery books, but the premise of the story drew me in. How the elderly are often times forgotten, and how the friendship of a young girl breathes new life into an old man just grabbed me. Lots of early praise for this book too! I'm looking forward to reading this too! *P.S. This Book is Kindle Ready!

Coming up this week on Chick with Books are two Virtual Book Tours! First, The Book of Eli by Sam Moffie makes a stop monday... Cheating husband meets sudden demise via hex from gypsy hired by wife. Husband makes trip to heaven for redemption. Author Sam Moffie has an ascerbic sense of humor, and it shows in The Book of Eli. Ready for the Holidays?! Well, author Sheila Roberts brings readers a heartwarming story of family, friendships and love in The Snow Globe! The Snow Globe by Sheila Roberts is the second Virtual Book Tour this week, also on monday. I loved this book! It's a perfect little book to escape into during the hectic holidays! My reading group is also going to read it in December and have a live chat with Sheila! I'll let you all know how that goes too!

What have I got my nose into these days? Right now I'm reading Cake Boss by Buddy Valastro! I love watching Cake Boss on the TLC network! If you aren't familiar with the show, it's a cake making reality show at its' best! Buddy Valastro runs the family bake shop, Carlo's Bake Shop, in Hoboken, NJ. with his mother, sisters and brother-in-laws. The show is a blast and the book is too! This book lets us know a little more about Buddy and his family with stories and recipes! And you know I love a good cook book, and the recipe's in this book are dee-lish! I'll be reviewing this book the week of Thanksgiving!

Book Bargain Alert! If you are interested in reading this years Man Booker Prize winner, The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson, you can pick up the paperback for $5.99 right now at Amazon, and the Kindle Ready version for $5.69! And Nook owners, you too can pick up the NOOKbook for $5.69!

So that's what I've been reading, how 'bout you?! What books have you put on your wishlist? Share what books you've found this week, because I'd love to hear about them!