Tori's December 2018 #Book #Reviews - #AmReading

Let's be reasonable and add an eighth day to the week that is devoted exclusively to reading.
~Lena Dunham

If you go by my 2018 blogging schedule, I'm not due to do this post yet, since book reviews are supposed to go up on the first Sunday of the month. However, if you go by my 2019 blogging schedule, there are no Sunday posts, my book review post is due today, and I'm past due updating you on what I've been reading. What to do?

What I'm going to do is update you on what I read in December this week, and start doing my weekly review posts from next week. Well, OK, next week's will have an extra two days in it. But whatever. I've also got some book related quotes I want to share, so I'm dotting them throughout this post too, just because I can.

So, let's take a look at what I read in December, shall we?

I can feel infinitely alive curled up on the sofa reading a book.
~Benedict Cumberbatch

As with the previous posts like this one, if you want to know more about the book, or the author, click on whichever it is you want to learn more about, and it will take you to the appropriate page on Goodreads. Clicking on my rating should take you to my actual Goodreads review for the book in question.

Books are a uniquely portable magic.
~Stephen King

Don't forget: the format I've reviewed may not be the format I read. Also, please remember that I read across multiple genres and age ranges, so you should always check if a book is suitable for the intended reader, especially when children are involved. Sometimes reading the book's description on its Goodreads page will be enough for this, but other times you may need to check elsewhere to figure out the genre and/or recommended reading level.

You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.
~C.S. Lewis

OK... On to the reviews!

Lord Valentine's Castle by Robert Silverberg
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I originally added this to the list of books I want to read at the recommendation of a friend who thought I'd enjoy it. He thought right. This was a fantastic read. The worldbuilding is amazing, the characters are wonderful, and the plot is excellent. I'm glad I read it, and look forward to reading the rest of the series.

While the Bombs Fell by Robbie Cheadle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a charming book, which gives great insight in to what life was like for some growing up during WWII. The recipes at the end were a nice addition too.

Star-Born Mage by David Estes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
David Estes has done it again! This book was totally awesome! The worldbuilding - or, more accurately, universebuilding - is fantastic, the characters are well-rounded and interesting, and the plot moves at a nice pace. This story will grab you from page one, and hold you captive until the end, while taking you on an emotional rollercoaster, and filling your mind with amazing descriptions that will have you feeling as if you're right there with the characters.

A (Hygge) Christmas Carol (annotated): Being a look at Dickens' most famous Christmas Story ever, through the eyes of a hygge-lover and Christmas Obsessive by Jo Kneale
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
If you're a fan of the story of "A Christmas Carol" and also like the idea of embracing the concept of hygge, you should read this book for sure. It gives you an excuse to read the story again (not that you really need one) while at the same time using the story to illustrate what the concept of hygge really means. I love the way it's organized, so you can read part of the story uninterrupted, and then look back on it with hygge in mind. I also agree with Jo's observations on the story, and how it relates to the concept of hygge.

Death of a Dapper Snowman by Angela Pepper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a nice little holiday mystery. It was a bit of a slow starter, but got more interesting afterwards. If you like mysteries set in small towns, and enjoy having humour injected in to those mysteries, you'll probably enjoy this book.

The Snowman: Inspired by the original story by Raymond Briggs by Michael Morpurgo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Loved it! I remember watching "The Snowman" on TV when I was young. I probably read the original book too, but I'm not sure. Either way, I loved the short film, and loved this book based on it too.

The Snowman and the Snowdog by Raymond Briggs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was cute, and I loved it! Saw this when it was aired on TV a couple of Christmases ago. Loved the little movie, and loved the book version too.

Enid Blyton's Christmas Stories by Enid Blyton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A delightful read for the holidays, which is both educational and entertaining.

Christmas Stories: Christmas Stories for Kids and Christmas Jokes by Uncle Amon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The stories were cute, the activities were interesting (but nothing you couldn't have easily come up with on your own) and the jokes are the kind you find in Christmas crackers. It was a nice book, but nothing special.

The Christmas Hirelings by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a sweet story. I wasn't sure how I felt about it for the first couple of chapters, but once little Mopet appeared, my enjoyment of it increased so much that I ended up staying up past my usual bed time to finish the book. The ending was a little predictable, but told so well I felt I had to continue until I learned exactly how it came about. I only hesitate to give it the full five stars because of the slow start.

The Girl Who Saved Christmas by Matt Haig
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A captivating read, which combines the reality of history with the magic of Father Christmas.

Father Christmas and Me by Matt Haig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a pretty good read. Not my favourite of the series, partially because I didn't enjoy the narration, but also because I sort of felt like things were dragged on a bit longer than they needed to be for a while in the middle. Still, this was a really enjoyable read over all, and a nice addition to this series.

A Steampunk Christmas Carol by Stephen Hunt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I thought this was an interesting idea for a re-telling of this tale, and there were parts of the altered story I really enjoyed; the author was very creative in the use of alternative terms for things. However, there were places where the changes made were neglected in favour of the original text, so that I sometimes felt like I was trying to read the original and a steampunk version at the same time. Also, the changes made near the end made the ending less satisfying than it otherwise would have been, since name-dropping by certain characters revealed things before the proper time, defeating the purpose of the scene that followed. So, a good read, with the potential to be a great one, but not quite as enjoyable as it might have been.

The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a pretty good and heartwarming story, though I wouldn't have classed it as a Christmas story myself.

The Chimes by Charles Dickens
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A reasonably good read, though not nearly as good as "A Christmas Carol" in my opinion, and certainly not one that's going to make you feel merry and bright.

Pies and Harmony by Emma Laybourn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a beautiful and touching story, which I highly recommend; a perfect holiday read.

Cold Cuthbert's Journey by Emma Laybourn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A cute little story, perfect for fans of "The Snowman" as well as anyone looking for a sweet holiday read.

Horace's Christmas Sleigh by Emma Laybourn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a fun and entertaining story, which makes for a delightful holiday read.

Christmas Magic by Alexandra Moody
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
If you enjoy darker holiday reads, you might enjoy this book. I did have a slight issue with how casually the main character uses her magic even during the stage where she's supposed to be trying to hide that she had it. Plus, there are a few places where another round of editing would be a good idea. But I mostly thought it was a pretty good read, and enjoyed it enough that I was glad to be able to pick up book two and continue reading right away.

Christmas Chaos by Alexandra Moody
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a great read. Better than the first book, in my opinion. I only kept putting it down because I had to do other things, otherwise I could have easily read it in one sitting.

Christmas Curse by Alexandra Moody
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This would be a 4.5 star read for me, so I'm rounding up. Anyway, it's a great ending to the series, and an enjoyable read in its own right, which is only spoiled by needing a little more editing in places. It's most certainly worth the read though, despite those issues.


The Christmas Penny by Maxwell Grantly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A lovely story. I saw the "surprise" near the end coming, since comments made beforehand had already revealed it, but I enjoyed the story, and especially loved the very end.

Emily's Magical Christmas by Kevin Taggart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a sweet story. Although, it was slightly spoiled for me by the age of the main character. An 18 month old isn’t going to understand about Christmas and Santa; if an 18 month old is excited when you’re mentioning Santa, and repeating words like “Santa” and “toys” a lot, it’s because the people around her are acting excited about it, and she’s heard those words repeated a lot. Now, if she was a year or two older...

Bubba Tails: From the Puppy Nursery at the Seeing Eye by Patty L. Fletcher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a beautiful story! It's well told, and is a fun way to teach children - and adults too - about guide dogs, and the wonderful work they do.