“Books help to form us. If you cut me open, will you find volume after volume, page after page, the contents of every one I have ever read, somehow transmuted and transformed into me? Alice in Wonderland. The Magic Faraway Tree. The Hound of the Baskervilles. The Book of Job. Bleak House. Wuthering Heights. The Complete Poems of W.H. Auden. The Tale of Mr. Tod. Howards End. What a strange person I must be. But if the books I have read have helped to form me, then probably nobody else who ever lived has read exactly the same books, all the same books and only the same books, as me. So just as my genes and the soul within me make me uniquely me, so I am the unique sum of the books I have read. I am my literary DNA.” Susan Hill in Howards End is on the Landing

A Southern gothic novel with a cast of characters that are at turns amusing and extremely dark–from a precocious girl playing detective to a snake-handler (warning: you will go to sleep dreaming of snakes of all kinds) to others crazy on meth and PTSD  The story takes place in Mississippi in the late 60’s or early 70’s. A nine-year old is killed while out playing in his yard. His younger sisters are also there but too young to know what happened. Twelve years later, the youngest sister, Harriet (who was only a baby at the time) decides she is going to solve the murder. Her mother spends most of her time in bed, but Harriet has the maid who also serves as a nanny, her grandmother and her great-aunts who all live nearby. Harriet also has her faithful friend, Hely, who is willing to go the crazy extra mile to help exact revenge. 4 stars

It’s the summer of 1976 in London and the middle of a heat-wave. Gretta is preparing breakfast when her newly retired husband goes out for a paper. Unfortunately, he doesn’t return. Now, Gretta’s three adult children come together (one of them needing to return from the U.S.), and their relationships—rocky at best—are tested as secrets and hurts are revealed. O’Farrell is one of my favorite writers and is skilled at writing family drama. 4 stars

My third Katherine Center book for this year; she is quickly becoming a favorite author when looking for a fun, comfort book. Romance that is not silly and deals with tough situations. Cassie is one of the few female firefighters in her Texas firehouse, and she excels in dealing with emergencies. Her mother (who left her and her father when she was sixteen), calls and asked her to come to Boston to help her deal with some medical issues. The last thing Cassie wants to do is be with her mother—for any reason—but she’s left with little choice. Though she gets a new job at a firehouse in Boston, the men there are not exactly thrilled with a “lady” firefighter. Except for one handsome rookie. 4 stars

Historical fantasy, this story takes place in 1912 where magic has been dwindling away for years. Biddy has grown up on Hy-Brasil, an island unknown to most of the world. Though she has no magic herself, she was raised by the mage Rowan who promises her that one day she will be able to see the world. For now, she is safer on the island. But, one night, Rowan does not return from one of his many nightly quests and Biddy knows she has to do something. When she enters Rowan’s dream, she learns that Rowan has powerful enemies and her isolated home may not be safe any longer. 4 stars

Margo seems like a normal middle-aged librarian, both friendly and helpful. But Margo is not her real name. She is actually a former nurse who is in hiding because of the numerous premature deaths that happened to patients in her care. When Patricia joins the staff, she mostly keeps to herself, nursing her grievance over her failed attempts to become an author. When she finds Margo in the bathroom one day with a patron who is dying, she begins to do a little research on her colleague. 3 stars

Arthur, an 85 year old widow, goes to the cemetery every day to visit his wife. Maddy, a teenage girl whose mother died when she was a baby and whose father seems clueless with what to do with her, also visits the cemetery on a regular basis (mostly just to avoid school and other people). One day she overhears Arthur talking and decides to meet him and introduces herself. The two become friends, and soon Arthur invites her to his home for lunch and to meet his cat. When Maddy gets into some trouble, Arthur is there to help along with his neighbor, Lucille, another lonely soul. I haven’t read Elizabeth Berg in several years, though I’ve always enjoyed her, so it was nice to come back. 4 stars

After pastry chef, Olivia Rawlings, prepares a flaming dessert for a Boston dinner club and ends up setting the whole building on fire, she decides to leave town and regroup.  Her best friend, Hannah, lives in Guthrie, Vermont, so she goes there and gets a job at the Sugar Maple Inn. Even though it is not easy to win over the rather grouchy owner, Margaret, Olivia settles in and begins making her amazing desserts. She soon becomes friends with Margaret’s best friend and her family, including her son, Martin. Martin has only come home because his father is dying. Music brings them all together though. Olivia wants to fit in and stay here, but does she really belong? And will Martin stay? Or go back to Seattle? 4 stars

Now is the time to finish some reading challenges, prepare for new challenges, and, hopefully, do some Christmas reading. Along with other books, I’m reading Charles Spurgeon’s Joy to the World Advent: Daily Readings for Advent. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas & enjoy some reading!