Matters at Mansfield

Matters at Mansfield

Carrie Bebris

5 Stars

288 pages

I was thrilled when I walked in the library the other day and found this book on the shelf! I have read all of Carrie Bebris’s other Jane Austen mystery novels and always enjoyed the fun storylines and turning plots.

Of course, Mr and Mrs. Darcy find themselves in the middle of a thrilling mystery. Lady Catherine, her daughter Anne and Colonel Fitzwilliam are also key players in the series events that lead up to this crime. I think Carrie Bebris did such a superb job at staying true to Lady Catherine’s character. I also enjoyed the romance between Anne and Colonel Fitzwilliam.

Carrie Bebris’s mystery novels are fun easy reads. Some reviews say that they might not be exactly true to Jane Austen’s tone, which could be true, but I do think they are pleasant and hope to read more from Carrie Bebris in the future!

Heart of Stone

Heart of Stone

Jill Marie Landis

4 Stars

312 pages

This is the first novel that I've read by Jill Marie Landis and I was not disappointed. Heart of Stone tells the story of Laura Foster, the owner of an elegant boarding house in Glory Texas. When she finds that the widowed preacher in town, Brand McCormick, want to court and even marry her she finds herself torn in her decision. She wants to love but doesn't want her true past to ruin Brand's reputation or future. Landis does a great job describing the time period and characters. Even though they had such a short role, I smiled each time the elderly Mary Margret and Timothy graced the pages.

I was drawn in to this story from page one. It was a quick read and very entertaining. I would classified this book as Christian historical fiction, which is a genre that I typically enjoy because I don't have to worry about any language or graphic scenes.

I am looking forward to finding more novels by Landis and also looking forward to reading the second book in this series which is about Laura's long lost sister, Megan. I recommend this book if you like historical fiction and quick reads.

Life Your Life for Half the Price, Lyle and Tracy Shamo

Live Your Life for Half the Price

Lyle and Tracy Shamo

5 Stars

196 Pages

I read this book in January, which was my month for reevaluating and planning the new year. I found this book at a local bookstore and knew it was a must for my reading list and a resource that I would read and reread throughout the years.

I was so right! This book is full of useful information and tips. I found myself underlining and marking in this book, something I hardly ever do! I've let neighbors and friends borrow it and recommend it to everyone.

The book is divided up into four main sections; the pursuit of happiness, spend less and be happy, surviving tough times and summing it up.

I was surprised at many of the facts and figures that were quoted in this book - such as how Americans debt and spending has gone up, and our happiness ratings have gone down. Something so true!

I think if you interested thinking about and finding out where your money goes, how you can live on less without feeling like it or just money ideas, this is the book for you. It's a great resource to have in any library.

Centsible Meals

Centsible Meals

Lorae Bowden

5 Stars

If you read my family blog then you know that recently I've been trying to find new ways to cut down on our grocery budget. I think there is always room for improvement when I found this book and read it I was really inspired to do better.

Lorae is amazing, coming from a larger family herself, she learned well from her mother and now feeds her family of 9 for under $200 a month, and trust me, it's not junk - the trick is that she makes everything homemade! This BYU graduate is amazing, she does doesn't use coupons, but instead her meal plan by fillers - potato, pasta, bread, beans, etc. She does use meat, but might cut the meat in half, for example I noticed in her book that on her lasagna night she still put hamburger meat in the meal, but only half and used the pasta to fill everyone up. They eat fresh fruit for every meal, sliced on a plate. They make their own breakfast instead of using box cereal. They don't eat snacks (I don't think I could get away with this, but I do think I can make wiser choices (I have tried to cut out fruit snacks in the past 3 moths and it really makes a difference, they are so expensive and never fill the kids up!)

The only negative thing about this book is that I would have loved to have more recipes!

The book was short, easy to read, it only took maybe an hour, but was such a powerful resource. I've been recommending it to almost everyone I meet!

Recollections of Rosings

Recollections of Rosings

Rebecca Ann Collins

5 Stars

308 pages

The eighth book the the Pemberly Chronicles.

Recollections of Rosings is the story of Catherine Harrison and Becky Tate, sisters and daughters of Charlotte Lucus Collins. After a tragic fire at Rosings Park the story follows the sisters and the twists and turns their lives lead.

If I were a betting girl I would bet that Catherine is a favorite of the author, Ms. Rebecca Ann Collins, due to the fact that she is so eloquently spotlighted and portrayed in this book. It was so easy to fall in love with her character!

As Catherine returns to Rosings after the fire to find her husband injured, her daughter, Lilian finds love - but her Aunt Becky is unsure if it is the right love for her and tries to intervene. I was so impressed with Collins ability to write about the incidents in London at Lady Ashton's parties in a clean and modest fashion. Too many books I've read - even Jane Austen sequels include such incidents, as I'm sure they did happen during the time, but without leaving anything to the imagination or decency for the characters.

I absolutely loved the journal entries that we were able to read from Catherine's past - they were so fascinating I felt like Catherine herself, wanting to stay up all night reading more and more.

I still hold mixed feelings towards Becky Tate. Throughout half the book I had such a dislike for her and her character, she was just so shallow and petty! Then at the end when I read about her separation I did feel sad for her and was happy with the ending that was given her. I just received my advanced copy from the publisher of the next book in this series, A Woman of Influence, in which Becky is a main character. I cannot wait to dive into and read the rest of her story.

Recollections of Rosings does not disappoint. Rebecca Ann Collins is able to create a world of characters that can be loved and cherished. These books are my "feel good" books that I go to anytime I need a good book for a pick-me-up.

2009 Recap

I knew that 2009 would be a doosie for me. We moved 4 times, I had baby #3, my husband graduated school and started residency (whoever out there things medical school is hard, is so wrong, residency is crazy we are lucky if we see him at all now!)

That being said - I didn't have really high goals to read a lot of books this year, I just wanted to keep reading - at least one book a month. I also wanted to keep up on my posts.

Results:

My book total, that I blogged about, for 2009 was 29. So at least I read 2 books a month. I'm pretty sure when I reread the Twilight series this fall it really boost my average!

As far as posting I was not so successful. I did a lot of catch up this year. It's hard, but I really don't want to combine my family blog and my book blog, so if my book blog gets behind, it will have to fall behind. That is the great thing about books, I can always make a stack of books I've read waiting to post and do it later! I tried, unsuccessfully to add a Story Time Monday to my reading blog. I like the idea of posting kid books and what we do with them but honestly I just don't see being consistent enough with it to bring it back full time.

Since I've started My Reading Spot, these are my numbers.

2007 - 34
2008 - 34
2009 - 29

My goals for this year are similar to last years. At least one book a month, perhaps two. I would love to keep track of the number of pages that I've read as well. I also would love to branch out and read a few more non-fiction or religious books this year. On a personal note I typically make it a goal each year to read The Book of Mormon "x" amount of times. (click for link) This year I am doing it differently, I am not setting an "x" amount, but just reading and studying - whatever the pace. Some days it might be a verse, some days a chapter or more, but something meaningful each day.

Here is to 2010 reading!

The Forgotten Carols

The Forgotten Carols

5 Stars

Michael McLean

What's not to love about a good story by Michael McLean? I hadn't read this book in quite a while so I picked it up one night for a quick read. It's very easy to fall in love with the characters and the storyline. Since we play the music from this book often during the month of December it's hard not to read this and hear the songs in my head throughout the whole thing.

Love the music, and love the book. It's a great Christmas read!

The Christmas Shoes

The Christmas Shoes

Donna VanLiere

4 Stars

I picked this book up for a quick read at the library during December and I was pretty happy with the outcome. The story is based on a song, The Christmas Shoes, which I love to hear each Christmas season. It was a short easy to read story which helped me remember a few things that are truly important at Christmas.

While it wasn't my favorite Christmas book, I find it hard not to like any Christmas story. Totally worth an afternoon read.

Postscript from Pemberley

Postscript from Pemberley

Rebecca Ann Collins

5 Stars

Ms. Collins has done it again! The seventh book in the series, Postscript from Pemberley, was all I was expecting, and then some. The story follows two Darcy's as they find love and fall into it; Julian Darcy, and young Darcy Gardiner.

Kate O'Hare, a new character in this chapter of the series is introduced to Darcy Gardiner and their relationship unfolds. I found myself in love with Kate and her new views and opinions that she brought to the family and series. She really was like a breath of fresh air and I was thrilled that Darcy was able to find love with her.

As Ms. Collins stated in an authors note at the beginning of the book, Julina Darcy couldn't be left out in the cold, thus he was brought back in this book and was able to find love himself as well. I was particularly happy for this, I always felt that while he did seem to work so much, I pitied him when his wife Josie left. I felt that Jessica was such a perfect fit and I loved the love letters that they wrote back and forth, it was such a tactful way to have him fall in love and build a solid relationship once more.

Postscript from Pemberley was a fantastic installment in this series, it offered love, mystery, a little action as well as some twists and turns I didn't expect. I have always thoroughly loved every book in this series and continue to rave about it any possible chance I get.

Breaking Dawn

Breaking Dawn

Stephenie Meyer

4 Stars

Short and sweeter than the first time around.

This book is still a little bit out there for more me. I liked it a tad more this time around than the first but it still just isn't my favorite out of the series. I really would be just fine if the series ended with the 3rd book - Jacob leaving, Bella choosing Edward, everyone happy.

I reread it and I'm glad I did. I hope that by the time they get to this movie it will be pretty fun to watch. My lenghier first time review of the book can be read (here) and I still feel a lot of the same way, just less bothered this time around, maybe because I knew exactly how everything was going to turn out.