Verity by Colleen Hoover

Hello everyone.

Hope you had a nice holiday season so far. My whole family ended up being sick. We didn't have Christmas dinner until the 27th. Still, things could always be worse, we were all safe and warm and I am very grateful.  I am also grateful for so many wonderful writers.

Knowing how many great writers are out there and how difficult it is to get published, doesn't it make you wonder what we, as readers, are missing? You see people on those talent shows on tv that walk on stage and sing better than any popular commercial singers. Just because writers haven't scored a big publishing contract doesn't mean they are not a fantastic author. I read an article arguing that because writers get paid so much more when independently publishing, that many are choosing to go that route. Hey, if you can make the same money selling a couple hundred books as you can selling a couple of thousand, why wouldn't you? Yet, I still purchase many, MANY, traditionally published books. It's kind of a weird time for book selling and purchasing. A fun time, for certain, with so many choices.

Recently I read my first book by Colleen Hoover. Collen writes young adult romance for traditional publishers but she independently published an adult thriller. I knew she was beloved for her romance but I resisted. As the buzz over her thriller grew, I knew I would have to read it. Verity by Colleen Hoover is about a woman, Lowen, who takes a job as a ghost writer.  Jeremy Crawford hires Lowen to complete a contract for his well known author wife, Verity, who has been permanently injured and physically unable to write. Lowen must stay at the Crawford home for a few days of research, but her living arrangements become extended as her relationship with Jeremy changes to something a bit more "friendly." Lowen is unsure about this disrespectful interest in Verity's husband especially after she swears she sees movement in the woman who she knows is physically unable.

This book is a quick read, definitely a page turner. I felt like I was constantly changing between like and dislike for each character as the book progressed, not always approving of their choices. Finally this story comes to a shocking end that I doubt you'll see coming. A solid thriller here, you'll likely not soon forget.

The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda

Hello everyone.

I hope you are enjoying your holiday season, no matter what you celebrate. To quote the magician in Frosty, things here are "busy, busy, busy" as I suspect they are for you.  For the rest of the year, I'll try to hold back on the jibber jabber and get on with thoughts about books instead of housewife stuff. I know your time is extra valuable this time of year!

A few months ago I read The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda. I delayed writing any reviews on this book as I wasn't sure how I felt about it.  Finishing this story I felt ....blah....on the other hand I was satisfied.

This is the story of woman, Avery, who lives in a coastal town in Maine. Avery handles vacation rentals in this paradise for the wealthy. Suddenly, Avery's friend Sadie is found dead. The police insist Sadie's death is a suicide but Avery is not so sure. The story is easy to read, engaging from the very beginning and all around pleasant as far as who-dun-its go.  I really liked it. Yet when I completed The Last House Guest, I was underwhelmed. Since I knew the story was good, I couldn't figure out why. I think the issue for me is that this book is listed as a thriller. I actually googled the genre "thriller". This certainly qualifies. For me, though, a thriller is when I can't stop flipping pages; when my heart is beating fast because someone is running for their life or is hiding in a closet about to be found out. Something quick and tense. This book is not like that. For me, this is a really good story with a big old mystery at the heart. Once over the lack of adrenaline rush, I realized I really did like this book.

If you want a great mystery, this is definitely a book to check out. If you want your heart pounding so fast you almost faint, take a look at my kitchen after holiday cookie baking....it's the worst kind of thriller!

Christmas in Vermont by Anita Hughes

Hello everyone.

Christmas prep is in full swing here. Three trees are up (of six), with lights and a grand total of ten ornaments. Yeah, I'm a bit behind in the tree decorating department. It may seem like it is a lot of trees, okay let's be honest, six is insane. That being said, we are the Scrooge of the neighborhood. In an area of old houses, people tend to really dress them up for the holidays. In fact, I was shocked when we first moved to this area. One of the larger historic houses has been turned into a small inn. They have breakfast with Santa, a tree lighting party, etc. One year when we had lots of snow they were taking their guests of horse drawn sleigh rides right past our house. Not something you see everyday.

I recently read Christmas in Vermont by Anita Hughes. This second chance romance is full of holiday cheer. Set in an inn in Vermont, two old flames meet once again, still detecting the original spark. (Get it, flames....spark....)  Emma and Fletcher are faced with problems, like Fletcher's fiance who is also staying at the inn, along with his daughter from a previous marriage. Then there is the troubled inn keeper, who is quite endearing and serves as a delightful side story. This book, while slightly over 300 pages, is a quick read. There is a bit of turmoil in the romance but the story is sweet and Christmassy.  This book is perfect for taking your mind off an ever expanding holiday "to do" list, leaving you in the mood for some fluffy snowflakes to float past your windows.

While you might not want to give a holiday book as a Christmas gift, this would be such a kind and timely gift for someone under stress or a "love you" present at a festive lunch.  After giving this a read, you'll be more in the mood to tackle those trees.

Heartfelt Thank You - no book

Hello everyone.

I hope you have recovered from your turkey slumber. Did you see the weather? Wow, hope none of you got caught in that snow storm. I know my sisters are getting snow that can be measured in feet not inches. Seems kind of early for that but I remember trick-or-treating one year with snow on the ground. When we were first married, hubby and I went to upstate NY for a visit in June and my dad had a fire in the fireplace. Another time we went in early summer, I brought no socks just slip on sneakers and pedal pushers. The temperature dropped into the 40's and I froze. Of course, the weather is wacky here too only with the addition of intense humidity and hurricanes. Silly, talking about weather, but it has been all over the news this past weekend. Anyway, hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving and are safe and sound.

In case you don't live in the USA, Thanksgiving is a holiday spent feasting, reflecting on the things we are grateful for and catching up with family and friends. It has also turned into a time for shopping, people will sell their first born child for a cheap set of high thread count sheets. Anyway, I was thinking about this blog. If you haven't been here from the beginning you might not know that I started this because I was driving my husband nuts telling him about each great book I had just read. His eyes would glaze over and I could hear him thinking, "please don't let this be about another book." So I started writing just a few thoughts down to avoid pestering him and thus saving my marriage. The Fictional Housewife name came about because I often read to avoid cleaning, which is a typical duty of a housewife. I love a clean house but dislike cleaning. Frankly, I never thought anyone would pay attention to my rambling.

I am so surprised by the number of people that are reading this and where they are from. Readers have come from what seems like every country out there, many people from Ukraine, Ireland, Russia, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Czechia, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Germany, France, Italy, The Netherlands, the USA and many more. I am so grateful to all of you. So often stories on the news about events in other countries, or my own, are terrible and bring tears to my eyes. I so wish the world was a better place, that we could learn to live with kindness and love. We all want the same things, to have a happy life with our family, that doesn't change regardless of what government you live under or what geography you occupy. To think that someone on the other side of the planet is reading what a housewife has to say about a book is so.....nothing...given the events of any day in the world and the events in any day of your life. I am shocked and moved and profoundly grateful.

Now that I've been all sappy and almost made myself cry, I will cut this off as I don't want to take too much of your time. I just wanted to tell you each Thank You.