Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before New Year's by Liz Ireland

Hello everyone.  I hope you're having a great day.

When we first met, my husband thought I was a little more, hmmm, how do I put it...upscale.  I was wearing a shirt that had a word on it followed by CC.  He thought it meant country club.  How posh!  Big surprise for him when he found out it meant community college, while a nice school, a far cry from posh.  We were engaged for several months before our wedding date.  During that time, we were able to go home to my parents in New York for Christmas.  As always, my parents went all out.  Presents were thigh high under the tree and that didn't count those from Santa.  Naturally, with all those gifts comes lots of gift-wrapping paper.  To think we behaved in a ladylike manner precisely, graciously, reservedly opening our gifts like posh people, was not to be.  That image pretty much dissolved when my dad dragged a full-size metal trash can up the stairs and into the center of the living room.  Yep, one of the smelly cans that sat out for the trash collection.  So much for the "country club set".  Funny thing is, we really did belong to a country club.  I took golf, tennis, and dance lessons there.  Oh well.

I recently read Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before New Year's by Liz Ireland. This is the story of April Claus, who is Santa's wife.  Santa is out delivering gifts when three strangers are found outside of Santaland.  They are lost in the frozen wilderness after being stranded during a scientific expedition.  One of the strangers is murdered while staying in Santaland. The reader is along for the ride as Mrs. Claus and cast solve the mystery.  The story is complicated as the Santaland residents don't want their existence to be discovered.  Everyone; elves, reindeer and talking snowmen, must pretend to be part of a normal Canadian town, hiding their true identities.

This book was lots of fun.  Loaded with charming characters and an easy to picture location, it is super creative.  This would make a great holiday read, definitely taking your stress level down while increasing your holiday spirit.  A win all the way around.

Many thanks to NetGalley and, the always kind and generous, Kensington Publishing for the advanced copy.  I'll never look at Santa the same way.

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty

Hello everyone.  I hope you are having a great day.

When I was in college, I was five hundred miles away from my hometown.  Every time I went home, I had to fly.  Over a few years I was on 54 flights because of all the transfers.  Going through Dulles at Christmas, not that pleasant.  Tiny planes in turbulence will test the sticking power of even the most solid of lunches.  After school, I vowed to never fly again.  A promise I have happily kept.  My grandfather loved to fly, so much so he got his pilot's license.  Of course, my mother worried about her dad.  That amused him, so he used to fly 60 miles away just to get a cup of coffee.  Yeah, those two egged each other on.  My mother would call someone like that an "itch".  She didn't mean it in a derogatory way or what might have you thinking it was missing a letter.  It meant someone that tickles you...that gives you an itch...trying to stir up trouble...something funny.  She, of course, was the biggest "itch" of them all, something she got from her dad.  Phew, sure glad that wasn't passed down and I got the serious gene.  Queue my sisters laughing hysterically, pointing at the screen, screaming "liar!"

I recently read Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty.  This is the story of people who have a shared experience on an airplane. While not the typical turbulence, the occurrence is still memorable and for many passengers, troubling.  A woman, behaving as if in a trance, walks down the aisle telling each passenger how they will die and at what age.  Some, after learning they will live a long life and die of old age, are joyous.  Others, discovering they will die much sooner than expected, and in an undesirable manner, are terrified. This story follows these characters to see what happens after the flight and delves into the life of the woman giving the unusual predictions. 

I have read every book Liane Moriarty has written and have enjoyed them all, this is no different. For me, this ran a bit longer and drier than her norm, but that is likely a necessity of this elaborate story. My favorite Moriarty book is Truly Madly Guilty.  I also have a soft spot for Three Wishes, since my three sisters are triplets. While this latest offering does not unseat my favorites, you really can't go wrong with any of her books, Here One Moment included.  If you are a Moriarty lover, as I am, this will be an enjoyable and fun necessity.  

Many thanks to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy and feeding my Liane Moriarty addiction.