"When Christmas Comes" by Debbie Macomber

I picked this book up at my local library's seasonal section.  The book jacket mentioned that it was a Christmas romantic comedy, so I was game to give it a shot.  The I remembered.  Oh Debbie Macomber.  How I forget that your books are written for maiden aunts and sweet Grandmas until I'm at page 50.  And by then I feel committed and just can't quit.

Edited to add:  Rumor (aka Google) tells me that this book has been turned into a movie.  Lord help me, but I have an urge to watch it.

Summary:  When Emily's daughter Heather tells her she's not able to home for Christmas, Emily decides to bring Christmas to Heather.  Using an internet house-swap site, Emily trades homes with a stodgy Harvard professor who wants to avoid the distraction of Christmas all together.

As luck would have it, Emily arrives in Boston to find out that her only daughter has taken off on a motorcycle trip to Florida with her boyfriend and she'll be spending her favorite holiday alone after all.  When Charles Brewster arrives at Emily's home, he's shocked to find that the small town of Leavenworth isn't the small prison town he thought, but Santa's village come to life, complete with sleigh rides, carolers and Christmas lights galore.  Christmas is ruined for both Emily and Charles.

Or is it?  The magic of Christmas has a way of bringing the unexpected to even the most loneliest of Christmases.

What I Liked and What Drove Me Nuts:  I did not like nor dislike this book.  In fact, I feel almost nothing for it.  The plot was sweet and the author had some funny ideas.  In fact, I'd say that this book is perfect for sweet Grannies who like to bake, attend church and don't quite understand modern culture or kids these days.  The characters are all a bit proper and the plot is shiny and pure without a spot of mystery or smut in sight.  There were a few funny moments in the story that I appreciated: a situation with a goat, some sassy elves and adults sledding.  But that was it, and it wasn't enough for me.

Rating:  This book is one of those that tells the reader what happens instead of showing them, and for that I can't recommend it.  This book reminds me of something my Grandma would read.  She's in her eighties, if that gives you any insight.

Reviewed By:  Tami

"The Wordy Shipmates" by Sarah Vowell

We picked this audiobook based on the fact that I like authors who contribute to public radio programs and Tami has a copy of this book in softcover, but has not gotten around to reading it.  

Summary: This book is a non-fiction account of the colonies in and around the land that became Massachusetts. Sarah Vowell spent years reading primary sources from the era and visiting sites important to the history. The source she explicitly refers to the most is the personal diary of John Winthrop, who played a central role in the founding and managing of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Vowell discusses the lives of the colonists before they ever left England, and what it was like to sail across the Atlantic. She quotes often from the men and women, directly from their written words. She discusses the early years of the colony, including the life of the Charter, the religious disagreements and the banishments doled out for those who were deemed a danger to the colony. The native Americans also play a big role in this book, for their continuous relations with the Europeans. At times they were allies and at times they were at war. Vowell explores the reasons for both, with a personal interest since she can trace her descendants to both sides of the ocean, pre-Columbus.

What I Liked: Vowell let a lot of the historical figures speak in their own words a lot, using a lot of direct quotes from letters, diaries and texts written at the time. I learned a lot about the colony, as I never really studied this particular group in school and felt no compulsion to investigate before this book.

What I Didn't Like: This audiobook has multiple voice actors, including Vowell herself. Each character has a unique actor for when they are quoted. It was fine when they recited a paragraph or more, but Vowell often would quote a single word of phrase and it was really disorienting to hear two voices interrupt each other while working to finish a sentence. I wish that they had handled it differently. Of course, you wont notice that if read the book.

I also found the material was presented in a form that reminded me of a history lecture. Tami did not finish the book, and I doubt I would have been able to finish without the audiobook setting the pace for me.

Rating: Skip it, unless you are a fan of Sarah Vowell.

Also Read by this Author: None.

Reviewed by: Nick

"Don't Know Much About Geography" by Kenneth C Davis

We picked up this audiobook from the library because we both find geography interesting and and thought it might be fun.

Summary: This is a question and answer format text that goes over a wide variety of geography questions. It is broken up into sections called lessons and feels very much like something a substitute teacher might use when the geography teacher was out sick and didn't leave any instructions.

A variety of questions are asked, one at a time. Some are really bizarre and others are open-ended. The author then answers each question to the best of their ability, including historical references. There is no plot to this book, but instead is an FAQ. The level of questions are around high school, which for many of them meant I knew the answer already and for others it meant I had a vague memory of learning about the topic, but let the knowledge fade over the years.

What I Liked: Some of the information was very interesting. And the author had a subtle political bias that matches my own.

What I Didn't Like: I would have preferred something with a story arch, not just a series of questions. I have read very informational books with compelling narratives holding everything together and had hoped for that with this book.

Rating: Might be interesting for k-12 students, but then again, we have the internet now.

Also Read by this Author: None.

Reviewed by: Nick

"Impact" by Douglas Preston

We selected this audiobook because of the excitement and fascination we had reading The Monster of Florence, by Preston & Spezi. 

Summary: There are three main story lines that eventually all weave into one. There is a NASA scientist who identifies and investigates strange phenomenon recorded by the Mars Orbiter satellite, Wyman Ford an ex-CIA agent hired to track down the source of radioactive gems, and two young women who search for a meteorite that struck off the east coast. Most of the book is spent following each character as they learn more and more through their investigations. All the characters eventually meet and put their heads together to figure out how it is all connected. There is also an assassin trying to kill all of them and some other exciting dangers like ships in storms, drug addled gunmen/rapists, Cambodian separatists, and more.

What I Liked: Preston does a good job writing individual scenes so that they are exciting and interesting. He also fleshes out the characters and gives them opportunities to develop.

What I Didn't Like: Early on, the NASA scientist (who has no social life and studies Mars all day every day) forgot the length of a Martian day. It led to him profoundly bungling a work presentation. That is one example how the professionals in this book made amateur mistakes. The professional assassin was really sloppy and the experienced boaters kept destroying their boats.

Rating: Skip it, even if you like Preston's other work.

Also Read by this Author: The Monster of Florence (with Mario Spezi).

Reviewed by: Nick

"The Butler" by Wil Haygood

This audiobook was selected because of its historical content. 

Summary: Shortly after the 2008 election of Barack Obama Wil Haywood wrote an article called A Butler Well Served By This Election. The article focused on Eugene Allen, a black man who served as a White House butler over 34 years for 8 presidents. The reason Eugene's story is so compelling is because he witnessed the changes which happened during the civil rights movement. From the article a 2013 movie was made, called The Butler staring Oprah Winfrey and Forest Whitaker. 

Presumably, this book was to be the story of Eugene Allen in greater detail than a short article could cover. Instead, this book is the story of Wil Haywood and how he came to meet Eugene and write the article. It is also the story of Eugene attending Obama's inauguration. The second part of the book is a history of black cinema which leads into the story of how The Butler was filmed and produced.

What I Liked: It was interesting to hear the story of Eugene Allen, Wil Haywood and black cinema.

What I Didn't Like: We had expected there to be a more in depth look into Eugene's life, instead the book focused more on how the author was inspired by Eugene's story. It felt a lot like an infomercial for The Butler movie. It would probably be better to just watch the movie. 

Rating: Skip it.

Also Read By This Author: None. 

Reviewed by: Nick

"The Wave" by Walter Mosley

I (Nick) listen to public radio a lot and the woman who hosts the morning show is a bibliophile. She regularly interviews authors and makes non literary guests talk about books. One of her favorite authors (because of the Easy Rawlins series) is Walter Mosley. I've heard her interview Mosley and when I saw his name at the library I figured it would be a safe bet.

Summary: In this book we follow Errol Porter in his journey of despair. Before the book starts, his father dies, he loses his job, his wife moves out to be with another man and he rents out the garage of the home he once owned. To cope with his misery he finds comfort in the arms of women. Many women. As he sleeps in his makeshift studio apartment, his phone wakes him up in the middle of the night, over and over. Instead of reporting the prank caller, Errol takes it upon himself to find the obviously disturbed man and care for him. What he learns is that the man is infected with a strange bacteria that wield powerful and awesome abilities. The Department of Homeland Security quickly moves in to get a handle on the situation and are eager to violate civil rights. In this crazy adventure Errol learns secrets about his father, the government and the history of life on earth.

What We Liked: Nick liked the idea of the bacteria invasion and plan to use it in a role-playing game I am running.  Tami didn't like much about the book, other than the fact that some of plot choices were ludicrous to the point of laughter.

What We Didn't Like: Errol sleeps with a surprising number of women, which is hilarious because the main character comes across as totally unappealing.  And Mosley describes a surprising number of men naked without advancing the plot.  There were a lot of scenes where Mosley just tells you something happened or told you how the characters felt when he could have painted a mental picture. It made the book feel distant and poorly written.  As a reader I didn't feel any emotional connection to the characters, so I didn't really care when Errol was probed or probed someone himself.  (And that happened quite a bit.)

Rating: Not recommended. I might try his Easy Rawlins series, but I'm in no hurry.

Also Read By This Author: Nothing.  And it might just stay that way.