Christmas on the Island

I keep trying to like Jenny Colgan and I keep being underwhelmed by her work. I've been trying to find short holiday audiobooks and this sounded perfect - unfortunately it was only loosely holiday tied and  far too serious for my taste. I was hoping for a little more fluff. Christmas on the Island centered around a cast of characters each of whom is going through some pretty serious shit. Flora has discovered she's pregnant and is unsure how to tell her boyfriend Joel, he's got a troubled past and he might think she's trying to "trap him." Flora's best friend Lorna, the elementary school teacher, falls for the island's immigrant doctor, Saif. Unfortunately, even though he has feelings for her in return - he is still concerned that his missing wife might miraculously turn up from his war torn country after years of looking for her. Flora's brother Fenton, is watching his husband slowly be ravaged by cancer and it's only a matter of time before he dies. So yeah - serious shit is happening on this Scottish island. There are some light moments - but it's not all uplifting and cozy. The best part about this audiobook is that it is wonderfully narrated by a woman with a Scottish accent.

Off Kilter

A quick cozy mystery set in Scotland and starring a likable American named Eden, who is "just on holiday" to work on her romance novel. Of course things get off to a rocky start. Vicky, the woman she sat by on a plane was going back to the village to bury her father and happens to be embroiled in a family feud as her father left her everything and her half siblings nothing. As Vicky never really lived in this village (her parents having split when she was younger), the whole town sides with her half siblings (who actually lived in the village), leaving Vicky friendless. Thank god she met Eden on the plane! The two hit it off and are as thick as thieves. But then they discover a body and they're both suspects. Did Vicky do it? Or did her angry half siblings commit the murder and try to pin it on her? Slightly predictable, with some twists and turns, lots of Scottish food and tea, and beautiful scenery. Everything you want out of a nice cozy mystery. This is the first in a series.

Where Have All the Boys Gone?

I've only read one other book (The Bookshop on the Corner) by Jenny Colgan, but the two were eerily similar. I wonder if she's a bit formulaic. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the humor, but the plot and the characters are just too.... fake. It's over the top and not in a good way. Katie can't find a decent date in all of London, there is simply too much competition. When she gets sent up to Scotland on assignment, she is amazed to discover that there are men everywhere and nary a lass in sight! The dating odds are finally in her favor! Not that she has much time to think about dating though. Her boss has her work cut out for her trying to brainstorm ways to save the forest from being torn down to build a golf course. Her best friend Louisa has accompanied her on this trip and the two of them find themselves enjoying the quaint town life, interesting traditions, and handsome single men. Only , things can't stay perfect for long. Katie is bound to muddle something up! Love triangles, ridiculous scenarios, and ridiculous people. This book is ok as a beach read; but even that might be pushing it.

The Bookshop on the Corner

Sweet and fluffy; this light read is perfect for bibliophiles. When an English librarian finds herself without a job she decides to be bold for once in her life and do something rash; open a bookstore. She obviously can't afford to rent property but she finds this perfect old van up in Scotland that might be perfect for a mobile bookshop. Throwing caution to the wind she buys the van, moves to Scotland, and starts to fall for a sexy Latvian train conductor. Her dream is coming true! Only, Nina is discovering that there are a lot of road blocks and detours and nothing in life is easy, it's about finding the courage for what you believe in. Romantic and cute, a great beach read!

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

For fans of "The Rosie Project," this debut book about a twenty nine year old woman content to just "exist" will charm many readers. Eleanor Oliphant has a routine; she works, does the crossword puzzle at lunch, talks to her mother on Wednesday, goes to the store on Friday and drinks vodka all weekend by herself. There is no variation, there is no fun, there is no adventure. That is until she meets a bumbling young man in the IT department, Raymond. First he fixes her computer and then he proceeds to turn her life upside down. From the tiniest things; going for lunch, helping out an elderly man, actually talking to her, these things shake up her routine enough and start a domino effect to actually get Eleanor to take a good hard look at her life and find some meaning in it. Her standoffish attitude, weirdness, and inability to have a meaningful relationship with anyone make it hard for people to approach her, but Raymond seems to be doing a pretty good job. Cute, but at times dark and real. Not one I would personally re-read, but still good nonetheless.

A Bound Heart

Lark may not be wealthy or high class but she's a well thought of, beautiful lass. Set in beautiful 18th century, Scotland; Lark's world is filled with sea breeze and gardens. She works in the laird's castle making tonics and other herbal remedies catching the eye of both the laird and the local captain. After an unfortunate tragedy, she is sent to Virginia to be an indentured servant. It will take all her faith and strength to survive the voyage and the years of hard labor awaiting her. To further complicate matters she adopts a young baby whose kin have all perished on the ship and she discovers that both her admirers, the laird and the captain are also aboard. Lark is nurturing, good hearted, and always tries to look at the positive, her only downfall is that she is quite naive. She's been handed an awful lot and she doesn't know if she'll ever get to see Scotland or her beloved grandmother again, but she handles it darn well. A bit unbelievable at times (every single male character throws themselves at Lark, EVERY ONE) and the ending was a bit anti-climactic; but overall still a good cozy historical read.

The Pearl Thief

The narrator made this book even more exciting for me, I LOVE foreign accents especially when they're Scottish! I'm also a huge fan of Wein's two other young adult novels, so I knew I would enjoy this book. Unlike her previous two novels, this one is not set during World War II, it is set in the Scottish Highlands in 1938. Sixteen year old Julie has come back from boarding school to assist her family in clearing out their ancestral estate. After a lengthy bout with cancer, her grandfather had died and bankrupt his family with medical expenses. The giant manor will be turned into a boarding school and Julie gets one more summer to explore and experience the estate. While there she suffers a perplexing head injury which she has no recollection of, a man is found murdered, and she befriends a group of traveling gypsies. It's wonderfully written and I loved the archaeological aspects of it as well as the character development. All around wonderful!

The Sunlight Pilgrims

It's 2020 and the world is entering another ice age. In Scotland there is a small caravan park in the mountains preparing itself for the coldest winter anyone has ever seen in their lifetimes. Dylan lost his mother, his grandmother, and the family movie theater in London. The only place he has to go is a small caravan he had no idea even existed, thankfully his mother had the foresight to buy it in cash before her death. Armed only with a suitcase Dylan arrives in the cold, godforsaken, but oddly beautiful park. He is immediately smitten with the young mother next door and her ridiculously cool daughter. Constance and her daughter Stella, are immediately smitten with their new neighbor Dylan, enjoying his tall stature, beard, tattoos, and London stories. They slowly start to invite him into their lives where he discovers that Stella is in the process from transitioning from a boy to a girl and Constance is looked down upon because for years she's always had two lovers. Can this odd trio band together and survive the coming subzero temperatures? Cute, quirky, and honest, this book had me hooked from the beginning. Personally I had a crush on Dylan and would love to have shared his caravan with him. Stella was a breath of fresh air and is wonderfully developed as is her mom who is imperfectly perfect. A fantastic read!

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books in return for my honest, unbiased review.

Outlander Read-A-Long Part 3

1) We FINALLY get to the scene we’ve all been waiting for. You know what I’m talking about–yay sexytimes! What were your impressions? Was it what you were expecting? Or did you want more? 
Meh, I was glad they finally did it I suppose but it wasn't necessarily earth shattering sex. I probably shouldn't judge sex scenes by 50 Shades of Grey which set the bar unnaturally high. I'm glad it wasn't super awkward for them and yeah they wait til their married. Also, I found it hard to believe that a strapping young man like Jamie would still be a virgin. But then again it's 18th century Scotland, crazier shit has happened.

2) I know that some readers thus far have been bothered by the fact of Claire being married to Frank but still being involved with Jamie, despite the different time periods. Does their time as newlyweds change anyone’s opinion of that? If not, now what are you thinking of the situation?  

Well it makes me think a little bit better of her, at least I don't think she's such a hussy now I guess.  At least they were married before sex and it wasn't like she had a choice with the whole marriage thing so she hasn't cheapened her love for Frank... much, lol.

3) What did you think about the “waterhorse” that Claire saw? Why do you think Peter was so spooked? And what do you think this means for Claire? 

REALLY a waterhorse?!? I just chose to ignore this little part of the story. It's already magical enough, I don't need their to be witches, leprechauns, and waterhorses to add to it.

4) If you were Claire and you were knowingly in the vicinity of the stones, would you have done the same thing she did?  

Claire is kinda a bitch and doesn't think things through. If she would have talked to Jamie, I'm sure he would have taken her to the stones no questions asked. She only thinks of herself and I feel terrible for those around her.

5) What do you think about Captain Randall? How do you think the family resemblance between him and Frank affects Claire and particularly her relationship with Jamie? 

I bet it's a big turn off and throws her into confusion every time she sees Captain Randall. It probably makes her like Jamie even better because she unconscionably will associate Frank with Captain Randall and that obviously will put some distance between her and her twentieth century husband.

Well that's all for now! I loved everyone's responses this week!