another novel for the holidays.

Melody Carlson is known for some amazing Christmas novels, (I have read them all, of course) and her latest, Christmas at Harrington's is no exception.

Lena is an ex-convict recently released from a women's correctional facility. Like many ex-cons, it is extremely difficult for Lena to put her past behind her and start a new life. Unlike many ex-cons, Lena was falsely accused, and actually did the time for a crime that her con-artist ex-husband committed. Lena simply wants to start over, she doesn't want to dig into her past, she just wants to move on. Lena moves hundreds of miles away from her hometown, and meets some extremely supportive people, she even finds a charming job as Mrs. Santa at Harrington's department store; yet she still cannot seem to shake her history.

I would have loved if this book were longer, because I saw more of a story in Lena and her new found community. I hope that Carlson considers a sequel. Perfect for the holidays.

a great holiday story.

It's only October, and I am seriously ready for Christmas. I received Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball a few weeks ago and tried saving it for a bit closer to the season, but failed. I just love the holidays, filled with snow, magic and love. Corny yes, but Christmas is corny - and so is Donika K. Paul's novella - in the best possible way.

Cora Crowder thinks of Christmas as something to get through. She understands the importance of baby Jesus and the whole lot, but when it comes to buying gifts, it's simply a name to check off the list. She walks into the Warner, Werner, and Wizbotterdad's bookstore on Sage Street, on a mission to check her uncle off that list. As she is getting ready to pay for the book that the odd owners helped her pick out, in walks her boss, Simon Derrick.

Simon is very serious. He does not bring his personal life to the workplace, so no one knows a whole lot about him. Once Cora sees him in the bookstore, everything changes. Circumstance brings them together often and they develop this strange connection. They both receive tickets to the annal Wizards Ball, which is a mystery to most. When Simon goes on a mission for an extra ticket to bring his sister, Sandy, the Sage Street magic comes into play.

This story is as dreamy and magical as the picture on the front cover.

seventeen and homeless.

I have read dozens of Melody Carlson books. She is one of my favorite authors, I just love how real she is. I know for a fact that she does her research, and even though her novels may be fiction, a lot of the time they are based on a real person. It's scary to think about, because Melody Carlson writes about a lot of tough issues - mental illness, drug abuse, rape, being homeless, and so on.

Forgotten is Carlson's latest young adult fiction novel about a 17-year-old girl named Adele Porter who lives with her very unpredictable mother, Carlene. Carlene does not have the best track record keeping jobs, or keeping sane. She is bipolar, and Adele never knows when she is going to snap. One day she comes home and her mother tells her they are moving to a new town because she got a new job. No questions asked, off they go.

Carlene uses her pay advance to get things for their new apartment, buys Adele new clothes, and Adele thinks that maybe her life will actually be normal. She starts her new school, falls in with a popular group, and things start looking up. After a few weeks Adele notices that her mother is late for work, and comes home early. She is a smart girl, she knows what her mother is capable of, so she gets a part-time job working at a nursing home, just in case.

After a fight, her mother leaves her with a note saying she needs some space. Adele goes on living her life as normal as possible, lying to her new friends about her mothers whereabouts. After a few days, she is kicked out of the apartment for not paying the rent, and is forced to live in an old black van (which was left by her mothers new boyfriend). Adele doesn't want to tell anyone that she's homeless because she is still a minor, and doesn't want to be put into foster care.

The lies she tells to get by keep adding up, and it's only a matter of time before that ticking time bomb blows. Just when you think Adele's life couldn't get any worse, it does. Just when Adele has a little hope, it's lost. She doesn't know a lot about God, but she is sure he doesn't care much about her if he's letting all these terrible things happen. But as always, God has a plan.