A Christmas Read

A Magical Christmas by Heather Graham

Julie and Jo's life seems perfect on paper. Joe is a successful defense attorney making great money. Julie is starting to see success in her new career as a realtor. They have a beautiful home in Miami and three beautiful children. However, behind closed doors, things are not going as smoothly as people think. Their oldest daughter is sneaking around wth her boyfriend, Jordan is using drugs, Julie and Joe are on the verge of divorce, and the youngest child, six year old Ashley, is feeling the effects of all of the turmoil.

In an attemot to put the family back together, Julie and Joe arrange for a special Christmas away at an old historic Vrginian plantation.

I really enjoyed this quick and fun read.

South of Broad

South of Broad by Pat Conroy

This is the story of Leo King, his coming of age, his former-nun turned principal mother, science teacher father, the brother who committed suicide, and his cast of friends ranging from the super wealthy Charleston legacies to the orphaned minorities. I really enjoyed this story (even though it felt long in some parts) and the writing. I have always enjoyed books that take place in the south.

A look at the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1793

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

Mattie Cook lives in the bustling and prospering Philadelphia. Her widowed mother works really hard to keep the small family coffee house running and profitable and is quick to put Mattie to work doing her part. The year is 1793 and suddenly people who work near the docks are becoming ill and it is spreading quickly. When one of the coffee hours girls suddenly dies, Mattie and her family are fearful of how close Yellow Fever is coming to their family.

I have been a longtime fan of Laurie Halse Anderson. This is the first historical I have read from her and I enjoyed it. She makes the past accessible to middle school and high school readers.

Faithful Place

Faithful Place by Tana French

Frank Mackey, an undercover cop in Dublin, has stayed away from his dysfunctional family for the past 30 years. The night Frank left his family, he had planned to run away with the love of his life, Rosie, to London. When she didn't show up to meet him, Frank assumed she had changed her ind and dumped him. So, Frank kept going, never looking back at the poor neighborhood he grew up in, Faithful Place. But a call from his sister Jackie brings the painful past crashing right back to haunt him. Rosie's suitcase had been found. Hidden. With a note indicating she had planned to leave with Frank. So, what happened to Rosie? And how is Frank's family and neighborhood involved?

I really liked this book. I liked Frank, though at times he wasn't easy to like. I loved the setting and the build up of the story.