Friday, December 2, 2011

I Don't Read Paranormals

Sarah Raplee and I thought giving the Genre-istas an opportunity to put on a reviewer's hat would be a fun exercise and give our readers some ideas of Holiday-themed books to read. Since this decision was made many months ago, this summer I scoured the stacks and aisles of books at Borders and just grabbed any romance that had a holiday word in the title (like Christmas).

In November I reviewed Judy Duarte’s “Christmas On Nutcracker Court” and this month I’m going to share my other holiday reading adventures.
My title for this post is ‘I don’t read paranormals’? Imagine my surprise when “A Highlander’s Christmas” by Janet Chapman was not about Scotland or set in Scotland but was what is called a ‘light paranormal’. What I found interesting was very little in the story seemed ‘paranormal’ to me. By the end of the book, I was thinking differently about paranormal.
Also on my holiday reading list was Janet Dailey’s “Santa in Montana”. Yep, a western set in Montana and with a large family. I’d never read about the Calder family so it took a few pages before I got everyone sorted out. ‘Santa’ managed to bring members of the Calder family gifts beyond measure, worth more than gold, and left me looking at something different in the way of gifts myself.
Debbie Macomber’s “A Season of Angels” introduces Shirley, Mercy, and Goodness, angels who figure out God’s plan for the human’s they’ve been sent to help. Yes, sometimes ‘the answer’ really isn’t what it seems it’s supposed to be.
I do read ‘historicals’. Tamara LeJeune’s “Christmas with the Duchess” was an intriguing read once I figured out the cast of characters, relationships, etc.
It is really my fault because I didn’t pay attention to the genealogy chart at the front of the book before I began to read.
Once I did, my confusion lifted and I enjoyed a plot with more than one twist and turn.
However, the book I picked up and read through to the end in one sitting was Barbara Metzger’s “Christmas Wishes”. First published in 1992 and released again in 2011, this Regency Historical was a fun read with a few surprises along the way to the happily-ever-after.
The other thing that I love about this book is the dedication “Hey, Judy, this one’s for you.”
I really don’t think she meant me.

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10 comments:

Sarah Raplee said...

I laughed more than once during this post, Judith! And I can add some new Holiday books to my wish list. Thank you for the fun post!

Judith Ashley said...

We did come up with a fun topic for this month back in June or July! I certainly added more than a few new books to my TBR list from all the ideas generated by the Genre-istas last month.

Oh what fun it is to (nope, not ride) but turn on my creative juices. Already thinking about January's theme "A Month's Worth of Tips for Celebrating Romance/Valentine's Day". I'm counting on some great ideas from the Genre-istas!

Bron said...

Fabulous post, Judith.

You know, sometimes I'd rather be confused than have a re-hash of the previous book to help me understand the characters relationships. Like you say, you can pick them up with a bit of work, and if you've read the previous book, it doesn't slow you down.

Merry Christmas!

Tam Linsey said...

What a great list of book, Judith. Thanks for sharing some new authors and some old favorites. I appreciate your opinions on each of them.

Robin Weaver, Author said...

Hi Judith,

You've been doing some reading! So the question is, **do** you now read paranormals?

Happy Holidays!

Judith Ashley said...

Well, Robin - I not seeking them out but a light paranormal is certainly something I'd read. Of course, if it's "light" enough, I probably won't think it 'paranormal' to begin with.
'Normal' can be a difficult concept to define.

Judith Ashley said...

Bron and Tam,

Thanks for stopping by. I love to read but I do have my favorites so to read authors who are truly new to me (well, not Debbie Macomber) was an interesting experiment. I can get into a rut/routine and this certainly opened me up to new authors and genres.

Diana McCollum said...

Thanks for the list of books. I've never read a historical Christmas themed romance. I will give one a try.

Judith Ashley said...

Of the two historicals I talked about, I read Barbara Metzger's "Christmas Wishes" in one sitting. It was a good fit for me, obviously.

Paty Jager said...

Judith, You gave us a wide assortment to choose from. Kind like a box of chocolates!