Julie’s December Book Report

It was a cute love story, a mushy romance with some funny bits thrown in. I’m 56 years old and, having been married and divorced and involved in romantic relationships that just didn’t work out, I can say that I will (probably) never get married again. But to say that I will never fall in love again—if I meet the right guy—who knows? Megan Murphy is a lot younger than me and, of course, has had her heart broken a couple of times. She meets a handsome young doctor (a pediatrician no less—wonderful with children) who is obviously attracted to her and not just physically but because she has had failed relationships (to be fair, humiliating failures), she’s refusing to admit or acknowledge that she has feelings for the doctor.

I don’t read a lot of romance novels, but I feel like that is a common theme—two people in love and with a strong attraction where one or both of them fight or even sabotage their feelings. That is just frustrating to me, and I think it’s dumb. This was a quick read, and there were some humorous parts—laugh-out-loud funny so, if you’re looking for something that doesn’t require a time or emotional commitment, this would still be a good read.

Saving Grace by Jane Green

Next on the list is Saving Grace by Jane Green. I’ve enjoyed all of Jane Green’s novels, but this one left me asking many questions. It is kind of a cross between The Hand that Rocks the Cradle and Single White Female. Oh, another spoiler alert coming up. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve read so many books, but I knew Beth was bad news from the moment I met her. Easy for me to say, I know, but as the story unfolds, there are plenty of red flags that were ignored, but I get that Beth was a master manipulator.

The book touches on addiction, manic depressions and bipolar disorder. There were times when I questioned my first instinct and I wondered if Beth might not be as evil as I thought and maybe Grace really was bipolar. Beth slowly takes over all aspects of Grace’s life, and Grace is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and heavily medicated. She fights her way through that and escapes to London when her husband tries to have her committed. She sees a doctor in London who says she absolutely is not bipolar, and he weans her off all the prescriptions. She gets well and goes back to America to try to salvage her life with her husband.

What didn’t make sense to me was her repeatedly saying she wanted to go back to the life she had before Beth—back to her husband. On the very first page, her husband is an egomaniac, a bully, and moody—he could be bipolar! Did she forget that part? Why on Earth would you want to go back to a man who abused you, cheated on you, and tried to have you committed? Once she discovered what Beth had done and found another woman whose life and marriage Beth had destroyed, I was hoping for some kind of revenge—at the very least, some way to stop Beth from doing this to another family—the epilogue shows this is not the case. I also would have liked to have seen some repercussions for the doctor—how was he allowed to continue practicing? And what happened to their dogs? Too many loose ends, but sadly that is probably how a lot of things end in real life. We go through a traumatic experience, make it out on the other side, and do our best to move on, happy just to have survived.

Grace is a chef, and she shares her recipes in this book so bonus if you like that sort of thing.

I’ll See You in Paris by Michelle Gable

Did I mention that I will read any book that takes place in or visits Paris or has the Eiffel Tower on the cover? I’ll See You in Paris by Michelle Gable was my next read. I stayed up past my bedtime to finish this one. (Fun fact, I have a t-shirt that says, “Literary Rebel—I read past my bedtime.”)

This was an okay story—actually two stories—it flipped back and forth between the 1970’s and 2001. I was more interested in the story from the past, and it got more interesting towards the end. It’s about a young adult, Annie, and her mom, Laurel. The dad is not in the picture (you do find out why). Annie “steals” a book from her mom’s study (how did her mom not notice?) and they take a trip to London where Annie discovers through reading the stolen book that her mom has kept her entire past a secret. In the end, the mom tells everything, and everyone lives happily every after.

There was just something about this book that didn’t feel right. The mom character in the past is way more interesting and likable than the present-day Laurel. It’s like the story from the past was written better than the 2001 story. And we didn’t spend quite enough time in Paris—either time.

Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella

I was so sad to hear of the passing of Sophie Kinsella. I’ve been reading her books for many years—it feels like we were friends. In honor of her, I started Remember Me? It took me one day to read this one. Plenty of funny moments, like many of Sophie’s books.

The main character, Lexi, feels like someone you would know in real life. I love that there was a message in this story that money doesn’t buy love or happiness. It finished with a sweet, hopeful, romantic ending—I almost cried! I can definitely see it being made into a movie, if it hasn’t already.

Rest in Peace Sophie. Thank you for the good reads!

Scrooge and Cratchit Detectives by Curt Locklear

For my Christmas read, I found Scrooge and Cratchit Detectives by Curt Locklear on PaperbackSwap.com. I had never heard of this book, but there are two more Scrooge and Cratchit detective novels. I have the second one on order. I loved this book! It’s just a fun spin-off of The Christmas Carol. It takes place a few years after Ebeneezer Scrooge’s life changed that Christmas. He is still a work in progress but trying to do better. Bob Cratchit is his business partner now. They get involved in trying to solve a murder to prove that their friend, Grumbles, is innocent. There is a lot going on in this story, but it is quite enjoyable. The ghosts all make an appearance trying to help Scrooge solve the mystery. Lots of twists at the end, and one fun surprise that I am dying to tell you, but I won’t. You’ll have to read it.

I finished the book today and completed my Goodreads Reading Challenge for 2025 with a week to spare. I started reading Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy about a week or so ago but set that aside to read Scrooge and Cratchit. I’ve had this classic on my TBR shelf for a while now, and it was mentioned in Saving Grace. I like reading books that characters in other books refer to. It’s like the author is subtly making a recommendation. I will get back to that one in the new year.

I’m continuing the “Jolabokaflod”—an Icelandic tradition of reading quietly on Christmas Eve. I’m going to keep it going into the new year! My resolution is to read more books! I hope you have a fun and safe new year! If you’d like to check out Paperback Swap—here’s a link: https://paperbackswap.com/index.php

Happy Reading!

Julie