Rereading the poems we published in the Review this year—forty-four in all—I’m struck by how many of them make emotional states literal, monumental, inescapable. This might be summed up by a few lines from Peter Gizzi’s poem “Revisionary,” from our April 21 issue. “I’ve decided to let my inner weather out,” it begins. “I’m putting […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/online/2022/12/20/making-it-real-jana-prikryl/
Say what you will about Eric Adams: he knows how to give a press conference. Right after Thanksgiving, Adams announced that New York police officers would be empowered to involuntarily commit mentally ill homeless people to psychiatric hospitals in the city. Speaking at City Hall, he decried the human and moral crisis of walking past […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/online/2022/12/20/my-high-income-earners-new-york/
Susan Mallery takes us back to Wishing Tree in this standalone contemporary holiday romance. Filled with meddling mothers, dogs, Christmas cookie bake-offs and unexpected romance you won’t want to miss. Home Sweet Christmas is the perfect read for a cold winter’s night.
Home Sweet Christmas
by Susan Mallery
Series: Wishing Tree #2
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Rating: 
Heat Level: 
With twinkling humor and heartfelt Christmas spirit, two friends find love in a town called Wishing Tree…
Until Camryn Neff can return to her “real” life in Chicago, she’s in Wishing Tree to care for her twin sisters. She’s not looking for forever love, not here. But handsome hotelier Jake Crane is a temptation she can’t resist, so she suggests they pair up for the season. No golden rings, no broken hearts. At his side, she sees her hometown through Christmas-colored eyes. The cheer is cheerier, the joy more joyful. She thought she had put her future on hold…but maybe her real life was here all along, waiting for her to come home.
New in town, River Best is charmed by Wishing Tree’s homespun traditions and warmhearted people. When she’s crowned Snow Queen, she’s honored but wary. Dylan Tucker, her king, seems like the stuff of sugarplum dreams, but she can’t shake the feeling that he’s hiding something big. As they perform their “royal” duties—tasting cookies, lighting trees—Dylan’s good humor and melty kisses draw her to the brink of love. But she can’t let herself fall until she uncovers his secret, even if her lack of faith means losing him forever.
{
“@context”:”https://schema.org”,
“@type”:”Review”,
“datePublished”: “2022-12-20T05:00:00+00:00”,
“description”: “Susan Mallery takes us back to Wishing Tree in this standalone contemporary holiday romance. Filled with meddling mothers, dogs, Christmas cookie bake-offs and unexpected romance you won’t want t”,
“publisher”: {
“@type”: “Organization”,
“name”: “Caffeinated Reviewer” },
“url”: “https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2022/12/home-sweet-christmas-by-susan-mallery.html”,
“itemReviewed”: {
“@type”: “Book”,
“name”: “Home Sweet Christmas”,
“author”: {
“@type”: “Person”,
“name”: “Susan Mallery”,
“sameAs”: “http://www.susanmallery.com/” },
“isbn”: “” },
“author”: {
“@type”: “Person”,
“name”: “Kimberly”,
“sameAs”: “https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/” },
“reviewRating”: {
“@type”: “Rating”,
“ratingValue”: 4.5,
“bestRating”: “5”
}
}
Yesterday, I shared the first novel, The Christmas Wedding Guest, and I was excited to return to this quaint town and its holiday festivals. Our tale begins right before Thanksgiving and takes us through the holiday season.
Camryn Neff has been back in Wishing Tree for two years now. She cares for her teenage sisters after their mother died and runs the family business. Last year the holidays were hard, and she is hoping to make wonderful memories for Lily & Victoria this year.
Meanwhile, Jake Crane is the head of his family’s hotel. After past mistakes, he’s not looking for romance. However, his mother, who recently lost her spouse, is lonely and wants grandchildren. She is determined to find Jake a bride. I love meddling grandmothers and laughed from the start.
The story that unfolds is filled with wonderful moments, holiday treats and character growth as Jake and Camryn navigate romance, the teens, a dog and his mother. Oh, his mother! The woman is relentless and adorably ornery.
We get a second romance featuring River & Dylan. River is a newcomer and has her own business overtop of Camryn’s shop. She is hoping to make friends in Wishing Tree if she doesn’t freeze to death first. Dylan is Jake’s best friend, and in fact, lived with his family as a teen. Jake’s mom has plans for Dylan, too. He will be this year’s Snow King.
We see characters from the first novel and get updates, but you can read Home Sweet Christmas on its own. You’ll love the town with its holiday street names and town wreath. The romances were sweet and filled with character growth, tender moments, and more.
No one does holiday romance and small-town charm quite like Susan Mallery. I loved every moment spent in Wishing Tree as I cheered for these characters. From the cute little dog to the problems they had to resolve, I found myself all in.
Amazon | Audible
Home Sweet Christmas by Susan Mallery takes us back to Wishing Tree with romances, holiday activities and a meddling mother. #NewRelease #RomanceNovels #HolidayReads #bookreview
Click To Tweet
Susan Mallery writes heartwarming and humorous novels about the relationships that define women’s lives—family, friendship, romance. She’s best known for putting nuanced characters into emotionally complex, real-life situations with twists that surprise readers to laughter. Because Susan is passionate about animal welfare, pets play a big role in her books. Beloved by millions of readers worldwide, her books have been translated into 28 languages.
Never miss a post by adding Caffeinated to your Inbox
Source
Original source: https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2022/12/home-sweet-christmas-by-susan-mallery.html
Love, Kisses and Crazy White Jackets by Amelia Stephen is the love story of two teenagers -Traci and Michael, whose relationship seems to be “made in the stars.” In time, Traci sees another side of Michael she fears. “He was a picture of contrast, gentle, but yet so full of conflict and rage.” After seeing this side, their relationship changes. She is left to deal with her conflicting feelings. She loves Michael and yet hates the physical abuse he has inflicted upon her. Now she questions what she should do?
While dealing with the serious issue of teen domestic violence, the author is able to show the humanity of both Traci and Michael. The reader senses Traci and Michael’s love for each other despite their difficulties. Both are multifaceted characters shaped by their life experiences. Within the story, Michael is not just an abuser but also a victim of abuse himself. The author also shows how Traci can love the abuser while hating the abusive behavior. This author’s message is powerful because it is based on her life story.
However, the limitations of the author’s telling of this story occur when scenes change. Often the transitions from one time/place to another seem abrupt and unconnected to the main story. The reader was often left to make the connections on their own about the relevance of the scenes. It was not clear how the scenes connected until one reaches the end of her story. The scenes that often appeared random were the author’s way of showing the two separate lives she lived in order to keep the abuse a secret from family and friends.
Love, Kisses and Crazy White Jackets is a compelling true story about one woman’s ability to love and the challenges that come with love. The author had to make choices that many women, unfortunately, will face, and she gives inspiration and strength to those women that they can move forward and that it is ok to feel hurt at leaving a bad situation. If you enjoy memoirs and stories of survival, this book is for you.
Pages: 226 | ASIN : B079651FQR
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/12/20/love-kisses-crazy-white-jackets/
The Crop Duster’s Daughter is a heartwarming and enjoyable read. Author Rhonda Colia shares her story and that of her mother with us in this loving memoir. Author Colia shares many fond memories of growing up with her mother and father, starting with Mary Leota Mae Burks, Rhonda’s mother. We learn of her mother’s past, how she became a crop duster, and how her father was a mechanic. We are taken on a timeline of Rhonda’s parent’s life from getting married, having children, starting a career, and divorcing. Then their children grow up, starting their own families, and soon after losing their parents.
I enjoyed reading about Rhonda’s childhood, and I felt her love and admiration for her mother through her words. Her mother was intelligent and determined, and went against all odds, even during tough times. My favorite part of reading this memoir is when the author shares with readers her memory of waking up at 2 am with her mother to make homemade cake doughnuts. These are the memories that stay with you forever, and this is something Rhonda can pass down to her children. The author included pictures of her family along with a quick description of the image, which was nice to put a face to the names, but I felt like this was very personal and something that the author should’ve shared with just her family. There were times when it was a little hard for me to connect with some of the author’s stories because I did not know her family, and there was much detail included that I felt was not necessary.
The Crop Duster’s Daughter is a beautiful journey into the author’s world and the life that her mom provided for her. The lessons her mom imparted to her daughter have helped shape the woman she is today, and that is a legacy worth telling. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy a thoughtful memoir of a family who shares a love for airplanes.
Pages: 188 | ISBN : 1956529918
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/12/20/the-crop-dusters-daughter/
Leo Kraft is a teenager growing up in East Coast suburbia in the 1970s, resisting the cookie-cutter life that his parents live. Fueled by his intense love for music and desire to find meaning in life, he and his band of friends (who have named themselves The Nothing Brothers) coast through the drudgery of high school. Leo pushes the limits to establish himself in the cool crowd and, after several misadventures, is sent by his parents to a summer camp for a few weeks to serve as a counselor. Instead of rigor and rules there, Leo meets some kindred souls who make him feel more like himself than ever before.
The Nothing Brothers by Jeff Rosen pulls readers into a wistful state of nostalgia for the seventies, even if they never experienced those years firsthand. The writing was easy to follow, and the story flowed nicely. Though the story is told in the third person, the main character’s voice comes through with strength and gives the reader a deep understanding of Leo’s personality and thoughts in life. In reading this story, I did not feel like there was a strong plot arc. Leo heads to camp in the first few chapters, and after his return, the story starts back in time by three years. I wasn’t sure exactly when the storyline returned to the present day. Rather than being defined by a significant event, the plot of this story seems to be driven by Leo’s path to discovering the importance of life. In the end, the ambiguous plot enhances the protagonist’s emotional journey.
I thought The Nothing Brothers was a fascinating read; I especially enjoyed learning about the music and culture of the seventies. I realized that the journey of self-discovery and finding your place in the world is similar for all young people, regardless of the time period.
Pages: 350 | ASIN : B0BNCGYMGJ
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/12/20/the-nothing-brothers/
Captain Communicator by Blaise Hunter is an insightful book that will help readers develop communication skills. Blaise discusses topics such as how can we communicate better as people, and transcended the variety of barriers between us. She breaks the topic down by discussing communication with the different types of people we regularly interact with such as our parents, partners, friends, and co-workers. The author discusses more than just communication and looks at the connection between trauma, healthy relationships, boundaries and more. She uses these topics to broaden the discussion around communication and shows the links between them.
The author helps the reader critically think about their ability to communicate. In order to help the reader, she gives an honest account of how she recognized her positive and negative communication traits and how she used her experiences as an opportunity to improve hers.
Blaise allows the reader to connect with her by sharing her raw and unfiltered thoughts and emotions. There are sections where the author discusses her thoughts and feelings about her past traumas which read more like a diary. I felt as though I was having a conversation with a friend or a mentor. Blaise’s writing allows the reader to reflect upon themselves and their past experiences and see how to improve themselves.
I was expecting a book that gives the reader a step-by-step account of how to communicate better, but this book has more of a storytelling element. This was a pleasant surprise and made for an interesting read rather than having facts and information thrown at you. If you are looking for a book that gives you a personal account of how one individual improved their communication skills, and learn a lot about their life along the way, then this enlightening book is definitely for you.
Pages: 215 | ASIN: B0BKG2HNR2
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/12/20/captain-communicator/
A little girl named Rani is walking through Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, with her grandfather. She overhears a tourist ask, “Where’s El Morro?” This has her asking her grandfather questions about every sight they see on their walk. Each place they pass by has a story to tell and some significance to the city. It is a wonderful day of learning for Rani as she discovers the rich history of Puerto Rico.
Where’s El Morro?: Rani’s adventure at Old San Juan is an entertaining children’s book sharing the history of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. Rani’s inquisitive nature is what you would expect from a kindergartner or preschooler as they are looking for something they have never seen or heard of before. Children will be able to relate to this learning style and follow along as they visit all the sites on their adventure to get to El Morro.
Charlene Sanchez, as well as writing this beautiful story, has given it bright and eye-catching illustrations. The fine details, especially in the architectural drawings, are sure to have children looking and asking questions. With information about landmarks, art, history, and culture, this picture book is a beautiful way to introduce children to Puerto Rico. At the end of the story, Sanchez includes a fun game that families can play together to reinforce all the places Rani visited.
Where’s El Morro?: Rani’s adventure at Old San Juan is a refreshing children’s book that teaches young readers about history and culture. There is not a dull moment in this picture book and children will love traveling through Old San Juan on Rani’s adventure with her Abuelo.
Pages: 36 | ASIN : B0BJTT5ZTM
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/12/20/wheres-el-morro-ranis-adventure-at-old-san-juan/