Where Is Your Bookmark? (12/08/2015)

My daughter and I have been fighting colds since the end of last week. I think the worst is behind me, although Mouse can't seem to shake the sniffles. We had a relatively low key weekend. Mouse and her dad made sugar cookies, and I finished reading Alex Palmer's The Santa Claus Man. My husband and I spent Friday attempting to get our Christmas shopping done. There is still one gift left to get--something for my father-in-law. 

I just finished another Christmas-themed book, this one called Christmas in Vermont by Bryan Mooney. I maybe should not have been reading the opening out loud to my daughter during her bath Sunday evening without screening it first. Still, it was quite an intense opening, one that had me needing to see what would happen next sooner than later.  

First Paragraph of Christmas in Vermont:

It was two weeks before Christmas, but in the desert kingdom, it still felt like a hot, scorching summer afternoon as the young teacher finished yet another day at school. It was then she noticed them. They walked fast toward her, nearly at a run. She saw the flash from their weapons as they fired at her and chased her. 

Bullets rifled past her head. She ran as fast as she could back into the safety of the school and heard an ear-shattering noise behind her. Once inside they chased her down the hallway. She ran faster, breathing harder. She had run track in college back in the States, but that was almost twenty years earlier; now she was scared--really scared--and running for her life.

Teaser from Christmas in Vermont at 24%

She stood in front of him; her hand trembled as she took a deep breath. She shoved the poker at his neck, pressing it against his throat with all her might, pinning him to the chair. His eyes opened wide startling her. 

What do you think? Would you keep reading?  

You might not be able to tell from the opening and teasers that this actually of a Christmas romance type story. The female lead is a teacher and the male is an former Marine whose brother is still missing in action. I hope to write my review in the next day or two and will schedule it to post before the month is out.

What are you reading at the moment?  Is it anything you would recommend?

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely ladies at Broke and Bookish.

This week's  Top Ten Tuesday theme is Top Ten New-To-Me Favorite Authors I Read For The First Time In 2015. I read quite a few new-to-me authors this year, many of which I look forward to reading again in the future.  It was hard to narrow the list down to just ten. In no particular order:

1. Tessa Arlen ~ Author of the Lady Montfort historical mystery series. I read A Dishonorable Gentleman earlier this year and really enjoyed. I am looking forward to reading the second book in the series this coming year.

2. Fredrik Backman ~ I had the privilege of reading two of Fredrik Backman's books this year: A Man Called Ove and My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry. I liked both quite a bit, although admit to to favoring A Man Called Ove, which was such an extraordinary read.

3. Sharon Bolton ~ I am kicking myself over and over for waiting so long to give this author a try. I read Little Black Lies earlier this year and will never forgive myself for putting her books off.

4. Catriona McPherson ~ The Child Garden was a mystery with a Gothic feel to it. I loved the subtle play at supernatural versus reality throughout the novel. I look forward to reading more by this author.

5. Rainbow Rowell ~ Eleanor & Park was my first Rainbow Rowell novel. I chose to listen to this one, and admittedly was afraid it wouldn't be for me. I fell in love with Eleanor & Park, however, and am anxious to try more by Rainbow Rowell.

6. RaeAnne Thayne ~ A Cold Creek Christmas Story was my first Christmas-themed book of the year, and it instantly put me in the mood for the season. Romantic and sweet, without being overly so. It was the perfect way to start off the holiday season. And it made me crave other books by the same author.

7. Lauren Willig ~  I really enjoyed the historical fiction novel, The Other Daughter, and am anxious to read more by this author.

8. Cat Winters ~ The Uninvited appealed to the ghost story as well as historical fiction lover in me. I quite enjoyed this book, and it has whet my appetite to try more by the author.

9. Cecily Wong ~ Diamond Head was a quiet but emotional novel that moved me quite a bit. I am anxious to read more by this author.

10. Rich Zahradnik ~ This is a series I wish I could share with my dad as I know he would have loved it as much as I do. Zahradnik's series featuring a crime reporter Coleridge Taylor is a must read for me. I read both Last Words and Drop Dead Punk  this year.

Have you read anything by these authors? Which new-to-you authors did you discover and can't wait to read more by this year?

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