Mrs Clutterbuck’s Christmas Emporium by Nicola May

Nov12

The Brambled Path Of Life

Mrs Clutterbuck’s Christmas Emporium by Nicola May is the most charming contemporary Christmas novel that will warm your heart and make you smile, whilst filling you with festive cheer and love.

 This is a book about life and community. Life comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes. The novel is full of different personalities, all with huge hearts, full of love. People may not always get it right, but they try to help and their hearts are in the right place.

A rift of twenty-seven-years sees Mrs Clutterbuck heading home after hearing that her twin sister has up and left, and someone needs to be responsible for their elderly mum in a home with dementia. What starts out as a duty, soon becomes love as Mrs Clutterbuck finds out where she belongs. “She had spent twenty years making sure nobody got close enough to hurt her by leaving.” Living a life in isolation was a lonely life.

Mrs Clutterbuck has been a hoarder, buying and selling antiques or anything that takes her fancy. Stuff has been the substitute for people in her life. “Maybe we weren’t supposed to measure a life by the number of possessions we accumulated along the way. Perhaps it was the memories that mattered. The people we’d loved.” People are the greatest treasure.

A little shop had been bought by her mother and sister. Mrs Clutterbuck decides that her treasures need homes, and sets about opening her Christmas Emporium. Here, people are the treasures too. There is community and there is love.

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Neston by Tess Adone

Nov9

Surrendered

Neston by Tess Adone is a powerful Christian historical Young Adult novel with life lessons for us all.

The action is set in 1964 in Neston, a small town on a lakeside in Vermont. We follow eleven-year-old Ette over one glorious summer. It is to be a summer of discovery as Ette learns about loving unconditionally and having a heart surrendered to Jesus.

Neston welcomes a new face for the summer – teenager Dieter who is training for the swimming event in the Tokyo Olympics. He befriends Ette, teaching her how to swim more efficiently, but more importantly, he introduces her to Jesus and shows her what it means to be a Christian. “I thought I was a Christian just because I went to church… It’s not church membership, it’s a personal relationship.”

To live the Christian life, is to live a life of love, fully surrendered to Jesus. “Swimming for the glory of God.” Everything we do should point to the Father and bring Him the glory – because without Jesus, we are nothing.

Ette has a baby brother, Gabe. She adores him and loves him unconditionally. There is nothing she wouldn’t do for him. “The moment I took him in my arms, I realised that Jesus loved me the way I loved Gabe… He wanted the best for me.” This is her epiphany – as much as she loves Gabe, Jesus loves her far more.

We learn about the fragility of friendships as Ette navigates the choppy waters of playground relationships.

Ette learns about the power of forgiveness and the heavy burden of unconfessed sin. Whilst being only eleven, she has not led a bad life – but there has been an event where her heart realises that her actions could have been better. As God opens her eyes and speaks to her heart, Ette listens and acts on what is important.

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Storm Ransome by Steve Orme

Nov8

A Force To Be Reckoned With

Storm Ransome by Steve Orme is a marvellous contemporary crime suspense. It is the third book in the Miles Davies Crime series but can be read as a stand-alone. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting up with familiar faces and places.

The novel takes place in the East Midlands around the Derby/Nottingham area. This is a familiar location to me as only last week we drove down Brian Clough Way, the A52. Having knowledge of the area helped bring the book to life for me.

Central to the story are the football teams of Derby County and Nottingham Forest. There is easy banter between two of the players. “But you play for Derby. Don’t get much excitement, do you? You do a lap of honour when you win a corner!” There is also the Storms basketball team. Blasts from the past thrown in, such as Emlyn Hughes, gave an air of familiarity to the novel.

We join the East Midlands police force as they try to locate two kidnapped footballers. The reader hears not only about their working relationships but also the back stories of some of the team. Steve Orme has created fully rounded characters who are believable.

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Secrets Of A Winter Escape by Sue Moorcroft

Nov8

Christmas In A Book

Secrets Of A Winter Escape by Sue Moorcroft is a very charming festive offering. It really does feel like Christmas in a book – with snow falling, festive stalls and good food and drink, plus the company of family who love.

The setting is an Italian village on the shores of the sea. There is everything and more to make the reader want to jump inside the pages and experience a winter wonderland.

Various characters within the book face job loss. “Losing my job… Then I was rudderless.” We are more than our jobs. They do not have to define us. Though devastating, our identities are in our characters and the love and kindness that we spread.

We witness the power of the media to either build up or tear down. A character has been unfairly portrayed by bad publicity from his ex – but with the correct handling, social media can correctly, and fairly represent his true nature.

There is a physical injury within the novel, as well as those who are mentally scarred. Good, caring hearts help with the healing of those who fear letting others in. People can be trusted.

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