Call Me Mrs. Miracle - Debbie Macomber

Title: Call Me Mrs. Miracle
Author: Debbie Macomber
File Size (Pages): 329 KB (257)
Published: 2010
Challenges: Ebook
Genre: Fiction, Christmas, Romance
Edition: E-book
Source: Library

Description: This Christmas, Emily Merkle (call her Mrs. Miracle ) is working in the toy department at Finley's, the last family-owned department store in New York City. And her boss is none other than...Jake Finley, the owner's son.

For Jake, holiday memories of brightly wrapped gifts, decorated trees and family were destroyed in a Christmas Eve tragedy years before. Now Christmas means just one thing to him--and to his father. Profit. Because they need a Christmas miracle to keep the business afloat.

Holly Larson needs a miracle, too. She wants to give her eight-year-old nephew, Gabe, the holiday he deserves. Holly's widowed brother is in the army and won't be home for Christmas, but at least she can get Gabe that toy robot from Finley's, the one gift he desperately wants. If she can figure out how to afford it...

Fortunately, it's Mrs. Miracle to the rescue. Next to making children happy, she likes nothing better than helping others--and that includes doing a bit of matchmaking (via Goodreads)

Thoughts:I had wanted to read this book a few years ago and when I was browsing through the e-book selections available through my public library, I thought why not.  It wasn't great, but then it wasn't particularly bad either.  It was basically so-so. I wasn't exactly expecting a great masterpiece, but I think I was expecting a little more than I ended up getting.  I also didn't expect that the story would be as short as it was, as it was about half of the e-copy that I had borrowed and the other half were two other stories that I didn't really expect.  Maybe I should have read the other stories included in the e-copy to get a better idea, but since I had only wanted the main story of the book, I felt that I had basically done my duty.

Bottom line: Its a good Christmas story and if you are looking for something that will be fairly easy to read during the upcoming holiday season, I would recommend the book, especially if you are needing something to occupy your time for an afternoon.

Rating: 3/5

Pages for 2013: 17, 377

Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge

I love Christmas, especially the lead up and with a re-injured foot from an injury suffered a few months ago, I will have lots of time for doing some reading, especially of the holiday variety.  And I have always loved this challenge and have participated in the last couple editions of this challenge and I encourage you to join up, especially if you like reading holiday-themed books.  You can find the sign up here or by clicking on the photo above.

As for me I will be attempting the Mistletoe level:
1. I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley (review)
2. The Dogs of Christmas by W. Bruce Cameron (review)
3. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (review)
4. Starry Night by Debbie Macomber (review)

And will also be doing the FaLaLaLa Films challenge as well.
1. Love Actually
2. The Holiday
3. A Christmas Story
4. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
5. A Christmas Carol (1951)
I don't know if I will do reviews of the films, but if I do, I will link them here.

But to kick off this reading challenge, will be hosting a readathon for the first weekend of the reading challenge.  You can find more information about the readathon here or by clicking on the photo below.  Hope you can join me there as well.

The Pride and Prejudice Bicentenary Challenge 2013

As some of you are aware, the 28th of this month is the 200th anniversary of Pride & Prejudice, but then there are some of you who do read this blog on a regular basis that aren't aware of that fact.  But in any case, it is going to be a momentous occasion, as it is probably Jane Austen's best known work.

And to celebrate this momentous occasion, Austenprose is hosting a challenge to celebrate the bicentenary anniversary.  And you probably guessed it, I will be joining them in watching and reading items that are spun off of this very well known book.

Of course there is the mini-series that was released almost twenty years ago and the movie that was released about 10 years ago.  But there are other items that have been released since the mini-series was released 20 years ago (still love the shirt scene and can't watch the kiss at the end).  And maybe the mini-series was the reason for many of these things being released within the last 20 years.

So here is what I plan on reading and viewing during the coming year for this particular challenge:

• Pride & Prejudice (1813)
• Pride & Prejudice A&E/BBC mini-series (1995)
• Defiantly not Mr. Darcy by Karen Doornebos (2011)
• Bridget Jones's Diary movie (2001)
• Bridget Jones's Diary: The Edge of Reason (2004)
• Becoming Jane (2007)
• The Jane Austen Book Club (2007)

I realize that the vast majority of the items listed are films, but honestly I am reading enough as it is for the coming year.  And based on what I have listed above, I will be at the Disciple level (5-8 selections), at the very least.

2013 Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge

I did this one last year and had some minor success with it.

Here are the basic rules:

The Rules:

• Challenge will run January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013. Participants can join anytime throughout the challenge.
• Create an intro post, linking back to this post. 
• Sign up with the Linky below. Please link to your challenge intro post, not your blog home page. 
• Chose your own books from the list. You can decide to read books only on the Top 25 list or from the entire recommendation list. You do not have to make a list of books before the challenge begins.
• All forms of books acceptable (audiobooks, eBooks, etc.)
• Rereads do not count towards the completion of the challenge. The challenge is about discovering books that are new to you.
• You don't need a blog to participate.
• Reviews, while always appreciated, are not mandatory.

Here are the ones that I am going to attempt to read:

• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

• Divergent by Veronica Roth

• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

• The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

• Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

• A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harknes
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Schaffer
• The Snow Child be by Eowyn Ivey
• North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell

I am aiming for Level II

E-book Reading Challenge 2013

This is a first for me.  I could have signed up for this one last year, but I didn't know how much I would love reading on my e-readers (yes, I have multiple e-reading devices).  And so this one seemed natural for me to join this year.

Its pretty simple: all you need to do is to read on a device like your Kobo, Kindle, computer, or whatever other e-device you use for reading (and I am assuming this means your smartphone and/or tablet).  Here are the guidelines:

1. This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2013 – Dec 31, 2013.
2. Anyone can join, you don’t need to be a blogger. If you don’t have a blog, feel free to sign-up in the comments. You can post reviews to any book site (i.e. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Goodreads, etc).
3. Any genre or length of book counts, as long as it is in ebook format.
4. You can plan your books in advance or as you read them.
5. When you sign up in the linky, put the direct link to your post about joining the E-Book Reading Challenge.
6. You can move up levels, but no moving down.
7. Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2013, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.

Levels:

1. Floppy disk – 5 ebooks
2. CD – 10 ebooks
3. DVD – 25 ebooks
4. Memory stick – 50 ebooks
5. Hard drive – 75 ebooks
6. Server – 100 ebooks
7. Human brain – 150 ebooks

At the beginning of each month there will be a roundup post for you to add your reviews for that month. The linky will remain open for the remainder of the year, so if you forget, feel free go back and add them when you remember.

There will be a giveaway at the end of the year for eveyone who achieves their goal level (or higher).

I am going to aim for Floppy Disk

2013 Historical Fiction Challenge

This is another challenge that I did manage to complete this past year and with no problem.  And I am doing it again, since I enjoyed it so much.  Here are the details the ladies over at Historical Tapestry have laid out for the coming year:

Each month, a new post dedicated to the HF Challenge will be created. To participate, you only have to follow the rules:

• everyone can participate, even those who don't have a blog (you can add your book title and thoughts in the comment section if you wish)
• add the link(s) of your review(s) including your name and book title to the Mister Linky we’ll be adding to our monthly post (please, do not add your blog link, but the correct address that will guide us directly to your review)
• any kind of historical fiction is accepted (HF fantasy, HF young adult,...)

During these following 12 months you can choose one of the different reading levels:

20th century reader - 2 books
Victorian reader - 5 books
Renaissance Reader - 10 books
Medieval - 15 books
Ancient History -25+ books

You can tailor the challenge to suit you in whichever way you like!

I am going to aim for Ancient History.

Embarrassment of Riches TBR Reading Challenge 2013

Did something like this last year and I enjoyed it.  As I was searching the interwebs, I found this one and this one sounded intriguing.  Here are the details for the challenge:

To be considered a TBR book, you must own it prior to Jan 1, 2013. The book can count toward other challenges, as well. It can be fiction or nonfiction, poetry or play, audiobook–as long as it is a book. This is not a picky challenge–just about reading the riches we already own.

There are five levels and I will be aiming for the bronze level.

1. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
2. The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley
3. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein
4. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
5. A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley
6. Moby Dick by Herman Melville
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

Foodies Read 2013

During the course of 2012, I started noticing that I was increasingly attracted to "foodie books".  In fact, I read the 2 within several weeks of each other (Kitchen Counter Cooking School and My Life in France).  But I also managed to sign out a couple of others that I didn't get around to, but still wish to read (Dearie and Yes Chef) during the coming year.  Here are the details for this particular challenge:

Many of us who love to eat also love to read. But we go beyond that. We love to read about food. If that is you, then you are invite to join us in the Foodies Read Challenge for 2013. This is the second year in which we’ll indulge ourselves with good food writing.

If you are new to a food/reading challenge, you may be wondering – what is a “food book”? A food book is a book which is centered around food and/or drinks. That could be a cookbook, a food biography or memoir, a non-fiction book focused around a specific food, wine, chef or restaurant. Also allowed is a fictional story in which food plays a major role.

Here’s how the challenge works:
Decide how many food books you want to read in 2013. Pick one of the reading levels below. Remember, this is a challenge, so try pushing yourself.

Levels:
Short-Order Cook: 1 to 3 books
Pastry Chef: 4 to 8 books
Sous-Chef: 9 to 13 books
Chef de Cuisine: 14 to 18
Cordon-Bleu Chef: More than 19

At this point, I am going to aim for Short-Order Cook, as I really don't know what other "foodie" books I will be attracted to during the coming year.

War Through The Generations Reading Challenge 2013

This is a new challenge for me and since I saw it numerous times throughout the year, I was intrigued and thought I would give it a try.  This year the hosts are doing the American Revolution and here are some of the details:

Rules:
This year you have options when reading your fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, etc. with the American Revolution as the primary or secondary theme.
Books can take place before, during, or after the war, so long as the conflicts that led to the war or the war itself are important to the story. Books from other challenges count so long as they meet the above criteria.

Dip: Read 1-3 books in any genre with the American Revolution as a primary or secondary theme.
Wade: Read 4-10 books in any genre with the American Revolution as a primary or secondary theme.
Swim: Read 11 or more books in any genre with the American Revolution as a primary or secondary theme.

Additionally, we’ve decided that since there are so many great movies out there about the American Revolution, you can substitute or add a movie or two to your list this year and have it count toward your totals.

I am going for the Dip level, since there isn't exactly a lot of material on the American Revolution available in Canadian libraries.

Outdo Yourself Challenge 2013

This probably the one challenge that I did complete because I know that I did outdo myself by reading 15 over what my stated goal was for the year and due to that, I know that this coming year is a little more daunting than last year.  Before I state where I am aiming towards, here are the details:

Reading Challenge Details:

• Runs January 1, 2013 – December 31, 2013 (books read prior to 1/1/2013 do not count towards the challenge). You can join at anytime. Sign up on The Book Vixen’s blog.
• The goal is to outdo yourself by reading more books in 2013 than you did in 2012. See the different levels below and pick the one that works best for you. You can move up a level as often as you’d like but no moving down.
• Books can be any format (bound, ebook, audio).
• Novellas that are at least 100 pages in length, as well as full-length novels, will count for this reading challenge.
• Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.
• Grab the reading challenge button and post this reading challenge on your blog to track your progress. Please include a link back to this sign-up post so others can join the reading challenge too. You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you can track your progress on Goodreads or LibraryThing.

Levels:
     Getting my heart rate up – Read 1–5 more books
     Out of breath – Read 6–10 more books
     Breaking a sweat – Read 11–15 more books
     I’m on fire! – Read 16+ more books

Since I am really not wanting to get up to 75 this coming year, which would be the out of breath level, I am going to aim for  the Getting my heart rate up level.

Tea & Books Reading Challenge 2013

I did okay this past year with getting 1 book completed that was on my list.  I am going to be scaling back and not try to do so much this coming year.  Here are the details that are provided:

You may pick both fiction and non fiction books!

Contrary to last year short story collections, anthologies or collected works in one volume are now allowed!

Re-reads will now also be ok (though preferably you should read one of those unread tomes that have been collecting dust on your shelves)!

Last year you had to read 700+ pages but I reduced this to 650+ for 2013 (and no, this is not further negotiable)!

And as a little incentive - books with more than 1.200 pages will count for two books (so theoretically you can read four such super-chunksters to reach the Sencha Connoisseur level)!

Last but not least - no large print editions of a book, please!


You may pick both fiction and non fiction books!

Contrary to last year short story collections, anthologies or collected works in one volume are now allowed!

Re-reads will now also be ok (though preferably you should read one of those unread tomes that have been collecting dust on your shelves)!

Last year you had to read 700+ pages but I reduced this to 650+ for 2013 (and no, this is not further negotiable)!

And as a little incentive - books with more than 1.200 pages will count for two books (so theoretically you can read four such super-chunksters to reach the Sencha Connoisseur level)!

Last but not least - no large print editions of a book, please!

Are you ready? Go ahead and pick your level!

2 Books - Chamomile Lover

4 Books - Berry Tea Devotee

6 Books - Earl Grey Aficionado

8 or more Books - Sencha Connoisseur

I am going to aim for Chamomile Love with these two books:
1) War & Peace
2) Crime and Punishment