Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

The one good thing about getting the plague, I suppose, is that I ended up being able to finish the Christmas audiobook I was sure I wouldn’t end up having time for. After all, the window to enjoy Christmas stories to the full without infringing on other seasons is relatively small, right? (Except for “White Christmas.” Any time is a perfectly acceptable time to watch “White Christmas.”) And I could only listen to Emily Stone’s Love, Holly at 1.5 speed, because accents require more concentration. Having little to no energy, however, meant that the difficult Christmas puzzle got finished and so did Love, Holly. And boy–it was a doozy.

I enjoyed it, certainly; I just wasn’t expecting the concept of fate (with its constantly interconnecting threads) to play such a starring role. Holly and Emma and Jack’s connections grow more and more multifaceted over the course of the novel, and what might look like a Christmas romance is definitely something more. If you want a story about forgiveness, second chances, and growth, this is the Christmas story for you (assuming, of course, that you’re already familiar with Dickens). Two separate car accidents change the lives of two groups of people, and how they work through those changes makes for an involved but satisfying story. I didn’t love the amount of language–contemporary British novels often do have more than I’d prefer–but it wasn’t constant, at least, and the characters were relatable. Next time you’re looking for something seasonal for Christmas, give this one a try!

In the meantime, I did my pre-Christmas Walmart run today–and survived. Hallelujah!