grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

December Book Reviews

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December Book Reviews

‘Tis the season to hole up with a good book in front of a cozy fire. In December, I didn’t do as much of that as I’d have liked, but January is already shaping up to be a hibernating sort of month. Brrrr!

I read five books in December, all very different in genre and themes. My December reads ranged from a heart-wrenching war tale to a fluffy Christmas yarn. I explored secret passageways behind bookshelves and launched missiles beneath the sea. December brought a heist involving rare manuscripts. I went along for wild rides as one mystery was solved using old-fashioned girl sleuth clue-gathering and another using Google-designed pattern recognition software.

But first.

Before I get to my December Book Reviews, let’s talk about the 2017 Goodreads Book Challenge. Did you participate? My goal for 2017 was to read 55 books. With the addition of these five December books, I exceeded my goal and read a total of 68 books in 2017. I read some fantastic books, and I’m not exaggerating when I say I’m a changed person for having read them. I’ve reviewed each book here on the blog, so if you missed any of my reviews, the links are included at the end of this post. (I’ve posted my reviews on Goodreads, too.)

I’m setting my 2018 goal at 70 books which may be wildly optimistic on my part, but hey, goals are good, right? If you are interested in participating, click HERE. It’s fun!

Enough with the blathering. On with my December reads.Continue Reading

Dear 2018… (and goodbye 2017)

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Dear 2018,

Welcome! I hope you’ve packed your largest suitcase with good vibes and clear sailing for the months ahead. Here’s something you should know about me. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the idea of you, the beginning of a new year. There’s something to be said for a clean slate. The very idea of a clean slate. No, there’s nothing profound or magical about flipping the calendar from December to January, but the beginning of a new year feels entirely different to me.

Oh, the anticipation.

The suspense. What will you bring, 2018?

Dear 2018, we’ve not yet met and already I find you to be hope-filled, fresh and bright bringing me the priceless gift of days and weeks and months to get things accomplished.

You are my favorite journal filled with blank pages waiting to be filled with words yet to be written. Books yet to be read. Ideas yet to be thought.Continue Reading

Gracie Lee goes to The Enchanted Forest

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The Enchanted Forest in Memphis - Gracie Lee remembers

Our family has always had lots of Christmas traditions. Mother-daughter traditions. Boon Chapel traditions. Gracie-Abby sister traditions. Visiting The Enchanted Forest at Goldsmith’s in Memphis was one of our favorites. Each year when we went, Momma dressed us in red velvet with white tights and black patent shoes, not because The Enchanted Forest was a dress-up place, but because Santa Claus waited at the end of our forest visit. Having a chance to talk with Santa, to tell him our greatest Christmas wishes, and to take a picture with him was reason enough to have clean hair and look fancy.

Something interesting about Goldsmith’s? During the non-Christmas part of the year, the forest area was nothing more than the basement of the department store. But at Christmas, just beyond the double doors past the men’s department, the Enchanted Forest became as magical as Alice’s Wonderland or Narnia, all those pixie-dust-sprinkled places.

Santa had that sort of power.Continue Reading

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THANKS FOR READING!