Tag: Holly Schindler

Christmas at Ruby’s by Holly Schindler

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

What I Loved:

Ahhh! I LOVED THIS BOOK! I have NEVER read a Christmas themed book at Christmas time, and I’m so glad I got the chance to read this book right before Christmas! This is the second book I have read by Holly Schindler and I am so impressed with her writing. She has a way of just drawing the reader in quickly and completely. It’s wonderful and I cannot wait to read more of her work!

How I Felt:

Christmas at Ruby’s was a quick read at just 106 pages, but I would have read so many more about this story…and guess what, I can. This is a series! I’m excited to read more about this cast of characters and Ruby’s Place.

While we get to meet a variety of characters in Christmas at Ruby’s the story is focused on Angela. As a child her favorite times were when her Aunt would take her to Ruby’s Place. Holly Schindler’s descriptions of this are fabulous. The way she wrote about Angela’s memories of Ruby’s, I could see everything happening through Angela’s eyes.

To Read or Not To Read:

Christmas at Ruby’s is perfect for readers that are looking for a little bit of Christmas magic. It is a quick read that introduces you to the characters and the backstory for the series. I highly recommend this book!

Where To Find This Book:

Amazon * Amazon Kindle * Goodreads

As a child, Angela would look forward to the nights her Aunt would take her to Ruby’s Place. Angela’s memories of Ruby’s are filled with wonder and awe, friendships and fun.

As a woman now in her 50’s, she still remembers those dinner dates with her Aunt with such love and nostalgia. Walking down the sidewalk, she is thinking how the world has changed during those decades. People don’t have the same friendliness and relationships they once used to. We are living in a more throw-away world, where friends lose touch and places are forgotten. Ruby’s Place is one of those places. Closed for decades now, the building is in a poor state and has yet to have an owner bring any life back into the place.

As Angela walks down the sidewalk with these thoughts, a man bumps into her and she happens to fall onto the stoop of Ruby’s Place, knocking the lock on the door loose. With fond memories floating through her head, she steps through the threshold into the empty building. The building isn’t empty though . . .Christmas Spirit fills the air, and maybe some Christmas Spirits too…

A story of Angela finding a way forward during one lonely Christmas. It’s a path that will lead to the second part of her life, just like her Aunt.

  • Christmas at Ruby’s by Holly Schindler
  • Page Count: 106 pages
  • Publisher: Holly Schindler, LLC
  • Publication Date: October 18, 2017

I received a copy of this advanced reader’s copy for free. I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

All Amazon links are affiliate links.

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Cover Love

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My Challenge

I was challenged by a fellow #bookstagrammer on Instagram to post 7 book covers in 7 days with no explanation. While I am, of course, doing it, I don’t get to talk about the books. SO…I’m blogging about them instead!

Day 1: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

I do still need to write a review of this book, but I AM notorious for buying/borrowing books based on the cover and title alone. So, that is absolutely what happened with this book. I was very concerned that I was going to be up all night afraid of the dark, but it turns out that’s not quite what this book was.

Day 2: The Art of the Kiss by Holly Schindler

This book is a pretty recent read for me…like a week ago. And it is one that I still think about, which is pretty awesome. AND I actually ended up buying a camera to take pictures with instead of my phone and I’m convinced it was this book that did it to me. However, for the cover, I just love the black and white and the couple’s faces. It makes this cover so interesting.

Day 3: Everybody’s Somebody by Beryl Kingston

This is another pretty recent read for me and it is also another one I grabbed based off the cover. I find this one so interesting because there is a second cover floating around out there, and I do not care for it. I would not have picked up the book if I had seen the other cover. The one above with the airplane flying overhead is the digital version. I received this as an ARC through NetGalley, so I was shown the digital version.

The cover below is the paperback/hardback version. I just feel like the two covers are for completely different books! It is just amazing what goes into the cover choice for books, and to find these, really intrigues me. They seem to be calling to two very different readers.

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Day 4: Jane by April Lindner

Again, a book where the cover intrigued me, however, I did read the back of this one. It’s a Jane Eyre re-write, so I had to read it. I really enjoyed the book and I will get a review up about it soon. BUT, the cover. The smokey-fog seems so aluring, and her hair is a bit wind-swept, it’s just so entrancing. And I love the huge JANE in pink. It just jumps off the cover.

Day 5: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Alright, alright, I did NOT buy this one for the cover. But, it is an awesome cover. I think it is just perfect for the series (The Hunger Games for those that haven’t read this) and it’s my favorite from the three books…side note, who’s excited about the prequel???

Day 6: The Child of Auschwitz by Lily Graham

This book does not publish until November, 2019, so this is another NetGalley find. The coloring of the sky with the bird, it just made me think this book would have some hope and redemption in it….I’ll let you know if it does soon. I will be reviewing in the coming days!

Day 7: Imaginary Morah by Tony Esposito

We just received this book by the very generous author Tony Esposito, who agreed to send this to me to read to my daughter and review. What initially caught my eye was the upside down girl with the crazy pink hair! I can’t wait to find out all about her!

That’s a Wrap

So, I would love to hear from you what your favorite covers are! They give a book some personality and I think they are fun to look at and discuss, so let me know!

The Art of the Kiss by Holly Schindler

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This book was provided to me by the author in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

My Thoughts:

What I Loved: The narration in this book was wonderful. I felt like I was being spoken to by someone rather than just reading a book. The narrator made little jokes and, overall, it is the reason I took this book from a 3 star to a 4 star. The way Holly Schindler wrote the narration, was just so perfect and I loved it.

How I Felt: I was a little less interested in the photography aspect, but enjoyed the overall story. The spin of making this a fairytale, at first, I thought would make me less interested; was it a fairytale, or a modern-day romance. BUT, it turns out, it’s a bit of both, and I liked the book more because of it.

To Read or Not To Read: This is not a fast-paced thriller, or action story. This is a love story, but is more than just that. There are three main characters, and you are pulled into all of their stories. This book is suited for people that enjoy a love-story or domestic fiction.

What’s This Book About Anyway?

The Art of the Kiss is a city-of-Fairyland-famous photograph that has been forgotten on a wall. It features Sharon and her husband, Michael at the beginning of their lives together.

Then our “Cinderella” of the story enters, utterly struggling to get her photography career up and running. Unbeknownst to her, her friend is not making it go any easier for her…the magic of an old camera starts a chain of events to revive the meaning of the photograph.

Footnotes:

#hollyschindler #theartofthekiss #shejustlovesbooks #bookblog #bookblogger #bookreview #romancenovel #lovestorynovel