#StudentProblems

First paragraph: "I would like to call forth Ms. Winters. Please state your full name and occupation."














   
   Amazon / Amazon.co.uk


Halls of Ivy by Roland Nunez is the first book in the series of the same name.

PLOT

Cheyenne Winters is a Student Affairs professional. Her job is to aid university students during their time at college. In order to achieve her PhD, she has come to Sun Valley University in Florida to carry out an ethnographic study on its students. For four months she will watch, listen and discover everything about her assigned students- those in Dr. Garcia's class. Twenty-one students, one big secret.

Because Sun Valley has had a rash of suicides. Lynn Sawyer is the detective in charge of the case, but it isn't going well. Cheyenne is hoping to do better. The day she arrives is the day of the third suicide. As she gets to know the campus and its students better, she discovers darker aspects. There are rumours that the victims were forced into suicide. Rumours of a cult. The university claims they were a result of depression. But in a school full of thousands of students, gossip is everywhere. The longer Cheyenne stays, the more obsessed she becomes with helping the students she has become close to. 

REVIEW

The story begins in January, when Cheyenne arrives, and is told through a series of flashbacks to the start of the school year in August, continuing to the end of the year in May. The writing is interspersed with biographies of the twenty-one students Cheyenne is studying, and told from many different points of view. With so many different peoples voices, it can dissolve into mindless chatter sometimes, and gets quite confused. Especially as a lot of the characters are irrelevant to the plot.

The story starts off as a jumbled mass of events, with no clear direction. There is a thin thread of plot we have to go on- the mystery of the suicides- but it's not really addressed much. Instead the book focuses on random events, occasionally recounting those surrounding the suicides. 

Now and then, the story will mention problems that a lot of students encounter when going to university for the first time. Money, workload, peer pressure, problems assimilating, identity, depression, but each topic is only glanced over, so can seem quite superficial. Depression, in particular, is a large part of this book, but it's never really addressed. Not the symptoms (bar a couple), not the dangers and not 'treatments'. It's depression without the depression. It's more like depression from somebody else's point of view. 

This book is an enormous jigsaw puzzle. I almost felt the need to create mind maps to process all the information we are bombarded with. A lot of this turns out to be irrelevant, but as this is supposedly a mystery, you never know what could be integral. Turns out practically. It was like doing a 3000 piece puzzle without the box. I just had to try to make connections, find pieces that fit together, and hope that everything would become clear by the end. Continuing the puzzle metaphor, the big picture in this case is rather like an endless sky of blue (all the exact same blue) with one piece devoted to a red balloon. All the other 2999 pieces that you tried to fit into place are just background noise. Static that has no relevance. 

The story is stretched thin, and the book drags because of it. Most of the time it felt like absolutely nothing was happening. One of the main reasons for this is that the book is too focused on aspects of university life. I appreciate an author setting the scene, but I don't need all the details about the administration, etc that goes into this fictional university. It adds nothing, and bogs down the story. 

There is no real conclusion to this story. In fact, there's not much of an ending at all. The 'culprit' is found, but the story trails off. It feels like the writer wrote the entire series as one big story, then chopped it up into individual books of the desired length. That is not how good writing works. The ending was safe and unexciting. 300 pages of 'clues' led to about five for the 'big reveal'. 

I expected an increase in pace at some point during this story, I expected payoff, I expected more that I got. I trudged through it. There is so much information thrown at you that it becomes a chore to try and process. When you get to the end and find you didn't need the majority of it, it's like a slap to the face. Why should I put this much effort into reading a book, if the book isn't going to put effort into itself. If this is supposed to be a thriller it does not achieve that. There is no pace, and everything is bogged down by inconsequential details. A thriller, by definition, should thrill. 

Some students are mentioned and never heard from again. For one student in particular, I felt this was a huge oversight. Whether or not their fate will be revisited in the next book is irrelevant. If you want your readers to care about the characters, don't ignore their stories. Don't leave an ambiguous comment that reveals nothing about their ending. 

I can see what this book was trying to accomplish, but (in my opinion) it failed. If it was trying to describe university life it went overboard. Yes, university has its problems, as do the students- anybody could tell you that, but the story puts heavy focus on depression and corruption without ever really focusing on the good aspects of university life. I'm sure there are universities that have corruption within them, but that is not the majority. Not to mention that for a book that focuses on depression, it doesn't really go into it. Some students are depressed. Here's a couple symptoms. Now I can just say 'depressed' and that's enough, right? No. If you are going to touch on hard issues like depression, suicide and rape you need to do them right. It has to be more than a glancing comment. You need to invest time into them. All of them. Don't just say that 'rape is bad and it hurts people', actually go deeper. You cannot include topics like that on a superficial level and expect it to work. 

For a book whose main character cares so strongly for the students, this book tells us surprisingly little about them. Yes I know there is a second book, but what's my incentive to read that if I don't care about the characters? 'Oh, so and so has a problem. Isn't that bad? Shouldn't we do something? We should do something.' And that's it. It's never revisited. We have no idea what happens to the student. Whether or not they got the help they needed is as ambiguous as everything else in this book.  This book does exactly what it claims the 'corrupt officials' of its story does- not care about its students. 

The characters weren't so bad, but they are nothing special, and certainly nothing that could save this book for me. I got nothing out of this story. I wish I could say that I did. I diligently followed what little plot there was, connected the dots- all that jazz- and I got nothing out of it but a weak, slapdash ending that was supposed to shock me into a realization that i just didn't care about. The best bit about this book was when it finished.

Perhaps this just wasn't my story, but the whole thing had me apathetic till the end. There may be redeeming features, but they're overpowered by everything else. Everyone is different, and I'm sure someone will enjoy this book, but it's not me. 


Disclaimer: I received this book in a giveaway. This is not a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% my own.

Prudence and the Crow (August 2014)

Well it's that time of the month again, and a lovely brown package awaited me as I descended the stairs.

If you'd like a little more information about Prudence and the Crow, you can check out my first review (where I go into a little more detail) or their website. You can find out more details, such as prices, etc, from either of those sources, but for now, let's get into Prudence and the Crow, mark August 2014.

I won't be showing all the packaging details anymore, and if you want to see photos of how the box comes packaged, etc, you can look up my previous review via the link above. I'll be starting this review after opening my box.

Well, mostly. But I have to stop and share the amazing stamps that were on the outside of my box. I believe the bottom two are (on the right) Alice in Wonderland, and (on the left) The Wizard of Oz. 

When I came down the stairs on Thursday (the 14th) I did not expect to find my box awaiting an audience with me. The boxes only ship out on the 13th, so my postman must have seriously put on his skates!

This was what I saw upon opening my box. Let's just go through it one thing at a time, eh?

First up: let's go through the sundries.

Top left we have the personalised library card that comes with every box. Top right some Prudence and the Crow movie tickets that come with many boxes, and on the bottom we have the tasty treats I got this month. Again treats come with every box, but exactly what you get changes.

Next up, something new and amazing- a Summer Mix Tape with 16 songs covering a wide variety of genres.

 

My favourite songs from the bunch were these:

"Is This Love" by Aiden Grimshaw

"It Doesn't Matter Anymore" by Buddy Holly

and "Teignmouth" by Patrick Wolf

Thanks Prudence and Crow for introducing me to some awesome new music. Anyway, on with the show. Time for the piece de resistance- the book itself. This month it came with a lovely "picnic feeling" cover.

The material is fantastic. Soft and smooth, and so very fitting for the book itself:

 

Well, I'm very excited to read about some fabulous jaunts along the Thames, a la "Wind in the Willows" ambience. The perfect accompaniment to the British Summer. I'll have to find a lovely willow tree to sit beneath as I read this. 

So that's the lot. I'm very happy with my box (as always) and can't wait for the next. I love the mystery. Never knowing what I'm going to get. Is it September yet?

I'll leave you all with this quote from my box (courtesy of The Wizard of Oz):

Words to live by, I think. 

Aren't We An Odd Couple?

First Paragraph:  "Toasted bacon sandwich, orange juice and a strong cup of coffee. That's what I call a good breakfast. I love the smell of friend bacon lingering in the kitchen, and the aroma of my coffee, still hot in my cup. I'm holding the latest Vogue magazine, but out of the corner of my eye I notice the weekly post piled up on the side of our table. It's got my name on it: Lucy, Ms L.J. Evans, Lucy Evans. However you address it, it's still mine. Nothing exciting as usual, mostly bills."








 Amazon / Amazon.co.uk

"Incompatible Twins" by Martina Munzittu is a tale of two sisters. I'm excited about this review because I was a part of the creative process. Nothing major, but back last year when the author approached me to be a beta reader for her new story, I was over the moon! I may not have really done anything, but my name is officially in print! I meant to review this months ago, but as you all know I took a bit of a sabbatical. Better late than never, right? (I'm a terrible person). Anyway, into the review.

PLOT

Lucy and Poppy Evans may be twins, but they couldn't be more different. Lucy is a successful real-estate agent, and a 'material girl', while Poppy is an artistic hippie who's just come home after travelling the world for 18 months. Now this odd couple are forced to share Lucy's flat and tensions run high. The cover tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the characters and story.

REVIEW

Both sisters believe they are looking after the other, and we all know what they say about a road paved with good intentions. I don't have much to say about the characters, but I do want to linger on Poppy for a second. It may be because she's been travelling for so long, or because she's never really been part of the 'daily grind', but she is incredibly disconnected from reality. Her actions and thoughts are almost apathetic and unrealistically naive. For instance, she tries to hand-write her CV because she thinks it shows she cares. She acts a lot longer than her 24/25 years, and doesn't understand why her actions upset people sometimes, causing her to victimise herself. For instance, (without any spoilers) she upsets the balance within Lucy's flat and believes herself to be, without a doubt, in the right. One particular scene I found particularly annoying was in the introduction of a new character. He introduces himself as _____ (no spoilers), and Poppy keeps shortening it. This might not seem like an irritating thing, but when he repeatedly corrects her, it starts to chafe. There is, in fact, a scene where she wonders why he keeps correcting her, believing that what she calls him doesn't matter. A name is an incredibly personal thing. It is a form of identification and not to accept someone's choice is disrespectful and rude. The fact that he keeps correcting her shows that he's not happy with how she is identifying him. 

Poppy comes off as rather arrogant and annoying, but she is the only character I have any issues with. This is not a criticism of the writing, but of the character- unless she wasn't supposed to come off in that light, in which case the writing would be at fault.

In terms of plot, there isn't really one. The two sisters live together and things happen. That's it. Slice of life, which I personally enjoy. This is a short book with a feel-good, light read factor. If you're looking for a story you don't really have to think about, this is perfect. No serious consequences; happy endings all around; and a quick read. Everything gets tied up in a nice, little bow - or so you assume as the book suggests an ending- rather than actually giving the reader anything concrete. It's one of those, if things keep on like this this could happen, or this. For all we know, nothing turns out like that.

Because this book is so light, there isn't really much character development (not strictly a factor. Length does not necessarily equal better characters). The characters stay constant and unchanged throughout the story. There's no growth or revelations. Essentially, this is a story about two sisters living their daily (slightly fantasised) lives. Nothing profound or soul-searching, but a pleasant read that could liven up your daily commute.


Disclaimer: I received an ARC copy of this book from the author. This is not a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% my own.

Prudence and the Crow (July 2014)

            

Today I have for you guys a review of a monthly subscription service. I came across Prudence and the Crow a few months ago, and decided to try it out. Now three months in, I figure I can do a review of my experience with it so far.

First a little background info. Prudence and the Crow is a monthly subscription service that specialises in vintage paperbacks. It is also a bespoke subscription. In other words, each box is tailored specifically for you. Each month they the lovely ladies who work there browse their local, vintage book emporiums, and pick out a book they that think suits you perfectly.

So how does this work? Well, when you sign up you pick from five different genres. These are: youth fiction; science fiction; classic thriller; children's or random. You then choose what kind of subscription you would like: one off, 3 months; 6 months; 12 months or continuous. You can see the various prices and package perks below:

They're based in London, but they do ship internationally. Do keep in mind that it will cost you an extra £4 for that option though. They ship out on the 13th of every month, and obviously the time it takes to get to your destination will depend on how far away you are from theirs. For me, it's usually 3-4 days (living in the UK). So what's in this box of wonders you ask. Well why don't I show you what awaited me this month. A little quick info first: I chose random, because I like a little bit of everything. When you subscribe you receive a confirmation email with a questionnaire attached. Now this questionnaire is important regardless of which genre you pick, but it is vital if you choose random. Why? Because this is where you put all the details you desire (it can literally be anything, but it'd be a good idea to have a least a few notes on the kind of books you're into) about yourself. The more the merrier. (Plus the more accurate their choice will be). Anyway, here we are.

Well the first thing you see is this wonderful brown paper package come through your door. This is the first sign of the lovely things to come. (Come now. Be objective). But seriously, this is just a beautifully wrapped box. And it is specially designed to fit through your post box- so there's no need to worry about undelivered packages.

Once the paper is off, you are greeted by this (well that. To the left). A lovely brown box. That strip down the right side has your name written on it, but obviously I've taken that off.  A nice touch is the black strip on one of the corners with your box number and the month it came written across it. As you can see this is my third box and the month is July. Interesting stuff.

Are you ready to see what's inside? Good. Because here it comes. 

Upon opening the box, this is what I see. Let's just start from top to bottom shall we? The first thing I come across is this:                                                                                                                                                               

This is a library card like thing that comes with every single box, and is designed for the book you received that month. It has the date on it, the box number and spaces for you to put in the title of the book, as well as the author and some additional notes. A nice little touch I think. Next:

In a small, brown packet I find this. It's the Penguin logo. Did you get that? Haha. Now this is not in every month's box, and I was both very surprised and pleased to see it in this one. Those lovely ladies like to keep you guessing. And that's one thing I will touch upon quickly. Every month you get a little something different. Now I hear you say, "Well yeah, shouldn't you?" And to that I reply, " Yes. Of course you should." But, while I expect the book to be different every month, I don't expect things like this. Every single month all the little extras change. For instance in the past I have gotten book plates; a disk that shows an image when it spins; various teas; pencils; and many other things. I mention those things in particular, because none of those were in this month's box. Instead I got the things you'll see below. This is one of the things I really like about this subscription. After all if the little goodies were the same every month, not only would they not be a surprise anymore, but I'd also be in excess of them. Oh, and everyone gets something different. Sometimes certain objects will be present in many boxes (like tea, etc), but each person receives a box of things entirely unique to them. Anyway, time to continue. Here are the extras for this month's box:

A wonderful packet with very Rococco-ish designs.

Some stickers. The ones on the left are holographic.

Does it even need words?

A mountain of delicious provisions. FYI, provisions
are always included.

Lovely little washi papers.

           So you can see there's really a lot more to this box than meets the eye. But I know what you're all really here for, so without further ado let's get into the book I received this month.

First things first. Each book comes in its own handmade book cover. Like this one. The design will change every month. Inside is the entire reason for the subscription. A really delightful 'quirk' is the handwritten note behind the cover page, telling you where they found the book and why they thought it fit you.

As you can see, my book this month was Alan Garner's "The Owl Service". (Chosen, I think, because I said I was a night owl. Haha. Ladies you're killing me.) Believe it or not I've actually never read this, so I look forward to delving into the adventure. Also the cover is gorgeous. Now a brief note. You can see here that my book is in pretty good condition. There's only minor wear, but as this is a vintage subscription, your books will come in various conditions. This isn't something that bothers me, but just don't expect a brand new book is all I'm saying. 

So what do I think? I'm pretty sure it's fairly obvious how I feel about this subscription already. I love it. I reserved judgement until this third box and I think the Prudence/ Crow crew really stepped it up a notch this month. Not to say the others were bad, but I did feel they lacked something this box has, and I wasn't sure it was worth my £10/month. That may have been because my questionnaire was pretty bare though. Oh, if you ever want to change your answers, shoot the crew an email and they'll send you another one. It doesn't save your previous answers however, so you'll have to fill it out from scratch. 

If I wasn't sold already, this month has definitely hooked me. It is rare to find any subscription that has this amount of care and thought put into it. They really do individualise every single box. Oh, and they're also wonderful people who I may now be stalking on Twitter. Shhh.

Overall, a great subscription that I truly believe is worth the money. If you're a bibliophile who likes surprises, why not check it out? You can do so here: http://www.prudenceandthecrow.com, and let Prudence and Crow take you on an adventure. Every single month. I wonder if they have something special planned for Christmas? Not that I'm thinking about it this early in the year...maybe. 

Why You Shouldn't Listen to the Voices In Your Head

First Paragraph: 

"It's Labor Day at Apache Lake when Natalie Merian climbs the ladder of the massive cabin cruiser. The noise level on board is like a concert. Most of the people, by her guess, are college age, a few years older than her at least. She tries not to be intimidated. Her friends, Mayra and Mike, follow close behind, the deck of the white and brown vessel is anchored near the north shore. The sun is shining on a cloudless day, a scorching one hundred degrees- and the alcohol seems endless, with four coolers open, frosted cans and bottles passed around with jovial acclaim."

  Amazon / Amazon.co.uk

Discretion by David Balzarini, is a thriller with supernatural elements.

PLOT 

Colin Wyle was in church the first time he heard her. Not a religious person himself, he was only there with his best friend, Jamal, and Jamal's family. She called herself Christel, and he was the only one who could hear her. From that moment on, she inhabits his mind, giving him advice and hints about the future. 

The very first thing she helps him with is winning the heart of the girl of his dreams- Natalie Merian- the good girl all the boys want. Colin is your typical awkward teen when it comes to matters of the heart, and Christel guides him and gives him confidence. Before they know it, the two are dating.

Four months later, and we reach the events of the prologue. Colin's father takes the happy couple out for a trip to the lake in his boat. The have fun goofing around, then settle down as the day does. Colin and his father both fall asleep. When they wake up, Natalie is gone. Exactly what happened is a mystery, but they believe she went willingly. If not, the ruckus would've woken them up, plus she left her shoes, but then why not tell them?

Hours pass, which turn to days and fingers begin pointing at Colin. His father hires a PI, Jackson, to prove his innocence, and track her down. But that's easier said than done. Until, three days later, when Christel tells Colin to follow Mike onto his boat. Mike is heading out with Mayra, back to the lake, with an arsenal of weapons- intent on bringing back their friend. With Christel's guidance they find a lone boat out on the lake. When the owners spot them, they immediately draw weapons, and Colin is forced to do the unthinkable to save all their skins. When they finally get on board, they find Natalie tied to a chair, still breathing.

Cut to 15 years later. Colin is now a successful portfolio manager- dealing with stocks all day, engaged to the beautiful Marisa, and living the high-life. Everything is coming up roses, until he gets a call from Jackson. The case with Natalie was never solved- as they always believed there was something more going on. Natalie's mind completely blanked her memories of those days, so the trail went dead. But now the case is being brought to light again, and the past with it- including Colin's. Jackson believes there's a much bigger problem- girls who went missing in the same days as Natalie, have started turning up again- dead, and with a mysterious tattoo on their wrists. The same tattoo one of the kidnappers had. 

Jackson is the only other person who knows about Christel, and others may not be so easily convinced of her authenticity. It's up to Colin to prove his innocence, and quickly. But why doesn't Christel want him to help Jackson? And is she really the gift he thought she was?

REVIEW

Discretion is a book that is hard to pin down. It starts off as a thriller- though a little slow-paced, but quickly spirals into a complicated, tangled plot involving religion- in some ambiguous way. The focus is more on Colin's lack of religion, and his friends' belief that he needs it. There is some plot around Christel, as well as the original plot with Natalie, but those are more in the background. There are a lot of random, irrelevant aspects, that don't add to the plot or story in any way, and just succeed in bogging down an already slow moving book.

The story starts off well, but loses itself around the '15 years later' mark. If the author had stuck with the original plot, the story could've been pretty good. Though I will give it this, the book is very good at creating an uneasiness. A tension surrounding Christel, and exactly what her motivations are. You can never be sure how much of the truth she is telling you. But then again, the whole book from that point on is a confused mess, one that makes it very hard to tell what's going on. 

I would say the book's focus is more on good and bad, and the fine line between them. You can do both, but in the end the scales will tip more one way than the other. It comes down to the nature of temptation and addiction. Because that is what Christel is- Colin's drug. Her true 'form' is almost irrelevant. She has been in Colin's mind for so long, that he needs her, to the point where he is willing to do anything to keep her. 

Like I mentioned earlier, the story becomes a little too bogged down with religion towards the end, and I'm afraid we get that rather irritating 'accepting God makes everything alright' ending- which I think is the ultimate cop-out. As though it solves everything. God and religion are not things that should ever be forced on someone. They are things you choose as an individual, and you should respect that others have the right to refuse them. Something I see often in books with Christian undertones is that the moment you let it in/convert, suddenly everything is miraculously better. That's not how it works. It's not a cure-all. What it is is a safety net-there to catch you if you fall. It's an authority, that allows people to believe that if someone does wrong, they will be held accountable for it. It is an idea- a concept. Nothing more. It changes nothing. Resolution through conversion is not  resolution. Yes, it can provide comfort or strength- as many things can- but it doesn't change the reality of the situation. 

The ending itself just sort of happens, and while it's written as though it's meant to be a satisfying conclusion, it is anything but. It is unbelievable to the point of ridiculousness. This is a mild spoiler, but that the book wants you to accept that one witness can bring down an entire prostitution ring led by a clearly well-established group is absurd. Especially as she is not a reliable witness- considering she was heavily drugged during her entire ordeal. 

Another not very satisfying conclusion is Christel. Unbelievably underwhelming and anti-climactic. She was the main interest of this story- at least for me- her origin and motives were the main reason I got through this book, and her storyline just fades away. It's left in the background and almost forgotten. 

In fact, very few of the questions raised are ever answered. Foe example, we don't even really know what happened with the mystery of Natalie. 

Overall, an interesting story, that was unfortunately let down by its ending, and irrelevant tangents. I personally believe that the religious tones could have worked, if they had been a little more ambiguous. Especially for non-Christian/ religious readers. I think even Christian readers would find it a little too shoe-horned in, and nonsensical. The characters start of well, but once you hit that '15 years later' point, become bland and devoid of much personality, not to mention Colin goes through a complete 180 on his- due to Christel's guidance perhaps. A book that had a lot of potential, but unfortunately, dropped the ball.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author. This is not a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% my own. 

Day 15- When You Wish...

Hello and welcome to Day 15 of Advent Countdown. Since we're now only 10 days away from the big day, I thought I'd share a wish list with you. Specifically, these are the books I'm asking for for Christmas. Now I'd like to add a disclaimer here: this is just a general list that people who want to get me something can pick-and-choose from, or to get a rough idea of what I'd like. I'm not expecting people to get me things, and certainly not to get me everything on the list. Now that that's all said and done, let's get into it, shall we?

FYI, this list is in no particular order. I'll add links to each book on amazon too, in case you want to check them out yourself. Well then first up:

1. The Inspector Barnaby Series by Caroline Graham


This is a series of seven books, that inspired one of my all-time favourite shows (Midsomer Murders). I've never read the books themselves, and thought it was jolly well time that changed- considering how much I loved the TV series. For those interested, here are the names of the specific books:

1. The Killings at Badger's Drift (meant to be one of the greatest murder mystery stories of all time)
2. Death of a Hollow Man
3. Death in Disguise
4. Written in Blood
5. Faithful unto Death
6. A Place of Safety
7. A Ghost in the Machine

Next on my list are the first two books from another (quite new) series. These are the only two books from said series out at the time of writing this, and it looks to be a very enjoyable cozy mystery series. I've read the first, but not the second. In fact, I own an e-book version of the first book (which I won in a giveaway. It was possibly even the first book I ever reviewed here). I loved it then, and I'm itching for the next instalment.

2. A Wisteria Tearoom Mystery Series by Patrice 
Greenwood  

Again, here are the individual books:

1. A Fatal Twist of Lemon
2. A Sprig of Blossomed Thorn

If you'd like to check out my review for book one in the series, you can find it here.

Thirdly, I have another series instalment. Again I own the first book already ((through another giveaway) and have done a review on it, which you can find here), but this time I'm only asking for the second. The series is a dark murder mystery (can you tell I love them?) set in New Orleans. I believe this is going to be a trilogy, but only the first two books are available at the moment.

3. The Sins of the Father Series by Leo King

Individual books:

1. The Bourbon Street Ripper
2. A Life Without Fear

Fourth on my list is yet another series (I know, I know), though each book works as a stand-alone. I call it a series because they're both set in the same universe, with the same characters. Opposite to the previous entry, I own both of the books in this series already, but I only own the first book in e-book format (which I applied to review through a program called Blogging for Books), and would like a hard copy of it. I've read both books in the series (will there be more?), and have reviews for each of them.  They are lovely books based on characters getting over grief- in some form or other. They do have religious tones (which I normally shy away from as they can be a bit preachy), but done right. The book isn't about God, it's about the characters- some of whom just happen to be Christian.  

Individual books:

1. Wildflowers from Winter
2. Wishing on Willows

If you'd like to read my reviews on both these books, you can find my review of the first one here, and the second one here.

The final thing on my list is yet another series (I'm sorry, I'm sorry). Though this one is a little different. It's..

4. The Tintin Series by Georges Remi (better known by his pen name - Herge)

Now there are 24 books in this series, so I'm not going to spam you with a list of them all. I grew up on Tintin, and have incredibly fond memories of it. Even now, I enjoy the stories and adore the characters. I have somehow managed to make it through my life without owning even a single one of the 24 books, and hope to remedy this soon. For those who somehow don't know, Tintin is a Belgian reporter. He investigates mysteries around the world, with the help of his odd group of friends. He's kind of an Indiana Jones of reporting. The books are beautifully illustrated comics, and the series is one I think would appeal to people of all ages.

And that's my list everyone. A little insight into my Christmas wishes (or something like that). I hope you all enjoyed Day 15. I'll see you tomorrow for Day 16 of Advent Countdown.