What Coming Up In the Near Future--It's all Going in the Ole Book Bag!

The Holiday Season is just around the corner and of course if most of us are true to form, we are still trying to find that perfect gift for a family member or friend who really doesn't need another gift--perfect or not, and we have exchanges at work, or we need to do the old gag gift for the silly part, etc. This really translates into some frantic running about while trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy. All this up against the background of the national financial downturn, and I get the distinct feeling that all of us are watching our pennies and trying to make every gift dollar as carefully spent as possible--every gift as meaningful as we would hope it can be.

After the first of the year, though, there are still some wonderful literary "gifts" coming our way. In truth, books are really the "gifts that keep on giving" and I, for one, am so glad that they are always there. Just over the horizon is another delightful Virgin River creation: Midnight Kiss, an anthology of stories set in the Virgin River area of No. California, all crafted around that magic moment when the Old Year departs and the New Year arrives. These stories are wonderful and I will be posting a full review of this collection in a couple of weeks.

Next there is another riveting novel from Megan Hart: Precious and Fragile Things. Not a love story, not erotic romance in any way, shape or form. But in that distinct and unmistakable way, it bears the Megan Hart stamp of authenticity--dark, edgy, drawn from a reality that many don't want to acknowledge. A full review of this will be posted on 15 December.

If you haven't planned already to do so, you need to consider reading Allison James' newest: Firewalker, and Lorelei James' latest: Cowgirls Don't Cry. Both are more than worthy additions to series that are, in themselves, spectacular collections of western romance or paranormal romance. Also coming in February is Jaci Burton's The Perfect Play and in March, J. R. Ward's Lover Unleashed. March will also be the occasion for the release of Maya Banks' third novel in her KGI series.

One last comment: I have six grandchildren--three are adults who really like to read and three are still in school, ages 8, 12, and 15. They are all being encouraged to read, read, read. In f act, one already holds the record at her elementary school for the most pages read ever. We are giving books, books, books. I know that I can hook so many childhood and growing up memories to the books that were a part of my life in those years. So hubby and I are hoping to fill the memory banks of our granddaughters with the same anchors--really good books.

So here's a sincere wish that your pre-holiday days and weeks will be as organized as possible and not nearly as frantic as in past years. Happy reading . . .