Are Books on Your Christmas Wish List

Books are always on my Christmas List every year. I can always think of at least one or two that I need to add to my library. I know that I have been posting a lot of book reviews the last couple of months. I hope that you have found some ideas for yourself or for someone that you love. Below are three more picks that I received from Elizabeth at Waterbrook Multnomah. Thanks Elizabeth.


The first I read by Melody Carlson was another book that is in the category of Juvenile Fiction. The title, What Matters Most: Diary of a Teenage Girl, is a great find for any teenage girl on your Christmas list. This is #3 in the Diary of a Teenage Girl Series. I think it would definitely be worth adding #1 and #2 of the series. It isn't easy to find Juvenile Fiction that is clean and still focuses on the problems that teenage girls face. I enjoyed the book and will be keeping this one for my daughter to read when she is a little older.

Here is a little more about the book from Waterbrook Multnomah and you can purchase the book here.
Sixteen-year-old Maya Stark has a lot to sort through. She could graduate from high school early if she wants to. She’s considering it, especially when popular cheerleader Vanessa Hartman decides to make her life miserable–and Maya’s ex-boyfriend Dominic gets the wrong idea about everything.

To complicate matters even more, Maya’s mother will be released from prison soon, and she’ll want Maya to live with her again. That’s a disaster waiting to happen. And when Maya plays her dad’s old acoustic guitar in front of an audience, she discovers talents and opportunities she never expected. Faced with new options, Maya must choose between a “normal” life and a glamorous one. Ultimately, she has to figure out what matters most.


The second book I received was also from Melody Carlson titled Limelight. Carlson writes series of Juvenile Fiction, but this is not in that genre. This is a great chick lit book that you will enjoy. A quick read with a great story. She is a great author of Christian Fiction. This would be a good pick for someone you want to give a book to with God running throughout, but not overwhelming. I love a book that makes you want to laugh and want to cry.

Here is a little about the book from Waterbrook Multnomah. You can purchase the book here.
Claudette Fioré used to turn heads and break hearts. She relished the glamorous Hollywood lifestyle because she had what it takes: money, youth, fame, and above all, beauty. But age has withered that beauty, and a crooked accountant has taken her wealth, leaving the proud widow penniless and alone.

Armed with stubbornness and sarcasm, Claudette returns to her shabby little hometown and her estranged sister. Slowly, she makes friends. She begins to see her old life in a new light. For the first time, Claudette Fioré questions her own values and finds herself wondering if it's too late to change.


The final book I reviewed from Waterbrook Multnomah was by Tamara Leigh titled Leaving Carolina. The cover alone of this book had me ready to jump in and read it. As her clothes are falling out of her suitcase while she is walking down the street. I could relate to days like that.

I have given Tamara Leigh books as gifts, but I had not read anything by her myself. A clean, fun novel written well. It takes you into the lives of the characters with scenarios many can relate to. The characters are very real-life. The characters were not so perfect that they were not believable. There is some humor in the book, but it has a more serious tone. It is less of a chick lit novel. This one would be another great book for a book club because it will lead to some good discussion points. I think any woman would enjoy this book. I am excited to read more by this author.

Here is a little more about the book from Waterbrook Multnomah. For purchase information, go here.
Piper Wick left her hometown of Pickwick, North Carolina, twelve years ago, shook the dust off her feet, ditched her drawl and her family name, and made a new life for herself as a high-powered public relations consultant in LA. She’s even “engaged to be engaged” to the picture-perfect U.S. Congressman Grant Spangler.

Now all of Piper’s hard-won happiness is threatened by a reclusive uncle’s bout of conscience. In the wake of a health scare, Uncle Obadiah Pickwick has decided to change his will, leaving money to make amends for four generations’ worth of family misdeeds. But that will reveal all the Pickwicks’ secrets, including Piper’s.

Though Piper arrives in Pickwick primed for battle, she is unprepared for Uncle Obe’s rugged, blue-eyed gardener. So just who is Axel Smith? Why does he think making amends is more than just making restitution? And why, oh why, can’t she stay on task? With the Lord’s help, Piper is about to discover that although good PR might smooth things over, only the truth will set her free.

Happy Reading!