Again, I am going to talk about two books. The first one is the second of my Christmas books and I really enjoyed it. Twelve Days of Christmas by Trisha Ashley is about a young woman whose husband died around Christmas time in a tragic accident, a few years previously. She is a chef by profession, running house parties in the Summer months, and house-sitting in remote places during the Winter months. This Christmas is no exception and she prepares to house-sit as an emergency replacement. Lots of complications follow and at times it does sound quite stressy, although she sounds like a super-woman in the kitchen. The develops special friendships with people in the area, and the story does have a good happy ending, without being too soppy and sentimental. I like the characters in the book, and the dilemmas that she faces. There is also the added bonus of her grandmother's journals which include a mystery to be solved. This is a good book to read over Christmas by the fireside.The second book, is another Debbie Macomber. Hannah's List tells the story of a man, widowed a year ago, who is presented with a letter from his late wife, which she had written before she died. The letter asks him to remarry and have the children that they hadn't had. She even suggests three potential candidates. It is very predictable, and it is an okay read, but two things I liked, were the way the author dealt with the issues of cancer, death and grief, and also relationships. It felt realistic and was quite moving in places. There was also a lesson in dealing with arguments in relationships, focusing on compromise and change behaviour. It was really clearly explained, and I can see it being effective in improving relationships, not just personal, but in everyday working relationships too. Anyway, it was fine to read, not my favourite of her books but useful in its own way.
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