Ponder: The Return

I suspect many publishers try to time the release of an author's new book with the gift-giving season of Christmas. The Return by Nicholas Sparks ©2020 went a step further. Released in September 2020, The Return has a reversible cover that speaks to the holiday season. I bought it in the green door configuration the Thursday before Thanksgiving. With high anticipation, I read The Return the next day, the Friday before Thanksgiving, in one fell swoop. It was a quick read. I felt no urge to flip the book jacket to the red door with wreath image. Perhaps if I had waited until after Thanksgiving to read I might have gotten the urge.

But I was befuddled by what was the allure of two versions of the cover? So it can be re-gifted after having been read? Hmm... Does that thought reveal a practical mind or a jaded, cheap outlook? I am perfectly able to give someone a book I have read without feeling guilty that it has the same cover. Unless of course I have dripped melted chocolate on it or spotted it with my oily fingers from snacking on potato chips while immersing myself in the story. Or maybe having the option of displaying alternate book jackets creates work for the book store clerks who may have extra time one their hands since the number of customers is reduced due to social distancing. During the holiday season do they alternate the book spines red-green-red-green-red-green for a festive display? I can picture several masked clerks, six-feet apart, around a table of stacked copies of The Return, flipping each cover from neutral to seasonal and back again depending on which version garners more sales. The reversible book jacket  aspect of The Return is a "novel" idea and – oddly enough, probably because I cannot explain the reason why –  it was what I found most interesting about the book. The book contents itself, I found a bit dreary and maudlin, and yet I am a Nicholas Sparks fan having read all twenty-one of his books that preceded this one. I had even sought out and read his first book Wokini which is more philosophy than plot. I reviewed the atypical Wokini book in my post for 2/23/17.

The first character encountered in The Return is Trevor Benson, a Navy doctor injured in Afghanistan, struggling to manage his PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder, while diversifying to a different career that will accommodate his sustained physical disabilities. From Trevor I learned a bit about CBT and DBT, cognitive and dialectical behavioral therapies. Trevor inherits a house in the country from his grandfather who is an avid apiarist. From the grandfather, Trevor, and another character Natalie, I learned about bee keeping and the harvesting of honey. 

 

Trevor and Natalie develop a love interest that is thwarted for a reason yet to be discovered. By introducing Callie, a sullen, secretive, teenage who lives down the road from Trevor, the book gains unknowns that do urge the reader to read on, out of curiosity. 

I did learn some things from reading this book, but I did not bond with the characters. My lack of personal identification or involvement hindered my enjoyment. I fully realized going into this book that it was not a fluffy, frilly romance. There was no guarantee that all would end well. To quote Nicholas Sparks himself as he once, in an interview, made the distinction between love stories and romances

... Romance novels usually have happy endings while love stories are not bound by this requirement. Love stories usually end tragically or, at best, on a bittersweet note.

It was not the ending that disappointed. I was not invested enough, that the outcome mattered to me. I look forward to the twist in each of Sparks' novels. Sparks' big reveal, typically in the last third or so of his books, fell flat with me in The Return. I give this book 2 stars, which in my system translates to Ok, not great; some redeeming features; I finished it. What were those redeeming features?

• I now have a working knowledge of bee keeping
• PTSD is not as foreign to me
• I kept up my perfect streak of reading all Nicolas Sparks' books.
• I upped my count of books read in 2020 to my goal of 26
• I enjoyed lounging for one full day, mind free of the disgusting political tactics being discussed incessantly on TV
• I went back and reread my post on Wokini, which surprisingly reminded me of some rewarding tips for outlook and attitude, applicable especially during 2020

Ponder: A California Christmas

I am publishing this post about A California Christmas by Brenda Novak ©2020  the day after Christmas, mainly because of the timeliness of the title. Brenda Novak is a very prolific author with genres that include Contemporary Romance (Whiskey Creek Series and Silver Springs series), Romantic Suspense (Evelyn Talbot Chronicles), and Historical Romance and Non-Fiction. A California Christmas was a binge read for me the day after Thanksgiving but I never made the effort or took the time to blog about it until now. It is the seventh and most recent of her books in the Silver Springs Series. I have read them all; each is a guilty pleasure - not high brow literature but I still want to take credit for another read in 2020. 

The simple plot of A California Christmas is similar to the predictable formula of most romance novels. That formula is captured well in this song by The Alley Cats, an a cappella group formed in 1987, who specialize in American doo-wop music of the 50's. They gained recognition and have even sung at the White House. I loaded music from three of their albums on my son Alex's iPad and he loves the sound – he likes harmony. Please enjoy their song Book of Love from the album The Cat's Meow. I will admit that the plot is not exactly the same, but the pretense still brings a smile to my face.

Emery is a co-anchor on a television news show who is hiding out from the public eye when an embarrassing video of her is uploaded to the internet. She is staying at the house of Aiyana, a friend of her mother. Also arriving for a visit at that house is Aiyana's adopted son, Dallas. Back in their high schools days, Dallas and Emery knew each other but never connected romantically. Guess where this story is headed. A bit of mystery is introduced as Dallas and Emery sleuth to learn who uploaded that video and why. The ambience is enjoyable since the story take place at Christmas time in California where the settings and shopping expeditions are fun and offer a welcome alternative to the snow and blustery cold of most Christmas movies, especially all those on the Hallmark channel. The romance is a bit more spicy, too. On Hallmark productions, after the first kiss the credits roll.  

I have read all the books in the Silver Springs series. Aiyana is a constant character in all of them. She is a very charitable, sensitive woman who runs a school for troubled boys. A woman with a big, soft heart, she had adopted eight boys. Each novel in the series features a boy as he has grown into a man and put his childhood mistreatments or demons behind him. A welcome side feature in this particular book is Aiyana getting married after many years as a strong, intelligent, independent, single woman. Her eight adopted sons are groomsmen at the wedding. A California Christmas has romance, mystery, a warm sunny setting, a wedding, a reunion, and a festive Christmas. Who needs a Nobel or Pulitzer Prize? This is a book to help the reader relax and unwind. 

I rate A California Christmas 3 stars which translates in my rating system to Better than average; not a waste of time. Besides, if you do have time to "waste", this is a not-too-shabby way to do it. Amazon readers gave it 4.6 stars out of 5. The following list summarizes my ratings for the Brenda Novak's books in the Silver Springs Series. Each is followed by the date of my blog post review of that particular title.

Finding Our Forever ©2017 3 stars (post for 12/4/17)
No One But You ©2017 4 stars (post for 11/10/17)
Until You Loved Me ©2017 5 stars (post for 11/2/17 )
Right Where We Belong 3 stars (post for 2/15/18 )
Unforgettable You ©2019 4 stars (post for 5/12/19 )
Christmas in Silver Springs ©2019 2 stars (post for 5/21/20)
A California Christmas ©2020 3 stars (this post on 12/26/20)

Christmas Images 2020

Christmas 2020 has certain challenges due to Covid. Frank and I would have nobody in our home due to social distancing, but we were determined to still decorate for ourselves. Frank urged me to take  photos so here they are. Maybe you, too, can enjoy them – vicariously. To be different from other years, I will group the photos by theme rather than by rooms.

WREATHS: The wreath has significant meaning for the season. It's circular shape represents eternity, for it has no beginning and no end. We have a wreath on our front door, next to our front door, and in our kitchen nook with the two bears representing Frank and me. Every year, as a special gift to me, Frank deploys the lighted wreaths in the windows of our home just as my dad would set them out in the windows of my childhood home. They give off a soft glow. The two bright dots that can be seen directly above our house in the distance nighttime photo are Jupiter and Saturn, which can be seen only once every 400 years. They are special for this Christmas.

NATIVITIES: This year I set out two painted wood ones and a molded rubber one from Avon, dated back to 1993 and called KIDS First Nativity Collection. The donkey from this one has a peg leg because Alex fed him to the bunny who nibbled off his molded one.

                

SNOWMEN: Ever year since the Christmas Dan and Robin gifted us with the almost life size snowman and snowlady Dan brought home from a craft store window in San Luis Obispo, snow people have been a staple in our home at Christmas. So have the knitted vintage stockings seen to the right of the snowman.

HOUSES: Frank has glitter houses as memories from his childhood, he built replicas from his erector sets, and I collected the tins that came with candy.

CHRISTMAS TREES & GARLANDS: We have an artificial evergreen that I decorated with oversize C9 bulbs this year and metal signs. We put a white tree on the back deck to be viewed from the kitchen. Garlands on the staircase and railings are trimmed with stuffed ornaments.

GOTTA HAVE BLING: Suspended from the tree out front, hung from the chandelier, strung across picture frames, set next to chairs, hooked on candle holders, or sewn on velvety pillows, bling adds sparkle to Christmas.

QUILTS & THROWS:  Grinch, Christmas Cars, Simple Gifts, and a Disney throw are laid out on the furniture. Whirligiggles is draped over the railing. Other table toppers are scattered about, and a memento for my brother is hanging on the wall.

LIGHTS: C9s line the back deck roofline, white lights twinkle on the twiggy tree, and a white mini-lights string glows within a star on the bathroom counter.

 

GAMES: & FUN: There is a fun array of items: a hotline to Santa, Christmas Checkers, music and singing reminders, zebras – yes, zebras (lyrics and song at this link), a set-up for relaxing, some puzzles to do this season, and a puzzle in progress.

REJOICE: We may be apart but we can still commemorate and celebrate. May your days be merry and bright.