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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
dmantonya's review against another edition
4.0
I always enjoy Christmas books, and this was no exception. It included 4 short stories and some of them ended abruptly, and I felt they could have been longer to explain more. One was about a single lady wanting to adopt, one about a single lady thinking her Christmas would be watching movies by herself, one about a man who had been scarred in the war, and one about a girl who has loved her best friend who has no idea. I think my favorite and least favorite all tied into one was the first one.
krista225's review against another edition
4.0
Figured some short stories focused on the Christmas spirit would help keep me in the spirit! Between this book, Rudolph, and Lifetime/Hallmark movies, I'm definitely feeling Christmas-y.
tiredcat51's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed three out of the four stories in this book. The Fern Michaels' story ended abruptly and there was little pleasure in that. The rest were great.
grimmloki's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed three out of the four stories in this book. The Fern Michaels' story ended abruptly and there was little pleasure in that. The rest were great.
jbarr5's review
5.0
MAKING SPIRITS BRIGHT Fern Michaels; Elizabeth Bass; Rosalind Noonan; Nan Rossiter
4 stories for the price of one, you can't go wrong!
Making Spirits Bright by Ferm Micahels
This is just one story out of 4 in this Christmas book. This tale is of a woman that shuts down her PC during the holidays so you can devote
her whole time to the holidays and friends and fmaily. She cares for the little girls down the street and attends parties that arise suddenly.
She also meets up with her friends brother and they spend several days together, doing everything: skiing, chopping down a real Christmas tree
and traveling for a short holiday. She get antsy about having children and starts the adoption process and wonders if her being single is going
to be a problem. Tragic things happen that lead to a wonderful finish. They would make a prefect fit with one another but there are others to consider.
I rate this book a 5 out of 5, it's easy to follow with a handful of characters. Love the holiday season, the decorations, food, festivities, friends
and family. Like that this is so up todate with events that have made the paper - the octomom was one mention. This is only one out of 4 so I know the
rest will be just as good as this first story.
Runaway Christmas by elizabeth hass
In this story we find Heidi, she runs a bake shop in NY. Her idea for Christmas this year is to not decorate her apartment and watch Avatar. Her niece in Texas feels
left out with a new baby on the way in the family. Heidi gets a free tree, drags it home and there are problems. Up top of everything else she forgets about the cash
box in a plastic bag from the shop. Now the landlady and the nanny upstairs need her. What else can go wrong, oh plenty more. It's called an ice storm and effects everything.
Maybe there won't be a Christmas at all? I rate this story a 5 out of 5, light reading with some intrigue. Easy to follow and in the spirit of the holidays.
Home for Christmas by Rosalind Noonan
Just started this story and am in love with it. set in Woodstock, NH as Jo is heading up the mountain with others there is a talk about
the area, the Old Man in the Mountain is a spot I've recently wanted to see with my spouse. The trip is in the works as we speak as he's never
been there. Jo runs a Christmas shop and has finally made a lot of money selling trees fully decorated. so much money she no longer has to work
at nights at the ski lodge cleaning for them. her spouse was killed on the slopes and she's heading up there to ward off others from going down
the icy terrain. Her daughter is well looked after by a live in cousin as she goes to college for her nursing degree. ah-yeah and wicked=love the
New England slang! this story reminds me of my family-they even have a swear jar. he's just back from the war and is disfigured and doesn't allow
her to even see him til they've met many times. as they begin to care for one another she wants to keep him in the dark about their relationship
and other things that are finally brought out the day before Christmas. Will they be able to get through it or does he leave?
Christmas on Cape Cod by Nan Rossiter
Maddie helps her teacher friend and child for the holidays. They travel to the Cape Cod house where the boy remembers his previous parents and
certain things. Traditions are a must: carrots for the reindeer, cookies and eggnog for Santa, Mass the night before where Noah is given a special
thing to do, makes him feel real special. The surprise Noah gets when he wakes up in the morning has a two fold meaning. What a precious story this
is and the characters are also in another of Nan's books: the gin and chowder club. I rate this book a 5 out of 5, easy to pay attention to what's
going on with the characters, their surroundings and the Christmas traditions.
4 stories for the price of one, you can't go wrong!
Making Spirits Bright by Ferm Micahels
This is just one story out of 4 in this Christmas book. This tale is of a woman that shuts down her PC during the holidays so you can devote
her whole time to the holidays and friends and fmaily. She cares for the little girls down the street and attends parties that arise suddenly.
She also meets up with her friends brother and they spend several days together, doing everything: skiing, chopping down a real Christmas tree
and traveling for a short holiday. She get antsy about having children and starts the adoption process and wonders if her being single is going
to be a problem. Tragic things happen that lead to a wonderful finish. They would make a prefect fit with one another but there are others to consider.
I rate this book a 5 out of 5, it's easy to follow with a handful of characters. Love the holiday season, the decorations, food, festivities, friends
and family. Like that this is so up todate with events that have made the paper - the octomom was one mention. This is only one out of 4 so I know the
rest will be just as good as this first story.
Runaway Christmas by elizabeth hass
In this story we find Heidi, she runs a bake shop in NY. Her idea for Christmas this year is to not decorate her apartment and watch Avatar. Her niece in Texas feels
left out with a new baby on the way in the family. Heidi gets a free tree, drags it home and there are problems. Up top of everything else she forgets about the cash
box in a plastic bag from the shop. Now the landlady and the nanny upstairs need her. What else can go wrong, oh plenty more. It's called an ice storm and effects everything.
Maybe there won't be a Christmas at all? I rate this story a 5 out of 5, light reading with some intrigue. Easy to follow and in the spirit of the holidays.
Home for Christmas by Rosalind Noonan
Just started this story and am in love with it. set in Woodstock, NH as Jo is heading up the mountain with others there is a talk about
the area, the Old Man in the Mountain is a spot I've recently wanted to see with my spouse. The trip is in the works as we speak as he's never
been there. Jo runs a Christmas shop and has finally made a lot of money selling trees fully decorated. so much money she no longer has to work
at nights at the ski lodge cleaning for them. her spouse was killed on the slopes and she's heading up there to ward off others from going down
the icy terrain. Her daughter is well looked after by a live in cousin as she goes to college for her nursing degree. ah-yeah and wicked=love the
New England slang! this story reminds me of my family-they even have a swear jar. he's just back from the war and is disfigured and doesn't allow
her to even see him til they've met many times. as they begin to care for one another she wants to keep him in the dark about their relationship
and other things that are finally brought out the day before Christmas. Will they be able to get through it or does he leave?
Christmas on Cape Cod by Nan Rossiter
Maddie helps her teacher friend and child for the holidays. They travel to the Cape Cod house where the boy remembers his previous parents and
certain things. Traditions are a must: carrots for the reindeer, cookies and eggnog for Santa, Mass the night before where Noah is given a special
thing to do, makes him feel real special. The surprise Noah gets when he wakes up in the morning has a two fold meaning. What a precious story this
is and the characters are also in another of Nan's books: the gin and chowder club. I rate this book a 5 out of 5, easy to pay attention to what's
going on with the characters, their surroundings and the Christmas traditions.
booklovewithmelanie's review
3.0
3.25
The first one was bad, so bad, I put off reading the rest for awhile. I'm glad I came back to it though cause I rather enjoyed the last 3. Overall cute Christmas stories.
The first one was bad, so bad, I put off reading the rest for awhile. I'm glad I came back to it though cause I rather enjoyed the last 3. Overall cute Christmas stories.
scoutmomskf's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed all the stories, with all their Christmas spirit. In the first one, I liked the way that Melanie decided to go ahead and adopt, rather than waiting to find the "perfect" man - and then found the perfect man for her anyway. In the second one, I loved the way that Heidi kept her cafe open and created a refuge for the stormbound. In the third story, I mostly liked Jo, though I thought she was following one child care "expert" a little too closely. In the fourth, Maddie was a real sweetheart and so patient, waiting to see if Asa would ever notice her as more than a friend.
impybelle's review against another edition
3.0
Third star is awarded for Runaway Christmas, as it actually deserves four and a half stars on its own. Sadly, like many short story collections, this one is really hit or miss.
Making Spirits Bright is, I imagine, the big sell for people based on the author (Fern Michaels) alone. I haven't read much of her other work and if this were my first experience with it, it would also be my last. It's not that the writing is bad, it's that the whole story is just about as realistic as the times I would pretend to run an orphanage for my My Little Ponies as a kid. Only my excuse was that I was seven and this was from the pre-historic times of Before The Internet. Even with the 'out' that something is wrong with the orphanage in question, there's too much suspension of disbelief needed to make the story work. I lost track of the times I rolled my eyes or just told the book, "No. Are you stupid? No."
Poor book. Since we began with this story and it's probably meant as the draw, the whole rating took a big hit.
Runaway Christmas (Elizabeth Bass) was the highlight of the book for me. It's not exactly a traditional love story, whatever that might mean, because the romance takes a backseat to the relationship between an aunt and her niece. I love the way grief is dealt with and how it extends farther than most people are willing to admit. Which sounds depressing, but really wasn't. Thumbs up for sure.
Home For Christmas (Rosalind Noonan) is another good one. I liked the build up of the relationship and didn't even mind the standard misunderstanding. It's the kind of story where you want to slip into the town and learn everyone's stories and that's always a good thing.
Christmas on Cape Cod (Nan Rossiter) finishes the book and it's my second least favorite of the bunch. I felt like I was dropped into the middle of a story and never managed to catch up. Maybe if I were more familiar with the characters or the story, I would have felt the storyline flowed better, but as it was it felt choppy. Which is a shame since I think I would have liked the characters if I'd ever gotten to really know them.
Making Spirits Bright is, I imagine, the big sell for people based on the author (Fern Michaels) alone. I haven't read much of her other work and if this were my first experience with it, it would also be my last. It's not that the writing is bad, it's that the whole story is just about as realistic as the times I would pretend to run an orphanage for my My Little Ponies as a kid. Only my excuse was that I was seven and this was from the pre-historic times of Before The Internet. Even with the 'out' that something is wrong with the orphanage in question, there's too much suspension of disbelief needed to make the story work. I lost track of the times I rolled my eyes or just told the book, "No. Are you stupid? No."
Poor book. Since we began with this story and it's probably meant as the draw, the whole rating took a big hit.
Runaway Christmas (Elizabeth Bass) was the highlight of the book for me. It's not exactly a traditional love story, whatever that might mean, because the romance takes a backseat to the relationship between an aunt and her niece. I love the way grief is dealt with and how it extends farther than most people are willing to admit. Which sounds depressing, but really wasn't. Thumbs up for sure.
Home For Christmas (Rosalind Noonan) is another good one. I liked the build up of the relationship and didn't even mind the standard misunderstanding. It's the kind of story where you want to slip into the town and learn everyone's stories and that's always a good thing.
Christmas on Cape Cod (Nan Rossiter) finishes the book and it's my second least favorite of the bunch. I felt like I was dropped into the middle of a story and never managed to catch up. Maybe if I were more familiar with the characters or the story, I would have felt the storyline flowed better, but as it was it felt choppy. Which is a shame since I think I would have liked the characters if I'd ever gotten to really know them.
jasmyn9's review against another edition
4.0
Making Spirits Bright:
This was a very cute story, but I wish she had done more research on the cat, it just wasn't very realistic at times. But while the animals were cute, they weren't part of the actual romance. Melanie really steals the show in this one in her quest to adopt a child. Her determination was amazing and was something she wanted with all her heart. Bryce was a great guy. He was fun and all, but a bit too much of "whatever you want I want". There really wasn't a conflict there. I don't need much, but a little would have been nice.
Runaway Christmas:
This was my favorite of the bunch! Heidi's world is really turned upside down this Christmas as everything seems to go wrong! Even the weather has it in for her and her dreams of a quiet, peaceful Christmas by herself are shattered. Her niece was just the right touch, but I'm not entirely sure how necessary she was to the story. It's almost as if she was added just to give another potential complication. There's a couple romances, and both are really sweet.
Home for Christmas:
This one had a back story and a lot going on for a novella. Very well layered, with a great small town versus big corporation running through it as well. Sam is a great hero - with lots of depth and a lot of development as we move along. Jo was a tad too sweet for my taste. Just a little to goodie.
Christmas on Cape Cod:
This one was my least favorite. A very sugary couple with a very sugary Christmas story. It just wasn't my style at all.
Overall, this was a great mix of Christmas tales. Some were better than others, but it was a great addition to my Christmas reading for the year.
This was a very cute story, but I wish she had done more research on the cat, it just wasn't very realistic at times. But while the animals were cute, they weren't part of the actual romance. Melanie really steals the show in this one in her quest to adopt a child. Her determination was amazing and was something she wanted with all her heart. Bryce was a great guy. He was fun and all, but a bit too much of "whatever you want I want". There really wasn't a conflict there. I don't need much, but a little would have been nice.
Runaway Christmas:
This was my favorite of the bunch! Heidi's world is really turned upside down this Christmas as everything seems to go wrong! Even the weather has it in for her and her dreams of a quiet, peaceful Christmas by herself are shattered. Her niece was just the right touch, but I'm not entirely sure how necessary she was to the story. It's almost as if she was added just to give another potential complication. There's a couple romances, and both are really sweet.
Home for Christmas:
This one had a back story and a lot going on for a novella. Very well layered, with a great small town versus big corporation running through it as well. Sam is a great hero - with lots of depth and a lot of development as we move along. Jo was a tad too sweet for my taste. Just a little to goodie.
Christmas on Cape Cod:
This one was my least favorite. A very sugary couple with a very sugary Christmas story. It just wasn't my style at all.
Overall, this was a great mix of Christmas tales. Some were better than others, but it was a great addition to my Christmas reading for the year.