The letter, er, The timepiece, book #86

 Funny thing happened the other day ... so for Christmas my mom gave me a beautiful hardback copy of The Letter with a paper cover on it.  I was familiar with the author but had not read the stories in this series.  Since I had been busy with other things this one has been sitting in the pile by my bed (probably not even an official pile in the piles to work through) but I was looking for a quick book to read before I started the book club book and picked this one up.  The synopsis on the back didn't sound very intriguing to me, but I started in anyway.  

Evans' style of writing is so beautiful that I feel he could rewrite a scientific journal and you would not even know you were reading something so mundane.  I mean, just listen to this, "Just then, a cuckoo clock erupted in festive announcement of the second hour, followed by a gay, German melody accompanying tiny, brightly colored figurines waltzing in small circles on a wooden track." "Through the heroic efforts of the fire corps, the fire had been isolated to the east wing, though the stench of smoke permeated the entire mansion.  The house itself had escaped serious structural damage, but the damage inflicted upon its occupants was of far greater consequence."  Beautiful, I tell you.  

Unfortunately, the story itself is rather sad, but in the end it all shows how the characters grew through the turmoil.  

However ..... there was no mention of a letter.  You know, The Letter.  I kept thinking it was going to be one of those where the last chapter, last paragraph, last sentence explained the title, but nope.  Not one mention of a letter in the entire book.  

I was perplexed.  I kept flipping the book around and around, but for the life of me I could not figure it out.  At one point the paper cover fell off and I realized what had happened.  The book I read was actually The Timepiece, not The Letter.  I figured that since my mom purchased this book for me at a used book store (her favorite type!) probably whoever donated it just got the covers mixed up and who knows where The Letter actually is.  Chalk it up as funny story.

So the next day I called my mom and told her the funny story.  She gets to sorting through her books and finds she has a copy of The Timepiece that someone gave her.  But wait.  (You see it coming, don't you?)  HER copy of The Timepiece is NOT The Timepiece but, you guessed it!  The Letter!!!  She was the one who accidentally got the covers mixed up somehow!  Of course, knowing my mom - and I've done it too! - she probably read both of these books before giving me one and that is how the covers got mixed up!!  

"Of all, clockmakers and morticians should bear the keenest sense of priority-their lives daily spent in observance of the unflagging procession of time... and the end thereof."
-DAVID PARKIN'S DIARY. JANUARY 3, 1901 So begins Timepiece, the unforgettable story of hope and the source of the wisdom MaryAnne Parkin shared with Richard in The Christmas Box. With the help of David Parkin's diary, Richard discovers the mystery of the timepiece and the significance of MaryAnne's request.  Nineteen years previous, only eleven days before her death, MaryAnne Parkin had bequeathed a beautiful rose-gold timepiece to my keeping. "The day before you give Jenna away," she had said, her voice trembling as she handed me the heirloom, "give this to her for the gift." I was puzzled by her choice of words. "Her wedding gift?" I asked. She looked at me sadly, then forced a fragile smile. "You will know what I mean."
(pictures and description from amazon) 

Finishing up one more quick short story before starting on our book club book!

O:)
Melissa

The Christmas bargain, book #85

So I decided to look for a quick read and have a little Christmas in July, since I never seem to have enough time to read all the Christmas books I want to in December.  This one pretty much fit the bill and it started out great, but started going downhill in a way I did not care for.

This book encapsulated all my favorites ... pioneers, small towns, a little love, underdog ... Luke Granger, the banker, was just trying to have a client pay off his debt.  Mr. Booth, however, had no money at all and whenever he did have money he'd spend it in the saloon.  He did, however have a daughter, who took care of the house.  She seemed to be a homely character with serious self confidence issues, so afraid of her father.  When Luke shows up at the homestead demanding payment, he discovers Mr. Booth has nothing and was planning to "trade" his daughter to the saloon to pay off his debt there.  Not that Luke had any need for a wife or housekeeper, and the girl was not much to look at, he could not let her be given to the saloon.  So he agrees to take the girl for his payment and they are off.  

To find out what happens, you need to read it for yourself.   Your opinion may very well differ from mine!  

As owner and manager of the Hardman bank, Luke Granger is a man of responsibility and integrity in the small 1890s Eastern Oregon town. When he calls in a long overdue loan, Luke reluctantly accepts a bargain in lieu of payment from the shiftless farmer who barters his daughter to settle his debt. Philamena Booth is both mortified and relieved when her father sends her off with the banker as payment of his debt. Held captive on the farm by her father since the death of her mother more than a decade earlier, she is grateful to leave. If only it had been someone other than the handsome and charismatic Luke Granger riding in to rescue her. Ready to uphold her end of the bargain as Luke’s cook and housekeeper, she isn’t prepared to marry Luke as part of a crazy Christmas bargain. (picture and description from amazon)

I've already started another book to hold me over before I dig into this month's Book Club book!

Keep Reading!

O:)
Melissa