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Post by Claire on Dec 18, 2021 15:39:47 GMT 1
HI all. a very festive read for us this year - A Riverdale Christmas by Amanda Wills Although this is one of a series, it is possible to read and enjoy the story without reading all or indeed any of the previous books in the series. Although I do recommend them, as they are all good reads. It is available in paperback or e-book and is also part of the Kindle Unlimited subscripton service which usually has at least a month's free trial, if you haven't used it before. Discussion in 7-10 days time, although please add *SPOILER ALERT* to the top of your post.
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Post by susanb on Dec 18, 2021 21:35:31 GMT 1
I was planning to start today, but got sidetracked.....listening to Christmas music, drinking eggnog and nibbling Walkers shortbread (sooo good together). Tomorrow though, and I'm off work for a day (last of the vacation time this year) on Wednesday, so I'll be ready
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Post by Claire on Dec 21, 2021 20:41:12 GMT 1
All sounds good to me Susan! First Christmas in Spain for me so everything is a little bit different. I'll probably start my re-read after Christmas day as still have a few things to do.
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Post by susanb on Dec 24, 2021 17:59:08 GMT 1
Hope your first Christmas in Spain is wonderful, Claire!
Just finished my read, I thought it was excellent, but will wait for the discussion to begin before commenting.
I had the first book, but haven’t read it…the Christmas book definitely works as a standalone, in case anyone is hesitant on that issue.
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Post by Claire on Dec 26, 2021 16:52:28 GMT 1
Glad to hear you enjoyed it. I'm just finishing up reading the latest Stephen King book then I'll start with this one.
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Post by darkhorse on Dec 27, 2021 23:45:29 GMT 1
Started today. I'm really enjoying it so far. Agree with Susan, it is fine to read as a stand-alone story.
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Post by Claire on Jan 1, 2022 23:34:52 GMT 1
Hi all, just to say have added a poll if anyone would like to vote. Anyone else finished it yet?
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Post by Claire on Jan 5, 2022 16:39:22 GMT 1
Finally got caught up with myself and have finished the re-read so here are soe of my musings. Apologies if I repeat some of my thoughts from the review I did of the book a while back.
One of the main questions we ask from our Christmas group read is - is it a good read for the festive period? I thought it was a very good read for Christmas, and that it addresses the festive spirit on a number of levels. The most obvious basic level is that the whole story is set around Christmas time and there are various festive activities going on all around, not to mention snow! On a deeper level the story is all about the true meaning of Christmas, as opposed to the commercialised, glitzy version. The message is not too overt as there are the outward signs of a glitzy Christmas, mainly seen in the celebrity character of Gaz and his over the top Christmas decorations. But beneath it all is the message that Christmas is all about spreading love and happiness to people around you. Although there are some serious elements, this is for the most part a fun read.
Probably a bit less pony content in this book than the others in the series but there's enough to satisfy most horse-mad readers. Even a 'unicorn' makes an appearance!
Be interested to hear other people's views, whether everyone agrees it's a good Christmas read and any plus or negative points.
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Post by darkhorse on Jan 8, 2022 14:37:41 GMT 1
I enjoyed it and voted very good. I agree it was a good choice for a Christmas read. My main quibble was the celebrity angle and I found the character of Gaz very annoying, but I suppose the celeb angle would appeal to the young element more than old farts like me.
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Post by Claire on Apr 2, 2022 16:35:23 GMT 1
Just finished my read, I thought it was excellent, but will wait for the discussion to begin before commenting. Hi Susan, I know it's a while back but if you have a spare mo could you let us know what you thought of the book/vote?
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Post by susanb on Apr 10, 2022 15:11:38 GMT 1
Sorry, I completely forgot that I hadn't posted I really enjoyed the book, it was a great Christmas read. I didn't mind Gaz's over the top antics, as it kind of felt like the book had a "don't judge a book by it's cover" theme. Gaz is using his celebrity for a worthy cause, the tough teacher is actually caring for a disabled daughter, the unicorn is really a pony I did think that the teacher winding up being the mother of the girl whose wish was the unicorn was a little....convenient? But I appreciated that it was revealed that the reason that our heroine was left off the school team was just that she had a rotten ride and that the teacher encouraged her to try again. I'd definitely try others in the series
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