I'm always on the lookout for clean reads to press into the hands of my 93-year-old grandma.

After skimming some reviews of The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett, I thought it would work. A few pages into the story (after some homosexual references and some language issues), I realized I wouldn't be putting this one under her Christmas tree. I wouldn't describe the novella as graphic - it's more like irreverent - but there is definitely a bit of "color" to the story.

The plot is pretty simple - one fine day, the Queen of England chases her yapping dogs across the palace grounds. They - and she - end up in front of the City of Westminster's bookmobile. Curious, the queen steps inside. Although she reads, of course, "liking books was something she left to other people" (6). On this occasion, she decides to check out a book just to avoid the awkwardness of the situation. Armed with a novel by Ivy Compton-Burnett, she heads back to her home. Soon, the queen is visiting the bookmobile every week, checking out books by all kinds of authors on all kinds of subjects. She just can't get enough. The queen's advisors, however, are not quite as enthusiastic. Since discovering books, the queen has been performing her duties with considerably less elan - she waves listlessly from her car, while hiding a book on her lap; fakes colds to further her reading time; and asks unprepared dignitaries for book recommendations. One of the servants sums it up nicely: "Her Majesty is getting to be what is known as a handful" (42).

The queen's staff plots ways to distract her from reading, but she will not be put off her new hobby. Her interest will have funny and interesting consequences throughout her household and kingdom.

Bennett's novella charms in so many ways, offering a humorous plot, colorful characters, and surprising insight. Any voracious reader will recognize him/herself in the queen, and revel with her as she discovers the joy books bring. As long as they can handle a little "color," The Uncommon Reader should delight bibliophiles of every stripe.

Grade: A

P.S. Since this one didn't make the Grandma cut, I'm still looking for a clean read to give her for Christmas. Any ideas?

(Book Image from Barnes & Noble)

After reading Christmas Jars by Jason F. Wright, I vowed never to choose this author again (you can read my "scathing" review of the book here). Then, I started hearing some buzz about Wright's newest novel, Recovering Charles. My reader's brain went, "Hmmm ... Could I be missing something here?" Then, a few people (including my mom) recommended I read it. Still, I refused. When the leader of my book club (an enthusiastic Wright fan) selected it for last month's read, I realized I was done for - I stopped resisting, and read the darn thing. And guess what? Much to my surprise, it wasn't half bad.

The story stars Luke Millward, a photographer living in New York City. Luke's life is good, if a bit hollow. His career is going well, he's got a nice apartment and a beautiful best friend who would love to be more. Luke's future is almost bright enough to outshine the pain of his past. Then, he receives a phone call that brings old anguish screaming into the present: His father is missing. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Charles Millward is nowhere to be found.

Although Charles' friend, Jerome, begs Luke to come to New Orleans to search for his father, Luke hesitates. After all, they haven't spoken since the last time Charles called pleading for money. He said he'd try to quit, promised to stick with AA this time, but Luke had cut him off, told his father not to contact him again. Once a "brilliant musician," (2) who "bled his heart through [his] saxophone" (159), the old man had disintegrated into a drunken, musical failure, saddled with debt and heartbreak. He communicates with his son for one reason only: money. Now, the older man is missing, possibly dead. Luke can't quite convince himself not to care, so he heads out to New Orleans.

In the ravaged, desperate city Luke finds a refuge in Verses, the bar where Charles played saxophone to pay the rent. The Verses family - including Charles' fiancee, his musician buddies, and a pretty Tulane student - describe a Charles Luke never knew. Is it possible the old man really changed his ways? Luke ponders the question as he sifts through Katrina's detritus to find his father. Is Charles alive or dead? Will Luke get a chance to reconcile with his old man? Does he even want to? As Luke grapples with his emotions, the most compelling question emerges - Who, really, is lost, and who, truly, needs to be found? In a crumbling city, Luke must launch a desperate search to find the answers - for his father and for himself.

The kind of sentimentality that ruins Christmas Jars exists here, but it's balanced by a gritty backdrop and the raw emotion devastation usually inspires. The story's ultimately hopeful, but also painfully realistic. I found the main characters likeable (although Luke was a little cold for me), even though they could have been fleshed out more. Too many minor characters overwhelm the reader, stealing focus from the major players. I also think Wright verges on preachy when he tries to make certain points - like the fact that not all of Katrina's victims were poor and uneducated - and this also distracts from the story. Wright does deserves kudos for an unexpected, (although still somewhat predictable) ending, which made me cry despite some cheesy overtones.

All in all, though, I found Recovering Charles a compelling and inspirational read. It's a much better effort than Christmas Jars, probably because it actually required effort. Since I'm nothing if not forgiving, I even put Wright's The Wednesday Letters back on my TBR list. I'm hoping for another pleasant surprise.

Grade: B

I hope you are all stuffed to the gills, and enjoying some after-Thanksgiving relaxation. If you're anything like me, you're ready to sleep off all the food. Before I head to bed, though, I thought you all might want to know about the extra-special blessing I got for the holiday - the baby girl we've been planning to adopt was born on Tuesday night! We were a little shocked, since she's not due for another 3 weeks, but she's beautiful and healthy. She weighs 6 lbs. 7 oz. and is 20 inches long. Because this will be a closed adoption, I can't give you too many specifics, and I feel like I shouldn't post pictures here, but I wanted to tell you all my good news.

I will be out of town until next week, so I won't be posting any reviews. I'll be reading, of course, and will post when I can. Thanks for your patience :)

This year, I am especially thankful for all of my friends (online and off), my family and the many, many blessings I receive from God. I truly don't deserve a life this good!

If you're dying to get a glimpse of the Virgin River magic without signing on for the whole tour, then A Virgin River Christmas is the book for you. Of course, you will be depriving yourself if you don't begin at the beginning, but this one works well as a standalone. If you have read the first 3 books, you will be happy to know that plenty of VR folk make an appearance in this novel, but they stay mostly in the background. The starring roles belong to Marcie Sullivan, a stubborn redhead, and the equally bullheaded Ian Buchanan.

When the story opens, Marcie is on a mission: She's determined to find the Marine who saved her husband's life in Fallujah. To other people, it probably didn't look like much of a life - Bobby lived in a vegetative state for more than three years - but Marcie thanked God for every extra minute she got to have with her high school sweetheart. Now, that Bobby's dead, Marcie wants to find Ian Buchanan, the hero who saved her husband. She knows only that he lives somewhere in the mountains of Northern California. Maybe it's one of those needle-in-the-haystack kind of things, but Marcie knows she can't move forward until she finds Ian. She has things she needs to give him, questions she needs to ask. Her family thinks she's crazy, and maybe she is, but Marcie has to find Ian, has to know why a man Bobby so admired would abandon her husband when he most needed attention.

Marcie's search turns up very little, until she hits the small town of Virgin River. The folks at Jack's Bar don't recognize Ian's picture, but recommend that she search out some of the remote cabins in the woods. Lo and behold, she finds a mountain man who vaguely resembles the Marine in her picture. Despite a grizzly reception, Marcie refuses to leave the property until Ian speaks with her. Camping out in her car has taken a toll on the feisty redhead, and she soon falls ill enough that the crusty Marine has no choice but to take pity on her. As he nurses Marcie back to health, the two form a tentative friendship, one that rides on never discussing the war. Can Marcie get through to Ian, or will he kick her out before she's able to say her piece? Why did Ian hide away in the mountains, avoiding his ill friend? Can Marcie penetrate Ian's hard-as-flint exterior, and find the hero Bobby worshipped? Or is that man gone forever? Will Marcie find what she's looking for, finally enabling her to move on with her life?

If you've read any Robyn Carr, you probably already know how the story will end. I won't spoil it for you, just in case, but it's definitely predictable. The funny thing is, with these books, I really don't mind. Who cares if I know what's going to happen, I just want to spend the time enjoying my good ole' Virgin River friends, you know? So, anyway, A Virgin River Christmas is pretty standard Carr. I have to admit, this book is my least favorite in the series, probably because Jack doesn't have a starring role. Ian Buchanan did capture my interest - he's a complex, interesting character - but Marcie drove me absolutely nuts. So. Irritating. However, she differed from Carr's previous heroines in an important way - although she had suffered in her life, her troubles hadn't broken her, and she didn't come off as "damaged" somehow. She took her sorrows as they came, and let them mold her into a strong, determined woman. So, I liked that about her. Personality-wise, though, I wanted to strangle her. Despite that, I think A Virgin River Christmas is a sweet, hopeful novel that sets a nice mood for the holiday season. If it wasn't for that darn Marcie, I'd give it a solid A, but she kind of soured the book for me. Luckily for me, I just so happen to have a copy of Second Chance Pass nearby, and all the kids are sleeping soundly ... I just might need a little Jack to send me off to sleep with sweet dreams ...

Grade: B+