I’m a bit late with this week’s bulletin as I’ve had a busy weekend and haven’t had much time to sit down at the computer. Yesterday I went in to work for a few hours to run our knit and crochet group then I went shopping and out to dinner with a friend. Today I spent at my parents’ house as we celebrated a couple of December birthdays. I now have a niece and a nephew who are 18 (cousins) – how in the world did that happen?

I haven’t been much in the Christmas spirit so far this year. I’m not taking my usual enjoyment from listening to holiday music, I haven’t decorated (except for a wreath on my front door) and I haven’t yet watched any of my favorite Christmas films. I’m not sure why this year is feeling so different to me, but I’m just not that excited about the holiday. Attempting to remedy this malaise I drove through a ritzy neighborhood on the way back from my parents’ house tonight to look at the extravagant Christmas lights shining from every house. It did make me feel a tinge of that old magic so maybe it is just all about keeping up with traditions. How do you get in the Christmas spirit and have you ever felt like a Scrooge?

Books finished this week:

We Were Liars by E Lockhart – I would say that this book was the most talked about, popular and most frequently checked out YA book of 2014. I meant to read it back when it came out , but wasn’t really in the mood to read YA much this year. This week I needed something quick and attention grabbing so I placed a hold on it and was delighted when it came in sooner than I expected. As the book begins we learn about a group of cousins and one friend who call themselves the ‘Liars’. Every year they meet on Beechwood, a private island where the extended Sinclair family spend every summer. During their fifteenth year on the island something happens that destroys their friendship forever. Told from the viewpoint of Cadence, one of the cousins, we are left in suspense as Cadence tries to piece together the details of that fateful summer from a memory that is damaged by a head injury. I figured out what had happened pretty early on in the novel so for me the enjoyment was observing how the author structured the book to prolong the suspense and mystery. I wasn’t as enamored of the outcome as some have been, but I thought it was a decent YA novel and I can definitely see why it was so talked about.

Have a fantastic week!