Love in Three-Quarter Time, Rachel McMillan - Christmasy light romance by an author I've gotten to know a little on Facebook because we have several mutual friends. It's very difficult to pull off relationship development in a novella-length story, which is one reason I don't read many novellas. I really prefer lots of slow-burn. However, McMillan manages it better than most. The setup to the story is a little contrived but you have to hand-wave the lack of believeability in the main character's being invited to travel to Vienna out of the blue by her work crush. I'm willing to give it a pass to get to the meat of the story. The meeting of the heroine with a new interest is well managed and the middle of the novella gives a lot of understandable introspection as she compares the two men and how they represent conflicting desires about the way she wants to live her life. The denouement is just a little too rushed, but that too is common in a novella. My other critique is that in a story of this length, there were just a few too many pop-cultural and literary references crammed in. I think it would have read more tightly if Evelyn explores her Vienna experience with Villette comparisons repeated, rather than Villette AND Little Women AND Love Actually because the focus then gets diluted. Overall, a charming and enticing little story with a surprising amount of character well-roundedness for its length. [3/5 stars]
A Midwife in Amish Country: Celebrating God's Gift of Life, Kim Woodard Osterholzer - Another book by an author I know! This memoir was written by my own midwife for Lena's birth. I already knew her to be an extraordinary and vivid woman who sees life in beautiful ways. And because I follow her blog, I already knew she could write poetically. And I do love reading about birth, those stunning moments of first breath and transformation for a family. But in this first book I was actually caught by surprise in finding myself personally inspired on a deeper level than I expected. Not merely reading about a topic I find interesting written by an author I know. Kim's honesty about her deep personal struggles to follow her calling as she undertakes an apprenticeship in midwifery spoke to me as I too am a woman following a calling and struggling to balance life, faith, family, and my inner passion. Her portraits of the families she serves are true and funny and vivid, and also compassionate. Of course I'm familiar with the landscapes she describes so lushly but I think her word paintings would communicate well to anyone.
My only critiques would be that initially I found it a little difficult to navigate the multiple flashbacks at the beginning of the narration, and there are some sections of the book in the second half that feel a little rushed. But once Kim's storytelling starts rolling I was totally immersed. [4.5/5]
Attachments, Rainbow Rowell (REREAD) - Comfort reading. I don't know if this novel has quite the depth of some of her later work but it's really delightful all the same. My reaction was much the same as the first time I read it, i.e. that the ending feels a little sudden in comparison to the rich, indulgent development of detail through much of the novel. [4/5]
A Study in Charlotte, Brittany Cavallaro - I picked this up because
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
hestergray just talked about a later book in the series and it sounded interesting. This first installment introduces descendants of the original Holmes and Watson, who are students at a private boarding high school in New England. At first wary of each other, circumstances (okay yes, a murder) draw them together and they form an uneasy friendship. The characterization is well done in this novel, which carries it although the plotting becomes increasingly farfetched. [3.5/5]
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
