Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery

Quite often when reading a novel that indicates a particular setting, I will "google" it to see if this truly exists at some point in time, and much to my surprise it really enhances my ability to picture it all in my mind as I am reading the novel. Such is the case in Jenny Colgan's latest novel, Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery. Jenny Colgan is becoming a favorite author of mine based on her magical ability to weave such beautiful poetry with her words that it isn't hard to imagine it all playing out perfectly in our mind as if watching a movie that no one else can see but me. In this case, the setting takes place in a little known secret place in Cornwall, St. Michael's Mount. It involves our main characters, Polly Little, owner and proprietor of the Polly's Little Beach Street Bakery, her fiancè Huckle, and a puffin she has been rehabilitating since he was a puffling, that refuses to leave and find its own way in the world. Polly has purchased an old lighthouse because, I mean who wouldn't want to live in a lighthouse? How romantic right? But this one is a bit on the drafty side and in need of much repairs.

While Polly and Huckle struggle to move their relationship to the next level and actually marry, both are content to leave things the way they are, living together until they can both completely commit to marriage without any reservations and it doesn't help much that those around her, have less than appealing marriages to inspire them to jump into the pool. Their lighthouse is located on a remote island coastal village of Mount Polbearne, a lovely Cornish place where locals are content with the way things are with the rise of the tides twice a day that covers the only way into Mount Polbearne every day, leaving it truly isolated.

When an unexpected storm comes in, it will leave the village completely at the mercy of the town's inhabitants and perhaps maybe, Christmas cheer will be found in those that can band together in to ensure that everyone can still have a Merry Christmas. Even if that means being away from those they love in order to realize their true feeling for one another.

I received Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan compliments of William Morrow, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers. This is such a heartwarming novel that romantics will absolutely adore. Not only do you have the most ideal setting, toss in the Christmas season and an unexpected storm and you have the ingredients for an unforgettable novel. I have had the opportunity to read several of Jenny's novel and now I need to ensure that I collect them all and then reread them all over again. I can just picture sitting in a coastal beach house, the fire is roaring while a storm rages outside and you can lose yourself in this story like I have in a winter's evening. I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars and make sure you grab a cup of hot cocoa or tea before picking this book up.
 

Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan

You can find Jenny Colgan on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery, please visit Harper Collins Publisher's website. 

The Bookshop on the Corner

What would you do if the very job you loved doing were suddenly eliminated? Add into that the possibility that any future openings in the line of work was slim at best and you are one of a hundreds applying for one of two openings? How would you decide what direction you would pursue knowing you had bills to pay, not to mention rent to your roommate? Would you simply walk away from the life you knew to pursue a dream you've always had, despite how ridiculous it sounds to everyone else?

That is just the questions running nilly-willy through Nina Redmond's head when her job at the local library in England is eliminated in an effort to downsize and reduce costs. Now all the other employees are also in the same boat and there is only two positions available for more than a couple hundred people applying and on top of that they are looking for someone young who can multi-task and deal in a variety of tasks in this new multi-functional job position. While Nina definitely has the passion and true love of everything to do with books, she doesn't believe this is the job for her. She envisions a job where she matches the perfect book with a reader and running her own business. But just what can someone do to make that happen. If she doesn't figure something out soon, her roommate, Surinder is about to kick her out of the building they share due to the overstock of books she has recently acquired over her time living there.

So she does what any good natured book lover does, she answers an ad for a old van she hopes to renovate into a mobile bookstore and take it around England in hopes of creating her dream job. Only problem is that the van is located in Scotland and despite all her best intentions, she can obtain any of the permits necessary in England to make this happen. So she packs up what she can in her small car and heads to Scotland to start over again despite all the best intentions of her friends well meaning advice.

I received The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. Being a huge book lover, I was immediately drawn to this book as I could envision doing this myself in some degrees. I love Nina's adventurous spirit to leave it all behind and begin a new future for her in Scotland. The authors insight and descriptions of a small farming town is just perfect for a virtual escape and I love how Nina can pick out just the right book for any reader or non readers in some cases. Any book lover will appreciate this book and I believe it garners a 4 out of 5 stars in my opinion. This is my first time reading any of Jenny Colgan's novels but will be checking out the others she gives readers a sneak peek at in the conclusion of this novel.

For more information about The Bookshop on the Corner, Jenny Colgan or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan

You can find Jenny Colgan on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

For more reviews on The Bookshop on the Corner, please visit William Morrow's website.