A New Leaf- Thomas Kinkade

I didn't like this book as much as the other books in the series.

A New Leaf focused mainly on Tucker Tulley's brother, Carl, who has recently come back to Cape Light. Not too many people are too happy to see him because long ago, he was accused of stealing from the Clam Box restuarant and was convicted and sent to prison for 15 years for committing manslaughter. A few things happen while Carl is in town, and of course everyone accuses Carl again (and as a result, Carl Leaves town), but it is eventually discovered that Carl is, in fact, NOT guilty. At the end of the book, Carl returns to Cape Light and it seems that he is here to stay.

Molly's Willoughby's ex-husband is also back. He surprises them by showing up at the apartment one day, and has been spending more time with Molly's daughters lately. Meanwhile, Molly is becoming friends with Matthew Harding, and things are quickly becoming serious for them, and they're falling in love with each other. Although, in the beginning they were each too stubborn to admit their feelings for each other. Molly is also starting her own catering company and has even found a plan to have her own shop. Her very first customer was Emily Warwick, who hired Molly to cater her engagement party. Can't wait to hear about Emily and Dan getting married.

I got tears to my eyes when I was reading the part when Gus died....luckily he was able to die peacefully in his home surrounded by his loved ones. I was also glad that Sophie stood up for herself and stayed on the orchard, despite everyone's opposing the idea.

I think I'm gonna take a little break from the Cape Light Series and move on to a couple other library books I have, and save the next books in the Cape Light Series (which are Christmas books) for when it gets a little closer to Christmas. That will kick off my plan for reading books with a Christmas/Winter theme in November and December.

Started 9/30/07

Finished 10/2/07 12:26am

A Gathering Place- Thomas Kinkade

I just laid down to start reading A Gathering Place and was reading the introduction from Thomas Kinkade and he says "In A Gathering Place you will see hard times for Lucy and Charlie Bates...moments of suffering and doubt for Reverend Ben...hard decisions to be faced by Emily Warwick and Dan Forbes...and the entire town will experience a sad and profound loss."

I usually wait until after I finish the book to write down my thoughts, but after reading that paragraph, I wanted to start this entry a little differently, with my predictions, then come back after I'm done reading and see how close I was in my predictions.

I think Lucy and Charlie Bates will continue to have problems in their marriage.....I'm not sure if Lucy will end up leaving him or not...I know she was considering it in the last book, so it is a possibility.

I think Reverend Ben's will be centered around his son, Mark. I predict that Mark will continue to stay in contact with them, but continue to let them down, as he already has.

I think that Emily and Dan will get into a relationship, but Emily wants to start a family, and based on the synopsis on the book cover, she isn't so sure that Dan will want to start all over again, so I think the decisions they will face will have to do with that.

And the profound loss that the entire town experiences will either be something happening to one of the town's landmarks- Possibly another storm. Or it could even be someone moving away or dying. My first thought was Lillian, but then I just realized there was talk in the last book about Gus Potter not doing too well.

I can't wait to start reading and find out what really happens.

UPDATE..........................................

I finished the book on 9/30/07 at 12:00am.

A lot happened in A Gathering Place

The book begins on Thanksgiving Day, the day that Digger went missing for the first time. Everyone goes out to search for him and it is Luke that ends up finding him. He has this feeling that Digger is there, and everyone else dismisses his feelings and goes on. Luke ends up being right. It is then that the doctors do some tests and discover that Digger has been having little strokes that have been causing forgetfullness, and as a result, he can't be allowed to leave the house on his own anymore. This causes a tough time for Digger and Grace. At one point Grace let him go to the store to get paint, and Digger thought he was supposed to go to work, so he ended up missing again, this time they found him at the cottages.

Sarah gets a job at The Messenger. She was really excited at first, but it's not as easy as she expected, but as time goes on, it gets better. And she even agrees that she's going to stay in Cape Light and keep her job.

Carolyn and Reverend Lewis still are dealing with Mark, which causes then a lot of tension and frustration Carolyn is on her way to the hospital to see Rachel, who has gone into labor, when she has a stroke while driving. She is then in a coma for a couple days. It is then when Mark finally decides to come home. Rachel has her baby, and despite some complications with the baby's position during labor, the baby is fine.

Elizabeth and Dan have their share of problems. Dan is too stubborn to admit his feelings for Emily. Since finding Sarah, Emily realizes that she's missing something in her life. She wants a second chance at life. She wants to get married and have a baby, so she can have a chance to raise a child. She's too afraid to confide in Dan because she thinks he's ready to rush off on his trip once his foot gets better. Dan is a little taken aback, but soon realizes he doesn't want to think about Emily being with anyone else.

Sarah and Luke have a similar problem. Both are too stubborn to admit their feelings for one another. Sarah is thinking that she won't be around for long and thinks that with everything else going on in her life, she can't deal with a relationship too...as strong as her feelings for Luke may be. Luke loves her, but is too stubborn to admit it, instead he gets jealous when he sees Sarah with Wyatt. He ends up leaving Cape Light for a new job, because he figures Sarah will be leaving soon anyway. He ends up coming back though, because he realizes how strong he was. Luckily for him, Sarah is not leaving either.

SOOO.....my predictions and whether I was right or not...

Lucy did end up leaving Charlie and taking her boys to her Mother's house for awhile....I think Charlie learned a big lesson, and agreed to seek counseling and learn to control his temper. At the end of the book, Lucy did go back to him. I'll be interested to hear more about this in the next book.

And my predictions about Reverend Lewis and his family were mostly true. Mark did continue to let them down. I thought it was pretty callous of him to accept the offer for the plane tickets and then not come...I can understand how Carolyn felt, although I don't really agree with the way Reverend Lewis handled it when he and Mark finally did come face to face at the hospital. I was surprised to hear about Carolyn and her strokes. I sure wasn't expecting that. And I was especially happy that she survived and was able to meet her grandson. I'm hoping that she and Mark can sit down and have a talk and come to terms with each other. I hope for Carolyn's sake, Mark continues to keep in touch with them.

Emily and Dan's situation didn't really surprise me. I was right, for the most part. I think Dan was too stubborn to realize his feelings. But, in my heart, I knew he wouldn't end up going on the trip anyway. I'm so happy for Emily that she's finally getting a second chance. I hope she and Sarah can also become closer than they already are. I think I'm even starting to see a softer side of Lillian too. Maybe it is just me. I was surprised that she came to Jessica and Sam's on Christmas Eve. I thought for sure she wouldn't. The fact that she did says a lot. And I was very touched when she gave Sarah that photo album for Christmas. Back to Emily and Dan, I predict that in the next book, they'll get married. I would also like to see her get pregnant. I could see them adopting too. Maybe J essica and Sam could have a baby at the same time, so they'd have cousins the same age.

Aside from those things though, I really didn't see what great loss the company suffered. At times, I thought Reverend Lewis was going to leave the ministry, or that Digger and/or Carolyn were going to die. I also predicted that Dan would sell the Messenger, the community's newspaper. But I'm not sure what loss there was.

I loved Lindsey...I was so happy when Dan came to his senses and gave her the paper. It was obvious from the beginning that Wyatt wanted nothing to do with it. Why didn't Dan ever think of offering Lindsey the paper? I think that really hurt her? I didn't really like Wyatt and felt that Jessica was much better with Luke than with him. I think Luke's jealousy was a definite sign that he was in love with Jessica no matter what he said.

I didn't really like Molly...she seems really hard-tongued and hard to get along with....she seems like one of those people where you never know where you stand with them.

I didn't really like Sarah's adoptive parents. They seemed really selfish and they didn't realize how hard this was for Sarah. I was glad that Sarah stood her ground and decided to stay in Cape Light.

So my predictions for A New Leaf would be a couple weddings in the future: Emily and Dan, and Jessica and Luke. Not sure who will make it to the altar first.

Started 9/26/07
finished 9/30/07 12:00 am


Moving on to: A New Leaf

Home Song- Thomas Kinkade

I have so many books I want to read NOW, yet there's something about this series that has me absolutely HOOKED!!! Home Song centered mostly around the upcoming election and the race between Emily Warwick and Charlie Bates to see who would actually win the election.....I was really not sure who would end up winning, though I really hoped it would be Emily. I didn't really like Charlie...he was too hot-headed...A male chauvinist, you might say. Lucy was so sweet, I don't know what she was doing with a husband like him. Another big thing that happened, right before the election, in fact, was that Sarah finally revealed that Emily was her birthmother. I'm sure that had to be hard to do. Jessica finally put her feelings about her mom aside, and agreed to marry Sam, which I was glad to see. I don't think anyone could ever be good enough in Lillian's eyes. And then there was Luke McAllister and his project New Horizons, a project that works with at-risk kids, and gives them a chance to get to a more rural community and get a new outlook on life and also gain some skills that they might not otherwise be able to be exposed to. This idea was met with a lot of opposition, but eventually people started changing their minds.

Things I noticed:

It seems like Molly Willougby has definitely warmed up to Jessica. She acted so coldly toward her in the first book.

Like I said, I really didn't care for Charlie. I thought Lucy was sweet though.

I knew right off the bat that Elixabeth and Dan has feelings for each other. I think they should get together.

I also want Sarah to STAY in Cape Light and get together with Luke.

A few more things I look forward to finding out in A Gathering Place:

I'm looking forward to seeing how Jessica and Sam adjust to married life. I want to see them start a family.

I want to know what happens to Lillian. I hope she comes to her senses and reaches out to her girls and her grandaughter.

Again, I'm interested to see what happens with Sarah. Will she decide to stay in Cape Light or move back to Maryland? How will her relationship with Emily change? How will her relationship with Lilliann change?

I'm interested to see what happens with the Reverend and his family...will Mark ever come back and visit Cape Cod? Will Rachel and her baby be ok?

I want to know what happens to Charlie and Lucy Bates. Lucy mentions that she wants to either go to marriage counseling, or talk to Reverend Lewis....will Charlie agree to go? Will they end up divorcing?

Dan's Son Wyatt- He's new in town....I'm looking forward to hearing more about him and what he does?

I can't wait to hear how the New Horizons project turns out. Will peoples' opinions of that program soften or will they remain the same?

What are some things that will kick off Emily's second term as Mayor? Will she get in a relationship with Dan? How will that progress?

Based on the cover artwork, and the title of this book A Gathering Place, it seems like a lot of the stories will be centered around things that happen in or around the church. The 4th book in the series, A New Leaf, seems like it will be more about change.

I picked up both books at the library today and the librarian commented what a great series this was. She also noticed the Debbie Macomber book I was holding and mentioned she had just read her first book by Debbie Macomber. I told her how Debbie was my favorite author and that I was lucky enough to meet her this past June.

Started Home Song : 9/22/07

finished: 9/26/07

Now, moving on to A Gathering Place

Cape Light- Thomas Kinkade

This book is set in present day in Cape Light, Massachusetts, just an hour north of Boston.

I'm gonna do what Debbie Macomber Always does at the beginning of her Cedar Cove Books

Warwick Family- well-known family, involved in scandal in the past.

Emily-Current Mayor of Cape Light. Has been married for last 2 years. 41 years old. Currently not married and has no children. Emily was previously married; her husband was killed in accident. Emily was Pregnant at the time, but was forced to put the baby up for Adoption.

Jessica- Emily's sister, 32 years old, came to Cape Light just for the summer to help their mom, who recently had a stroke, but ends up staying, despite her job offer back in Boston. Works at the bank. Before she moved to Cape Light, she was seeing Paul Copperfield, and that relationship seemed like it had potential, until he had to go She ends up getting engaged to Sam Morgan.

Lillian- Mother of Jessica and Emily. Wife of Oliver . Recently suffered a stroke.

Betty Bowman- town realtor

Charlie and Lucy Bates- Have a 5 year old son, Charlie Jr., and own The Clam Box Restaurant, a very popular spot in Cape Light, by threatened by the beanery, a new coffee shop. Charlie also plans to run for Mayor in the upcoming election. Lucy decides she wants to return to college and take nursing classes. Charlie is opposed to the idea at first, but eventually changes his mind.

Sophie and Gus Potter- well known for their annual Barbeque, held every Memorial Day, and Pick-your-own Peach Orchard. Sophie was also notorious for her cooking.

Reverend Ben and Carolyn Lewis- Ben is the Reverend at Cape Light Bible Community Church.They have two children Rachel and Mark. Mark has been at odds with his parents, but toward but ends up trying to improve his relationship with them. Rachel has just announced that she is expecting her first child. Carolyn also teaches piano lessons.

Harry Reilly- friend of Reverend Lewis. Works at the boatyard. Ends up giving Digger Hegman a job, since he always seemed to end up there anyway.

Digger has a Daughter named Grace who owns The Bramble, an antique shop. Grace had a daughter named Julie who was killed in an accident 5 years ago.

Dan Forbes- Owns and runs the local newspaper, The Cape Light Messenger, which was first published by his great-grandfather.

Felicity and Johnathan Bean- Owners of the newest restaurant in Cape Light, The Beanery, a coffee shop, located right next door to the Clam Box, much to Charlie Bates' Dismay.

Tucket Tulley- Senior Officer in the town's police force, and also Charlie Yates' best friend.

The Morgan Family-

Joe Morgan- Married to Marie. Father of Sam and Molly, as well as 2 more sons and 2 more daughters. Plays the Banjo. Ancestors were among the town founders.

Molly Willoughby- Divorced, mother of 13 year old Lauren, and Jill . Lauren takes piano lessons from Carolyn Lewis.

Sam Morgan- eventually starts seeing Jessica Warwick and asks her to marry him. Helps Molly with her kids a lot.


My favorite character was Lillian....She was such a crack up and very entertaining to read about. I didn't really care for Grace.....she was too uptight. I was glad that she finally changed her mind about the Piano and let someone enjoy it instead of letting it sit and collect dust. It was her daughter's piano, but letting someone play the piano would be like honoring her memory, in my opinion. Charlie Bates was another firecracker. He was pretty entertaining too. And as far as Jessica is concerned- I never liked Paul, I thought she could do way better....I know that she and Sam would end up together right from the start. I can't wait to hear more of their story in the next books. I wish Emily could find someone to love. She seemed lonely at times. I can't wait until Sarah finally tells Sarah who she really is. Thats a story I'm anxious to hear more about.

I heard a lot of mixed reviews on these books, but I really enjoyed it and definitely plan to read the other books in the series. I also think that Jan Karon's Mitford similar to the Cape Light Series, and after reading this book, I want to check those out as well.

What I'm looking forward to finding out in Home Song:

I want to hear more about Sam and Jessica.

I want to hear the results of the upcoming election.

I'm eager to hear what happens with Mark Lewis and whether he returns to Cape Light and what happens between him and his parents. I'm also interested to hear what happens as Rachel's pregnancy progresses.

I want to hear about Lucy Bates returning to school.

Started: 9/16/07
finished: 9/20/07

Up Next: We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Cage of Stars by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Cage of stars was about a Mormon family whose 2 daughters, Ruthie and Rebecca, were murdered by this guy, Scott Early, who was said to be Schizophrenic. That's basically how the book starts out. It goes into great detail about how the family deals with it....Everyone has different ways of coping....they have an older daughter, Ronnie, who was 13 at the time, and she kind of gets "forgotten" about at times, and shortly after the girls are murdered, Mom gives birth to a baby boy. She is so caught up in her sadness that she really doesn't pay much attention to the baby boy. Dad's' way of coping is by walking around and thinking...The judge didn't order rule capital punishment, or even a prison sentence; Instead he ordered Scott to be placed in the custody of the maximum security facility for the criminally mentally ill for a period of no less than 3 years and no more than 7 years. He ends up spending 3 years and 11 months. He is married, and he and his wife end up having a baby girl toward the end of the book.



This book is set in Utah, and it's set in the current day.



Eventually, Mom and Dad find it in themselves to forgive Scott for what he has done, and even go see him and his wife. Forgiving them really helps them feel free. Unfortunately, Ronnie does not feel the same way. She eventually moves to San Diego and manages to track Scott and his family down, and becomes the nanny for their baby girl. She gives them a false identity and changes her appearance so they won't be able to figure out who she is. Her parents also do not know she is doing this. They think she is in San Diego going to school to become an Emergency Medical Technician.



She contemplates kidnapping the baby to save the baby from any harm that Scott could do her. She actually starts to do this one weekend, while Scott's wife is away. But in the end, she changes her mind and brings the baby back to scott, who is trying to commit suicide, but Ronnie is able to save his life. Quite Ironic that she wanted him to be killed, but ended up saving his life.

Ronnie ends up moving back to Utah and ends up marrying Miko, and they have a daughter. She coincidentally runs into Scott and family in an emergency room during her internship, several years later, when the baby girl is 9.



I didn't really have an opinion of each character like I have in other books I've read. This was really a different type of book than what I normally read. My thoughts and opinions are more centered around the events that happened and the outcome.



I can only imagine the guilt that Ronnie must've felt when the girls were murdered. She was babysitting at the time and they were playing hide and seek. It was when Ronnie was hiding that the girls were murdered. I can also understand how she didn't want her baby brother to be a sister, because she worried that she wouldn't be able to love them. Her love for her baby brother Raf, and later her baby brother Thor was quite obvious, just as her love for her sisters were. I can understand why she wanted scott to be punished.....I agreed with her opinion, and thought he should've been sentenced the death penalty, even though he "didn't know" what he was doing. The whole time I was reading, I thought she wanted to move to San Diego so she could kill him. I didn't expect what actually happened. I'm also glad she was able to finally move on with her life and settle down, pursue a career that she loved and start her family.



For Mom, I think the turning point was when she planned that huge surprise party for Ronnie. It was her way of acknowledging that Ronnie had been neglected all those years and that she needed to move on with her life. She also didn't really seem that interested in Raf when he was born. I was also surprised when she got pregnant again.



It was interesting reading about all of their friends and acquantances and seeing the relationships they all had with each other. They seemed to live in a very close and tight-knit community...not like the typical city where you might only know a neighbor or two.



I enjoyed the book, but it was definitely different than the types of books I normally read. I'm ready to get back into those fluffy romance novels.



STARTED 9/11/07

FINISHED 9/15/07



Up next Cape Light by Thomas Kinkade

Homecoming Season by Susan Wiggs (part of More than Words 3)

Since I recenty started reading the Lakeside Chronicles series by Susan Wiggs and enjoyed it so much, I went to Susan Wiggs' website and was looking at the message board. One of the threads was all about the Lakeside Chronicles series, and there was a list of books in the series. Come to find out, there's a Novella thats also part of the lakeside Chronicles series in the More than Words 3 Anthology. Of course, none of the libraries in my area had this book, and none of the used bookstores had it either, so I had to buy it.

A little background on the More Than Words series......There's a letter from the publisher in the front of the book and it talks about the More Than Words series....it says that More than Words is dedicated to celebrating and rewarding ordinary women who make extraordinary contributions to their communities. Each year, women are nominated for the Harlequin More Than Words Award, and 5 women are selected.

I'm still reading my other book Cage of Stars, so I only wanted to read Homecoming Season for now, and come back and finish the rest later. I thought it might help me to not forget the characters in the series. However, that book can actually be read at any other...though Chronicly it would fit in right between Summer At Willow Lake and Winter Lodge, which is the order I read it in.

Homecoming season was only about 100 pages long, so short that I was able to finish it all in one sitting. And also so short that it was kind of hard to form an opinion of the characters, and decide whether I liked them or not. For a short Story, it was very well written, and ended in a good spot, though I do hope that they will be mentioned in the books I have yet to read.

Before the story actually starts, there are a few pages that talk about a lady who opened this wonderful place called Cottage dreams, which is a place where Cancer Survivors can go to spend some time and kind of move on with their lives. I read that the organization provides, at no cost, an opportunity to move on to emotional, spiritual, and physical recovery. So far, this program is only in Ontario, but they do hope to expand it to be nationwide by 2010. They have already helped many families get through everything and it has been a huge success. They did list a website...www.cottagedreams.org.

The reason why I mentioned this first was because this seemed like such an awesome place, and I do plan to check out that website. It also directly relates to Homecoming season....

Homecoming season is about the Sweeney Family. Miranda Sweeney, and her husband Jacob, and their two kids Andrew, who is 10, and Valerie, who is 15. Miranda was diagnosed with breast cancer and has just finished all her treatment, and everything went very well. The treatment was very successful. However, As a result of her being sick, other priorities kind of got pushed a side, and now Miranda wants to put everything back together. Her husband, works for a beverage sales company to large grocery chains, pretty much hid behind his work, and doesn't seem to think about much else these days. Her son Andrew, found this computer game that lets you make your own town....it was one thing that allowed him to be in control and not have to deal with so much. Miranda's daughter Valerie pushed her friends away and got a job T at the theater, and as a result, began hanging out with a different crowd. Miranda recognizes how her cancer has affected her whole family, and wants to help bring everyone back together. Her best friend, Sophie Bellamy-who is Greg Bellamy's ex-wife, and Daisy and Max's mom- suggests the family goes to Willow Lake for a week and the Bellamy family extends the invitation to stay at their recently renovated cottage at Camp Kioga. Miranda thinks this is exactly what they need, and works hard to persuade her family to agree to this. It takes a lot of persuasion, and despite everyone's hesitation, they go. Since there's no computer, no phone, and no cell-phone signal, they all have a chance to have fun as a family and become close again. Miranda is able to have talks with each of them and is able to get through to them. And things slowly start getting better, and getting back to the way they were. It is after this week that Miranda realizes that they're all going to be fine.

Some significant things that happen in this story include......

Andrew: He has recently lost his beloved dog Gretel, and was too upset to want another dog. He spends all his time wrapped up in the computer game. After coming back from Willow Lake, they do eventually get a new dog- a shepherd Mix, and they name her Kioga, in honor of Camp Kioga. He ends up spending all his time taking care of his their new dog, that he soon forgets about the computer game.

Valerie: She turns away from all her friends and doesn't want to go to homecoming. She was supposed to go to homecoming last year, but that ended up being the day her mom had her mastectomy. She she has bitter memories of homecoming season. But then she ends up going to the homecoming dance with Peter "The Boy Next Door" and who also happens to be her crush.

Miranda is eager to get back to the things she used to enjoy doing, gardening being one them. She also went parasailing right after she left the Dr.'s office because she wanted to have a thrill-seeking adventure (I have gone parasailing before myself- it really is an amazing experience). She also decides she doesn't want to go back to her job when she returns to work- instead she wants to become partners with her other best friend, Lucy, and open a flower shop.

Jacob didn't want to go to Camp Kioga at first, thinking they couldn't afford it, and that he didn't want to miss too much work. While at the cottage, he realized how lucky he was and how much he loved his life.

on page 117....

"Maybe so, but you asked about my dream. And that's always been you, Miranda. You and the kids. This family. Us. And that's why I'm so happy to have our life on any terms. All the rest- the work, the traffic, the bills- it's nothing but details. That's what being at this cottage has reminded me. I'm going back to the same old thing, but I'm different. I'm glad I had a chance to remember the things that are important to me."

I will end this with a qoute I found in the book. "You can't have today back so make sure you spend it the best possible way". This is very true...you never know what tomorrow will bring, so don't put something off that you might regret not doing later.


Started 9/12/07
finished 9/12/07 about an hour or so later

still reading Cage of Stars by Jacquelyn Mitchard....and will continue.

Question of the Day

If you could spend a day with a character from a book, who would it be
and why? What would you talk about?

My first thought was that I'd want to spend the day with Olivia Lockhart Griffin from Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Series because she seems very interesting. I would want her to fill me in on the Gossip of Cedar Cove, and tell me more about her job (she's a Family Court Judge). I would also want her to introduce me to everyone in Cedar Cove.

Other people I would like to spend the day with include Cecilia Randall also from Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Series, Daisy from Susan Wiggs Lakeside Chronicles series, because she's close to my age and I could relate to her.