Review: A Christmas Wish by Betty Neels

 Yes, I'm still reading works by Betty Neels.  I bought a few special releases during the past few years where Harlequin had been offering two stories in one edition.  I don't know if the company continued to do so for Betty Neels' novels throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, but I have noticed that there have been special editions of Love Inspired Historical novels when I get a chance to slink out of my home to go to the local Walmart.  

Anyways, A Christmas Wish was published along with A Winter Love Story in a Special Release by Harlequin in 2019.  This review covers only A Christmas Wish, as I haven't started reading A Winter Love Story yet.

Every time I've written a review of a Betty Neels romance, I end up repeating a lot of things as her writing tends to be formulaic.

I'm tempted to write this review using a template that appears as such:

Protagonists:  

Heroine:  Olivia Harding: Jill-of-All-Trades, extremely capable twenty-seven year old woman with a "splendid shape," who lives with an overbearing grandmother and a meek mother.  She has no special training or skills, making it difficult to find work after she is let go from her job as a hospital records clerk, even though she is a hard working, and superior employee.   

Hero:  Haso van der Eisler:  Older, rich, handsome, blond, Dutch, 36 year old medical specialist, whose eye is caught by Olivia.  In the shocker of shockers...he actually remembers her from their first meeting, unlike many other Betty Neels' heroes.  God-father to Nel, the daughter of his best friend, Rob, who is no longer alive.  Does not show emotions clearly, and is sufficiently vague enough so that the heroine doesn't know that she is the object of his affections.

Plot:  The good doctor tries to find Olivia a position when her hospital clerical job becomes redundant, eventually finding her a job at a girl's school where Nel attends.  Olivia falls in love with said doctor, wondering if she has a chance with him, as it seems that everyone else is expecting for the doctor and Nel's mother to marry.  

Antagonist of note:

Rita:  Nel's mother who is not much of a mother.  Gold-digger who is looking for a second husband who will support the lifestyle that she is accustomed to.  

Secondary character of note:

Nel:  The god-daughter who brings Olivia and Haso together...like, about 95% of the time. 

Stuff that this novel also has:

Loser ex-boyfriend who tosses heroine over for a less attractive woman who has better connections.  The heroine even attends his wedding!

Evil, social climbing maternal grandmother who constantly puts Olivia down for absolutely everything, because Olivia is a reminder of the son-in-law that Grams never wanted.

Heroine gets soundly kissed, but still thinks that she's not in a relationship with the hero, and that he's not interested in her romantically.

Heroine's hair gets unpinned and tumbles down!

So...did I like this novel?  

Yes...I did.  Really.  And it's because this time around in Betty Neels-land, I actually respected the hero, Haso.  Yeah, he did respond "silkily" to the heroine once when she snarked at him about being a know-it-all over what she should do about her ex's invitation to his wedding.  (I hate it when BN's heroes say things silkily, because I hate The Condescension!  I despise The Impudence! I abhor The Nastiness!  I hate it when the hero Cuts-the-Heroine-Down-to-Put-Her-in-Her-Place in this way.  Yup.  My hackles go up when I see the hero say something silkily.)

But I'm getting off topic.  

Haso won me over.  He seems to be a genuinely nice man, polite, and wants to hide the fact that he's Olivia benefactor in landing her new job at Nel's school.  He's observant, shows how much he cares about people, and takes his job as Nel's god-father very seriously.  

I also felt that he tried to communicate his interest to Olivia, and to clarify his feelings for her when he noticed that she didn't understand.  This time, I think the blame lies with Olivia for not being able to read Haso and his intentions clearly.

I liked Haso...even though he still was a bit bossy.  

So, yeah...there are a lot of static characters...dare I say... caricatures and stereotypes in this novel...but because I liked the hero more than usual, I enjoyed this book.  

Review: Vogue Knitting Magazine, Winter 2020/21

This issue was supposedly released on December 29th, 2020, but I was not able to get a copy until yesterday.  It is an interesting issue, given the changes that have been happening with Vogue Knitting Magazine.  Norah Gaughan is now the Editor-in-Chief, and I have heard that the magazine is now reducing the number of published issues to two a year. 

There is a marked effort to make the magazine more inclusive, with respect to the models who are wearing the samples, and the range in sizing that is now available in the patterns.  However, Vogue Knitting Magazine doesn't look like Vogue Knitting Magazine anymore.  It looks like an issue of Interweave Knits, which is also a great knitting magazine.  

I do not want to complain.  I want Vogue Knitting and Interweave Knits to survive Covid-19, and to keep publishing, but this last issue of Vogue Knitting appears to be so much like its competitor, that I wonder if they could be fighting for the same readership.  

I have been collecting VK issues since 2008, and I have found past issues to follow a high fashion/haute couture/designer/glitzy editorial look, as opposed to the more casual, relaxed, natural atmosphere that permeates IK issues.  The Winter 2020/21 issue of Vogue Knitting resembles an issue of Interweave Knits except for the ads promoting patterns that had been published in previous issues of VK.  The difference could be how the models are styled in previous issues as compared to this latest issue, with respect to make up, hair, and coordinating clothes.  

It would be interesting to see what direction Vogue Knitting will take for future issues.  

Review: Oath of Honor by Lynette Eason

I didn't read this book. I actually listened to the audiobook version of it.  It was a fully developed mystery suspense novel. To me, taking in the content of this book was kind of like experiencing a Julie Klassen novel...except that the genre was suspense, instead of historical romance. There were a lot of ups and downs, and twists and turns. I can now say that I now know two Christian fiction authors who can take you for a long and eventful ride through Plotland.

Oath of Honor is the first book of the Blue Justice series. The series covers the stories of a family consisting of mostly police officers. In Oath of Honor, Isabelle St. John, must solve the death of her partner, who was murdered during a stakeout. The fallen officer's brother, Ryan, who is also in law enforcement, teams up with her to solve the mystery. However, the discoveries that they make causes Isabelle to wonder if the members of her own family are innocent of wrong doing.

There are a lot of characters to keep track of in this book, especially with a family having six siblings. I also found that I had to replay certain sections over and over just to catch everything that was being said. However, my interest was piqued enough to look into the rest of the Blue Justice series, which includes, Called to Protect (Chloe's book), Code of Valor (Brady's book), and Vow of Justice (Linc's book).

For your information, if you wish to read other stories of the other remaining St. John siblings, Ruthie's story is found in the novella, Code of Ethics. Derek's story is found in the collection titled, Protecting Tanner Hollow. It's the fourth novella, which is called, Lethal Agenda.

Finally, although the books in the series are about the St. John siblings and their romantic interests, the stories are generally more focused on action than on romance. Basically, these are books that I might be able to convince my male relatives to read since there is not much mush present.

Burda Knitting, Issue No. 1, 2019, UK edition

I was walking through a supermarket when I ran across a Simply Knitting magazine (Issue 192, 2019).  It's a British publication, which eventually gets stocked in Canadian stores about 2 to 3 months after it appears in Britain. I usually don't buy this magazine, although it usually comes packaged along with a small project kit, or some knitting accessory.  This time, however, the issue came not only with a "My Little Angel," knit kit...it also came packaged with the first UK issue of Burda Knitting.

I like the magazine.  It reminds me a lot of Verena Knitting, which I miss since the English version is no longer being published.

However, it looks quite different than the last Verena magazine that I purchased, which was almost 7 years ago. There is a photographic index of all the projects offered in the magazine, which reminds me of the similar layout that appears in Interweave Knits magazines.  However, there aren't any fancy names for the knits.  The projects have generic titles, such as Crochet Granny Square Sweater and Polo Neck (Project 1), or Jacket with Embroidered Squares (Project 3), or Cape Sweater (Project 16).  Many projects have photographs showing various different angles, and some offer close ups so that you can see the stitches.  Also, unlike the Verena Knitting magazines that I remember, the pattern instructions are less cramped, and are printed on similar glossy paper as the photographs appear on. (Verena's instructions appeared on newsprint, with photographs appearing on nicer paper.)  There are also 33 patterns in the magazine, which is less than the number that appeared in earlier Verena Knitting issues, but more than what Vogue Knitting or Interweave Knits currently offer in their issues.

This issue of the magazine offers mainly knit patterns, but there are four crochet patterns, and one that uses both knitting and crocheting.  The bulk of the patterns are for sweaters and cardigans.  There are couple of shawls, a few hats and scarves, and one crocheted bag.  There is some colourwork, but many of the samples are in neutrals or muted colours.  There are a couple of projects with lace, and a couple with cables, and some with ribbing, and one bobble hat.  According to the magazine's own difficulty rating system, most projects fall within the 2 to 4 dots out of 5 dots, with 5 dots being the most challenging.  I like most of the longer cardigan projects that are featured in the issue...even the one that is crocheted.

The magazine has a list of abbreviations, and a list explaining special instructions that may appear in the issue.

There are also things that do not appear in this issue:  I couldn't find much information in the magazine itself about the publishers or the editorial staff.  I have no idea what the cost of the issue is, or what future issues may cost. It simply appeared to be the gift that came along with the issue of Simply Knitting that I bought.

Would I buy another issue of Burda Knitting?

I might purchase another issue if there were enough patterns inside that I liked, and if the price isn't beyond my budget.  This issue was okay, but I wasn't able to preview it since it had been sealed in a plastic bag.  I feel that I lucked out this time around.  Currently, Vogue Knitting is the only knitting magazine that is an autobuy for me.  For most other titles, I'd have to like at least 50% of the patterns before I'd consider purchasing it.

However, Burda Knitting magazine seems to have quite a nice layout, and I have a favourable impression about it.  

Review: 100 Knits: Interweave's Ultimate Pattern Collection by the Editors at Interweave

Interweave, the company that publishes Interweave Knits and Knitscene has released 100 Knits:  Interweave's Ultimate Pattern Collection.  The patterns are arranged in five sections: 1)  Hats and Socks, 2)  Scarves, Cowls, Shawls and Wraps, 3)  Cardigans, 4)  Pullovers, and 5)  Tanks and Tees.  There are projects that feature colourwork, intarsia, lace, stockinette, garter stitch or cables.  There's even a tutorial on circular grafting. 

A lot of patterns that appear have been previously published in Interweave publications.  When I glanced through 100 Knits and checked the pattern listings for this book on Ravelry, there are patterns in the collection that have dated as far back as 2006, but with the bulk of the patterns dating between 2014 to 2017.  Most of them have appeared in past issues of Interweave Knits and Knitscene magazines.  There are a smattering of patterns that have appeared in Interweave books and/or e-books, which include the following:

Wanderlust: 46 Modern Knits for Bohemian Style
New Directions in Sock Knitting
Rugged Knits
Family-Friendly Knits
New Lace Knitting: Designs for Wide Open Spaces
New American Knits:  Classic Sportswear Patterns
New England Knits:  Timeless Knitwear With a Modern Twist
Garter Stitch Revival
Free Spirit Knits
Urban Knit Collection:  18 City Inspired Knitting Patterns for the Modern Wardrobe.

The pattern collection includes Interweave's top five patterns:  Jared Flood's Koolhaus Hat, Carina Spencer's Lucy Hat, Evelyn A. Clark's Swallowtail Shawl, Heather Lodinsky's Central Park Hoodie, and Heather Zoppetti's Dahlia Cardigan.  Other designers include Rosemary (Romi) Hill, Susanna IC, Isabell Kraemer, Holli Yeoh, Mari Chiba, Kristen TenDyke, Cecily Glowik MacDonald, Shirley Paden, Tanis Gray, Norah Gaughan, and Amy Christoffers, who has at least five of her patterns in 100 Knits.

I really like this pattern collection.  It's a hefty price to pay at $45 US, but, it has many lovely patterns in it.  I could see myself wanting to knit many of the designs in this book.  Just looking at the designs that have previously appeared in New Directions in Sock Knitting and Garter Stitch Revival have piqued my interested in searching for those two books.  However, I already own a number of these patterns that appear in 100 Knits through my knitting magazine collection.  If I didn't already own these, I would probably be seriously drooling over this book.  For the knitter who doesn't already have issues of Interweave Knits and Knitscene magazines from the past four years, 100 Knits may offer a fantastic collection of designs to knit from. 

Edited to add:  100 Knits has patterns mainly for women, although I saw a pullover designed for a man.  Some of the hat and cowl patterns could be considered unisex.  I would also consider this book suitable for an intermediate to advanced knitter, although there are a few patterns that a beginner or less experienced knitter could tackle. 

Disclaimer:  I received an e-copy of 100 Knits:  Interweave's Ultimate Pattern Collection by the Editors at Interweave from NetGalley in exchange for a review.  All opinions stated in this review are mine.

Manga Classics: The Count of Monte Cristo, By Alexandre Dumas, Adapted by Crystal S. Chan, and Illustrated by Nokman Poon

Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo, a story about a man who seeks revenge against those who ruined his life, has been adapted again, this time by Crystal S. Chan with illustrations by Nokman Poon.  I was pretty impressed with what I read, and I've been fortunate to have previously read two other illustrated adaptations of this novel (an ancient Illustrated Classics version that belonged to my father, and a version published by Moby Books/Playmore in 1979, which was illustrated by Mitsu Yamamoto). 

Edmond Dantes has everything going for him.  He is about to become captain of the merchant ship, The Pharaon, and is about to be married to Mercedes, when he is arrested, thrown into prison, and forgotten.  During that time, he meets a fellow prisoner, Abbe Faria, who helps him figure out why he has been imprisoned, and who his enemies are.  The religious man passes on, but not before he bequeaths a secret treasure to Edmond, one which Edmond can use to bring vengeance upon those who had ruined his life for their own gain...if only he can escape from the prison, Chateau D'If. 

Here's where I confess that I haven't read the original novel...however, Manga Classics' version of the Count of Monte Cristo appears to be a more complete adaptation than the other two versions that I mentioned earlier.  Upon reading the end of Manga Classics version, the Count's words, "Wait and hope," made more sense to me than when I had read them at the end of the other versions.  In fact, this version has probably made me more inclined to actually read the original.  There are appendices at the end of the book where Crystal Chan explains the process that was used to adapt the novel into the manga version, which was quite fascinating to read.

The drawing style appears to be a mix of shoujo and shonen.  The content and plot of the Count of Monte Cristo does not lend itself to a lot of humour, and I did not notice any chibi, so if any did appear, I completely missed it.  There are a couple of pages in the appendices that show character design sketches.  I also appreciated see the character map, which showed the relationships between many of the characters that appeared in this story.

There's something about this type of media that makes it a great avenue for presenting classical literature.  I was caught up with Edmond's quest for revenge, and the path of self-destruction that he embarked upon. In my opinion, Manga Classics' version of The Count of Monte Cristo is a great gateway book to capture young (and maybe not so young) readers' interest in reading a classic story.

Disclaimer:  I received an e-copy of Manga Classics' The Count of Monte Cristo, adapted by Crystal S. Chan and illustrated by Nokman Poon from NetGalley in exchange for a review.  All opinions stated in this review are mine.

Review: Draw Manga: Step-By-Steps, Character Construction, and Projects from the Masters by Sweatdrop Studios

The title of this book is a mouthful, but it does basically cover what it says that it will do.  Various artists from Sweatdrop Studios have collaborated together to put out Draw Manga: Step-by-Steps, Character Construction, and Projects from the Masters. The introduction of the book states that its purpose is to teach the reader how to draw in this unique comic style, and reveals that its target audience is beginners of all ages. 

The introduction also explains that the book is organized into three sections, beginning with drawing tutorials (e.g. how to draw eyes, hair, facial expressions, anatomy, proportion, human form, action lines, etc.) in Part 1.  Part 2 covers character construction (e.g. showing the differences in drawing a female child vs. a male teenager or female adult).  Part 3 contains specific projects which may focus on different aspects to consider while drawing manga, such as the use of watercolours, colouring pencils, markers, etc.

Although the book says that it will show readers how to create manga step by step, it means this more in a general sense of a recipe.  There are drawing books that will tell readers each stroke that must be drawn and the order in which these must appear.  This is not that kind of book.  Instead, this book provides examples of what one can create, and leaves readers to go off on their own to draw their own characters.  For example, for the description in sketching the proportions for a shonen figure, the book shows a completed diagram with the rendered circles/balloons in place.  However, it does not tell the reader how to draw these circles or the order in which to draw them.  Because I have some limited experience in drawing, it isn't too daunting to me to follow the book's instructions.  However, if a reader is looking for something more detailed, with more minute-by-minute instructions, then this book does not fall into that category.

There are approximately 140 illustrations in the book, and they form enough of a base for a beginning manga artist to start creating their own work.  There are examples of shouju, shonen, chibi, and fantasy figures (elves, vampire)   If there is a concern about exposing children to occult figures, I only saw a couple of figures that fit under that category (e.g. a vampiric chibi).  As for overtly sexualized images, this book seems to be fairly safe in that area.  I recall only one figure showing cleavage because of a low neckline, but generally, the figures in the drawings are dressed (although the females seem to favour miniskirts a lot), except for the illustrations showing proportional dimensions.  For these, if the drawings are detailed, the figures are generally covered.  There are other illustrations that show proportion, but with the circles  filling out space.  If you have an issue with roughed in circles showing the curves for balloon figures...well, the book does cover anatomical drawings, so please consider yourself warned. 

I tried to view galleys for this title for computer and for Kindle.  I don't know if it was because they were galleys that I had problems viewing the PDFs, especially for the computer.  I could only view a handful of drawings, and couldn't read any text.  For the Kindle format, I was able to view most of the text and drawings, but there were some images under the "Tools and Equipment" section that I was not able to see...I don't know if what I saw were place holders for the final images that would fill those spots, or if there was something wrong with the file that affected what I could see. 

I like this book, and think that it does an adequate job in presenting instructions on how to draw in the manga style.  However, the illustrations are not exactly the most beautiful looking manga that I've seen.  Instead...it's just okay.  I do think that the content that the artists are trying to convey is quite valuable, especially to a beginner who wants to create manga.
 
Disclaimer:  I received e-copies of "Draw Manga: Step-By-Steps, Character Construction, and Projects from the Masters" from NetGalley in exchange for a review.  All opinions stated in this review are mine.