Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas
925081
This was a great summer read!!  Couldn't put it down!
1322643
This is a very interesting book.  It tells the story of St. Nicholas that we all have heard - how he dropped a bag of coins in the window of some poor townspeople.  It then continues to tell of the many legends about this saint.  The most interesting part to me was how we came to have the American version of our Santa Claus. This book gave me a refreshed Christmas Spirit and a new way of looking at Santa Claus.
906572
I picked up this book for myself and a friend!  I started reading it and yet another friend came by - picked up the book and said she just had to have it - so guess what she got for Christmas - Now it's time to order yet another one so I can finish it.  I love Suzanne Somers - Love her for sharing what works for her!
1260396
I love the adventures of Katharine and Philippe and all their friends and relatives. Very charming. I enjoyed learning more French words as well as the the Christmas customs, meals and traditions. I want to buy some santons of my own. Thanks Patricia! Beautiful writing!
4557750
I think I have read all of Suzanne Brockmanns's  books. I think this is one of her Best! I Absolutely Loved it!  And I'm Really hoping that she will continue writing!!
4383530
Ratings are what I look at.  This is a great book.  Anna DeStefano  is a great writer.  I selected this book, first of all it was a Christmas book, and second, we have Destefano's in our community.  Thanks for writing this book.  Mary Ellis  mellis@i2k.com the name of the book is Christmas on Mimosa Lane
1975928
This book is written by Nick's little brother. He is the keeper of the journals on this reading trip.

You get a dose of some new colorful characters and a good look into this younger Twisp's life. It was good, and kept my interest, however, I was very sad about the fact that when Nick does appear, I don't like him. I mean, he seems different. Maybe that was done on purpose because of his age difference now, but it just wasn't the same Nick for me.

The ending came really really fast, and although you do get all of the loose ends tied up in this novel, when it was over, I was more lonely than before.
4734696
Just love the book well written will recommend it to all my friends not just white lilies but all three books (Mitchell Sisters) when are you going to write about Caden?
119052
Katie and Matt seem like the perfect couple.  Matt, a poet and house painter, and Katie, his editor, are destined for marriage until Matt abruptly walks out.  In his retreat, Matt leaves a diary.  A ghost from his past, Suzanne, wrote a diary for her infant son, Nicholas.  Katie must escape her anguish, read the diary and understand its relevance to her lost lover.
In a radical change in direction, author James Patterson leaves behind his best selling murder and mayhem mysteries to create a sweet romantic tale, "Suzanne's Diary For Nicholas."  For sure, the basics of the novel are sound.  The plot is interesting.  There is plenty of intrigue.  The story makes an excellent statement about life's priorities.  There are enough twists and turns to pull us to a satisfactory ending.
The disappointment comes from the main protagonist, Suzanne.  Her voice, as written in the diary, is over-the-top when it comes to exaggerated enthusiasm, multiple adjectives and other thoughts that border on goofiness.  Granted, this doctor and mother recovered from a near fatal illness.  With new priorities, she is delighted with life.  However, Suzanne is unable to regulate her joy so the readers feel like they're ingesting the sugar through a fire hose.  Also, you are also forced to imagine little Nicholas growing up to read about Mom's most intimate moments, written to him in the diary.
"Suzanne's Diary For Nicholas" is a good story with concepts that may help us all.  I suggest readers pace themselves by putting the book aside often when the sugar count gets too high.  It may prevent some cavities.
4551370
This book takes the reader from the beginning of the life of St. Nicholas to modern times.  Along the way he meets many famous people from history and the author brings them into our lives through his discriptive writing.  Information about how calendars came into being as we know them today, to how different countries celebrated Christmas is sprinkled throughout the book.  Some very interesting historical facts about the "new world" which became America, were new to me, and enriched my understanding of our countries growing pains. I regret that this book is out of print as I feel it should be read by everyone who celebrates Christmas, and keeps Christmas in their hearts.
1594793
I'm going through the Secret Keeper Girls book with my 2 daughters.  The set only contained one diary, so I needed to get another on.  My daughter loves to fill out the diary and we have really great discussions based on her responses.  I really recommend the diary to go along with the secret keeper girl book.
3525925
I loved the book I hope the other books are just as good. I can't wait until Nick has his own book
4133214
This book is great to give Suzanne Devlin another chance to mature and be the good character she was meant to be, not the snobbish character from book 11.  It was great to see Todd. Kind of bizarre that the timeline would be that Todd has moved, but steven did not get together with Cara in book 24...maybe this is like a 23.5, but then when Steven/Cara do get together, there's no mention of CHristmas, but there is a mention of Todd.  Then Todd doesn't say anything about Suzanne, so beware of time line errors in some of these stories like the twins having 3 Christmases in one year, which is illogical!

Jessica was indeed the Christmas scrooge in being mean to Suzy.  I think once everybody had an understanding of what Suzanne was going through, they would've embraced her.  I can understand Suzanne not wanting pity, but at the same time, hiding something this brazen regarding your own life was not a good plan.  she should've known some people don't forgive and forget, especially with Jessica the ring leader.

The ending is great as everything works out for everybody, including Suzanne's parents being there at Christmas for her, Elizabeth OK'ing a romance for Todd/Suzanne as her gift, Jessica forgiving Suzanne, and everybody making up with Suzanne Devlin.

2nd chances are special.
2880276
Well hidden Darcy secrets are unraveled when Lizzy, while on months of confinement, because she is to birth twins, deciphered Mr. George Darcy's diaries. A whole list of the family's indiscretions are unraveled as she and Darcy continue to untangle what to Darcy looked like gibberish. Following clues through the diaries, eight of ten letters written by his mother, Anne, are found hidden behind landscape pictures hung throughout the home. Georgiana finds the eight, but the last two and their mother's diaries have still to be located. Fitzwilliam goes through periods of melancholy when he discovers his birthday in September is not celebrated, but his christening day in December is instead. Confused, he no longer holds his father in high esteem because he thinks his father's actions brought disgrace and disrespect on his beloved mother. He is also dealing with Georgiana's love from his cousin, Henry Fitzwilliam. He loves them both, but now he is enraged by his cousin's feelings, because he is her guardian, should know better since is twelve years her senior, and he knows the type of young ladies Fitzwilliam likes, and Georgiana does not fit that model. Finding out that the two have anticipated their vows, makes him less than pleased, but they are granted permission to marry without  blessings attached, because they have to. When Georgiana miscarried, she and Henry break off all connection to Pemberley. To add salt to his wounds, Henry begins paying him for the estate he purchased, because they are not family anymore. When Lizzy goes into labor, he writes requesting they come to Pemberley. They do and eventually his hurt is turned around into the love for his sister, and his cousin, more like a brother, Henry. Darcy finds a letter written by his father explaining where the last two of his mother's letters are as well as her diaries.  Elizabeth begins to see that Darcy has become an ideal husband and father while she has been recuperating from the birth of the twins, and regrets she is holding her sadness back from him. Everything gets back to normal, but continued unspoken problems continue to confront our couple until they learn to talk things out. Good story in three parts.
405865
I found Nicholas a slow read at first.  I had  to suffer through the proper English sections to get to the meat of the book.  In the end, I found it rather exciting and I will continue with reading teh next book in the series "Raine".
3204487
Nicholas: The Epic Journey from Saint to Santa Claus. Author: Jeremy Seal.  368 pages. 2005

I picked up this book in the discount section of a discount store.  I thought it might be interesting reading and a diversion from my usual reading stack.  As I began reading the book, it occurred to me that it was actually quite similar to "Black Lamb and Grey Falcon" by Rebecca West.  The author used a deft combination of geography, history, faith, culture, and personal experience.  The book actually proved far more interesting than I thought it would be.  It is one of those books that can really foment questions and reflections creating a challenge rather than merely dry comfortable re-telling of the same story.

Speaking of re-telling the same old story, this book is not hagiography in the traditional sense; though it certainly discusses the issue of hagiography.  The subject, Nicholas is one of the most mythologized of all saints in Christendom.  Any serious study of the saint will embroil the reader in a test of reality vs. myth.  The larger question though is does the historical truth really matter when dealing with issues of faith?  For example the issue of Nicholas slapping Arius during the First Ecumenical Council ... myth ... but does it really matter?  This issue of myth and its creation and impact is addressed in this book though the topic could and should be a whole tome in and of its self.

The book traces the journey of St. Nicholas from his diocese in Myrna ever westward and northward as if he was the main character in the action.  It may be unsettling for some readers as it gives the saint a lust for re-known out of the character normally assigned to the saint.  However it is a very good device for moving and explaining the journey. To discount the device as frivolous or mere mirth is to deny the actions of and the intercessions of saints when they pass into the heavenly kingdom.

The journey surprised me.  The saint changed form with each incremental move west.  The rate of change proved uneven though adapted to each culture and its experience and norms.  In some ways it conforms to the missionary methodologies of the early Orthodox Christian Church.  What remained most constant is the notion of gift giving.  For most of the journey St. Nicholas gave gifts in emulation of the famous story of the three daughters not on the days he gave those gifts but on his canonical feast day, the sixth of December.  The date changed to January the first in the new world and then eventually to Christmas itself but not until almost the middle of the 19th century.

The appearance and accoutrements of Saint Nicholas changed with each cultural exposure as well.  He lost much of his religious appearance during the English and Dutch iconoclasm of the 16th and 17th centuries.  Though even in those societies he was still referred to as a Saint.  The English eventually morphed him into Father Christmas though that could have religious implications.  In some places such as The Netherlands he acquired an assistant "Black Piet" a Moor who helped him.  It was not until around 1900 that the image of a white bewhiskered, ruddy faced man in red who drove a reindeer pulled sleigh solidified.

This book provides fodder for serious conversations and as such is a good starting point to look at a variety of issues about faith, memory, values, and society.
4465902
I really liked this book. It is nicely written and easy to read. With great pleasure I read it - and, in my opinion, every brony should do it. Especially if he has relatives to whom he wished to open, but yet shy. Let this book help him in this. Many thanks to the author of this book! And warm greetings from cold Russia:-)