Miracle Creek Christmas

Finished July 25
Miracle Creek Christmas by Krista Jensen

This novel features Riley Madigan an art teacher who has left behind a love affair gone wrong in California and come to the small mountain town of Miracle Creek to escape and recover. There, she revitalizes the school art program, participating in creating the set and props for the school production of Peter Pan, and begins to renovate an old house she's bought.
Her art work on the set attracts the attention of Mark Rivers, a local firefighter who is still recovering from a work-related accident that left him with severe burns, as well as the loss of his best friend, another fire-fighter. Mark's mom was an artist, and she passed away from cancer when he was a teenager, but Riley's work reminds him of his mom's style and he wonders if her can convince her to help him replace a sentimental piece of his mom's that was also lost in a fire the same year he was injured.
Riley isn't looking for a romance, feeling disillusioned by her recent relationship, and she also has baggage from other losses in her life. Part of her wants to fix up the house and move on, but she has also started to make connections in town, and enjoy the setting and the people.
There is miscommunication to start, and wariness on both sides of this developing romance, but Riley and Mark have things in common and services that they can offer each other in a practical way.
I liked how Mark brought Riley out of her comfort zone, exposing her to people that needed her in a different way and to the landscape around them. I liked how Riley looked beyond the scars to see Mark as a person with his own issues. A nice read.

Great Memoir

Finished August 27
Population: 485 by Michael Perry
Having read his book Truck: a Love Story, I was interested in reading more. This book actually was written before Truck and contains chapters about his work both as an EMS and as a volunteer firefighter in his hometown of New Auburn, Wisconsin. Perry puts it all out there, including the sad, happy, embarrassing, and comic. He talks about working with his brothers and mother, how his work as a firefighter linked him back to his community, and shows a variety of personalities in both his coworker and his fellow citizens. This is a story of a small town, human relationships, and self discovery.
Perry is an excellent writer who finds the humour in every situation and yet doesn't take advantage of his insight to belittle others or make himself a hero.
This is a book to read slowly and savour every bit, which is what I did, carrying it around for a long time in my purse, reading it in stolen moments when waiting for appointments or taking a quiet moment for myself. I'm now lending it to my dad, who enjoys Perry just as much as I do.