Bear Necessity - James Gould-Bourn

Do you ever feel like it's just the right time to listen or read a feel good book? I like to regularly slot one into the mix, giving me a change from my regular murder and mayhem reads. James Gould-Bourn's debut novel, Bear Necessity, is one of those feel good books.

Danny's wife died in a tragic auto accident a year ago. Their eleven year old son Will has not spoken a word since. They're both struggling with her loss. And adding to the mix, Danny has lost his job and he's desperately behind in his debts.

What to do? Well, a walk through the park provides him with an idea - he'll become a street performer! Strapped for cash, he ends up with a worn out panda costume. And The Dancing Panda is born! Well.....kinda....sorta....

Danny is a great lead character, one you just can't help but like. Will, without a word, had me in his corner and in my heart. The supporting cast is just as delightful - Will's best friend Mo (who often speaks for him) is quite funny. Danny's best friend Ivan is gruff with a heart of gold. As is Crystal, a professional pole dancer. There's an eclectic group of street performers - one of which decides he is Danny's arch enemy.

Gould-Bourn's writing makes for easy listening. There are lots of light moments and joking, but folded into that are a father and son trying to negotiate their shared grief. Grief is different for everyone and I thought Danny and Will's loss and journey forward was well written.

Now, Bear Necessity is one of those stories that you just know is going to work out in the end. And truly that's why I listen or read them. I need some life affirming positivity in this crazy world. Listeners will absolutely find that in Bear Necessity.

As mentioned, I chose to listen to this title. The reader was Rupert Holliday-Evans. He did a fantastic job of bringing Gould-Bourn's story to life. He's a very versatile narrator. He provided many voices and accents that matched the mental images I had created for the characters. It was quite easy to know who was speaking. There's lot of enthusiasm in his reading. He easily depicts the emotions, action and more with ease. I quite enjoyed his reading. Hear for yourself - listen to an excerpt of Bear Necessity.

White Christmas Wedding - Celeste Winters

No, it's not too early to start your Christmas listening (and reading!) I'm starting off the season with White Christmas Wedding by Celeste Winters.

Beth has found the love of her life and decides to get married at her rural family home so that her grandmother can attend. Her best friend Jen is the wedding planner. She decides to turn the two family's barns into winter wonderlands. But winter also brings.....snow, lots of snow. And all their carefully made plans are falling apart.....

And it's not just the wedding plans that are changing. Love, from many different character's views, is explored. Beth's mother in-law to be is adamant that Beth sign a pre nup. She is so easy to dislike as she disparages the venue and more. Jen is also faced with the past - in the form of Jared, her old boyfriend. Are the sparks still there? Bridesmaid Destiny also finds herself questioning her decision to not go to New York to pursue her dreams. And a guest finds herself wondering the opposite - would life be better in a smaller locale? (And there's a few more!)

Winters does a great job exploring relationships from very different viewpoints. All are well written, believable and draw the listener into the story. I liked the large cast. When everything goes wrong for the wedding, I could imagine how they were feeling. And curious as to how things would be solved.

And of course things do work out in the end. And that's what I was looking for - a feel good listen with romance and a winter's tale to start the season. Entertaining, escapist listening.

The reader was Charlotte Penfield. She was a new to me narrator. I liked her voice - it was well modulated and clearly enunciated. She interprets the author's work well, adding emphasis and inflection where situations call for it. Her voice is pleasant to listen to with a soft undertone. I did find her speaking speed to be a bit slow for me, so I turned the speed up to 1.25 and I found this better for me and it didn't distort anything. Hear for yourself - here's a audio sample.

Sweetshop of Dreams - Jenny Colgan

My go to author for a feel-good, heartwarming read is Jenny Colgan.

Sweetshop of Dreams is the first book featuring Rosie Hopkins. (Note that this was released in the UK as Welcome To Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop Of Dreams.)

"Rosie Hopkins thinks leaving her busy London life, and her boyfriend Gerard, to sort out her elderly Aunt Lilian's sweetshop in a small country village is going to be dull. Boy, is she wrong."

Rosie arrives in Lipton and makes her presence immediately known, through a series of mishaps. And we begin to meet the residents of the village of Lipton - in all their quirky glory.

The descriptions of the village, homes and shops made me want to move to Lipton.

Rosie is a wonderful lead character - warm, kind, funny and more - just the kind of person you'd love to have in your circle of friends. The supporting cast is just as well drawn and the listener can't help but be drawn to them. (Most of them - the dentist opposed to the sweetshop is especially unpleasant.)

Colgan's books have love at the heart of them. Love lost, love found, love for friends, family and partners. The yes, no, maybe so of the Rosie's search for happiness will have you wishing and hoping for a fairy tale outcome. I found Lillian's memories of the past (1940's) to be especially poignant, well written and yes, heartbreaking.

Each chapter opens with an excerpt from Lillian's book on candy. Various types are lauded and dissected in detail with a droll, dry wit. Recipes for some confections are included.

Beverley A. Crick was the narrator. I really enjoyed her interpretation. Her voice for Rosie captured the mental image I had in my head. She provided easily identifiable voices for the other characters. Lillian's had just the right quaver, young Edison the right innocence and male voices that felt right as well. She has an expressive voice and it reflected the emotion, humour, sadness etc. in Colgan's tale. Her voice is clear, easy to understand and pleasant to listen to. Listen to an excerpt of Sweetshop of Dreams.

Sweetshop of Dreams has everything you want in a great listen - love, loss, drama, humour and yes - a just right ending.

You can connect with Jenny Colgan on her website, like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.