Twenty Wishes - Debbie Macomber

I have just finished reading yet another wonderful and heartwarming novel "Twenty Wishes" by Debbie Macomber. I always enjoys the trip back to Blossom Street and revisiting some of the old characters in the series. "Twenty Wishes" is the 4th and i hope not the final book in the Blossom Street series. I have enjoyed reading the stories of all the interesting characters residing in the fictitious Blossom Street and hopes to read more about them and other new characters in subsequent books. I highly recommend the entire series to fellow book lovers :>

In "Twenty Wishes", the story focuses on Anne Marie Roche who wants to find happiness again and is the owner of "Blossom Street Books". At thirty-eight, her life's not what she'd expected - she's childless, a recent widow, alone. She owns a successful bookstore on Seattle's Blossom Street, but despite her accomplishments, there's a feeling of emptiness. On Valentine's Day, Anne Marie and several other widows get together to celebrate . . . what?

Hope, possibility, the future. They each begin a list of twenty wishes, things they always wanted to do but never did. Anne Marie's list starts with: Find one good thing about life. It includes learning to knit, doing good for someone else, falling in love again. She begins to act on her wishes, and when she volunteers at a local school, an eight-year-old girl named Ellen enters her life. It's a relationship that becomes far more involving than Anne Marie intended. It also becomes far more important than she ever imagined. As Ellen helps Anne Marie complete her list of twenty wishes, they both learn that wishes can come true - but not necessarily in the way you expect.

I also enjoyed reading the story of 2 other new characters in this book Lillie Higgins and her daughter Barbie Foster and also an update on another character Elise Beaumont (A Good Yarn)who are part of the widows support group with Anne Marie. I was especially touched by the story of Anne Marie and Ellen, 2 complete stranger who meet by chance and supported each other through their difficulties and end up finding the strength to live life to the fullest and trust again. You can also find out more about the book and its writer from the interview with Debbie Macomber at this website: http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977341366

The idea of making wishes and supporting each other in fulfilling it is quite interesting and i'm sure alot of people also has the habits of making wishes for the new year, birthday, christmas etc... reading this book makes me think about the wishes that i have made throughout the years and wonders how many have i actually get down to doing or fulfilling??? I remembered wishing that i would exercise more in 2008 and i have tried to swim and jog but not as regularly as i would have like after hurting my feet while jogging in April as the pain still bothers me after jogging. Another wish that i have after watching "Digging for the Truth" on History Channel is to visit Egypt and all the other interesting and exotic places featured in the show. I really wish to explore and see for myself all the majestic and mysterious pyramids and mummies.

And one wish that i really hope for is world peace especially after the sad news that an innocent fellow Singaporean Ms Lo Hwei Yen had been killed in a terrible terrorist attack in Mumbai. She was one of at least 188 people, including 22 foreigners, killed in a shooting and grenade rampage by 10 militants who terrorised Mumbai for 60 hours last week. How i wish we could all go back to the time when terrorists do not exist and the world was more peaceful and everyone do not have to fear for their safety while they travel or go about their daily activities. But is it really possible???....I guess you can't wipe out all the evil in this world...but it is still good to hope and wish and to live life bravely like the late Ms Lo and not let those evil terrorists get their way!!!

(Source: http://www.debbiemacomber.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=nnp&pageID=242)