Anne Marie Roche wants to find happiness again. At 38, her life's not what she?d expected ? she's childless and a recent widow. She owns a successful bookstore in Seattle, but there's still a feeling of emptiness. On Valentine's Day, Anne Marie and several other widows get together and each begins 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. 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 than Anne Marie intended. It also becomes more important than she ever imagined. As Ellen helps Anne Marie complete her list of wishes, they both learn that wishes can come true ? but not necessarily in the way you expect. Summer on Blossom Street: Knitting and life. They're both about beginnings and endings. That's why Lydia Goetz, owner of A Good Yarn in Seattle, offers a class called Knit to Quit. It's for people who want to quit something? or someone? and start a new phase of their lives. There's Phoebe Rylander, who recently ended her engagement to a man who doesn't know the meaning of faithful, and she's trying to get over him. Then there's Alix Turner. She and her husband want a baby, which means she has to quit smoking. And Bryan Hutchinson joins the class as a way to deal with the stress of running his family's business? not to mention the lawsuit brought against him. Life can be as complicated as a knitting pattern. Just ask Anne Marie Roche. She and her adopted daughter, Ellen, finally have the happiness they wished for. And then a stranger comes to her bookstore asking questions. Or ask Lydia herself. Not only is she coping with her frail mother, but she and Brad have unexpectedly become foster parents to an angry, defiant twelve-year-old. But as Lydia already knows, when life gets difficult and your stitches are snarled, your friends can always help
Debbie Macomber is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and one of today’s most popular writers with more than 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide. In her novels, Macomber brings to life compelling relationships that embrace family and enduring friendships, uplifting her readers with stories of connection and hope. Macomber’s novels have spent over 1,000 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Fifteen of these novels hit the number one spot.
In 2023, Macomber’s all-new hardcover publication includes Must Love Flowers (July). In addition to fiction, Macomber has also published three bestselling cookbooks, three adult coloring books, numerous inspirational and nonfiction works, and two acclaimed children’s books.
Celebrated as “the official storyteller of Christmas”, Macomber’s annual Christmas books are beloved and six have been crafted into original Hallmark Channel movies. Macomber is also the author of the bestselling Cedar Cove Series which the Hallmark Channel chose as the basis for its first dramatic scripted television series. Debuting in 2013, Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove was a ratings favorite for three seasons.
She serves on the Guideposts National Advisory Cabinet, is a YFC National Ambassador, and is World Vision’s international spokesperson for their Knit for Kids charity initiative. A devoted grandmother, Debbie and Wayne live in Port Orchard, Washington, the town which inspired the Cedar Cove series.
This was an absolutely wonderful book about a group of women creating a list of 20 wishes and how thier lives were affected. An excellent read-i highly recommend it!