Books Blog : Christmas, fiction

Joy to the Readers: New Christmas Fiction

Shh_ImReading@evpl — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 00:08:00 GMT

Every year, sometimes starting as early as September, the EVPL starts recieving new Christmas fiction. Here are a few of the titles we've gotten in so far this year:

Sarah's Christmas Miracle by Mary Ellis

The Three Kings by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez

The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig

The Next Queen of Heaven : A Novel by Gregory Maguire

Busy Body: An Agatha Raisin Mystery by M.C. Beaton

A Chesapeake Shores Christmas by Sherryl Woods

Christmas Mourning by Margaret Maron

Call Me Mrs. Miracle by Debbie Macomber

Cat Coming Home: A Joe Grey Mystery by Shirley Rousseau Murphy

Love Finds You Under the Mistletoe: Two Heartwarming Stories of Christmas Past and Present

A Piggly Wiggly Christmas by Robert Dalby

A Darcy Christmas: [a holiday tribute to Jane Austen] by Amanda Grange, Sharon Lathan, Carolyn Eberhart

Christmas at The Mysterious Bookshop : 'Tis the Season to be Deadly : Stories of Mistletoe and Mayhem from 17 Masters of Suspense edited by Otto Penzler

Christmas at Harrington's by Melody Carlson

Christmas with Tucker by Greg Kincaid

A Holiday Yarn: A Seaside Knitters Mystery by Sally Goldenbaum

Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas

Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball : A Novella by Donita K. Paul

Gingerbread Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine and Leslie Meier

A Simple Amish Christmas by Vannetta Chapman

Some of these titles are availble in large print or as audiobooks too!

Matchless is just that ...

myzticrhythmz@evpl — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 01:00:00 GMT

Every year some of your favorite authors pop up with a new title for the holiday season, and this year is no exception. Richard Paul Evans, Linda Howard, Garrison Keillor, Wally Lamb and several others have new books this Christmas.

My favorite this year is a simple little book by Gregory Maguire, author of the Wicked series of Wizard of Oz books. It's called Matchless, and it is an adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen tale The Little Match Girl. In this retelling, the match girl's story is woven into that of Frederik Pedersen, a little boy whose widowed mother is the seamstress to the queen. The pair are poor, down to their last bit of tea and last matchstick. Next we meet the match girl who, loses her shoes (one of which Fredrik takes) and is freezing, and she lights her matches one by one until they are gone. Maguire takes us through the sadness of the girl's passing and the story ends happily, as a new family is created.

This story is beautiful in its simplicity and its brevity. Maguire wrote Matchless after being asked by National Public Radio to create an original story with a Christmas theme. The author will read his work Christmas Day on NPR's All Things Considered. Tune in and listen, or snuggle into a cozy chair, grab your favorite read, and have yourself a merry little Christmas!

Christmas Reading

Shh_ImReading@evpl — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:54:00 GMT

I hear from a lot of people that they don't have time to read around the holidays. I can certainly understand that, but I need the escape of my favorite hobby more than ever during the busy month of December.

At the top of my Christmas reading list this year, I had Knit the Season by Kate Jacobs. It's her third Friday Night Knitting Club novel. It focuses on 20-year-old Dakota Walker, who was a little girl in the first book, but the rest of the club and Dakota's father James are there too and it takes them from Thanksgiving through Christmas and New Year's Day. I can't say it's as good as the first book, but I enjoyed it. It's also my favorite so far from the batch of books I've selected for this year.

Two others I've enjoyed this month are The Great Christmas Bowl by Susan May Warren and The Christmas Letters by Lee Smith.

Do you still find time to read around the holidays? If so, what are you reading this holiday season?

'Tis the Season to Curl Up With a Good Book

Shh_ImReading@evpl — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 23:01:00 GMT

Most years I try to pick out and read at least one Christmas novel during the holidays. I thought I would share some of the titles I've enjoyed in years past.

Some of the novels I've read are fairly traditional. I've never been a fan of Charles Dickens, but A Christmas Carol really is worth your time. The Christmas Train by David Baldacci is one of my favorites. The Handmaid and the Carpenter by Elizabeth Berg is a story about Mary and Joseph.

There are two that I thought were well-written and enjoyable, but don't have the happy endings some people expect from a Christmas novel. One is a collection of short stories by Maeve Binchy called This Year it Will Be Different and the other is a small book by Stewart O'Nan called Last Night at the Lobster.

When I can find them, I really enjoy off-the-wall Christmas stories. The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore is certainly off-the-wall. I have one word for you: ZOMBIES. Hogfather by Terry Pratchett is another great one, especially for fantasy readers. You might also try The Shepherd, the Angel and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog by Dave Barry. It's short and funny.

Some of these titles are available in large print and audio! Also, the edition of A Christmas Carol that I've linked to is the annotated one. There are smaller copies without notes available as well if you prefer.

I'm always looking for Christmas reading suggestions, so be sure to sign in share what you've enjoyed in the comments below!