This Christmas season seems to have been busier than past years.
Maybe because we thought the world was gonna end today?
Yep, the older I get, the more things I have on my plate at Christmas time, but it's fun stuff!
Amid all the hustle and bustle of shopping, parties, and cooking, I still managed to fit in some good ol' book reading =]
After all, I work at a library, so what kind of clerk would I be if I didn't read the books we let people borrow? Plus, I love when someone gets a book that I've read, and can tell them my thoughts about it!
This Christmas season, I was able to read 3 books before Christmas Day, and some of the ones on the list, I've read before in past years...AND since I'm a VA student, it's no surprise that most of the books in my top five have something to do with animals! :D
We'll start with the most important story to read this season:
1. Jesus' Birth
I can't go a Christmas without hearing the story of the birth of my King. And my church does a beautiful and unforgettable job of sharing it at the Christmas Eve service!
2. Christmas Dog series -Greg Kincaid
This year, I read A Christmas Home and last year, I read Christmas with Tucker, but for some reason I can't remember reading A Dog Named Christmas. Rest assured, I will definitely read it! I've seen the movie version of the book though, and I love it! I know the book will be better :)
This series revolves around the McCray family of Crossing Trails, Kansas. In A Dog Named Christmas, Todd McCray, a developmentally challenged young man still living on his parents’ Kansas farm, hears that a local animal shelter is seeking temporary homes for its dogs during the days leading to Christmas, he knows exactly what he wants for the holidays. His father objects, but Todd’s persistence quickly wins out. Soon the McCrays are the short-term foster family for a lovable pooch the young man names Christmas. But what about the other dogs at the animal shelter? They need homes for Christmas too!
In Christmas with Tucker, Greg Kincaid brings back one of that book’s most endearing characters, sharing the moving story of George, a young boy dealing with the loss of his father, and the dog that comes into his life to offer him hope and a touch of courage. It is the winter of 1962, and Kansas is hit with one of the worst blizzards in its history. It is during this cruel season that twelve-year-old George is called upon to endure more than even most grown men could withstand—the death of his father and the upkeep of the family farm that is his legacy.
When his mother and sisters leave for Minnesota, George has only his grandparents and the companionship of Tucker, an Irish setter, to help him persevere through these most difficult challenges. Can he find the strength to walk the road that leads to healing, finding his true self and ultimately becoming a man?
In A Christmas Home,Todd McCray, is now twenty-four years old and working at a local animal shelter, where he meets and quickly becomes best friends with Laura, a young volunteer. Laura, like Todd, has disabilities of her own, but her struggles are more physical than developmental. Their friendship is sealed when Todd—with the help of his trusted companion, the tenacious Labrador retriever named Christmas—trains a beautiful dog named Gracie to help Laura with the day-to-day life tasks that are difficult for her.
Life seems good for Todd, but all is not well in his hometown. Struggling families unable to make ends meet are abandoning more and more dogs, and the shelter is swelling to capacity. The local government is struggling to meet its obligations too, and in early December, on the cusp of another holiday season, Todd’s boss delivers the bad news. Due to funding problems, the shelter will close its doors before the end of the year. But what will happen to all the animals?
As the Christmas holiday approaches, Todd has limited time to find homes for all the dogs. Not to mention that he needs to secure a new job and figure out what to do when his friendship with Laura takes an unexpected romantic turn. All this seems overwhelming unless you’ve got a loving family, dedicated friends, and a couple of very special dogs behind you. In which case, nothing is impossible.
(these summaries are not my own and belong to GoodReads and Christian Book Distributors)
3. A Wreath of Snow by Liz Curtis Higgs
Okay, so if you don't know, my family has a lot of Scottish blood in us, so when I read the this summary and saw the word "Scottish", I knew I had to read it! And I wasn't disappointed :) If you love the Victorian era, you love it as well!
Christmas Eve 1894
All Margaret Campbell wants for Christmas is a safe journey home. When her plans for a festive holiday with her family in Stirling crumble beneath the weight of her brother’s bitterness, the young schoolteacher wants nothing more than to return to the students she loves and the town house she calls home.
Then an unexpected detour places her in the path of Gordon Shaw, a handsome newspaperman from Glasgow, who struggles under a burden of remorse and shame.
When the secret of their shared history is revealed, will it leave them tangled in a knot of regret? Or might their past hold the threads that will bind their future together?
As warm as a woolen scarf on a cold winter’s eve, A Wreath of Snow is a tender story of love and forgiveness, wrapped in a celebration of all things Scottish, all things Victorian, and, especially, all things Christmas.
4. The Christmas Pony by Melody Carlson
First off, let me just say that I LOVE Melody Carlson! I've read so many of her YA books, but this is actually the first "Adult" book I've read of hers. Her writing style is so easy to read and she also included an animal that is very dear to my heart --horses! (well, in this case, its a pony!)
Eight-year-old Lucy Turnbull knew better than to wish for a pony that Christmas in 1937. Her mother had assured her in no uncertain terms that asking for a pony was the same as asking for the moon. Besides, the only extra mouths they needed at their boarding house were the paying kind. But when an interesting pair of strangers comes to town, Lucy starts to believe her Christmas wishes might just come true after all.
5. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Now what kind of person would I be if I didn't include A Christmas Carol on the list!? When I was in high school, I read snippets of the story in English/Lit., but never the whole thing, until a few years ago. I saw it sitting on our bookshelf one day in early December and thought, "Alright, time to read this front to back!", and surprisingly, the book and all the movie adaptions are fairly close (well, except The Muppet Christmas Carol, but I absolutely love the Muppets and their version!).
Cruel miser Ebeneezer Scrooge has never met a shilling he doesn’t like...and hardly a man he does. And he hates Christmas most of all. When Scrooge is visited by his old partner, Jacob Marley, and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come, he learns eternal lessons of charity, kindness, and goodwill. Experience a true Victorian Christmas!
And those are my top 5 Christmas reads!
Now go read one! I guarantee one of them will make you feel all Christmas-y =)
And seeing as how the world didn't end, you still have plenty of time to sit down and read a good book ;) (sorry, I just HAD to get in another apocalypse jab)
Until next time...
Have a holly, jolly Christmas,
ERW
