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Holiday Book Roundup
As a little boy I always looked forward to the month of December. Decorating the Christmas tree, building snowmen in my backyard (attempting to do so, anyway) and watching Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on television are just a few of the ways I helped usher in the holidays. Of course the highlight of these early Christmases was opening presents as fast as I could and seeing the expressions on my parents' faces when I gave them their gifts.
My enthusiasm for Christmas has never wavered; in fact, it has intensified over the years. While I enjoy visiting the magnificent tree in Rockefeller Center and listening to Yuletide music on the radio, I particularly cherish the time that I'm able to spend with my family and friends during the holidays --- more so now than I ever did as a child. I comprehend more fully the spiritual significance of Christmas and have a deeper sense of what this day, and this season, is all about.
With the holiday season upon us, we have assembled a number of inspirational and heartwarming titles that will help remind us of the true meaning of Christmas. Sharing these books with those you love is a wonderful way to celebrate this time of year.
HOLLY
Jude Deveraux
Atria Books
Romance
ISBN: 0743478967
Hollander "Holly" Latham must choose between two men who have waltzed into her life: Lorrie Beaumont --- her now-wealthy childhood friend --- and the charming, ruggedly handsome Dr. Nicholas Taggert. Reviewed by Maggie Harding.
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THE BOAT OF DREAMS: A Christmas Story
Richard Preston
Touchstone Books
ISBN: 074324592X
Thirteen-year-old Will and his sister Lila, whose father recently died in Vietnam, discover evidence that someone has been visiting their trailer. When they come home to find a rugged, cantankerous, somewhat smelly old man watching television, it takes them a while to realize who he is --- Santa Claus! Reviewed by Roberta O'Hara.
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THE CHRISTMAS BLESSING
Donna VanLiere
St. Martin's Press
Fiction
ISBN: 0312322933
Now a medical student in his third year, Nathan Andrews --- who first appeared as a little boy in VanLiere's THE CHRISTMAS SHOES, learns a number of important lessons about faith, blessings and sacrifice from two courageous young people who help guide Nathan through the darkest period in his life. Reviewed by Carol Fitzgerald.
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A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY
Anne Perry
Ballantine
Mystery
ISBN: 034546673X
Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould is entertaining her well-born friends at Applecross for a pleasure-filled weekend when one of her guests commits suicide and another is ostracized, held partly responsible for the shocking turn of events. Reviewed by Roz Shea.
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GENERAL WASHINGTON'S CHRISTMAS FAREWELL: A Mount Vernon Homecoming, 1783
Stanley Weintraub
Free Press
History
ISBN: 0743246543
Stanley Weintraub recounts General George Washington's slow and emotional journey to his beloved Mount Vernon in 1883, as he tries to make it home in time for Christmas following the signing of a peace treaty between the United States and Great Britain. Reviewed by Ron Kaplan.
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SHEPHERDS ABIDING: A Mitford Christmas Story
Jan Karon
Viking
ISBN: 0670031208
Jan Karon's lovable characters combined with the sweet background of the Christmas season make this full-length novel one that is sure to delight her loyal fans. Reviewed by Cindy Crosby.
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CHRISTMAS, PRESENT
Jacquelyn Mitchard
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060565578
Jacquelyn Mitchard, bestselling author of THE DEEP END OF THE OCEAN, has written a poignant, uplifting and deeply moving Christmas story about love, loss and letting go. Reviewed by Joni Rendon.
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 THE CHRISTMAS CHILD: A Story of Coming Home
Max Lucado
W Publishing Group/Thomas Nelson
Fiction
ISBN: 0849917689
A Chicago journalist finds himself in a small Texas town on Christmas Eve all alone. He encounters old faces and new facts --- a hand carved manger, a father's guilt, a young girl's faith. The trip into the past holds his key to the future, and a scarlet cross shows him the way home.
Formerly titled THE CHRISTMAS CROSS, this book, which is quickly becoming a Christmas classic, has been repackaged and redesigned. Fans will be thrilled to know that this Christmas treasure is being adapted into a feature film. The book takes place in three different settings with four main characters, but the film has expanded to include nearly 69 locations, 347 set-ups, 34 speaking parts and over 300 extras.
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 CHRISTMAS HOMECOMING: HeartQuest Anthologies
Diane Noble, Pamela Griffin and Kathleen Fuller
Tyndale House Publishers
Fiction
ISBN: 0842335765
This anthology contains three original historical novellas set in the late 1800s, each revolving around the discovery of love at Christmastime and a significant Christmas homecoming.
In "A Place to Call Home" the daughter of wealthy high-society parents falls in love with an Irish immigrant while helping the needy in Boston. "The Heart of a Stranger" centers on childhood sweethearts who are reunited in the New Mexico Territory. And in "Christmas Legacy" a widow returns to her childhood home in Minnesota to sell her late grandmother's farm, only to find that widower Ben Akers has been named co-owner of the farm in her grandmother's will.
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 THE FIRST CHRISTMAS TREE: And Other Stories
Henry Van Dyke
Paraclete Press
Fiction
ISBN: 1557253153
Destined to become a Christmas classic, this volume combines Henry Van Dyke's most beloved Christmas stories, THE FIRST CHRISTMAS TREE and THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS, with poems and prayers for the season, as the legendary storyteller inspires us to "live Christmas, not just Christmas Day."
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 GIDEON'S GIFT
Karen Kingsbury
Warner Books
Fiction
ISBN: 0446531243
When Big Earl Gibson's precious wife and daughter were taken from him one Christmas long ago, he abandoned his belief in God and became a homeless man with an angry heart. But then a seven-year-old leukemia patient reaches out to him. Will her persistent gift of friendship help heal Earl's lonely, broken life?
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 GOD REST YE GRUMPY SCROOGEYMEN: New Traditions for Comfort & Joy at Christmas
Laura Jensen Walker and Michael K. Walker
Revell/Baker Book House Company
Nonfiction
ISBN: 0800718348
This unique and delightful Christmas book is filled with humorous and poignant anecdotes --- from her memorable Christmas dinner of potato chips and candy bars to his contagious delight in filling Christmas stockings. This book will help readers discover new ways to make their holiday bright --- from hosting the perfect white elephant gift exchange to recycling that odd-looking fruitcake.
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 MAGGIE'S MIRACLE
Karen Kingsbury
Warner Faith
Fiction
ISBN: 0446532304
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During the summer of her 14th year, Megan Wright spent one week with a boy who shared with her his special definition of love. After college, though, Megan settled for a relationship based more on convenience than true feelings. It has now been two years since her husband's death and she is a high-powered attorney, looking for help with her lonely young son.
Across town, Casey Cummins is still dealing with the tragic loss of his wife. His search for meaning and hope leads him to the Manhattan Children's Organization, which connects him with Megan's son. Now life is suddenly taking a series of unusual twists. How could Megan know that the teenage boy from all those years ago actually kept his promise? Or that the miracle she prayed for as a girl is only a breath away?
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 THE RED SUIT DIARIES: A Real-Life Santa on Hopes, Dreams, and Childlike Faith
Ed Butchart
Revell/Baker Book House Company
Nonfiction
ISBN: 0800718143
With warmth, humor and wonder, author Ed Butchart shares his stories as a professional Santa Claus in this inspirational read. He reveals himself as a once-hardened Marine who found Jesus and began to serve others in unusual ways. In these pages you'll read about Santa's day job refurbishing medical equipment for the disabled and the story of how he unknowingly found "Mrs. Claus." As Tom Brokaw said, this Santa "can only be described as the real thing."
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 THE SNOW BRIDE
Debbie Macomber
Mira Books
Romance
ISBN: 1551667363
Jenna Walsh, who is usually a practical woman, has met a man on the Internet and now, a month before Christmas, she's going to Alaska to marry him. Dalton Gray seems to be everything she wants in a husband --- sensitive, gallant and romantic. On the flight to Fairbanks she sits next to Reed Kenner, who detests Dalton (for good reason, as Jenna later finds out) and therefore does not support her decision to marry him. So he takes it upon himself to change her destination --- and her marriage plans.
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 THE WONDER OF CHRISTMAS: 50 Meditations on the Birth of Christ
Daniel Partner
Barbour Publishing
Devotional
ISBN: 1586607634
Two thousand years ago, angels proclaimed "glad tidings of great joy to all people" --- the birth of Jesus Christ. But even Christians can find their joy lessened a bit by the demands of the hectic holiday season. No worries, though --- because Daniel Partner has produced an antidote to the hustle and bustle.
THE WONDER OF CHRISTMAS is a twenty-five day devotional containing 50 readings on the true meaning of the holiday. These thoughtful and encouraging readings are perfect for the month of December, but the messages they convey are appropriate for the entire year.
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--- Compiled and written by Tom Donadio
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