December 2004

Counting Down to the Holidays

I think my lists have lists this month. I am sure you know the feeling. Each year I spend a lot of time trying to keep crass commercialism out of the Christmas season. As a family, we decorate a tree for charity. We select a theme and then plot together on how to make the tree reflect that theme. This year, given our family's love of the Outer Banks, we decorated the tree with hand-painted shells. We are calling it OBXmas. It has been a yearlong project since we started collecting shells on our vacation last December. Making these ornaments and seeing the trees that others design ensure that this is one of my favorite holiday traditions.

I also paint presents for friends, which gives me time to think about the person I am giving a gift to as I work on their gifts. Last year I realized that I savor memories of things I did growing up over the holidays more than I remembered the presents. Thus when my niece and nephew came into town I mapped out a weekend of adventures with them, which brought some nice memories. I am doing the same this year.

One thing that always makes my lists for gift giving are books. Name me a person and I can think of a book that they may enjoy. Since people know this, about this time of year my phone starts ringing and my email box starts filling up with questions from friends on what books to give. Books never seem materialistic to me. Selected carefully they are truly gifts from the heart.

We at FaithfulReader.com have assembled a wonderful collection of holiday reads during this most special time of year. Some books will make you laugh, while others will cause you to shed a tear --- but they all will inspire and uplift you. We also hope that these titles serve as a reminder of the true meaning of Christmas --- a time for love and benevolence, celebration and remembrance, family and friends, and spirituality and prayer.

Have a wonderful holiday season...give thanks for the family and friends that you hold dear. Light your Advent wreaths and open your Advent calendars with eager anticipation of Christmas Day. Merry Christmas from all of us at FaithfulReader.com.

Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])

Even though the characters in her novels deal with difficult, sometimes heart-wrenching situations, award-winning author Karen Kingsbury calls her own life upbeat and happy. FaithfulReader.com interviewer Cindy Crosby recently talked with the energetic Kingsbury about the challenges of parenting six kids and sustaining a full writing schedule, some exciting plans in the works for taking one of her novels to the big screen, and how the Kingsburys plan to celebrate the holidays.

Across the country Joel Osteen's YOUR BEST LIFE NOW has been flying out of stores and hitting bestseller lists. Here's why!

Do you often dream of living a more rewarding life? Do you aspire to a better job, a stronger marriage, a happier home? Do you wish for more gratifying relationships with your family and friends? Perhaps you simply want to accomplish more and leave a lasting legacy for future generations. In this remarkable book, Joel Osteen offers you unique insights and encouragement that will help you overcome every obstacle you may encounter.

Read an excerpt here.
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Buy YOUR BEST LIFE NOW here.

STAIN OF GUILT: Book Two in the Hidden Faces Series by Brandilyn Collins (Suspense)
Reviewed by Cindy Crosby
Forensic artist Annie Kingston agrees to draw the updated face of Bill Bland, a cunning fugitive wanted for a double murder committed twenty years ago, in this latest chilling story from the talented Brandilyn Collins.

A CHRISTMAS MYSTERY IN PROVENCE by Mary-Jane Deeb (Mystery)
Reviewed by Marcia Ford
Chrissy de Medici returns to Grand-mere's eighteenth-century villa in order to celebrate a quiet family Christmas. But when a valuable fifteenth-century illuminated prayer book disappears from Grand-mere's room and her uncle's body is found dead in the orange grove, Chrissy is thrown into solving the mysteries.

DYING TO KILL: An Angel Delaney Mystery by Patricia H. Rushford (Mystery)
Reviewed by Maggie Harding
Angel Delaney is taking a break from the pressures of police work. But when she receives a call for help from a resident in her coastal Oregon town, she rushes right over and becomes involved in a twisting, multiple murder investigation that she is determined to unravel.

THE INCUMBENT by Alton Gansky (Suspense)
Reviewed by Cindy Crosby
In this chilling tale of intrigue in a small southern California coastal town, Mayor Madison Glenn sets out to discover who is behind the abduction of her friend and treasurer of her last campaign, Lisa Truccoli.

A LIGHT TO MY PATH by Lynn Austin (Historical Fiction)
Reviewed by Cindy Crosby
The talented Lynn Austin completes her "Refiner's Fire" trilogy with a dramatic examination of the Civil War through the perspectives of two slaves.

SHATTERED IMAGE by J.F. Margos (Mystery)
Reviewed by Maggie Harding
Forensic sculptor Toni Sullivan will do whatever it takes to unmask a murderer in order to find peace. But how far will she have to go? And where will she find the strength to handle the traumatic legacy of the past?