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Reading Rescue, December 2005: Holiday
By Anne Allen and Mary Anne Fulmer
It's December, a month of snow, cold, and Christmas. In
my opinion, it's the best month of the year! Everyone is friendly, but
extremely busy. If you are tired and are in the need of a pick-me-up,
what better way than with your favorite author from your friendly,
neighborhood library. One great way to "read" a good book and still bake
cookies or wrap a gift, is with an audio book. Jacqueline Mitchard's Christmas Present, will tug at your heartstrings. Laura is diagnosed
with a brain hemorrhage. She has only twenty-four hours to live. Her
family is at her death bed. They all get to kiss her good-bye and she
dies. Her death is sad, but in the final chapter, you will find that her
husband and daughters receive the present she promised, hope for the
future.
 Mary Higgins Clark and her daughter, Carol penned
The Christmas Thief. An eighty-foot Vermont spruce slated for the tree
lighting at Rockefeller Center is stolen. The owners of the tree had no
idea that the tree's branches contain millions of dollars worth of
diamonds. What will happen? The children are excited and you are so busy, what do you do? You can
keep them entertained with a video or DVD. Children of all ages will
enjoy How The Grinch Stole Christmas. They will love the movie and also
learn a valuable lesson. The Grinch finds it doesn't matter what he does
to the Who families presents and feast, Christmas still comes. Cindy Lou
shows him that even though he is nasty and mean, she can still be kind.
His heart starts to melt when he discovers the true meaning of
Christmas. Did you ever have a vacation when everything went wrong?
Clark Griswold is the champion of things going wrong. When he gets
involved, you will see everything goes wrong. On this Christmas Vacation, his relatives join him and the fun begins. Clark is convinced
that he must have the most lights on his house in the neighborhood, but
that is when the trouble really begins. His cat gets involved and his
bonus check might be history. This movie will make you laugh and it may
help you forget how tired you really are and how much more work has to
be done! Another good movie is I'll Be Home For Christmas, starring
Jonathan Taylor Thomas. He is a teenage Santa. His family wants him home
for Christmas, but he wants to go on vacation with his girlfriend.
Getting home is hilarious! This movie will put you in the Christmas
spirit. If it's a beautiful film that might make the
holidays more fun than take a look at The Nutcracker. This movie will
make you feel so happy. The ballet is spectacular and it is done with
great feeling. Some may feel the story line is too complicated but just
sit back and enjoy. Another beautiful movie is White Christmas. The
movie stars Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney. They sing Irving Berlin
songs that are fantastic. In the movie two Army buddies set out to form
a song and dance team to help their retired General who is having
trouble coping with retirement. They turn a country inn into a showcase
for talent and then fall in love with sisters. The music is sure to make
you feel the spirit of the Holiday. It will become a family favorite if
it is not already. If you really want to feel the
Christmas spirit than watch The Homecoming. The film is based on the
Walton family and one Christmas Eve. They are anxiously awaiting their
father's return from work. He has had to find work in a distant town to
make ends meet during the Depression. His family knows he will be there
if he can and as the night goes on, they begin to worry. John Boy sets
out to find him and you'll have to watch the movie to see what happens.
When you do get a few minutes to read, one of the best books for this
Holiday season is There's Something About Christmas, by Debbie Macomber.
Emma is convinced that writing obits and selling ads will lead to a
journalist position. Instead, she gets her first "plum" assignment
interviewing three finalists in a fruitcake recipe contest. Her only
source of transportation to these contestants is with pilot Oliver
Hamilton who reminds her of her shiftless, handsome father. Emma has a
huge problem. She is afraid to fly and it is the only way to get to
Yakima, Colville, and San Juan Islands to interview the contestants. It
all adds up to three sure-fire fruitcake recipes, romance, and a message
that life is a fruitcake: full of unexpected delights.
Nancy Thayer's Hot Flash Holidays, will make you feel all sort of
emotions. You will wonder what life will be like as you grow older or
that life can be fun after sixty. You will learn to believe in magic and
yourself. Christmas is the season for miracles, to be nostalgic, and to
learn a few lessons. If you have baked endless cookies,
maybe reading Leslie Meier's Christmas Cookie Murder, might give you a
chuckle. Lucy Stone is a reporter for the Penny Saver Newspaper. She has
just had her annual cookie party that was a disaster! Lucy met Tucker
Whitney, an assistant at the daycare center, recently. Before Lucy can
become friendly, Tucker is strangled. Everyone knows she has been having
an affair with a married man, but no one believes he killed her. Lucy
starts snooping and really finds trouble with a capital T. Who did it?
Kristin Hannah's Comfort and Joy, is a marvelous book. Joy, a high
school librarian, is trying to come to grips with the fact that her
sister is sleeping with her husband, Thom. Stacey, her sister, meets Joy
in her driveway and proceeds to give her a wedding invitation. She is
inviting Joy to her wedding to Thom and to make it more horrible, Stacey
is pregnant. How Joy had longed for a baby! Joy has had it. She goes to
the airport and boards a plane to Hope, Canada. No one knows where she
is and she doesn't care! Joy meets a father and son who are going
through misery. She finds that she can help them and herself. Joy
receives the special gift of a second chance at love and happiness.
There are so many good books, audios, and movies in the library that I
could bore you to death. Leslie Meier, Anne Ripley, and more authors
have written great stories. They will be sure to put you in the holiday
spirit. We also have books to help you find facts about the season. The
Encyclopedia of Christmas and New Year's Celebrations, features A to Z
entries on Christmas and New Year's rituals and lore. If you need
something for the children to do, then Christmas Decorations Children
Can
Make, is an excellent choice. It offers easy-to-follow instructions and
the supplies needed are ones that are in most households. They don't
take a lot of time and will keep the children happy and busy. As you can
see, the library is an excellent choice for the holidays.
Anne and I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a healthy, happy,
prosperous New Year. See you in 2006!
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