Reading Rescue, December 2008:
Christmas Happenings
 By Anne Allen and Mary Anne Fulmer
'Tis the Season! It's a time for family, friends, good
will, and a time for making memories. Everyone is busy, very busy, and
it seems we never have time for ourselves. Everyone needs some quite
time, and there is no better to relax than with a good book. So prepare
to settle back with a cup of hot chocolate, a blanket, and most
important, a good book.
If you need something light and quick, Elizabeth
Sinclair's Angel Unaware (FIC SINCLAIR) will be a good choice.
Dora is an inept angel. She works at the Celestial Maintenance
Department in Heaven. Dora is not your usual angel. She has problems,
and if she wants to earn her wings, she must complete two very important
tasks. First, she has to help a man find his faith in family and he must
be able to trust in love. Dora must also help a little girl get past her
feelings of guilt she feels after her parents' death. Will Dora get her
wings?
Christmas is about helping your fellow man. Greg
Kincaid's A Dog Named Christmas ( FIC KINCAID) is about helping
your fellow man and animals. Todd is developmentally challenged and
lives on his parent's farm in Kansas. He hears that his local animal
shelter needs temporary housing for its dogs during the holidays. His
father is against housing a dog, but the family does temporarily adopt a
dog. Todd names the dog Christmas. He uses his special gift of
persuasion to encourage the whole town to help the shelter. What follows
is that one act of kindness can help a family and a community to learn
about peace on earth and good will toward man and animals.
Christmas time is beautiful everywhere, and London is no
exception. A Christmas romance set in London is A Wallflower
Christmas (FIC KLEYPAS) by Lisa Kleypas. Rafe is an American cad who
travels to London on a shopping expedition for a bride. He must choose
between love and money. His father wants him to wed the uninteresting
Lady Natalie, but as a twist he falls in love with her cousin, Hannah.
Hannah rejects him because she thinks he loves Lady Natalie and that
they will marry. The story is light and humorous. It is one Christmas
story you will love!
Children are not the only ones who dream of sugarplums.
Elisabeth Fairchild's Sugarplum Surprises (FIC FAIRCHILD) is a
about Jane. Jane powders and pads herself to look like a middle-aged
woman. She makes her living by being the best seamstress in town. By
night she resumes her true identity. She crosses path with a young duke
who also is hiding a secret. Christmas holds many surprises. Who will be
the first to tell their secret? Can they have their cake and eat it too?
A tale that will bring smiles and maybe a few tears is
Glenn Beck's The Christmas Sweater (FIC BECK). Despite his single
mother's financial hardships, twelve-year-old Eddie is certain he will
receive a shiny new bike for Christmas. He gets (in his words) a stupid,
handmade, ugly sweater. Eddie is so angry that he rolls it into a ball
and tosses it in the corner of his room. Eddie learns a valuable lesson
that Christmas. This book is based on a personal true story. It is a
tale of family, faith, forgiveness and so much more. This is a book that
everyone should read!
Christmas is also a time for miracles and Delia goes
from a penniless preacher's granddaughter to a rich heiress. Her
grandfather has died, and she knows that she will have to find a place
to live. Delia is in despair until she receives the news of her legacy.
Her estranged father has left her a small fortune. Jude, a man who had
worked with her father, delivers the news. He is very handsome. Delia
becomes the town's best catch, and some very unscrupulous men try to get
her and her fortune. Can Jude help? Will she follow her heart? Find out
about this fantastic romance in Laurie Kingery's Hill Country
Christmas (FIC KINGERY).
Indigo Christmas by Jeanne M. Dams (FIC DAMS) is
a Christmas mystery. Christmas is a time to give and to care about your
fellow man. Hilda had been a penniless servant until she fell in love
with Patrick. Patrick has enough money and really wants Hilda to be a
genteel lady of leisure. Old habits are hard to break and after earning
her living for so long, Hilda has trouble being idle. One of her former
friends asks for her help. It seems her husband has been arrested for
murder and his only hope is for Hilda to help. It looks bleak! Will
Hilda be able to help? Read this fine mystery to find out what happens.
Linda Lael Miller's A McKettrick Christmas (FIC
MILLER) is a story of true faith. Caught in an avalanche with no hope of
escape, Lizzie never looses faith. She knows her family will get to her
some way. Isn't it funny that romance hits in strange places? Lizzie
finds her heart's desire in this marvelous story, but will they get
rescued? Find out by reading this intriguing romance.
Anne Perry's A Christmas Grace (FIC PERRY) is a
very small book but it is full of spirit. Emily is happily married to a
Member of Parliament. One day she and her sister receive letters from an
aunt who has been excluded from the family for years. She is dying and
requests one of them to come to Ireland. Her sister is ill, and it is
decided that Emily will go. Aunt Susannah had married an outsider and to
make it worse, he was Catholic! A strange incident happened years ago in
her aunt's village and some new circumstances make it seem that this
incident is happening again. The town's people are acting strange. Can
Emily give this village a second chance? Will she help her aunt find
peace?
One of our newest additions and a book I really enjoyed
is A Virgin River Christmas by Robyn Carr (FIC CARR). Last
Christmas, Marcie said a final good-bye to her husband. He had been in a
coma for over three years. Bobby had been dragged out of the line of
fire by a fellow Marine, Ian. Marcie had been writing to Ian about
Bobby's progress. At first Ian had responded but as time went by, he
didn't answer her letters. Marcie is determined to find him and to thank
him for saving her husband. The big problem is that Ian doesn't want to
be thanked nor does he want to be found. He can't talk about that time.
Can Marcie find him and can she open his heart?
Finally, one might ask what is the purpose of Christmas.
Rick Warren in The Purpose of Christmas (263.915 WAR) has some
answers. He tries to explain why Christmas is such a big deal. Why are
people happy despite long lines of traffic and long lines in stores?
Born in Bethlehem centuries ago and with a star leading the way, his
birth transformed the world. The shepherds blindly followed that star,
and the world has never been the same. This is a good book, and I hope
many of you find the time to read it.
Please enjoy the holidays and take some time to pamper
yourself with a good book. There are quite a few new Christmas books for
your pleasure including: Once Upon A Christmas by Diane Farr (FIC
FARR); Father Christmas by Barbara Metzger (FIC METZGER); and
One Candlelit Christmas by Terri Brisbane (FIC BRISBANE) to name a
few selections.
There are also many DVDs and videos about Christmas.
Christmas wouldn't be as fun without seeing such movies as Miracle on
34th Street, Christmas Story (Remember Ralphie?), Charlie
Brown's Christmas, and of course, How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
We are never too young or too old to enjoy these films. They will make
you smile and just maybe put a spring in your step.
On December 13th the Pittsburgh Puppet Works will
entertain and a very special guest will also be visiting the library.
Have you guessed who it is? Stage Right will perform on December 18th.
Please be sure to call (724) 744-4414 or e-mail
mfulmer@pennlib.org to find out
all the details. As always, please call or e-mail the library with your
comments and suggestions.
Enjoy this joyous season! See you in the library.
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