Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews (Southern series #3) (audio)

Weezie Foley is trying to get her shop together for the historical district's annual decorating contest. But standing in her way are her competitors across the street, a crazy holiday schedule, and a little old lady who gets stealing and returning Weezie's stuff.

I didn't realize that this was the third in a series. But it didn't matter. There was enough background given to get me up to speed with the characters. I think I missed out on some background relationships but not so much that I was confused. This was a cute book along the lines of the other Mary Kay Andrews books I've read. I enjoyed it though I started it before Christmas and then put it on hold to listen to Fangirl and then The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

I liked Weezie and Bebe and their friendship. They always have each others' backs and that is nice. Everyone should have a friend like that. I enjoyed the quirky, funny aspects of the book like Weezie's kooky family and her auction buying trips. And I loved the family dinner at the end of the book. I laughed so hard which is not good when you are driving. Still it made the commute go by fast. I look forward to going back for the other books.

Isabel Keating is the narrator and once again I enjoyed her reading. She narrated The Fixer Upper and I liked in her that book as well. She has the perfect accent even if it occasionally sounds a little marble-mouthed especially in the male characters. Still I think she is a great narrator for Andrews books.

5 hours, 3 minutes.

Merry Christmas!

I hope you all have a wonderful and magical Christmas day!

Jacob T. Marley by R. William Bennett

Ever wonder about Jacob Marley, the reason why Scrooge is visited the three spirits and his soul is saved? Here is the story of what happened with Marley and why he was able to offer Scrooge the chance he did.

This was really well done. It fit nicely with The Christmas Carol. It is written in the same style and tone as the Dickens' tale. The Christmas Carol is one of my favorite holiday stories and I had never really given Marley much thought. He just appeared in the story as a minor character, but really he is very important. Because he is the one who offers Scrooge the chance to redeem himself. I enjoyed reading how Marley really effected Scrooge's life and contributed to Scrooge's attitude and outlook and his overall ruthlessness. This was a wonderful addition to the Dickens' story and it is a great holiday tale.

from NetGalley

Holiday audio books

I've been listening to some old favorites this holiday season. Instead of doing individual posts of books I've already reviewed I thought I'd put them all here.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson, read by Elaine Stritch.

The Herdmans are the worst kids in town and somehow they end up mixed up in the Christmas Pageant. Everyone thinks they are going to destroy the pageant but they end up showing everyone the true meaning of Christmas.

I never read this book as a child, but the movie was a favorite growing up.  I discovered that is was based on a book within the last few years and of course I had to read it. It is as delightful as the movie and I hope that it is a favorite for my kids one day.  I like the narration of Elaine Stritch. At first it caught me off guard how much older she sounds than the narrator of the book is supposed to be. But she does such a fine job that it doesn't really matter in the end.

A Christmas Story by Jean Shepherd, read by Dick Cavett

This is one of my favorite Christmas movies is based on a series of short stories by Jean Shepherd (who narrates the movie). Jean Shepherd is one of my favorite retrospective authors and I love his books. And all the stories contained in this compilation should sound familiar to anyone who has seen the movie. From Red Ryder and his bb gun to Grover Dill, the bully all the stories are here. It's fun listening to them and I really like Dick Cavett's voice and the sound effects that go into the audio book.

Merry Christmas!

 

I hope all your days are merry and bright.  Wishing you a lovely holiday! 

Miracle on 34th Street by Valentine Davies + 1955 television special

If you searched every old folks’ home in the country, you couldn’t find anyone who looked more like Santa Claus.  He was the living, breathing incarnation of the old gent - white beard, pink cheeks, fat tummy and all - and his name was Kris Kringle, too.  p.3 

I didn't realize there was a book of the movie, Miracle on 34th Street.  But this is the novelization of the classic 1947 movie.  It was a thoroughly enjoyable little book, very much a novelization of the movie.  I haven't actually seen the original movie a whole lot maybe once or twice so this book held a few surprises for me and it was a great way to get into the Christmas spirit.  I'd recommend it to anyone who loves the movie and even to people who have never seen the movie but love a good holiday story.

I also watched the 1955 one hour television special which I had never seen.  It was pretty good though it skipped quite a few details being only an hour.  Kris was never shown taking over the job from the drunken Santa, he just answered an ad.   And there were a few other scenes that were skipped over.  But it was still the same sweet story and I liked it.  The actors were good but I still prefer the actors from the original movie.

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

When Dash finds a mysterious red notebook at a bookstore, it leads into a series of dares and scavenger hunts with Lily, an effervescent girl who is also intrigued with the boy on the other side of the notebook.

I was horribly bookish, to the point of coming right out and saying it, which I knew was not socially acceptable.  I particularly loved the adjective bookish, which I found other people used about as often as ramrod or chum or teetotaler.  --Dash p.3

I've always resented Hermione, because I anted to be her so badly and she never seemed to appreciate as much as I thought she should that she got to be her.  She got to live at Hogwarts and be friends with Harry and kiss Ron, which was supposed to happen to me.   --Lily  p.77

If I has to review this book in one word it would be Charming.  This is a lovely, hilarious, and charming holiday story.  I wasn't sure, at first, how I felt about Dash.  He annoyed me a bit at the beginning.  It was not love at first sight, but I grew to love him and Lily, too, of course.  I really liked her.  She was so sweet and perky and I liked how she was trying to become more mature yet was so very innocent at the same time.  And by end I was enamoured of both and happy with how things turned out for them.

In a way, Dash and Lily is the happier, more Christmasy version of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist though the only thing stories have in common is the movement of the characters.  They never really stay still, always go from one dare to the other.  But, while Nick and Norah were together most of their book, Dash and Lily only know each other through the red notebook the majority of this book.  It's not a new idea, two characters communicating but never meeting, but it comes off as fresh in the Book of Dares.  There are some genuinely laugh out loud moments that had me laughing in public and it is a very sweet, fun book and a great addition to a YA Christmas collection.

Hogwarts: Charms
Holiday Reading

A Season of Gifts (audio) by Richard Peck

Grandma Dowdel from the A Long Way From Chicago and A Year Down Yonder is back!  In A Season of Gifts, she had new neighbors including the ten-year son of the new preacher.  Told from his point of view, Bob watches as Grandma Dowdel helps the town folk without looking like she is doing anything.

I always enjoy Richard Peck's books.  They are so simple and folksy and Grandma Dowdel is an unforgettable character.  I was glad to see another book with her in it.  She gets older but never changes.  By befriending the new family next door (even though she doesn't "neighbor") she shows how the giving spirit can last all year long.  She is a very clever lady and I love some of her schemes and how they work out.  And there are some seriously laugh out loud moments in this book.  I especially enjoyed the tree story and the ghost story.  The narrative is broken into what seems to be more like short stories though there is a theme overall.

A Christmas Carol (audio) by Charles Dickens + Disney's A Christmas Carol

This is the first time I have ever listened to A Christmas Carol.  Lucky for me the narrator just happens to be Jim Dale, narrator of the Harry Potter series and one of my all-time favorite narrators.  I love his voice so much and he does an excellent job as usual though some of his voices seemed to carry over from Harry Potter and so there was one character who sounded a bit like Hagrid to me.  That might be because I listened to this simultaneously with Deathly Hallows though.

It's funny what things listening to a book can bring to light versus reading it.  I never noticed the dialogue skips and how the book is so wordy.  I still enjoyed it though.  It is such a classic Christmas book and one I don't mind reading over and over.  I'd like to try a different narrator next year just to see how someone else reads it. 

Disney's A Christmas Carol

I wanted to see this last year when it came out but I never got around to it.  I watched it the other day with my husband and son.  We enjoyed it for the most part though I think the ghosts might have scared my son (who is 4) a little.  Definitely he was scared by Marley's ghost and the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come.  The animation was pretty though I didn't care for how the humans looked except maybe Scrooge.  He came out alright.  I really liked how the Ghost of Christmas Yet-To-Come was brought to life (so to speak) and how it turned out.  I was fine with the other ghosts as well.  I liked that it followed the book very accurately and they didn't just let Jim Carrey run amok all over it.  There were only a few points where his general overacting came out but he was a good Scrooge and I liked his voice for the part.  He did a good job overall.  I think I would watch it again.  It was one of the most faithful animated adaptations that I have seen.

Matchless by Gregory Maguire

On an island so far north that it snowed from September to April, a boy named Frederik kept himself warm by keeping a secret.

What a sweet, sad but hopeful little story.  It's the classic Little Match Girl story tied together with the story of Frederik, a poor simple boy.  The Little Match Girl tale is sandwiched between Frederik's story and is an almost faithful version of that story. The tale of Frederik is just as simple.  A little boy who barely interacts with the Little Match Girl but whose life intersects with hers nonetheless.  It is a very short, very simple tale much like a classic fairy tale but so so sweet.  I will admit to tearing up at the end.  It is a beautiful little book.

Hogwarts: Charms
Holiday Reading

2010 Holiday Reading Challenge - COMPLETE

 

All About {n} is hosting a Holiday Reading Challenge and I'm signing up!  Challenge will start Monday, November 15 and will end Friday, December 31.  You can read anywhere from 1 to 5 books for the challenge or more if you want.







Right now my list looks like this:

1. Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
2. Matchless by Gregory Maguire
3. Miracle on 34th Street by Valentine Davies
4. A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck
5. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

I might not read all of these but that is what I'm starting with.

Wishin' and Hopin'

From Goodreads:
It's 1964 and ten-year-old Felix is sure of a few things: the birds and the bees are puzzling, television is magical, and this is one Christmas he'll never forget.
LBJ and Lady Bird are in the White House, Meet the Beatles is on everyone's turntable, and Felix Funicello (distant cousin of the iconic Annette!) is doing his best to navigate fifth grade—easier said than done when scary movies still give you nightmares and you bear a striking resemblance to a certain adorable cartoon boy.
Back in his beloved fictional town of Three Rivers, Connecticut, with a new cast of endearing characters, Wally Lamb takes his readers straight into the halls of St. Aloysius Gonzaga Parochial School—where Mother Filomina's word is law and goody-two-shoes Rosalie Twerski is sure to be minding everyone's business. But grammar and arithmetic move to the back burner this holiday season with the sudden arrivals of substitute teacher Madame Frechette, straight from QuÉbec, and feisty Russian student Zhenya Kabakova. While Felix learns the meaning of French kissing, cultural misunderstanding, and tableaux vivants, Wishin' and Hopin' barrels toward one outrageous Christmas.

This was a good book definitely in the vein of A Christmas Story and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.  A nostalgic book about the good ole days, I liked it.  I'm particular to this types of books in general and thought this one was cute.  Felix is a very innocent 10 year old boy so there are some parts with dirty jokes and Felix doesn't understand them leading to a very hilarious incident.  But he is a sweet and kind boy.  The book starts with his teacher at his Catholic school having a mental breakdown through getting a new French substitute teacher and up to the Christmas pageant and a very special guest at the end.  Along the way there are some nice glimpses at life in the 60's.  I think I'm going to add this one to my Christmas annual re-reads.

Merry Christmas!

I just wanted to say Merry Christmas to all!  I hope your holidays are happy and full of family and the holiday spirit.

"'And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'"

A Christmas Carol

First off, Merry Christmas!
In honor of this holiday, I'm going to talk about one of the quintessential Christmas books, A Christmas Carol.  Most people have read this short novella or watched an adaptation of it in some form or other.  My favorite is the Muppets' Christmas Carol although it is much jollier than the actual book.
Anyway, for those of  you who haven't heard of this book, here's the synopsis:

Basically, Ebenezer Scrooge is a miserly man who holds nothing dearer to his heart than money.  One night he is visited by his deceased business partner, Jacob Marley, who tells Scrooge he will be visited by three spirits throughout the nigh who will try to show Scrooge the error of his ways.  Throughout each episode, we learn how Scrooge ended up the way he is and what his future will look like if he keeps up with his miserly ways.

For such a short book, A Christmas Carol is a powerful mortality lesson.  It teaches that kindness and generosity are the way to happiness and that money doesn't matter if you have no one to share it.  Scrooge is a nasty man caring not for the poor or the less fortunate, but after seeing the plight of many people including his clerk, Bob Cratchit, his heart is changed.  There is a reason that A Christmas Carol has been such an enduring Christmas tale.  It teaches that each person can be redeemed and that redemption lies in our hearts.  We only have to reach out for it.

And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God Bless Us, Every One!

Skipping Christmas (audio)

With his daughter off to the Peruvian jungle for a year with the Peace Corps, Luther Krank convinces his wife to take all the money they spend on Christmas and go on a cruise instead.  Little does he know how their friends and neighbors are going to react to the idea of skipping Christmas

*spoilers*

Skipping Christmas is one of my annual Christmas books.  I listen to it every year and I still find it amusing.  There are always details that I forget and parts I think are funny or maddening every year.  This is my fifth year, I believe.

The thought that occurred to me this year is how outraged his neighbors are by the idea that the Kranks aren't going to go along with the usual trapping of Christmas.  It seems the idea that a married couple with no children at home enjoying a vacation together alone is impossible to these people and they act in a very unChristmas-y way.  And yes, Luther Krank is a bit of an ass about the whole thing, but all he wants to do is get through Christmas without a tree or carols or putting a giant Frosty the Snowman on the roof.  And the reactions of everyone around him are absurd, but amusing.  And frankly, I'm right there with Luther.  The part of this book that aggravates me every time is the Krank's reactions when said daughter calls to surprise them that she is actually coming home for Christmas.  Keep in mind that it's only been a month since she was gone.  The mother, Nora, is excited as is Luther, but what gets me is that I don't know, personally, any parents of this age who would willingly drop a vacation that they've been planning to run around the city preparing for a holiday they had no intention of celebrating.  Instead of saying, honey we weren't expecting you, we didn't decorate or plan to do much if they really wanted to keep their trip a secret, they run about getting angry and doing stupid things while their neighbors give Luther a hard time.

But I think the message of the book might come at the end.  Because really no one was really acting with the true Christmas spirit until the very end anyway, not the neighbors or the friends or even Luther.  But with the act of kindness at the end, the book redeems everyone and shows that people have kindness in their hearts, they just have look for it sometimes.  And Christmas isn't about the stuff.  It's about the people you love and kindness and good will.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (audio)

One of my favorite Christmas movies growing up was The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and one day, I discovered the book.  It tells the story of a church that one year is invaded by the baddest kids in town and who decide they would like to be in the Christmas Pageant.  Everyone assumes that it will be a disaster but are surprised and delighted by the outcome.

I think I always related to the movie because I went to a church like this when I was little.  My mother and my sister and I were very involved in our church until we moved to a new town when I was 13 so I understand about having the same old kids in your Sunday school and doing the same thing year after year.  We didn't do a Christmas pageant but I knew girls like Alice Wendlekin, who is just bossy.  And we didn't have any Herdmans, but that was okay.

The nice thing about this book (and the movie) is that it emphasizes how most Christians take the Christmas story for granted and never really think about the deeper meaning behind it.  But since the Herdmans' had never been to church or heard about the birth of Jesus, they had questions and so made everyone think about it.  They are some mean kids but deep down seem decent enough, just neglected with too much time on their hands.

I listened to it this year, something I've never done and Elaine Stritch does the narration.  I was a little taken aback since the narrator is suppose to be around 9 and Ms. Stritch is obviously older than that.  It threw me off for the first little bit, but once I use to it so does a great job of giving everyone character.  The only thing is I can hear the actor's voices from the movie over her.  This would be a great book for a full cast to do.

Let It Snow

Book jacket:
Sparkling white snowdrifts, beautiful presents wrapped in ribbons, and multicolored lights glittering in the night through the falling snow. A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one small town into a romantic haven, the kind you see only in movies. Well, kinda. After all, a cold and wet hike from a stranded train through the middle of nowhere would not normally end with a delicious kiss from a charming stranger. And no one would think that a trip to the Waffle House through four feet of snow would lead to love with an old friend. Or that the way back to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks.


Comprised of three short stories by Maureen Johnson ("The Jubilee Express"), John Green ("A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle") and Lauren Myracle ("The Patron Saint of Pigs"), Let It Snow was a very cute holiday book.  The stories led around one town starting with the story of Jubliee and her parents getting arrested in a porcelain village riot through Tobin and his friends' quest to the Waffle House and cheerleaders and finally to Addie and her broken heart and Starbucks and a very tiny pig. Each story contains some element of the others and they are all wrapped up at the end in a nice little endings.

Oh, and he was dressed in tinfoil.  Head to toe. Even had a little tinfoil hat.  Like you do. p. 31

Maureen Johnson starts the book off with the story of Jubilee who is meant to spend Christmas Eve with her boyfriend, but ends up on a train to her grandparent's house when her parents are arrested in a fight over a china Christmas village.  Her train is delayed when it runs into a snowbank so Jubilee hops off and makes her way to a nearby Waffle House to escape a cheerleading squad.  There she meets Stuart and after a series of adventures, figures out what she has been missing in her life.  As always, Johnson's story is hilariously funny and so very cute.  This was my favorite of the three.

"God, I am always foiled by my love of hash browns!" p. 134

John Green picks up the narrative with the story of Tobin and his friends as they race to the Waffle House.  Tobin and his friend, JP, are lured to the Waffle House by a friend who works there with the thought of a cheerleading squad (yep) trapped inside.  His other friend, Duke who is a girl, tags along supposedly over her love of hash browns, but it quickly becomes apparent there is something more.  The only John Green I've read is An Abundance of Katherines and I wasn't impressed, but I really enjoyed his story.  It was very funny.  I might have to give some of his other books a go now.

Inside of jingle bells, I had suckage bells. Lovely. p.215

Lauren Myracle provides the last story and the wrap-up.  Addie is nursing a broken heart after she breaks up with her boyfriend.  And when he doesn't show up for a reconciliation talk, she assumes that he doesn't want her anymore.  But her friends and customers point out to her how dramatic and selfish she can be, Addie begins to take a closer look at herself and the reasons why he may not want her back.  I've only read a couple of books by her and while her story was cute, it was by no means the best.  Addie was the worst character in the book and, if this was a book just about her, I would have abandoned it.  She wasn't a strong enough character to end the book with and her story was the weakest.  I didn't get the character growth at all and the thing about the guardian angel was weird.

But despite that, it was a very cute book with lots of Christmas spirit and a little slapstick humor.  I would recommended it to those looking for a little holiday cheer.

Good and Perfect Gifts

An illustrative retelling of The Gift of the Magi, this little book is set in the American South.  In the original tale, the wife cuts off her hair to buy a chain for her husband's watch while the husband sells his watch to buy combs for his wife's long hair.  Later they find out what happened and are sad that their presents they gave our not useful but happy with what they have received as it represents a sacrifice on each other's part and shows their love.

This retelling is faithful to that idea, but the husband and wife live in a trailer in a small Southern town.  They are poor, but love each other very much.  The wife sells her mama's quilt to buy her husband a tool chest while the husband sells his tools to buy his wife a chest for her mama's quilt.  In the end, the wife remembers a passage from the Bible: Every good and perfect gift is from above (James 1:17) and is happy that they have each other, that Christmas is not about the gifts but who you spend it with.

It was a very cute book and the pictures look like wood carvings.  I liked the illustrations, but found the attempt at relating the accent awkward.  I thought the Southern twist very fun and a great way to update the story.  The Gift of the Magi has always been one of my favorites and I enjoyed this version of it.

A Christmas Story (audio)

I don't know how many people actually know that the movie A Christmas Story is actually based on some short stories by Jean Shepherd (who narrates the movie).  Most of them are contained in his book In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash which I read long ago.  It's a funny book and Shepherd is a great writer who writes stories/rememberances of growing up in the Depression era and beyond. 

Someone had the good idea to put together all the stories that A Christmas Story is based on into one book (I listend to it and it is narrated by Dick Cavett).  These are charming timeless stories.  There are five stories total in this compilation: "Duel in the Snow, or Red Ryder nails the Cleveland Street Kid" about the Red Ryder BB Gun; "The Counterfeit Secret Circle Member Gets the Message, or The Asp Strikes Again" with the decoder ring; "My Old Man and the Lascivious Special Award that Heralded the Birth of Pop Art," the leg lamp; "Grover Dill and the Tasmanian Devil" about the bullies; and "The Grandstand Passion Play of Delbert and the Bumpus Hounds" the full story of the Bumpus dogs and the meal they stole (in the story it is the Easter ham).  Together these five make up the classic Christmas movie.

Dick Cavett does a great job with the narration bringing to live this stories and the audio verision also includes music and sound effects so the effect is very much like a radio play.  It's really very neat.  I love how the stories bring to life that era in American history and how these little moments in time stick with people.

The Muppet Christmas Carol (Based on a Book)

The Muppets take on Charles Dickens' classic tale "A Christmas Carol" with their own special twist of course.  Starring Michael Caine as Ebeneezer Scrooge and the cast of the Muppets in various role, this is a fun take on the old story. It follows the Dickens story fairly faithfully and most of Scrooge's dialogue is straight on.  The addition of Charles Dickens (Gonzo) as the narrator is funny.

It is a musical as Muppet movies usually are, though the songs are less memorable.  I like particulary "It feels like Christmas," a jauntly little tune.  The special effects are well done for 1992 and the Muppets are so great.  Michael Caine makes an excellent Scrooge and I love Miss Piggy's Mrs. Cratchit.