My Christmas Reading - Part 2

 

Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva

This was a re-read that I found rather dull this time around. I've read it three times now and had a different reaction each time: first time wasn't impressed, second time liked it quite well, and this time was bored. I think it's headed to my give-away shelf. 

But is that not a great cover?

A Magical New York Christmas by Anita Hughes

I've read this several times and still enjoy it. It's a romance and some of it is not quite believable, but it's not overly sweet and has an interesting story. Original review here.

One Magic Christmas by Martin Noble

This is one from years ago that I decided to re-read because I couldn't remember much of it. I liked it, but in this case have to say that I liked the movie better, though I haven't seen that for years either. The book is based on a screenplay by Thomas Meehan, so maybe it makes sense to prefer the movie...?

In the story a married couple and their two children are struggling financially as Christmas approaches. The mother is not feeling any Christmas spirit at all and so a guardian angel - Gideon - must help her see the value in what she already has. She will experience what life would be like if she were to lose her family, which brings her back in the end to a place of gratitude and joy.

Christmas with the Queen by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb

Another romance, but what interested me was the historical aspect. It takes place in the 1950's and is set in and around Buckingham Palace. A young female reporter is sent to write about palace preparations for Christmas, where she meets a chef who is just getting his start in the palace kitchens. I enjoyed the history, the setting, and the occasional appearances of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip as characters. We get a glimpse of them as people rather than monarchs and though I realize it's fiction, I've read enough about them that much of what is written here rings true. Not sure I'd read it again, but it was interesting. 

And that's it for another Christmas. Right now I'm reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn for book club and I'm still working through The Silmarillion. For fun I'm reading The Joy of X by Steven Strogatz. The blurb on the back says "A delightful exploration of the beauty and fun of mathematics...The Joy of X will entertain you, amaze you, and make you smarter."  I don't know about the smarter part, but it surely is entertaining.

My Christmas Reading - Part 1

Happy New Year! We're a week in and already I'm behind. I read a number of books over the holidays that I haven't found time to write about so here's a quick summary.

A Halifax Christmas Carol by Steven Laffoley

I was excited to find a Christmas story set in Halifax, not your typical holiday fiction setting. Many take you to sparkling cities - New York, Paris - or idyllic winter spots - Vermont, Scandanavia - all great backdrops for a festive story/romance, but not terribly realistic for most of us. 

This one is set in 1918 Halifax, N.S., a city devestated by the great explosion of a year earlier. The author makes it very real, writing of soldiers - some without limbs, some broken mentally by the unthinkable horrors they've seen - coming home at long last only to find the homes and families they'd been longing for gone forever. And now the deadly influenza pandemic killing millions around the world is coming for them.

In the midst of all this sorrow, a couple of reporters - one fresh and optimistic, one seasoned and cynical - cover stories of returning soldiers, desperate families, and orphaned children. The cynic is convinced there is no reason to hope that life will ever be good again, until one day a young boy comes in off the street and leaves 25 cents on the front counter "for the kids" he's read about in the paper's tragic stories. What follows is a search to locate him and find out why he would give away what little he had, a search during which everyone involved will be changed, especially our Scrooge-like cynic.   

This was an uplifting story and a nice surprise. There is a romance - it seems a Christmas story must have one - but it's mostly about finding a reason for hope in the midst of despair. This is one I will probably read again next year.

The Birds of the Air by Alice Ellis Thomas

I didn't see much in the plot or the characters in this one. One particular scene was so unlikely and ridiculous that it reminded me a little of Cold Comfort Farm (which I, in fact, loved). It's about a family getting together for Christmas with none of them very happy about it except the mother who tries very hard to make it nice. There's not much joy to be had here with most of the characters surly, usually for good reason. Having said that, I do think it deserved more than the cursory reading I gave it, so I'll read it again and see if I can't find a little more in it.

Christmas in Vermont by Anita Hughes

A sweet...bordering on too sweet...story about a girl spending some time away over Christmas at a cozy Vermont inn. The trip is a gift from a friend with an ulterior motive - she knows an old boyfriend will be there at the same time and is hoping the two will make a connection. They do of course and it ends as you would expect. Some of it is a rather unrealistic but it's a light holiday read if that's what you're looking for.

The Christmas Tree by David Adams Richards

There are two short stories in this little book - The Carmichael's Dog and The Christmas Tree. In the first, two boys find a puppy and decide to keep it as a Christmas gift for their mother, but when a police car with the dog's owner shows up at their house, and their frantic attempts to hide it are unsuccessful, they face losing the dog and the good will of their neighbours. 

In the second story, The Christmas Tree, two boys go on a very long trek to find the perfect tree only to realize when they get there that they didn't think to bring an axe. On the way home the perfect tree appears out of nowhere. Nice stories, both.

Christmas at Thompson Hall and Other Stories by Anthony Trollope

 

Five refreshingly different short stories in Trollope's wonderful writing. What more could you want? Original review here.