Christmas Books—Another Joy of the Season

It’s been a while since I've blogged,  but Christmas seems like a good time to say hello again, especially since I'd like to share some Christmas books you might enjoy reading.  Christmas has always been “my holiday,” the one I just have to spend with family and other loved ones. And despite all the hassles of getting ready, I love the season—the lights, the music, the calls of “Merry Christmas” and “Happy Holidays.” It doesn’t matter which you say—the message of  peace and joy comes through. 

I love Christmas movies, too—Hallmark, anyone? But my favorite Christmas stories come in book form, beginning with the beautiful, familiar words of Luke's Gospel: 

“And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed  . . .And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem. . . To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. . . .

More modern stories brighten the season when you want to sit, have a glass of wine (or tea), and get lost in a feel-good story. Here are some that I’ve enjoyed over the years by some of my favorite authors:

Elin Hilderbrand writes delightful women’s fiction set on Nantucket, where she lives. Her Christmas series about the Quinn family shows how families can work our their differences because . . . well . . .that’s what family is all about. The books in the series are Winter Street, Winter Stroll, and Winter Storms.

Nancy Thayer, author of the Hot Flash Club Series, also takes us to Nantucket in A Nantucket Christmas. Recently married Nicole Somerset plans a wonderful family holiday, but she doesn't plan on the hostility of her stepdaughter, eight months pregnant, who arrives with her husband and son, determined not to enjoy Christmas at all.

Kristin Hannah, who writes women’s fiction and historical fiction, adds magic to her mix in Comfort and Joy. The main character, Joy, is struggling to recover from learning that her two favorite people, her husband and sister, have betrayed her. She impulsively gets on a plane to head north. When the plane crashes, she  survives and begins a life-changing adventure.

Mystery writers Mary Higgins Clark and her daughter Carol Higgins Clark have a series about a former cleaning woman turned lottery winner who has become an amateur sleuth.  I just read Dashing Through the Snow, where Alvirah and her cohorts go to New Hampshire for a small-town Christmas celebration and end up searching for a lost lottery ticket and a kidnapped young woman.

But Christmas books aren't limited to female authors.  Not to be missed is John Grisham’s Skipping Christmas, about a couple who decide to take a cruise for Christmas since their daughter won’t be coming home. Little did they know how many people that decision would offend. The book has been around a while and was even a movie, but it's still a fun read.

Also not to be missed is David Baldacci’s The Christmas Train. A former globe-trotting journalist boards a train to get from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles to spend Christmas with his fiancé. However, the trip turns out to be more than he  expected.  He meets the “one that got away,”a former love he now realizes was the love of his life. Other characters are quirky and unique, and include a thief stealing small, valuable items from cabins.  Add a blizzard and an avalanche and . . . .you get a great story. It was also made into a movie.

Last, I’ll add A Wish for Christmas, a collection of short stories from a small U.K. publisher. My story, “The Blue Christmas Tree,” is the final story in the book.

Happy reading and a very

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!