It is almost time for the season and I decided to cancel all of my regularly scheduled posts to get in one last Christmas post! I think everyone that follows my blog probably knows that I have an unhealthy obsession with Christmas. No joke, the obsession runs so deep that I started a Pinterest board for a Christmas themed house. It will happen one day. Anyway, here are some of my top suggestions to read this holiday season! I tried to choose from a variety of favorites so you can hopefully find something that will piqué your interest.
Something Classic
A Christmas Carol by Charles DickensPages: 68
In October 1843, Charles Dickens heavily in debt and obligated to his publisher began work on a book to help supplement his family’s meager income. That volume, “A Christmas Carol, “has long since become one of the most beloved stories in the English language. As much a part of the holiday season as holly, mistletoe, and evergreen wreaths, this perennial favorite continues to delight new readers and rekindle thoughts of charity and goodwill.With its characters exhibiting many qualities as well as failures often ascribed to Dickens himself, the imaginative and entertaining tale relates Ebenezer Scrooge’s eerie encounters with a series of spectral visitors. Journeying with them through Christmases past, present, and future, he is ultimately transformed from an arrogant, obstinate, and insensitive miser to a generous, warmhearted, and caring human being. Written by one of England’s greatest and most popular novelists, “A Christmas Carol” has come to epitomize the true meaning of Christmas
Something Magical
The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore, Genres: Christmas & Advent, Classics, Fiction, General, Holidays, Holidays & Celebrations, Young Adult
Pages: 32
As St. Nick and eight tiny reindeer descend through a brilliant night sky, the famous Christmas poem begins. The father narrates the words just as Clement Moore wrote them, and artist Jan Brett captures the spirit of the story in glorious illustrations. Visually she extends it for children will delight in watching two mischievous stowaways from the North Pole enthusiastically exploring the sacks of gifts on the roof. St. Nick, inside the house, is unaware, until the toys spill down onto the lawn — then he turns with a jerk, and sees them.
Something Spiritual
The Incense Road by Tracy Higley
Genres: Christian, Fiction, General, Holidays, Religious
Pages: 344
An epic quest across the sands of Arabia In the exotic lands of the east, a secret sect of Persian magicians study the night sky for generations. When the stars announce a strange royal birth, Misha, a first-level mage, is ready to prove himself by chasing down this new world leader. But then an ancient document surfaces, whispering of an artifact of immense power. The temptation to seize power is too great to resist. And Misha is not alone in his quest. The king’s general Reza seeks power to fulfill his mysterious destiny, and both he and Misha have their eye set on the Egyptian princess Kamillah, who will do anything to gain the artifact that could break her bondage to the sorcerer Zahir. The soldier, the mage and the princess each has a secret to protect. But if they are going to survive the dark forces warring for their prize, they must learn to trust each other-in what will surely be the journey of a lifetime.
Something Heartwarming
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. SeussGenres: Classics, Fiction, General, Holidays,
Pages: 64
“The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season!Now, please don’t ask why. No one quite knows the reason.”
Dr. Seuss’s small-hearted Grinch ranks right up there with Scrooge when it comes to the crankiest, scowling holiday grumps of all time. For 53 years, the Grinch has lived in a cave on the side of a mountain, looming above the Whos in Whoville. The noisy holiday preparations and infernal singing of the happy little citizens below annoy him to no end. The Grinch decides this frivolous merriment must stop. His “wonderful, awful” idea is to don a Santa outfit, strap heavy antlers on his poor, quivering dog Max, construct a makeshift sleigh, head down to Whoville, and strip the chafingly cheerful Whos of their Yuletide glee once and for all.
Looking quite out of place and very disturbing in his makeshift Santa get-up, the Grinch slithers down chimneys with empty bags and stealing the Whos’ presents, their food, even the logs from their humble Who-fires. He takes the ramshackle sleigh to Mt. Crumpit to dump it and waits to hear the sobs of the Whos when they wake up and discover the trappings of Christmas have disappeared. Imagine the Whos’ dismay when they discover the evil-doings of Grinch in his anti-Santa guise. But what is that sound? It’s not sobbing, but singing! Children simultaneously adore and fear this triumphant, twisted Seussian testimonial to the undaunted cheerfulness of the Whos, the transcendent nature of joy, and of course, the growth potential of a heart that’s two sizes too small.
This holiday classic is perfect for reading aloud to your favorite little Whos.
Something Touching
The Christmas Shoes by Donna VanLiereGenres: Christian,Fiction, General, Holidays, Religious
Pages: 144
Sometimes, the things that can change your life will cross your path in one instant-and then, in a fleeting moment, they’re gone. But if you open your eyes, and watch carefully, you will believe….
Robert is a successful attorney who has everything in life-and nothing at all. Focused on professional achievement and material rewards, Robert is on the brink of losing his marriage. He has lost sight of his wife, Kate, their two daughters, and ultimately himself. Eight year old Nathan has a beloved mother, Maggie, whom he is losing to cancer. But Nathan and his family are building a simple yet full life, and struggling to hold onto every moment they have together. A chance meeting on Christmas Even brings Robert and Nathan together-he is shopping for a family he hardly knows and Nathan is shopping for a mother he is soon to lose. In this one encounter, their lives are forever altered as Robert learns an important lesson: sometimes the smallest things can make all the difference. The Christmas Shoes is a universal story of the deeper meaning of serendipity, a tale of our shared humanity, and of how a power greater than ourselves can shape, and even save, our lives.
About Tracy Higley
I’ve been writing adventure stories since the time I first picked up a pencil. I still have my first “real” novel–the story I began at the age of eight during a family trip to New York City.
Through my childhood I wrote short stories, plays for my friends to perform (sometimes I had to bribe them), and even started a school newspaper (OK, I was the editor, journalist and photographer since no one took that bribe to join me). Then there were the “drama years” of junior high, when I filled a blank journal with romance and poetry. Sigh.
In my adult years I finally got serious about publishing suspense fiction, and have since authored twelve novels in twelve years.
When I’m not writing, life is full of other adventures–running a business, raising kids, and my favorite pastime: traveling the world.
I started traveling to research my novels and fell in love with experiencing other cultures. It’s my greatest hope that you’ll feel like you’ve gotten to travel to the settings of my books, through the sights, sounds, smells, colors, and textures I try to bring back from my travels and weave into my stories.
To experience my travel journals and see the romantic settings of my books, I hope you’ll visit my website at TracyHigley.com or meet up with me on Facebook at facebook.com/tracyhigley.
All wonderful reads – I have just myself re-read A Christmas Carol. A very Merry Christmas to you!
And to you as well! I am disappointed I forgot to schedule A Christmas Carol in this year. Ive already put it on the planner for next year!