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Here is a
round-up of some holiday-oriented books, which include
mystery, humor, feel-good and romance.
—
"A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Books"
by
Charles Dickens
(Everyman,
$18
, 411 pages): Let's not forget the original
Christmas-season storyteller, who not only wrote of
Scrooge and
Tiny Tim
but also "The Chimes," "The Cricket on
the Hearth," "The Battle of Life" and
"The Haunted Man."
—
"A Rumpole Christmas" by
John Mortimer
(Viking,
$21.95
, 176 pages):
London
barrister Horace Rumpole shows up for the holidays in
five delightful, previously unpublished stories.
—
"The Body in the Sleigh" by
Katherine Hall Page
(
William Morrow
,
$15.99
, 272 pages): The "Faith Fairchild" mystery
series continues, with Faith and her husband enjoying
Christmas on
Sanpere Island
off the
Maine
coast. The community is rocked when a body is discovered
– and a newborn baby is found in a manger in a barn.
—
"Holly and Homicide" by
Leslie Caine
(
Dell
,
$7.99
, 352 pages): The new entry in the "Domestic
Bliss" series finds interior designers
Erin Gilbert
and
Steve Sullivan
accused of murder.
—
"Merry, Merry Ghost" by
Carolyn Hart
(
William Morrow
,
$15.99
, 288 pages): Blithe spirit
Bailey Ruth Raeburn
is on assignment for Heaven's
Department of Good Intentions
when she is called on to "protect a little boy,
foil a murderer and save Christmas."
—
"Mrs. Miracle" by
Debbie Macomber
(
Avon
,
$7.99
, 352 pages): The
New York Times
best-selling author (more than 60 million books in
print) offers a feel-good story about a magical nanny
who comes to the rescue of a single dad at
Christmastime.
—
Macomber also has this title: "The Perfect
Christmas" (Mira,
$16.95
, 232 pages): A cute tale about a single woman looking
for a potential husband. She consults a professional
matchmaker, who gives her three Christmas- oriented
tasks before introducing her to the "perfect
mate." Of course, there's a big surprise waiting at
the end.
—
"A Christmas Promise" by
Anne Perry
(Ballantine,
$18
, 208 pages): The seventh title in Perry's holiday
series is set in Victorian England, where two children
search for a golden box that might hold a treasure —
or something sinister.
—
"The Christmas Secret" by
Donna VanLiere
(
Thorndike
,
$14.99
, 322 pages): A young single mother and a young man
whose accounting job has been downsized turn out to be
star-crossed in a holiday tale of love lost and found.
—
"
The Christmas Cookie Club
" by
Ann Pearlman
(
Atria
,
$24.99
, 288 pages): On the first Monday of every December, the
12 women in the
Christmas Cookie Club
gather to share the secrets of their lives. The book
includes cookie recipes along with lots of drama.
—
"Christmas Cake" by
Lynne Hinton
(
Avon
,
$13.99
, 304 pages): As a group of women in
Hope Springs
, N.C., work on a cake cookbook, one of their members
hears bad news. Because of it, her Christmas wish is to
pay a visit to a small
Texas
town, where she is reminded of just what the ultimate
Christmas gift can be.
—
"Wishin' and Hopin' " by
Wally Lamb
(Harper,
$19.99
, 288 pages): Best-seller Lamb ("I Know This Much
Is True") sees the world in 1964 through the eyes
of Felix, who is having boyhood troubles in and out of
school, as Christmas approaches.
—
"Christmas Jars Reunion" by
Jason F. Wright
(
Shadow Mountain
,
$17.95
, 176 pages): The author's "Christmas Jars"
sold 500,000 copies and led to a Web site, www.
christmasjars.com. The sequel follows the further
adventures of
Hope Jensen
and her
Christmas Jars Ministry
, which she runs out of Chuck's Chicken 'n' Biscuits
diner.
—
"A Christmas Blizzard" by
Garrison Keillor
(Viking,
$21.95
, 192 pages): The host of "A Prairie Home
Companion" turns his talents to a funny but
cautionary tale of
James Sparrow
and how his life changes one Christmas when he is
confronted by "figures from his childhood" as
"he hears the harkening angels sing."
—
"The Gift" by
Cecelia Ahern
(Harper,
$19.99
, 320 pages): A workaholic executive is shown the real
meaning of Christmas by a mysterious homeless man who
has "heavenly intentions."
—
"A Creed Country Christmas" by
Linda Lael Miller
(HQN,
$16.95
, 256 pages): Set in 1910 Montana, the heartwarming tale
brings together a widowed rancher with a daughter in
need of a mother figure, and an unwed schoolteacher
whose school has been closed. To complicate things, a
brutal winter approaches.
—
"Lakeshore Christmas" by
Susan Wiggs
(Mira,
$21.95
, 384 pages): The "Lakeshore Chronicles"
series continues. Can a Christmas-loving librarian and a
former child star make peace long enought to co-produce
the annual holiday pageant? And are they falling in
love?
—
"A Season of Gifts" by
Richard Peck
(Dial,
$16.99
, 176 pages): The Newbery Medal-winning children's
author reprises "eccentric, forceful, big-hearted
Grandma Dowdel," who helps her new neighbors
understand what Christmas really means.
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