Here is a second set of reviews. I thought it would be better to post Christmas stories and books you might want to put under the tree, instead of waiting until January.
Sun Haiku: 365 Days of Sunshine
“Sun Haiku” is a compelling collection of haiku for each day of the year, as well as bonus short stories and poems. It covers all aspects of the sun, including worship, warmth, and growth, nature, drought, and skin cancer. It offers views of different cultures and areas. Without the sun there would be no life, but it also can be destructive when it becomes too much, and this poetry showed this. I ended up with way too many highlighted haikus to share here so I will give a few examples randomly: “thin winter sunlight/streams through the panes of broken dreams/springtime never comes,” and “dusk colors the air/with pale yellow radiance/still—so very still,” and “clouds open up to/show the gateway to heaven/in sun’s golden rays,” and “raindrops hang heavy/from water-soaked trees—glisten/in the morning sun,” and “The sun sank into/the ocean and drowned. Hear the/cries of the dying!” I could easily see the pictures painted in those words. Plus, the bonus short stories, I thoroughly enjoyed, along with the Leap Year section and the poem Father Sun. It is a mixture of emotions, nature, fantasy, lore, and vivid images that captivated me, and I can highly recommend this to all poetry lovers.
Love Comes to Christmas (Christmas Stocking Sweethearts #6)
By Linda Broday
Gillian is a young woman who owns a Christmas shop in the late 1890s. Injured as a child, she walks with a limp but doesn’t let that stop her from doing things she loves like playing the piano. Her parents are out of town when things happen in her shop, leaving her to wonder if it’s haunted or if someone is messing with her. An unpleasant man approaches her to buy the shop. She doesn’t want to sell it. She meets a young girl, Meg, and forms a friendship with her and her uncle, Brett. I love the relationship between Gillian and Meg, but I adore the attraction that grows between Gillian and Brett. This is a story of love, family, friendship, and appreciating someone for who they are. I think my favorite part is when Brett offers Gillian a dog for protection and how he is always there for her. A sweet Christmas read that can be read in one night or enjoyed over a couple evenings. I can recommend this for holiday reading or anytime you want your spirits to be uplifted.
Hullaba Christmas: Lulu and the Snatched Santa
Lulu the flapper returns in this fun story. An abandoned subway station becomes her destination. Here, she discovers Santa is missing. Christmas might have to be canceled. I love the angel-bots and automation in the story. They are a delightful part of this diesel-punk fantasy. Lulu is a lot of fun and jumps right into things. She’s a strong character, which I appreciate, and determined to find Santa. Using 20s lingo brings that era to life and the insight into Santa’s world provides just enough magic for the reader to be there with them. It’s a fast read and can be read in a night, but it didn’t skimp on the story. I was fully entertained and can easily recommend this unique Christmas tale!
This is a charming collection of different angels and beautiful illustrations. Each angel has its own information, like the Gardening Angel, which is a little girl angel in a garden surrounded by rabbits, butterflies, birds, and a chipmunk. Here’s what Ms. Mastrangelo had to say about this angel: “She tends her Garden with Loving Care,/because Everything in it is a Beautiful living Being-/whether it be a Flower, Snail or Butterfly. This little Angel shows us the way to care for Ourselves-…” It is a sweet book to enjoy with young children, although as an adult I appreciated the uplifting passages and exquisite angels.
By Lauren Scott, Chris Mendez (illustrator)
Cora’s Quest is a sweet story about a deer’s family outing. Cora is enjoying the forest until things change quickly, and now she needs to find her courage. A fantastic story to read to your little ones or for young readers to enjoy. The illustrations are beautiful and full of color, and the story is woven into a lesson that will resonate with children and their families. Here is an engaging passage: “An owl hoots/from its lofty perch./ The wind howls,/swirling around Cora./Grunts and growls/in the distance/steal her courage!/ They act like thieves!” I can easily recommend this story for young readers and those who read to them.
Diane’s adult children take her on vacation to a year-round Christmas town. She isn’t in the mood to celebrate the holidays after her husband’s death in an accident the year before. She reluctantly boards the train that takes them there. It seems like the ideal little village with cheerful people, but Diane notices some cracks in this picture-perfect place that no one else does. Then the story takes a dark turn, and all Diane wants to do is leave with her family. This horror story was a quick read for me. I read it in one night. The hints were woven into the story, taking an interesting twist that led to a surprise ending. If you’re seeking a chilling holiday read, this is the perfect choice!
Watch for the earlier edition of Books That Changed Me on Wednesday. Cookie Exchange will be Thursday and that will be my last post of the year.
Also, I usually tag people on Twitter/X but this time I’m trying the Bluesky tag to see how that goes.
Internet Tech coming today to fix our internet. Fifth visit, fingers crossed!
Embrace that holiday child by reading and gifting a good book! D. L. Finn
Wonderful reviews, Denise. They all seem perfect for the holiday season. Congratulations to these talented authors!
Thank you, Joy 🙂 Yes, some good holiday reading for sure!
Thanks for highlighting these talented authors, Denise. I hope the tech can get your Internet feed humming along. Thanks, too, for supporting Bluesky. I’m finding more and more people I know out there. Twitter is getting that ghost town vibe. In case I don’t connect in time later this week, I hope you have a wonderful holiday season.
All good ones, Dan 🙂 Fingers crossed with the tech today. One tried Saturday but needed the office open to do what is needed. Yes, enjoying connecting and the enthusiasm on Bluesky. I agree about Twitter and the ghost town vibe, not many authors left there. I hope you have a happy holiday season too.
Good reviews, Denise! The Thing in Christmas Town was so good. Murphy has a way of telling a horror story without resorting to cheap shock scenes. I liked how the story shows our emotions affect those around us; it’s so true!
Thank you, Priscilla 🙂 Yes, she does have a way without all the stuff in stories that are only meant to shock. Oh yes, it draws me in when there is that emotional connection.
Marvelous, Denise! These are excellent reviews of these great Christmas reads.
Thank you, Timothy 🙂 Enjoying my holiday reading.
A good list, Denise!
Thank you, Jacqui 🙂
It seems like the Christmas spirit has taken over your house, Denise … at least your reading! Great books. I’ve only read Cora’s Quest, and you tempted me with a lot of the others. Thanks for the reviews, and congrats to all the authors.
It has definitely taken over our house, Diana, and my reading:) It’s always fun to get tempted by new books!
🙂
Lovely reviews, Denise. Congratulations to Iseult, Linda, Dawn, Teagan, Judy, and Lauren
Thank you, John 🙂 Good December reading
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Thank you kindly, John. I really appreciate Denise giving Hullaba Christmas a boost. Hugs.
Yes, a very good thing.
Hi Denise, it’s great to see Teagan and Judy’s books here. The others all look wonderful too.
Some good reads here, Robbie 🙂
Thanks for your kind words, Robbie — and for your wonderful review of Hullaba Christmas. Yes, indeed, everything looks wonderful. Hugs.
Dear Denise, I’m so happy that you enjoyed Hullaba Christmas. LOL, it was fun to imagine Lulu making changes to the list of toys. Heartfelt thanks for this wonderful review. And wow, are Lulu and I in terrific company! Congratulations to everyone. Big hugs.
I enjoyed Lulu’s adventure and her changes to the toy list. She knew what she was doing…lol. Glad I saw Robbie’s review and didn’t miss this one for holiday reading! Big hugs back to you xo
From your reviews, I would say that these books would make great gifts! Sharing.
Yes, they would, Liz. In fact so many would. Xi
Fantastic reviews Denise and all wonderful gifts any time of year. hugsx
Thank you, Sally 🙂 I agree books are always great gifts! hugs xo
Wonderful reviews, Denise! I haven’t read many of these, but can add a recommendation for my sister’s newest! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you, Jan 🙂 Linda never disappoints.
Thanks for your great reviews, Denise, and more book recommendations. And I’m honored that Cora’s Quest is in this lovely group. Congrats to all the authors as well! ❤️🤗
Happy to share these good reads, Lauren, yours included 🙂 xo
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Hi Denise, I sent you a message yesterday. Hopefully, it went through. 🙂 I meant to add that I have Dawn’s book waiting to be read, and the others look wonderful too! 🥰
For some reason the comments don’t always show up right away. So confusing. You have a good read ahead! Xo
I submitted through your contact page. I’m not sure how that works. 🙂
Thank you so much, Denise, for your wonderful review! I appreciate it very much.
Great read/collection, Dawn and happy to share it!
Fab reviews, Denise! I have Teagan’s waiting, and Iseult’s sounds like it’s right up my alley. Congrats to all the authors! I set up my BlueSky account, but that’s as far as I’ve gotten. Hoping to work on it this weekend.
Nicely done, Denise. I have doubles of most of those to gift! All the best and I know you made them all very happy! 😊