November 3, 2017

Christmas is Coming!

By Lisa Bixel, Bremen Public Library Adult Assistant

The calendar may show the end of October but the new arrivals at the Bremen Public Library indicate that December is not far behind. The Christmas inventory is rolling in! Books by your favorite authors are quickly making their way to the shelves. Looking for holiday reads, music or DVDs? Look no further! 

Some of my past favorites include, A Dog Named Christmas by Gregory Kincaid, The Christmas List by Richard Paul Evans, A Choice To Cherish by Alan Maki, Mrs. Miracle by Debbie Macomber, Christmas Shoes by Donna VanLiere and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. 

A Dog Named Christmas, which was made into a Hallmark Movie, chronicles the life of a developmentally challenged boy named Todd and his dog as he sets out to convince his family the importance of caring for animals in need by participating in a local shelter’s inaugural “Adopt a Dog for Christmas Program.” George McCray, Todd’s father, is opposed to the idea because of his experiences with the love and loss of his past canines and does not want Todd to go through what he experienced. Todd’s mother, Mary Ann, knows how deep George’s wounds are but feels that bringing a dog into their home could promote the gift of healing.

The Christmas List is inspired by Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Business Executive, James Kier, who causes misery and suffering wherever he goes, gets the scare of his life when an identity mix-up causes him to read his own obituary and sees the realization of what his friends, family and colleagues really think of him. This book has you digging deep to think about your impact on others.
A Choice to Cherish will tug at your heartstrings and have you evaluating your choices in this life!  How well do you know the people in your life? This story  tells the tale of Alan and his dying grandfather, George. It’s Christmas in Montana, and Alan cuts down and decorates a Christmas tree for himself and his grandfather.  As his present, Alan may choose one of eight keepsakes of his grandfathers. Yet before he can choose, he must read a story George wrote about each keepsake. Through these stories, Alan learns the secrets of his grandfather's life. A short read about love and reconciliation that will forever stay in your heart!

Debbie Macomber’s Mrs. Miracle is a light and uplifting story about Emily Merkle, or Mrs. Miracle as she is fondly known, and her magical ways to ensure a Merry Christmas for all in the toy department of the financially troubled Finley’s Department Store. Just when it seemed Christmas might not come at all this year, Finley's favorite employee proves they don't call her Mrs. Miracle for nothing!

Get your tissues out for The Christmas Shoes by Donna VanLiere. Two couples will find their lives turned upside down and transformed in VanLiere’s debut novel. Robert Layton, who specializes in bankruptcy law, is very ambitious and wants to climb the company ladder. His life is turned upside down when his wife, Kate, tells her absentee husband that she wants a divorce right before Christmas. Meanwhile, another family is facing tragedy as Maggie Andrews is diagnosed with ovarian cancer.  Maggie’s son sets out to  buy a pair of shoes for his mother as a going-away present. When Robert and Maggie’s son cross paths in the department store, both of their lives are transformed forever.

On a lighter note, the Christmas classic, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever will have you laughing whole-heartedly, as you fall  in love with the hilarious Herdman siblings! The siblings take over the annual Christmas pageant in a hilarious yet heartwarming tale involving the three wise men, a ham, scared shepherds, and six rowdy kids. Ralph, Imogene, Leroy, Claude, Ollie, and Gladys Herdman are a mean bunch! They set fire to Fred Shoemaker’s toolshed, blackmailed Wanda Pierce to get her charm bracelet, and smacked Alice Wendelken across the head. Everyone is in disbelief when the Herdmans show up at church for the free snacks and suddenly take over the Christmas pageant. This group of siblings set out to make life miserable for everyone but in the end the transformation of the Christmas Story is one the reader will never forget. This year’s pageant is definitely like no other, but maybe that’s exactly what makes it so special.

Christmas is a season of great joy, healing and renewed strength! Reading soothes the soul! Happy Reading!

A truly good book teaches me better than to read it. I must soon lay it down, and commence living on its hint. What I began by reading, I must finish by acting. 
~Henry David Thoreau

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