There's nothing like cuddling up with a good book on a cold winter's day, and this holiday season there's a number of fun and inspiring new books to cuddle up with. Here's a sampling of what's available this Christmas.
"THE CHRISTMAS CHRONICLES: The Legend of Santa Claus," by Tim Slover, Bantam, $16 (f)
Thanksgiving has just passed and the spirit of Christmas is in the air. A man sets out to collect pine boughs to decorate his family's home. The events that follow are amazing, and the man finds himself questioning if they really happened.
But they did. The man has a beautifully bound forest green leather book to prove it. It's the authorized history of Klaus, otherwise known as Santa Claus, and from between the covers, Santa's origins are revealed.
"The Christmas Chronicles" is a beautiful tale that focuses on the legend of Santa Claus without all the commercialism. Author Tim Slover's explanations of how Christmas works are not only interesting but plausible, as well. This moving story is destined to become a family favorite for years to come.
— Jessica Harrison
"THE CHRISTMAS GIFT," by R. William Bennett, Burgess Adams, $14.95 (f)
Scott is used to being the new kid in town. His father is transferred about every other year, and by now, Scott has the first day of school down to a system. But Scott has never met anyone like Ben, Maple Grove Elementary's resident bully.
When Scott stands up to Ben, he becomes the bully's daily target, and life becomes miserable. That is until certain events force the two together and each learns the true meaning of forgiveness.
Written as a story within a story, "The Christmas Gift" will inspire readers to think more deeply and to consider others' points of view in a new way. This quick read is a strong conversation-starter with implications reaching far beyond the holiday season.
— Jessica Harrison
"PROMISE ME," by Richard Paul Evans, Simon & Schuster, $19.99 (f)
For Beth, 1989 was a year marked by tragedy. Her life was falling apart: Her 6-year-old daughter, Charlotte, was suffering from illness; her marriage became one full of betrayal and pain; and she had lost any ability to trust, to hope or to believe in herself. Then, on Christmas Day, as she rushed through a blizzard to the nearest 7-Eleven, Beth encountered Matthew, a strikingly handsome, mysterious stranger, who would change the course of her life. Who is this man, and how does he seem to know so much about her?
"IN THE DARK STREETS SHINETH: A 1941 Christmas Eve Story," by David McCullough, Shadow Mountain, $19.99 (nf)
On Christmas Eve 1941, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered a powerful message to the world. Based on a 2009 concert with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, David McCullough relates this story about the spirit of Christmas.
"AN AMISH CHRISTMAS," by Cynthia Keller, Ballantine Books, $16 (f)
Meg Hobart's wonderful life comes crashing down around her the day she learns that her husband, James, has been living a lie — and has brought the family to financial ruin. Penniless and homeless, the Hobarts pack up what little they still possess and leave behind their life for good. A frightening twist of fate forces the Hobarts to take refuge with a kind Amish family in Pennsylvania where hard work and tradition reign supreme.
"CHRISTMAS WITH TUCKER," by Gregory D. Kincaid, Doubleday Religion, $15.99 (f)
When his mother and sisters leave for Minnesota, George has only his grandparents and the companionship of Tucker, an Irish setter, to help him persevere through his most difficult challenges. Can he find the strength to walk the road that leads to healing, finding his true self and ultimately becoming a man?
"THE MISCHIEF OF THE MISTLETOE: A Pink Carnation Christmas," by Lauren Willig, Dutton Adult, $19.95 (f)
Arabella Dempsey's dear friend Jane Austen warned her against teaching. But Miss Climpson's Select Seminary for Young Ladies seems the perfect place for Arabella to claim her independence while keeping an eye on her younger sisters nearby. Just before Christmas, she accepts a position at the quiet girls' school in Bath, expecting to face nothing more exciting than conducting the annual Christmas recital. She hardly imagines coming face to face with French aristocrats and international spies.
"THE FAT MAN: A Tale of North Pole Noir," by Ken Harmon, Dutton Adult, $19.95 (f)
Fired from his job as captain of the Coal Patrol, 1,300-year-old elf Gumdrop Coal is angry. He's one of Santa's original elves, but somewhere along the way things went sour for Gumdrop. Now Gumdrop wants revenge. He decides to give a serious wake-up call to parents who can't keep their kids off Naughty List. But when one parent winds up dead, his eye shot out with a Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model BB gun, Gumdrop must learn who framed him and why.
"THE FOURTH GIFT," by J. Tucker Davis, Cedar Fort, $12.99 (f)
It is the night of the Messiah's birth. A new star guides Jeshua and his friends to the infant, but what gift can Jeshua offer?
"THE CARPENTER'S MIRACLE," by Judd Parkin, Bonneville, $11.99 (f)
Josh is an average carpenter in a small town, but when his touch miraculously brings a dead boy back to life, things spin out of control. The media quickly rush to promote this Christmas story. Josh is soon thrust into a role that even he can't believe.
"THE CHRISTMAS OF '45," by Mills Crenshaw, Cedar Fort, $11.99 (f)
World War II is over and the nation is preparing to celebrate its first post-war Christmas. But while others are caught up in the holiday euphoria, a little boy mourns the loss of his mother. Well-meaning adults have told him she has gone to live with Jesus. Taking them at their word, he sets out to find the Savior to plead for his mother's return.
"THE WIDOW'S MITE," by Christina Dymock, Bonneville, $2.99 (f)
Carol, a young widow, tries to provide a magical Christmas for her two young boys on an impossibly small budget. But when she's put in charge of the elementary school's Christmas fund-raiser, it seems that filling someone else's needs is just too much to handle — until she remembers that with the Savior, all things are possible.