A Christmas Pile
I'm not one for writing book reviews, but I love making lists where I inserted links to my favorites reads. Here goes...
PICTURE BOOKS
So far...my favorite picture book, one with wonderful verse (not an easy task) and lovely illustrations, was 1.) Pick a Pine Tree by Patricia Toht. It was a truly magical reading experience with amazing illustration by Jarvis. *sigh*
Other picture books I've read this month were:
2.) The Money We'll Save by Brock Cole - Frugal peeps enjoy the true meaning of Christmas
3.) The Steadfast Tin Soldier by Hans Christian Andersen - a strange story with an abrupt ending
4.) The Little Red Elf - the hapless retelling of Little Red Hen
5.) The Kitchen God by Kim Xiong - a Chinese Lunar New Year legend
6.) Christmastime by Alison Jay - Fabulous illustrations with a search and find theme
7.) The Christmas Magic by Lauren Thompson - A lonely looking man waiting for his big day
8.) A Christmas for Bear by Bonny Becker - Presents are the most important thing
9.) Where Teddy Bears Come From by Mark Burgess - A tale hopping wolf with a simple question
10.) The Snowman by Raymond Briggs - No words so I read it as a horror story
11.) Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and Their New Skates by Maj Lindman - Less classic and more relic
12.) The Longest Christmas List Ever by Gregg and Evan Spiridellis - Cute and original
13.) Santa Claus: The World's Number One Toy Expert by Marla Frazee - Heavy on the jollies
14.) The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry - A true classic!
15.) Jolly Old Santa Claus by Mary Jane Tonn - A wordy number with note-worthy illustrations
16.) Snowbear's Christmas Countdown by Theresa Smythe - A family favorite for the younger set
17.) The Night Before the Night Before Christmas by Natasha Wing - Funny and clever!
18.) Stranger in the Woods by Carl Sams and Jean Stoick - Original stuff
19.) The Birds of Bethlehem by Tomie dePaola - A big lead up without a big ending
20.) Jingle Bells by Iza Trapani - Had cultural potential but was constrained by verse
21.) Santa's Favorite Story by Hisako Aoki - Santa's story is all tell and not enough show
22.) The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg - Interesting
MIDDLE GRADE
So far...my favorite, and only middle grade read, was 23.) The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. It had a quick wit and moved along at a quick pace. It ended just right.
24.) Winterfrost by Michelle Houts - Slower than winter's molasses but cute
YOUNG ADULT
So far...my favorite young adult book was 25.) My New Crush Gave to Me by Shani Petroff. Brilliant! I'm fangirling over My New Crush, which turned out to be my December Reading Challenge fave!
26.) The Ex Games by Jennifer Echols was very high on my list. A love-hate romcom (one of my favorite tropes) where a snowboarding star takes on a bet with her competitor, her ex-boyfriend. It was funny, sweet, and had a great snowy setting...made me wish I was there. Not Christmas themed but hits the winter fun right on the head.
27.) The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Catherine Hapka - Main character called herself a devious psycho. Agreed.
28.) Sun-Kissed Christmas by Katherine Applegate - The middle was a good place to be
29.) Secret Santa by Sabrina James - An antiquated feel sprinkled with exclamation points!
ROMANCE
I think it'll be difficult to surpass my favorite holiday romance by Rachel Gibson called Truly, Madly Yours. It's a good winter frolic, but I'm willing to make some room for others. How about...
30.) Unwrapped by Katie Lane - Unstable heroine stranded with a night crawler
31.) Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe by Melissa De La Cruz - My favorite thing about this book is the title.
32.) A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas - I was left asking the big story question, how are these two going to get together? A sign of a good read.
2017 Christmas good-read meter = 8 books to recommend.
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Check out the 3 recommended Christmas/winter reads for 2022 here!
Check out the recommended Christmas/winter reads for 2018 here!
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