My 2017 Christmas Reads

I know a lot of readers like to set aside the month of December for holiday-themed books.  I'm not really one of those readers.  If you were to look at the books I'm currently tracking on Goodread's, you'd find that I'm in the middle of an epic fantasy novel, a literary short story collection, a non-fiction title, and a vampire short story collection.  You would also spot a holiday book on the shelf because I'm definitely not immune to the sentimental pull of Christmas books.

My husband thinks my goal is to cry at least once a day.  It's not a goal, but I'm not opposed to having my heart strings plucked on a regular basis.  

Earlier in December I read The Stupidest Angel Vol. 2 by Christopher Moore and Christmas with Book Club by Heather Woodhaven.  One was funny, one was quaintly heartwarming.  The Colors of Christmas by Olivia Newport is yet another type of Christmas read. Sure, it's heartwarming, but it also touches on some of the less explored holiday emotions of loss and regret. In the first story, Astrid sits in an old folk's home recalling the Christmases of her youth during World War II.  In the second, Angela is tasked with organizing a Christmas extravaganza while still struggling with the loss of her dearest friend. 

My full reviews are down below if you're curious to know more. 

Christmas Book Reviews 2017

The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror by Christopher Moore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you're looking for a sweet, heartwarming holiday tale, this is not it. With his typical irreverent approach, Christopher Moore delivers a delightfully wacky Christmas story complete with zombies raised by a very inept angel. I can't tell you the number of times I literally laughed out loud while reading this.

I love a story with memorable characters. In this book, there's a dopey constable, a mentally ill b-rated actress, a talking bat, a bad dog, a slightly unbalanced biologist, and a stupid angel. The language is often inappropriate, so this is definitely not for the easily offended. Let's just say there are people I'd recommend it to and people I would not.


Christmas with Book Club by Heather Woodhaven
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This little book was the perfect feel-good Christmas read I was looking for when I picked it up. As the month of December looms with all its holiday obligations, the ladies of the Best Ever Book Club decide they want to anonymously do something generous and good-spirited for someone. While juggling kids, husbands, and jobs, the ladies manage to find the perfect candidate for their Secret Santa Challenge. This challenge is a minor part of the plot, though. The story really revolves around the relationships between the ladies and their men, culminating in a magical Christmas morning for all.


Colors of Christmas: Two Contemporary Stories Celebrate the Hope of Christmas by Olivia Newport
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I liked these two novella-length stories more than I expected to and would recommend them to anyone looking for a Christmas read.

The first story, Christmas in Gold, chronicles Astrid's first Christmas at an assisted living community. Having been forced to downsize from a house to an small apartment, Astrid had to say goodbye to a good number of her things. The few things she kept held great sentimental value and perhaps none quite so much as the gold Christmas ornaments she and her father had saved from the rubble left behind by bombs dropped from World War II planes. When Astrid can't seem to find the box containing these precious heirlooms, she begins to recall more and more of those dark days following the loss of the family's home and business. While these vivid memories consume the weeks leading up to Christmas, Astrid is not unaware of her new living mates or the people who take care of them on a daily basis. When she recognizes that her sweet, likable physical therapist is suffering her own brand of trauma, Astrid sets out to help the young woman. Faith, Astrid believes, can see you through any storm and she intends to help Carly discover this truth for herself.

Christmas in Blue , the second story in this book, was perhaps even more emotionally evocative than Christmas in Gold. The holidays can be difficult for those who have recently lost someone they love and this story explores the emotional and mental difficulties the grieving face during these festive weeks.

In this story, Angela's best friend Carole had died earlier in the year, leaving a giant gaping hole in her friend's heart. This loss is even more pronounced during the holidays because Carole had been a Christmas junkie, delighting in making sure their hometown had a holiday festival that outdid itself year after year. The committee that used to help Carole nominates Angela to take lead on this project, much to Angela's dismay. As if this unwanted task wasn't stressful enough, Angela soon discovers a host of troubles that force her to give the town a Blue Christmas festival.

For me, the most emotional moment in this entire book came when Angela attends the Blue Christmas church service. I cried as I read through those pages, wishing I could share that portion of the book with a number of people in my life that have felt the knife's edge of debilitating grief.



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