Tag Archives: Christmas

Sweet Dreams by Linda Winstead Jones

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for the magical christmas cat book cover

Title: Sweet Dreams
Author: Linda Winstead Jones
In: The Magical Christmas Cat (Lora Leigh, Erin McCarthy, Nalini Singh & Linda Winstead Jones)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Demons, Paranormal romance
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: They milled about in her yard and on the street.

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Synopsis

Zane is sworn to stop the demon from rising, but when he discovers who the final victim is, things take a more intense turn.

Thoughts

Well. This novella did not take the direction I was expecting at all. It starts at a neighbourhood Christmas party, with a quiet baker and an enigmatic professor. I figured that they would slowly fall in love, have some kind of paranormal influence that helps it along (since it’s in a paranormal romance collection) and then sweep off into the sunset to live happily ever after. And some of that does actually happen, just not in the way that was expected.

I haven’t read a really intense demon story in a little while – and reading this novella that features a soul-stealing demon trying to rise… at Christmas time… made me remember how much I love almost anything that features demons. There is something that is just quintessentially evil and overwhelming about a good demon story. And, by setting this against the backdrop of Christmas and a budding romance, Jones really swept me away. I stayed up way too late reading this, just to find out if they would survive.

I loved the dream sequences throughout the storyline. Not only did they obviously warn at what was to come, but they provided subtle clues as to the bad guy in the story and maybe even a way in which to overcome him. The foreshadowing was brilliant, and I think that it will be one of those stories that I will gain more out of each time I reread it.

 <- Christmas Bree ReviewChristmas Heat Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Midnight Trains by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Book Review, ,
Overview
A Fantastic Holiday Season

Title: Midnight Trains
Author: Kristine Kathryn Rusch
In: A Fantastic Holiday Season (Kevin J. Anderson & Keith J. Olexa)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Ghosts
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: World Fire Press
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: 

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Synopsis

He’s alone at Christmas time in a beautiful city, but a chance encounter at a midnight train could bless him with the future he’s always wanted.

Thoughts

Although there was a slight paranormal spin to this Christmas tale, what I loved the most about it was the loneliness. Which seems a little weird in a Christmas tale. A story that seeps loneliness from its pores as it sweeps you through the beautiful and picturesque streets of Paris. The deserted streets, the Christmas lights, and most importantly, the mysterious train stations.

There was a lot going on in this short story, and I think that rereading it, I will find more clues. And maybe even rereading it after I’ve been to Paris (which is most definitely on my bucket list) will make it all the more real. But the idea of being and feeling apart and alone on Christmas is an incredibly common emotion. So the fact that Rusch took this and highlighted it worked fantastically well. Then there’s the fact that there is ultimately a happy ending which shows that no matter how lonely this Christmas is… the next one could be much, much, much better.

 <- Jimmy Krinklepot and the White Rebels of Hayberry ReviewA Christmas Feast Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

The Magical Christmas Cat by Lora Leigh, Erin McCarthy, Nalini Singh & Linda Winstead Jones

Book Review, , , , , , ,
Overview
Image result for the magical christmas cat book cover

Title: The Magical Christmas Cat
Author: Lora Leigh, Erin McCarthy, Nalini Singh & Linda Winstead Jones
In: The Magical Christmas Cat (Lora Leigh, Erin McCarthy, Nalini Singh & Linda Winstead Jones)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Paranormal romance, Short story collections
Pace: Fast
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: A feline smile.

Synopsis

There’s something magical about Christmas and cats…

Four top-selling authors have a special gift for you this year: never-before-published holiday stories featuring passionate romance, paranormal adventure, and a distinctly alluring feline touch. With four new stories – including one featuring Lora Leigh’s genetically altered Feline Breeds – this is a collection packed with more surprises than Christmas morning, and more chills than the snowiest winter night…

Thoughts

I bought this book because I wanted something that was Christmassy to get me in the Christmas mood. I saw that I recognised one of the four authors, and figured I really couldn’t go wrong the a name like “The Magical Christmas Cat”. And boy was I not disappointed.

There isn’t an overwhelming Christmas feel to some of these stories, they’re not full on and cliched like some collections I have picked up in the past. But, there is enough of the Christmas spirit and time of year to make you excited for the madness of family and gift giving. The moments when you look around at the bedlam and go “yup, I love these nut bags” (or at least, that’s what I feel most of the time around the Christmas period).

I liked the backdrop of Christmas against these four novellas. The romance that takes place in each tale is somehow more pure and simple during the holiday season, and it also promotes feelings of mistletoe and gifts. Long nights by the firelight under the Christmas tree (even though, as an Aussie, I’ve never actually sat by the Christmas tree under the flickering lights of a fire)… there is just something fun and beautiful about these Christmassy feline stories and I definitely suggest reading it in the holiday season!

 <- Christmas HeatStroke of Enticement ->

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Jimmy Krinklepot and the White Rebels of Hayberry by Quincy J. Allen

Book Review, , ,
Overview
A Fantastic Holiday Season

Title: Jimmy Krinklepot and the White Rebels of Hayberry
Author: Quincy J. Allen
In: A Fantastic Holiday Season (Kevin J. Anderson & Keith J. Olexa)
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Easy reading
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: World Fire Press
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: The handle plugged into a brass housing adorned by thick coils of wire on each side.

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Synopsis

Jimmy Krinklepot is a young man with some big ideas. Ideas that tend to get him in trouble with the law… but, they could also save his town and his future too.

Thoughts

It took me a little while to get into this story – actually, I basically skim read the entire tale. Not because it was bad, but it just wasn’t my style. And it didn’t feel as Christmasy as I was expecting. Yes, it is based around Christmas, and has some of the hallmarks of a Christmas-time story, but it wasn’t filled with the intensity of the spirit like many of the other stories in this collection.

I really enjoyed the fact that the lead in this short story was a young boy – one that is an inventor and immensely smart. I especially love the constant comments about the ways in which he uses his “grey matter” whenever a problem comes up. It’s a reminder that being intelligent isn’t always a bad thing, and, ultimately, it’s what saves the day.

 <- The Longest Night ReviewMidnight Trains Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

The Longest Night by Mercedes Lackey

Book Review, , ,
Overview
A Fantastic Holiday Season

Title: The Longest Night
Author: Mercedes Lackey
In: A Fantastic Holiday Season (Kevin J. Anderson & Keith J. Olexa)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Christmas,Easy reading
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: World Fire Press
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: Well, I can until classes start, anyway.

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Synopsis

It’s the longest night of the year, and the night that dark things stalk the halls. Especially for a student who is spending her Christmas away from her crime-fighting family in a school created for students of magic.

Thoughts

I first heard of Krampus a few years ago when an Austrian friend came to stay with me. She showed me YouTube footage of the celebration, and damn is it terrifying! Although, I can understand why some parents would want to tell their children the legend of Krampus – a lump of coal isn’t enough of a deterrent to stop them from being absolute terrors…

I’ve read a few of Lackey’s Valdemar series, and one of the things that I love about them is the fact that they’re kind of dark. There is no glory and sugar coating, but the story is always about someone who has some serious psychological issues and damage. It turns out that her short stories are no different. One of the girls featured in this believes that she is so naughty and evil that she deserves a visit from Krampus. Which, of course, means that all hell breaks loose. Because hey, this is a story featuring magic and mayhem.

Although The Longest Night has a dark sense overlaying the story. But, it still encompasses the spirit of Christmas. The idea of joy and love and caring for one another. At least, for me, that is something that I’ve always felt Christmas to be about…

 <- Astronaut Nick ReviewJimmy Krinklepot and the White Rebels of Hayberry Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

A Christmas Carol and Other Holiday Treasures by Charles Dickens

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for a christmas carol and other holiday treasures word cloud classics book cover

Title: A Christmas Carol and Other Holiday Treasures
Author: Charles Dickens
Series: Word Cloud Classics
In: A Christmas Carol and Other Holiday Treasures (Charles Dickens)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Classics, Short story collections
Pace: Slow
Format: Collection
Publisher: Word Cloud Classics
Year: 1843
5th sentence, 74th page: A merrier Christmas, Bob, my good fellow, than I have given you, for many a year!

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Synopsis

Most famous in the realm of holiday literature for his 1843 publication, A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens was in fact a prolific writer in the yuletide genre and a great contributor to many now-prevalent traditions of the holiday itself. In 1944, A Christmas Carol, Dickens released The Chimes: A Christmas Story of Some Bells That Rang an Old Year Out and a New Year In, which combined his usual sympathy for the poor with the notion that we must always strive to live in nobler ways. In 1845 came the novella The Cricket on the Hearth. The years 1846 and 1848 respectively saw published The Battle of Life and The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain. Because of this wealth of Christmas-themed works, Dickens is sometime referred to as “the man who invented Christmas.”

Thoughts

I can’t believe that it has taken me until I was almost twenty-six to read this collection! Actually, I can’t believe that it has taken me almost twenty-six years to read anything written by Charles Dickens. Normally I find anything written in the 1800s pleasurable, but a little difficult to get through. Not so with Dickens’ writing. It is so much more accessible and, although it still has the same mouthy, lyrical feel as much of the writing from that time, it is just somehow less formal, and more… real.

I know that sometimes Dickens is known as the father of the Christmas spirit. And, after reading these five “Christmas stories”, I can understand why. They all have the underlying theme of giving, love and family. Most of the stories feature the poor, and highlight that they almost have a better time in the holiday season than the rich – because for them it isn’t confused by the cost of Christmas, but of the love that surrounds everyone.

<- The Upturned FaceA Christmas Carol ->

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The Nutcracker by Alexandre Dumas

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for the nutcracker barnes and noble book cover

Title: The Nutcracker
Author: Alexandre Dumas
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Classics, Romance
Pace: Slow
Format: Novella
Publisher: Fall River Press
Year: 1844
5th sentence, 74th page: Take care, then, dearest mechanic, to have the young man who has never been shaved, and who wears boots, in readiness in ten minutes, together with the nut Crackatook.

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Synopsis

The nutcracker doll that mysterious Godfather Drosselmeyer gives to little Marie for Christmas is no ordinary toy. On Christmas Eve, at the clocks strike midnight, Marie watches as the Nutcracker and her entire cabinet of playthings come to life and boldly do battle against the malevolent Mouse King and his armies. But this is only the start: read on for a tale of enchantment and transformation, enter a world by turns fantastical and sinister, a kindom of dolls and spun-sugar palaces, and learn the true history of the brave little Nutcracker. Adapted from a dark fairy-tale by ETA Hoffmann, Alexandre Dumas’ romance of childhood imagination inspired Tchaikovsky’s world-famous ballet. Brilliantly adapted by translator Sarah Ardrizzone and illuminated by Kitty Arden, this is the perfect Christmas gift for readers of all ages.

Thoughts

I can’t believe it has taken me THIS DAMN LONG to realise that The Nutcracker is actually a novel. Or at least, that it wasn’t originally a ballet. Once I realised this though, it took me absolutely no time to rush to my nearest book store and buy an adorably illustrated version of this classic.

It took me a little while to get past the preface of the story. I just didn’t find it overly engaging, and was waiting for the moment that the nutcracker appeared in the story. But the second that it did? My goodness, I couldn’t put this down! I was only going to read a few pages, I ended up reading the entire novella in one sitting and then going to sleep super late at night… far later than I had intended since I did have to work the next day…

There is everything that I love from the ballet which I know far better. Yet there is more. There is a darkness in this telling that makes Mary and the Nutcracker’s triumph so much more beautiful. I had one of those amazing book hangovers when I put this down and am finding it stupidly difficult to find another book to compare…

 <- More Christmas reviewsMore classics reviews ->
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The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain by Charles Dickens

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for the haunted man and the ghost's bargain book cover

Title: The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain
Author: Charles Dickens
In: A Christmas Carol and Other Holiday Treasures (Charles Dickens)
Rating Out of 5:  4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Classics
Pace: Slow
Format:  Novella
Publisher: Word Cloud Classics
Year: 1848
5th sentence, 74th page: What a wonderful man you are, father!

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Synopsis

Redlaw is a teacher of chemistry who often broods over wrongs done him and grief from his past. He is haunted by a spirit, who is not so much a ghost as Redlaw’s phantom twin and is “an awful likeness of himself…with his features, and his bright eyes, and his grizzled hair, and dressed in the gloomy shadow of his dress…” This specter appears and proposes to Redlaw that he can allow him to “forget the sorrow, wrong, and trouble you have known…to cancel their remembrance…” Redlaw is hesitant at first, but finally agrees. However, before the spirit vanishes it imposes an additional consequence: “The gift that I have given you, you shall give again, go where you will.”

Thoughts

I really liked the imagery invoked by the opening pages of this novella. It was very waxy and set the scene for a haunting story. I think that of all the “Christmas stories”, this is the one that starts off most poetically. There is just something about the repetition of when and the setting of the scene that is incredibly spooky, yet beautiful.

As an ending to a collection of Christmas tales, this one works quite well. There is something about the darkness and wish to be something better that encompasses all of the other stories in this collection. Yet, the very haunting that takes place is so unique that it is difficult to turn away. This is certainly one of those tales that I will read again and again and again, finding something new and endearing every single time.

 <- The Battle of Life ReviewGreat Expectations Review ->
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Gifts of the Magi by Jean Johnson

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for an enchanted season book cover

Title: Gift of the Magi
Author: Jean Johnson
In: An Enchanted Season (Nalini Singh, Maggie Shayne, Erin McCarthy & Jean Johnson)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Romance
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: God forgives when it’s with good intentions.

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Synopsis

Rachel is trying to run an inn with her fiance and things haven’t quite been going as planned. Then, just before Christmas, three strangers arrive on the cusp of a blizzard and things start to get… miraculous.

Thoughts

It took me longer than it should have to realise that this novella featured the three wise men. Although, in this case, they’re not necessarily men. But, the story was still amazing, and that moment at the end of the story, when I finally clicked as to who they were made it all the more enjoyable. Not only as an ending to a fantastic novella, but also as an ending to a great Christmas collection.

Unlike most of the romance stories that I read, this one isn’t about those initial, fall madly in love, love at first sight moments. It’s a love story about a couple that have been together a long time, are about to get married, and sometimes struggle to find the passion in amongst the daily grind of life. It’s the point that I’m at. Those first moments of a relationship are beautiful, but it isn’t until that first courtship is over, that relationships find their staying power and pace. So it was incredible to read a novella which takes this and still inspires love, passion and makes you swoon a little.

I liked the Christmas theme in this story. And although I’ve never experienced my own white Christmas, it was fun imagining one near a wedding and being swept away by this.

 <- Beat of Temptation ReviewAn Enchanted Season Review ->
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The Battle of Life by Charles Dickens

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for the battle of life charles dickens book cover

Title: The Battle of Life
Author: Charles Dickens
In: A Christmas Carol and Other Holiday Treasures (Charles Dickens)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Classics
Pace: Slow
Format: Novella
Publisher: Word Cloud Classics
Year: 1846
5th sentence, 74th page: But, as I have observed that Time confuses facts occasionally, I hardly know what weight to give to his authority.

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Synopsis

The Battle of Life: A Love Story is a novella by Charles Dickens, 1st published in 1846. It’s the 4th of his five “Christmas Books”, coming after The Cricket on the Hearth, followed by The Haunted Man & the Ghost’s Bargain.

The setting is an English village that stands on the site of a historic battle. Some characters refer to the battle as a metaphor for the struggles of life, hence the title.

Battle is the only one of the five Christmas Books that has no supernatural or explicitly religious elements. (One scene takes place at Christmas time, but it isn’t the final scene.) The story bears some resemblance to The Cricket on the Hearth in two aspects: it has a non-urban setting & it’s resolved with a romantic twist. It’s even less of a social novel than is Cricket. As is typical with Dickens, the ending is a happy one.

It’s one of Dickens’ lesser-known works & has never attained any high level of popularity, a trait it shares among the Christmas Books with The Haunted Man.

Thoughts

This is mostly in my Christmas shelf because it is one of Charles Dickens’ Christmas stories. There’s not really much of a Christmas theme to it, nor is it specifically set around the holiday season. Yet, somehow, it does feel that it belongs within this collection regardless.

As far as stories go, this is a pretty easy and quaint one. Two sisters take centre stage alongside their matrimonial plans. Marion is the one who is to marry, and it is from here that things spiral out of control. All throughout the love story, it seems to be a completely predictable journey. Until the third part, the part in which a quite unexpected twist takes place. One that highlights the love between sisters and makes you view the entirety of the first two parts in an entirely different light.

 <- The Cricket on the Hearth ReviewThe Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain Review ->
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