Here Comes Santa’s Reading List, October 1, 2011
Oct 1, 2011From the Amish to the undead, everybody wants a happy ending for the holidays. Three unconventional Dickensian homages hit the shelves this season—Marley dispatches from the Other Side, Scrooge proves immune to zombieism, and Bob Cratchit carries a stake for the Vampire Slayers Union.
Armstrong, Kelley. Hidden. Subterranean. Dec. 2011. c.200p. illus. ISBN 9781596064232. $28. F
Werewolves Elena Michaels and Clayton Danvers (from Armstrong’s “Otherworld” series) have their holiday with their four-year-old twins interrupted by a strange wolf outside their door and a recent death that has townsfolk on edge about bad things happening in the woods. Featuring color illustrations by Angilram, this novella will appeal to Armstrong’s devotees.
Bennett, R. William. Jacob T. Marley. Shadow Mountain. Oct. 2011. c.192p. ISBN 9781590383513. $17.99. F
After death, Jacob Marley is given the chance to lead his business partner Ebenezer Scrooge to the path of forgiveness that almost eluded the recently departed accountant. This message-heavy retelling of Dickens’s classic tale reminds the reader that it’s never too late to mend your ways. Of limited interest; only for fans of Bennett’s The Christmas Gift .
Duarte, Judy. Christmas on Nutcracker Court. Kensington. Oct. 2011. c.320p. ISBN 9780758238955. pap. $15. F
The fourth entry (after Entertaining Angels) in Duarte’s subtle Christian fiction series focuses on single mom Carly Westbrook and bachelor writer Max Tolliver. While Carly tries to make ends meet on her hairdresser’s income, the ladies in Tolliver’s upscale Nutracker Court neighborhood are encouraged by a mysterious house sitter to count their blessings as Christmas draws near. For fans of Debbie Macomber.
Duncan, Elizabeth J. A Killer’s Christmas in Wales: A Penny Brannigan Mystery. Minotaur: St. Martin’s. Oct. 2011. c.288p. ISBN 9780312622831. $24.99. M
In her third Welsh village outing, the Canadian ex-pat and new spa owner (A Brush with Death) is asked to don her amateur sleuthing cap when the rogue who swindled her neighbor is murdered. Cozy fans will enjoy this light, quick read (and delight at fellow fictional crime solver Dorothy Martin’s cameo over a quick manicure).
G’Orge-Walker, Pat. No Ordinary Noel: A Sister Betty Novel. Dafina: Kensington. Oct. 2011. c.320p. ISBN 9780758259660. pap. $15. F
Sister Betty (Don’t Blame the Devil ) and her fellow congregants at Crossing Over Sanctuary church are back! A bill’s come due on the financially strapped church, and Rev. Leotis Tom must find the funds before peace is disrupted as his flock tries to come up with the cash. African American fiction with great humor and heart.
Gray, Sarah. A Vampire Christmas Carol. Kensington. Oct. 2011. c.272p. ISBN 9780758266835. pap. $15. F
Gray (Wuthering Bites) puts the King and Queen of the Vampires in Scrooge’s basement. Three ghostly visits reveal the dark forces that turned Ebenezer into a miserly misanthrope. A change of heart could save him from a life of loneliness and keep the poor of London from getting their necks ripped open. Merry Christmas to all literary mashup fans!
Gray, Shelley Shepard. Christmas in Sugarcreek: A Christmas Seasons of Sugarcreek Novel. Avon Inspire. Oct. 2011. c.256p. ISBN 9780062089762. pap. $16.99. F
Love is in the air in Gray’s fourth series entry (after Autumn’s Promise). Dutiful shopkeeper’s daughter Judith Graber didn’t think that bad boy Ben Knox even knew who she was. Working together in her father’s Amish store during the holiday rush, they learn that they’ve each admired special qualities in the other since they were schoolmates. Judith’s big family and other Sugarcreek residents are lovingly portrayed in this feel-good winner.
Johnstone, William W. with J.A. Johnstone. A Lone Star Christmas. Pinnacle: Kensington. Nov. 2011. c.336p. ISBN 9780786028498. pap. $6.99. F
Series fan favorites Smoke and Matt Jensen finally join forces with Falcon and Duff MacCallister in this enjoyable Western. After Tom Whitman, an Eastern gentleman, saves rancher’s daughter Rebecca Conyers from a couple of ne’er-do-wells on a train, she offers him his first job as a cowboy. Tom’s a hard worker and soon chosen to help Duff and the Jensens bring a herd of valuable Angus cows to Conyers’s Texas ranch. A well-paced saga with cattle rustling, bar fights, painful secrets, unrequited love, and a baby born on Christmas day.
Keller, Cynthia. A Plain & Fancy Christmas. Ballantine. Oct. 2011. c.336p. ISBN 9780345528759. $16. F
Manhattan businesswoman Ellie Lawrence and Amish widow Rachel Yoder learn that they were accidentally switched at birth. The tight Pennsylvania community where Ellie’s Amish birth family lives introduces her to a stability and sense of belonging she has never known. An extended stay in New York to allow Rachel and her daughter to get to know their new family proves less rewarding. A pleasant addition to a growing subgenre from the author of An Amish Christmas.
Knight, India. Comfort & Joy. Penguin. Oct. 2011. c.230p. ISBN 9780143119814. pap. $14. F
Not everything gets wrapped up in a neat little bow in Knight’s (My Life on a Plate) refreshingly sharp take on domestic bliss. The reader first meets Clara Dunphy’s blended London clan in 2009. A cocktail-fueled discussion of men and women, biological clocks, and the myth of the perfect marriage foreshadows the subsequent two Christmases. Women’s fiction with bite.
Mendicino, Tom & others. Remembering Christmas. Kensington. Oct. 2011. c.256p. ISBN 9780758266859. pap. $15. F
This wistful, gay anthology explores how “home for the holidays” can take you back physically and mentally. The men in these novellas by Mendicino, Frank Anthony Polito, and Michael Salvatore have season-specific reasons to reflect on and reconnect with their pasts.
Michaels, Fern. Christmas at Timberwoods. Oct. 2011. c.352p. ISBN 9780821775875.
Michaels, Fern & others. Making Spirits Bright. Nov. 2011. c.480p. ISBN 9781420108361. ea. vol: Zebra: Kensington. pap. $7.99. F
Angela Steinhart tries to warn the security team at Timberwoods Mall about her vision of a holiday explosion. Estranged from her wealthy family because of her gift, Angela is lonely and susceptible to the attentions of a disgruntled mall employee who may be behind her terrifying dreams. A somewhat bizarre holiday entry from the prolific and usually reliable Michaels. Children feature prominently in four feel-good novellas in Making Spirits Bright by Michaels, Elizabeth Bass, Rosalind Noonan, and Nan Rossiter.
Pittman, Joseph. A Christmas Wish: A Linden Corners Novel. Kensington. Oct. 2011. c.256p. ISBN 9780758266712. pap. $12.95. F
In this sentimental sequel to Tilting at Windmills, Brian Duncan has given up his fast-paced life in New York to raise his late love’s daughter in Linden Corners. Brian is still considered an outsider to close-knit local folks, but his devotion to Janey slowly builds their trust. Marketed to Nicholas Sparks fans, this gentle read is big on heart, short on subtlety.
Roberts, Adam. I Am Scrooge: A Zombie Story for Christmas. Gollancz, dist. by Trafalgar Square. Oct. 2011. c.160p. ISBN 9780575091542. $14.95. F
This cheeky addition to supernatural mashups features an annoyed Scrooge who must take time away from counting his money to ward off a growing zombie population and learn how his special Scroogy DNA may be able to save the world from brain-eating annihilation. Roberts ( Yellow Blue Tibia) uses A Christmas Carol as a mere jumping-off point, preferring to put Dickens’s characters in increasingly ridiculous situations. Purchase where others of this ilk are popular.
Roberts, Sheila. The Nine Lives of Christmas. St. Martin’s. Oct. 2011. c.224p. ISBN 9780312594497. $14.99. F
Another warm holiday yarn from the author of The Snow Globe. Ambrose the cat tries to nudge his new owner, firefighter Zach, away from his allergy-feigning girlfriend and into the waiting arms of pet lover Merilee. Short and sweet.
Washburn, Livia J. The Gingerbread Bump-off: A Fresh-Baked Mystery. Obsidian Mysteries: NAL. Nov. 2011. c.304p. ISBN 9780451234834. pap. $14. M
In her sixth adventure, Phyllis Newsom (Killer Crab Cakes ) and the fellow retired teachers who share her large Texas home pitch in to solve the murder of the Jingle Bell Tour of Homes coordinator. A solid cozy with capable senior sleuths and comfort-food recipes.
JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS! A few other titles arrived in the office too late to be considered for this roundup, but these are sure to please your holiday-minded patrons: Billy Coffey’s Paper Angels (FaithWords, Nov.); Anne Perry’s A Christmas Homecoming (Ballantine, Nov.); Tim Dorsey’s When Elves Attack (Morrow, Nov.); Don J. Snyder’s The Winter Travelers: A Christmas Fable (Down East, Oct.); and Richard Paul Evans’s Lost December (S. & S., Nov.).—Ed.
| Author Information |
| Karen Kleckner Keefe is the Director of the Hinsdale Public Library, IL |
