Christmas Books

A quietly beautiful memoir, Rick Skwiot details his early boyhood on the near side of poverty in the wide-open spaces of the midwestern countryside. Despite living in an old fishing shack in the middle of nowhere, Skwiot regards this part of his life as near Eden, as he writes of old-fashioned pleasures in simpler times as well as of the hard work of daily living. This is the story of Skwiot's last Christmas in the country as he wrestles with possible consequences of his father's recent job loss, but there are plenty of meanderings back to other seasons and other times that fill out the picture of blue-collar life in the early 1950's. The epilogue reminds us that life is everchanging and we must hold tight to our treasured memories.

This book is a little gem that will be a special delight to those who remember simpler times or life in the country, but for others the descriptive prose just might bring up shadowy memories that never were.

It's not often you pick up a memoir these days about a functional family; a family steeped in Christian values and country ways, straight out of Norman Rockwell's post-war Americana-- and yet human and fallible enough in character to hold a reader's interest. Author Rick Skwiot's critically-acclaimed third book, Christmas at Long Lake [Antaeus Books], does exactly that, reflecting on a boyhood Christmas in 1953 when his father loses his job at the Granite City Steel Mill and the family is forced to move to the still segregated city of St. Louis.

The wonder of this quiet, quick-reading memoir (112 pages) is not the action of the story so much as the beauty of the language, and all that Skwiot manages to encapsulate in character, setting, and emotion within just a few days' time. Growing up in virtual poverty, this six-year-old's life was rich and downright blessed in many ways. A great read for anyone familiar with the St. Louis region, urban or rural--and a beautiful little book to stuff in any stocking.

Rick Skwiot is also the author of two novels set in Mexico: Flesh, which won the Hemingway First Novel Award, and Sleeping with Pancho Villa, a finalist for the Willa Cather Prize.

This a well written, well thought out story of a young girl dealing with the loss of her mother as Christmas approaches. I am nomally not a reader of novels but I enjoyed this one very much. Having suffered a loss somewhat similar to the main character in the book I found it touching,comforting and helpfull.

This is a sweet, gentle story of a courageous girl who learns to find contentment during the first Christmas after her mother's death. Struggling to endure the excitement of those around her, she clings to her mother's memory. Genuine emotion which will ring true for anyone who has suffered loss.

I ordered this book because it had O Holy Night in it. I was not disappointed. It is a beautiful arrangement as are all the other pieces in this book. They are all very challenging solos which is what I was looking for. I would say that they are intermediate to advanced in difficulty.

I played from this book when I was a student, and now my students are choosing to play from it. It has two particularly nice arrangements of O Holy Night, and Carol of the Bells.

Every year we like to add a few Christmas books to our collection. This was a touching story, although a sad one for Christmas. We loved the illustrations.

You need to get this book for Christmas! It will give you the Christmas Spirit and it will touch your heart. This book also makes a great holiday gift!

Also recommended: Christmas Gifts, Christmas Voicesby John Allen. This story will make you cry...and ultimately give you comfort.

A lovely book! One to give to all the children in your life, no matter the age. Reminds the reader of the true meaning of Christmas.

This is one in a series of books, each for a different occasion. There is also one for a birthday blessing, a bridal blessing, and a new house. They are full of wishes for the person/ persons to whom they are being presented. I saw them in a book store in California but didn't want to bring them home in my luggage and was hoping they would be available through Amazon and they are. I will be ordering them as each occasion/holiday presents themselves. They are chock full or beautiful thoughts for the person/persons.

What an introduction to the Behind Closed Doors series! The 3 partners of ARC Security & Investigations are best friends and work well together. Nate Caldwell has to have a pretend wife on very short notice and the transcriber Lyndsey McCord is the only one available. Having never met before this one encounter is going to be a nerve-wracking situation they have to act as a married couple who are domestic help. Both our hero and heroine are wounded and very lonely people reading their story of slowly reaching out to each other for their HEA is a wonderful, feel good story! At Ms Crosby's website www.susancrosby.com you can read of the future Behind Closed Doors books.

Lyndsey McCord works the night shift for ARC Security & Investigation as a transcriber. It's been 3 months and the elusive Nate Caldwell (one of the three owners) catches her distributing files and demands to know who she is & what she's doing there. Nate convinces her to assist him with a "fidelity" case and they have to pretend to be married which forces them to became up close and a little personal. After the assignment is over, Lyndsey knows what she wants-she's been fantasizing about him for months but she leaves it up to Nate to decide whether they can have more than an employee/employer relationship. Nate enjoyed spending the weekend with Lyndsey but doesn't do "relationships", plus he is her BOSS.

Lyndsey is an independent & intelligent character who realizes that her time with Nate may be short but would rather have him on a short-term basis than not at all. Nate knows Lyndsey is not his type but he just can't seem to drag up enough willpower to resist her.

The Christmas Boot is a heartwarming children's picturebook embodying the spirit of Christmas. When Miss Hannah Greyweather, an older woman living on a snowy mountain with no one to talk to, finds a black boot lying in the snow, she wonders where it could have come from. The boot is mysteriously joined by another - and they fit snugly, perfect for snowy weather. Then a mysterious, roly-poly stranger with a white beard comes to her door, politely asking for something of his that has gone missing! Miss Hannah enjoys entertaining her visitor, and he leaves her the best possible gifts for Christmas - not only boots and mittens, but also a lively puppy to keep her company. A wonderful addition to children's holiday storybook collections.

A very warm and cozy book with a surprise ending. A message of personal honesty and true happiness.

I found this book in my parent's basement a couple of years ago, and have re-read it every Christmas since.
The main character is a young bookish boy whose parents own a large department store. He prefers spending his days (away from the holiday hustle and bustle), with his Uncle who works at the natural history museum studying birds. The plot thickens when the boy's father decides to use live birds in the store Christmas display and has to call in the Uncle for help. The combination of wild birds, plastic trees and varying personalities makes for an exciting time. Bird lovers will love the wonderful descriptions.
This is a well written chapter book with great illustrations. It is excellent especially for young adults but also particularly enjoyable for 'grown-ups' such as myself.

I first picked up "A Christmas Bower" when I went on a Christmas Book binge. But I found the plot so intense, the characters so well developed and the ending so appropriate that I had no choice but to recomend this book and go through all the hassle of getting an out-of-date copy because Christmas without Ms. Redford, is no Christmas at all.

This is a wonderful piece of fiction that was written when I was a child. Yet it is so relative to today's children of military families with so many parents deployed. I find my young students can relate to this family in the book and find solace that others go through the same thing they do. Even for those that do not have the military experience, it is a beautiful story. It is a timeless work and I agree with one reviewer that it puts to shame any other book by the same title.

This is a delightful book to be read to children to let them know what Christmas without father was like during the early 1950s. The illustrations are very warm and homely. It puts to shame that other book with the same title. Highly recommended!

Many raves have been accorded to Bob Inman's previous novels. "The Christmas Bus" will endear him to yougsters as well as adults.

Lyle Baskin's full color artwork wonderfully illustrates novelist, playwright and screenwriter Robert Inman's engaging and entertaining story in "The Christmas Bus". Set at the Peaceful Valley Orphanage, this is the picturebook Christmas tale of Mrs. Frump who is trying to find good homes for the holiday for her gaggle of rowdy kids. But when the local busybodies and a suspicious Sheriff Snodgrass intervene, a simple bus ride turns into a terrifically involved and complicated adventure for this band of orphans! Original, heartwarming, and a truly welcome addition to the growing library of Christmas oriented titles, "The Christmas Bus" is an enthusiastically recommended addition to family, school, and community library holiday season collections and reading lists.