Christmas Day Books

My daughter & I both love this book. An old story in a new light and a new way to enjoy it and share it with a new generation.

Who is Stealing the Twelve Days of Christmas is a good story for readers comfortable with chapter books. Alex and Yasmeen live on Chickadee Court. Each Christmas, the neighbors decorate their yards with a Twelve Days of Christmas display. This year, someone is stealing the displays and returning them a few days later. Alex's mother is a police investigator trying to solve a set of robberies of collectible mouse figures. Alex and Yasmeen piece together clues from their neighborhood crime and end up helping Alex's mom with the other robberies. The reader learns to be more objective. Look at the facts. Use logic. The reader also learns not to make a judgment based on a person's appearance. A person isn't 'bad' just because they are different.

The author is a Professor at Penn State University. The 201 pages provides coverage of the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. It is a popular history that could be a TV movie to educate viewers. There are few references to the war in other theaters. The Battle of the Bulge had the most intense fighting in the West since Normandy during WW II. The Nazi army achieved a complete surprise through secrecy and not using radio (p.23). Some warnings were received by the Allies but considered disinformation and ignores (p.25). Hitler hoped a successful offensive would bring peace on his Western front. All plans contain assumptions and dependencies.

The chapters tell about the events among the Allies. Things were going on that were never reported, such as the deserters and "misappropriations" (p.23). The attack began with surprise attacks on December 16 in the Ardennes forest. The Nazi army was successful and advanced. There were rumors of murdered prisoners by the SS units, and in turn "no SS troops will be taken prisoner" (p.34). Inexperienced troops and replacements were routed or defeated (p.36). German troops dressed to impersonate Americans caused confusion (p.75). Ernest Hemingway, armed with a Thompson submachine gun, accompanied front-line troops (p.82). Bad weather prevented air support (p.85). General McAuliffe and the surrounded troops refused to surrender (Chapter 8). The weather cleared on December 24 and the Air Force could attack the enemy and drop supplies to the besieged forces (Chapter 9). American forces raised the siege and Nazi troops moved east. Allied forces continued to move east (Chapter 12). The 'Afterword' provides a summary.

There are other books which are longer and have more details. This will provide the background to better appreciate the 1949 film "Battleground" and many of its scenes.

Thank you so much, it is a great book for anyone who loves to read bout world war two

"11 Days In December" by Stanley Weintraub
Subtitled: "Christmas At The Bulge, 1944"
New American Library, Penguin Books, September 2007.

This concise little book (only 201 pages long) is a written collage (if that is possible) of many experiences of what has gone down in American history as "The Battle of the Bulge". The prodigious author, Stanley Weintraub, has collected the records of the recollections of many people, ranging from President Roosevelt down to the soldier in the field. The central theme of all these disparate individual records is the eleven day period in 1944 from December 16th through December 26th.

The book begins with a bet between General Eisenhower and British Field Marshall Montgomery that the war would be over by Christmas 1944. Adolf Hitler gave orders for an offensive in the west that would cause Eisenhower to lose his bet, extend the war well beyond Christmas and enter history as the "Bulge". For some portion of the front of the book, I felt that the author was so "pro" Montgomery, that I went on the internet to see if Stanley Weintraub was actually British. He is not.

This book, "11 Days In December", is not just a collection of numbered Army units moving here and there in Belgium, although, the author does tell you, that such-and-such a unit moved to a town; as an example, that the 101st Airborne was moved, by trucks, to Bastogne. In fact, Weintraub has some three to four pages in the index dealing with numbered American, British and German units. If you would like a book that describes where the different divisions, regiments, headquarters, etc., were located, I would recommend "The Battle Of The Bulge" by John Toland (1966).

Of greater importance is the fact that the author brings together many recollections of different kinds of people. For example, there are the reminisces of movie stars David Niven and Marlene Dietrich, which are capped by the reported experiences of the famous writer, Ernest Hemingway. Of course, the author includes the famous response of General Anthony McAuliffe when he was asked by the Germans to surrender Bastogne. "Nuts!" On a more serious note, Stanley Weintraub records, pages 100-101, that President F.D. Roosevelt asked Secretary of War Stimson and General Leslie Groves if the A-bomb would be ready to use on the Germans in the Battle of the Bulge. The bomb was not read and Weintraub writes, "Despite later racist allegations, the atomic bomb was not being withheld for use against Japan".

The book ends with the relief of Bastogne, on 26 December 1944, when General Patton's Fourth Armored Division reached that Belgian town. By the way, in the Church's calendar, December 26th has long been St. Stephen's Day; see, for example, "Good King Wenceslas" by John M. Neale and Tim Ladwig, 2005.

All World War II fans will enjoy this concise and well written view of the Battle of the Bulge. Mr. Weintraub does a tremendous job of showing us what really went on during the battle. Unlike most authors he is equal in his examination of both the fighting man as well as the genralship. He does spend a little time on the political situation, but not more than necessary and does not get bogged down by it.

Weintraub is also very good at making sure that the story does not go beyond the Bulge. He focuses on the heaviest fighting and leaves side stories to some other author to explore. His interest is in telling the story of the Battle of the Bulge and he does a perfect job.

This book concentrates solely on the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, to the exclusion of almost every other aspect of World War II at that time. It is well-written and gives a fairly thorough account of the battle and its surroundings, but I couldn't help feeling a sense of detachment on the part of the author from the people who fought in that battle. There are the usual "up close and personal" vignettes about individuals, but they seemed almost an afterthought to the main focus of the book, the battle. Even that could have been explored in more detail, but this is a relatively short book, and within the space confines, the author did a decent job of explaining what happened, although some of his prose raised more questions than were answered. Overall it's a book worth reading, if only to get a "snapshot" of conditions at the time the Battle began, and when it ended. If you want to know more detail, you'll just have to read other, longer works.

FIGGY PUDDING by Penny Jordon
Take one heroine, add a boss who's told the world they've having an affair, and concoct one very special dish in order to save the heroine's catering career!

A MAN FOR ALL SEASONINGS by Day Leclaire
Mix one aspiring chef, Maddie, with Joe, an expert at producing romantic dinners for two. Ensure student is more interested in learning about gorgeous teacher than about dinner. Simmer!

ALL THE TRIMMINGS by Lindsay Armstrong
To a relationship in which Brendan has always treated Merryn like a kid sister, add a Christmas celebration the two are forced to share. Garnish with all the trimmings!

Three delicious Harlequin Christmas treats!

From the back cover:

Celebrate the season with a taste of love in this special collection of brand-new stories!

FIGGY PUDDING by Penny Jordon
Take one heroine, add a boss who's told the world they've having an affair, and concoct one very special dish in order to save the heroine's catering career!

A MAN FOR ALL SEASONINGS by Day Leclaire
Mix one aspiring chef, Maddie, with Joe, an expert at producing romantic dinners for two. Ensure student is more interested in learning about gorgeous teacher than about dinner. Simmer!

ALL THE TRIMMINGS by Lindsay Armstrong
To a relationship in which Brendan has always treated Merryn like a kid sister, add a Christmas celebration the two are forced to share. Garnish with all the trimmings!

Three delicious Harlequin Christmas treats!

And my review:

This book contains three stories with a common theme: all revolve around cooking, and all are set around Christmastime. In keeping with the theme, each story is accompanied by a recipe.

FIGGY PUDDING's recipe is, well, for figgy pudding, obviously! I found this story very immature. I've enjoyed books by Penny Jordon in the past, but this story was not one of them. It revolves around the heroine getting revenge on a man who used her to break up his marriage (he pretended they were having an affair when they weren't) and destroyed her reputation in the process. As a result, no one will risk hiring her as a cook anymore, since women are afraid that the heroine will try to steal their husbands.

Now, I was with the author up to this point, and felt lots of sympathy for the heroine. Until the heroine decides to take revenge by putting laxatives in a dinner she's been hired by the villian's new fiance to cook for him and a bunch of clients. It just came across as so immature and petty. I found that I couldn't cheer for her after she'd stooped to the villian's level, and wondered why the hero ended up liking her at all. Two stars.

A MAN FOR ALL SEASONINGS is accompanied by a recipe for Christmas mousse with raspberry sauce (it sounds pretty yummy!). But the story came across as just plain silly. The hero is a rake until he opens his door and sees the heroine. Then--BAM!--he's instantly in love and wants to marry her. Uh...okay. That theme is silly and overused. The guy doesn't even know her name or anything about her and yet he's already decided that he wants to marry her? After he spent the whole of his adult life up to this point playing musical bedmates? I didn't buy it. I felt like the author just wanted to get the falling-in-love part of the book out of the way as quickly as possible (the hero was in love by the second page of the story). It was so rushed that it threw the whole book out of whack, and ended up being not at all satisfying. Two stars.

ALL THE TRIMMINGS is accompained by a recipe for Australian Christmas cream. (sounds pretty yummy as well!). This story was a bit different, as the previous two had been set in England, and this one was set in Australia, where Christmas falls in the midst of their summer. I'm afraid that I've yet to be able to finish a story by Lindsay Armstrong, and this one was no exception. Unlikeable characters and a rambling writing style meant that I could hardly keep my focus on the page. Not what you want when you pick up a romance novel. Two stars.

I'm afraid that none of these stories was even worth finishing. Put this title in the "don't buy" pile. There are better Christmas romances Check out my "Christmas romance books worth buying" list for my favorites.

I LOVED "A Man For All Seasonings" by Day Leclaire. This one is a keeper! I enjoyed the couples continual banter and how he never gives up in trying to wear her down - and he never breaks his promise - he's there for her until the very end! It was marvelous - the things they do with chocolate mousse! Buy the book for this story alone...

The Heart Of Christmas packed a lot of intrigue and human interest into its pages. There was the mystery of what happened that made Abby so despondent, and the lesson that helping others is a pathway to healing. I enjoyed this story a lot! It was well-written and had great character development! Like the first story, Her Secret Santa was also much more than a formulaic, superficial romance. There was a nice balance of suspense, plot development, depth of characters, and interest. Finding healing from past hurts and learning to love/trust again was the wonderfully presented theme.

I thought that both stories were great. Then as I got to the end of the second story, and the book started over, literally.

I really enjoyed this book. The first story was not as good as the second, thus the 4 stars instead of 5.
In The Heart of Christmas, we meet Abby who has gone through some trauma the last couple years and feels anyone she loves she will destroy. Dr. Nick gives everything but his heart. The story brings the two together, with a little mystery as a subplot. Great secondary charachters that fill out the story line. A few things are unrealistic, I'd tell you but I don't want to give away the storyline. All in all, a B+.

The second story, Her Secret Santa-I just loved this story. Ms. Declaire writes so well I feel as if Jacq actually exisits-I can see her in my mind. Mathias falls for Jacq but he's hiding a secret-he knows she is a renowed children's author-a fact she is trying to hid. Will she forgive him when she finds out he knows? At first, I thought how can anyone fall in love in a week but keep reading the story, the plot thickens and fills out and you see the big picture-I want to tell you but I'll let you find out for yourself! An A+ effort, I will be buying more of her books.

One of the most fun books I've seen in a long time. Macys on Parade popup was given to me as a present, I grew up watching the parade on TV and this book brought back great memories. The quality was very good.

Fun book with lost of details about behind the scenes from an insider at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Find out about band selection, float planning, balloon construction, clown brigades, balloon handlers, etc. A good book if you are going to the parade or planning to watch it on TV. My favorite pop-ups are the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes (complete with hi-kicking legs!) and the Snoopy balloon suspended between 2 skyscrapers.

If you are a huge fan of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade you will be disappointed. This book is ok and nice but in no way worth the money. The quality of the pop-up is not good. On some of the pages the pop-up function does not work that well and gets stuck in the book. Overall the quality and content of the book are not worth spending the money on.

I encountered this book first as a library book and was astounded at the quality of the illustrations. The verse is simple but lovely, and perfect for a young child. True, the name "Jesus" does not appear once, but after asking all the stable animals who was born this special night, THE child could only mean The Christ Child. I have loved reading this book on Christmas Eve with my little ones; there are plenty of books that give a more detailed account, but I love this one for the poetry, calm, and simple reverence it lends to our wait that final night.

While browsing through the bookstore with my girls I wanted to see if I could find them a book to read during Advent in order to prepare them for Christmas. I found this book and instantly feel in love with it. The story is sweet with good rhyming patterns that even kept my two year old's attention. I brings out the Christmas Story without swaying to one certain religion. I thought Ms. Bunting did an excellent job helping young children start learning about the birth of Baby Jesus.

After reading the editorial review I ordered this book. I thought it would be a great gift for a 3 1/2 yr old at Christmas time...another book about Christmas with beautiful pictures. WRONG! The book doesn't even mention 'the Christ child'- although the book JACKET does. This book will not 'evoke the true meaning of Christmas' as stated on the jacket. It'll offend anyone who already knows the true meaning. The answer to the question 'who was born this special day' was certainly NOT answered on the last page - 'it was the child'. WHAT child???

I loved this book. The heroine was intelligent and competent; and solved her problems herself, thus earning the hero's admiration. She also had a perfectly nice but boring suitor that was actually a reasonable alternative to the hero. I really liked the heroine a lot, the hero was rather bland. A nice change from the feather-headed idiots who insist on falling for the wrong man and/or get themselves into trouble they require rescuing from.

I ususally love holiday regency books. But this one is so boring I had to push myself to finish it because I actually bought it! If I could, I would return it and get my money back. The story, one that is not very original, has Violet Leigh, a tall plain Jane compared with her gorgous Mother, sister and brother, who accepts her homliness with good cheer. She goes off to her first seaon in London and meets a gambler, our hero Travis Halliday, who is as handsome as Violet is plain. He likes her and since he has to get married fast to gain his inheritance, proposes and she declines as she knows he is not in love with her and just wants her to get his money. Travis departs the next day to make his fortune in the West Indies. Fast forward 2 years at a Christmas party and they are all thrown together and not much has changed. He still needs to get married to gain his inheritance. There is zero chemistry between them nor any fun, interesting scenes between them. Her two siblings are just silly and the bit with the pet monkey becomes lame. This story could have used an infusion of holiday cheer. During this holiday season, don't waste time with this lame, boring and very, very, very unromantic story.

Tells the intended story with sufficient detail. However, the book also includes many personal anecdotes by Sheriff J.B. Smith that are somewhat auxillary to the story and really unnecessary.

One day Raggedy Ann and Andy and their doll friends decide to make a homemade fair. But when Andy gets a little out of hand and falls out the window Ann has to find a way to save her brother before mom sees Andy in her beautiful Rose bush. Will Ann make it in time to save her brother?