For this installment of The Book Drop, Creston Valley Public Library chief librarian Aaron Francis turns the keyboard over to staff member Pat Tomasic to recommend some new seasonal titles for your holiday pleasure:
With the holidays fast approaching, you probably want to either a) indulge yourself in the season or b) at least attempt to get into a festive mood.
Either way, there are several books at the public library to aid you in your endeavour. Here are some suggestions of titles that the library has added to its collection in the last year that you can enjoy yourself or, for the avid reader on your shopping list, get a copy to stuff a stocking.
For a feel good read that will warm the cockles of your heart during these cold, dark wintry days, try one of the following and, yes, these are guaranteed to have happy endings!
Debbie Macomber is always popular at Christmas. In her latest release, Starry Night, society columnist Carrie Slayton needs a holiday miracle to locate elusive author Finn Dalton in the wilds of Alaska and save her job! In Seaside Christmas by Sherryl Woods, the citizens of Chesapeake Shore return, including the extensive and rambunctious O’Brien family, who interfere with getting songwriter Jenny to reunite with her hopefully reformed cheating ex-boyfriend, country singer Caleb Green. And return to the town of Fool’s Gold to discover the fate of ex-military twin brothers Gabriel and Gideon Boylan, who share the holidays with their domineering father in Christmas on 4th Street by Susan Mallery.
Not for all, though, is Christmas a season of joy and good will to man (and woman). For readers who enjoy a bit of festive mystery and suspense, we have titles for you too. You’ll get a chill from the festive setting, as well as the excitingly tense scenes!
Robert B. Parker’s beloved character Spenser returns in Silent Night where, instead of planning his Christmas dinner, Spenser gets caught up with Slide, a young homeless boy, who inadvertently leads him to a dangerous drug kingpin. William Kent Krueger’s Tamarack County focuses on the disappearance a retired judge’s wife with little hope for finding her alive. When the case threatens the family of private investigator Cork O’Connor, he must battle not only the seasonal darkness but also that of the mind behind the crimes. And while most people are snuggled in their beds dreaming of a white Christmas, Alex Cross is not only trying to find the person who robbed a church’s poor box, but risking everything to end a horrific hostage situation in the aptly titled Merry Christmas, Alex Cross by James Patterson.
If you prefer a Dickensian feel for your holiday reads, try A Wreath of Snow by Liz Curtis Higgs. Set in 1894 Scotland, this is a bittersweet romance of a man and woman, both suffering heartache, who meet while awaiting a train and help each other find direction in their lives. Anne Perry’s latest holiday novella in her celebrated series is set at the turn of the 20th century: A Christmas Hope centres on Claudine Burroughs who, while trapped in loveless marriage, finds meaning in life while volunteering at a woman’s clinic. And Charles Todd’s The Walnut Tree focuses on an engaged Englishwoman who struggles to get home after the First World War breaks out but is trapped on the French coast. While helping wounded soldiers, she falls for a captain who comes to her rescue. Will she keep faithful to her fiancé or start a new romance?
And don’t fret; for those readers who opt for c) forget the whole darn thing, we have plenty of other non-festive titles to suit your needs. Come on by and check some out!