December Reads

Everyone has their favorite Christmas reads and here are the three that were my favorite this season.


The Mansion by Henry Van Dyke. This book has long been a favorite of mine.  It has been out of print for what seems like forever. I check it out every year from the library UNTIL THIS YEAR.  I was beside myself when I saw that they had brought it back.  Yippee!  The story is similiar to A Christmas Carol. The story is about a man who does not truly give of himself  though he does give quite a bit of money away.  He falls asleep only to dream that he has passed away.  An angel invites him along the path to see the mansion that has been prepared for him.  Others join him and the angel on this walk.  It begins with large, grand mansions and the angel invites individuals to go and see the mansion that has been prepared for them.  The man and the angel continue to walk until there are no more mansions.  He finds himself in a large field looking at a hut.  He exclaims, Surely this is not the mansion for me?  Are you interested in reading it...the best part is when the man and the angel begin their discussion about true living and giving and that the Master remembers all the good that we do...Just go buy it.

Secret Santa by Anne Osborn Poelman. I love this book also.  It was and is out of print.  As you can imagine I check it out at the library during the Christmas season.  It is about a family trying to survive during the Depression years.  It is a work of fiction, however, the story is similiar to real events from her husbands life.  It feels personal. I cried.  The father in the story must stand in long lines to wait for an opportunity to work for the day.  He does this day after day.  His health is declining.  The son is very bright, has a great job, and has the opportunity to get a scholarship.  The daughter is compared to the brother and she cannot compete.  She is concerned about how to fit in and the boundaries that surround a family that doesn't have much money.  As Christmas nears, what will they do for food?  What they do for presents?  In the last chapter the family sits around and recalls their favorite Christmas memories and this particular Christmas is the one that they all mention.  It really is such a sweet story.

I am half sick of Shadows (#4Flavia books) by Alan Bradley.  Most people know that I am a super fan of these mystery books.  Hilarious.  Of course I enjoyed it.  Their home is being used by a film crew during the Christmas season.  There is a murder and Flavia must solve it.  Flavia is eleven by the way, wants to catch Santa, loves her chemistry sets, dislikes her sisters, and reading about her made my own Christmas season better.  It has all the wit plus some extra you have come to expect from Mr Bradley. I heart Flavia murder mysteries.