Christmas recommendations

Kick Back with A Christmas Book This Season

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My kids checked off their Christmas shopping lists in less than an hour of one-stop shopping, came home, wrapped their gifts, and DONE. Meanwhile, I’m still cobbling together lists, eyeing the calendar and wondering if I can get everything ordered and delivered before Christmas as our governor again tightens the reins on retail shopping.

In the waning days of 2020, let’s find a little joy, a little comfort, and a little peace by turning to a good Christmas book (or two, or twenty). I’ve assembled a list for the littlest family members on up. Eventually I’ll get my reviews completed and linked, but in the interest of sharing the list before Christmas, along with some reading and gift-giving links, here are my 2020 picks:

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This Year’s 4- and 5-Star Christmas Reads for Adults

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I know some people have already packed up their Christmas decorations, but ours have been up for less than a week, and we’re enjoying the Christmas season! I’ve been devouring Christmas books for a bit longer, and will likely continue into the new year.

Aside from those of us who celebrate Christmas during Christmas more than before, there are those who enjoying reading Christmas stories year round! These recommendations are for you! (Or, bookmark this page for next year.)

Here then are my 5-star and 4-star Christmas reads so far this season. For more books,  including children’s books and reviews from previous years, check out my Goodreads Christmas shelf.

The best Christmas books I've read this year! Click To Tweet Continue reading →

7 Catholic Books For Christmas Including 2 You Should Get NOW, Before Advent

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The stores are bedecked in Christmas decorations, and I hear tell there is Christmas music playing on the radio, though I refuse to partake of it just yet.

Even so, it’s not too early to think of Christmas gift-giving , and Advent is just around the corner!

7 Catholic Books for Xmas and Advent

For Adults

Gaze Upon Jesus*Gaze Upon Jesus: Experiencing Christ’s Childhood through the Eyes of Women edited by Kelly M. Wahlquist

This is the perfect tool for a Christian woman’s Advent study – either individually or in a group. In six sections examining six virtues, the reader meditates on a separate event (i.e, the Annunciation, the Visitation) starting with scripture but including analysis, a fictional story to bring the events to life, reflection, group questions, and the study of sacred art. The addition of the artwork and Stephanie Landsem’s wonderful storytelling set this apart from other studies. Useful any time of year, but most fruitful for the Advent season.

Drinking with Saint Nick*Drinking with Saint Nick: Christmas Cocktails for Saints and Sinners by Michael P.  Foley

This beautiful hardcover book includes beer and wine recommendations and dozens of cocktail recipes for Advent through Candlemas. Pick and choose among drink suggestions made according to the calendar, the twelve days of Christmas, the Golden Nights, and more. With each entry, learn more about the saints, the liturgical calendar, and Church history. Makes a lovely gift! Continue reading →

Under the Catholic Child’s Christmas Tree: A Book-Giving Guide

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Child Xmas Book GuideDuring Advent, the Christmas books are slipped off of the shelves for bedtime reading. Our hodgepodge collection includes Christian and secular Christmas stories, old and new. Some are cheap Scholastic books about characters who are little more than a cog in the marketing machine. (Those, I try to avoid.) Others are classics we relish every year.

We also give each child a book as part of their Christmas gift. As the kids grow older, the books grow longer, and I’m more frequently looking for selections from my fellow authors at Catholic Teen Books.

Here are some ideas that I hope will find a spot under the Christmas tree of a child you love. Continue reading →

Catholic Christmas Book-Giving Guide: Ten Picks for Your Holiday Shopping

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Xmas Book Giving Guide
I perused the books I’ve read this year and have come up with ten that would make excellent Christmas gifts!

Six are fiction, and four are nonfiction, because fiction is my favorite (and I make no apology for that).

I noted whether a book would be best for a particular age or gender. The novels, written by Catholic authors,  would appeal to most anyone – whether of strong or little faith, Catholic or otherwise. The nonfiction books would appeal most to Catholics who practice their faith, at least to some degree. Continue reading →

#5Faves: Christmas Romance Novellas (and More)

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The novella is the perfect format for this busy time of year! Fit in a quick read between Christmas preparations or while relaxing in the glow of the Christmas tree. I’ve selected five of my favorites followed by a few other recommendations for Christmas short stories (which can easily be read in one sitting) and novels as well as a few items on my Christmas reading pile!

  • Most but not all below are Christian stories. All are clean romances.
  • Technically, I think A Cliché Christmas and A Sugar Creek Christmas are (short?) novels. In the true spirit of Christmas overwhelm, I’m lumping them with the others because it’s my blog, and I can.

And as a bonus, a Christmas snippet from my novel Rightfully Ours, which I hope to be sharing some exciting news about soon!

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