Brian C. Poole, click
here to update your pages on AuthorsDen.
Blogs by Brian C. Poole
Christmas Books 12/2/2014 7:14:18 AM
This post originally appeared on thunderalleybcp.com
Christmas is right around the corner, so now’s a good time to recommend some Christmas books.
Is it odd that I found coming up with a list of Christmas books harder than formulating a list of Halloween books? Let’s not think too closely about what that might mean.
A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles M. Schulz
It’s a classic for a reason. From the spindly little tree that made “Charlie Brown tree” a thing to Linus’s climactic Bible recitation. You know it all. You could wait and catch a TV airing of the story or just grab a copy and read this to the kids in your life.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
This novella’s basic plot has been adapted so many times, featuring everyone from Mickey and the Muppets to Tori Spelling and Susan Lucci. It’s tempting to dismiss the story as something that’s overly familiar. But return to the comparative simplicity of Dickens’s original story. It’s not very long, but it packs an emotional impact thanks to Dickens’s passion for the material.
The Man Who Invented Christmas by Les Standiford
After you’ve read A Christmas Carol, check out this non-fiction look at the struggles Dickens endured to get his story out to the world. It’s a story of persistence and dedication to a work that was a true labor of love for its author and shows how a simple story became a tradition and helped shaped our modern Christmas traditions.
Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
This lean collection of holiday-themed essays by humorist Sedaris goes by all too quickly. He locates the absurdity of the Christmas season, but also the heart. The highlights include “The SantaLand Diaries,” Sedaris’s essential recollection of his time as a Macy’s elf, and “Dinah, the Christmas Whore,” which, believe it or not, is the collection’s generous heart.
The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore
Subtitled “A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror,” Angel checks in on the town of Pine Cove, the setting of two earlier Moore novels. The plot involves a distracted angel who, in granting a child’s Christmas wish, unwittingly unleashes a zombie apocalypse on the town’s Christmas Eve gathering. It’s got all the trademark Moore wit and absurdity. And for fans of Moore’s previous novels, it’s a jam session of several familiar Moore characters (don’t worry, you can enjoy it just fine even if you’ve never read a previous Moore).
The Redeemer by Jo Nesbø
For those who prefer their Christmas stories with a side of murder and mayhem, there’s this entry in Nesbø’s Harry Hole series. A hitman kills one brother shortly before Christmas and targets another. Hole struggles with his demons while trying to unravel the twisted threads that lead him to the killer. It’s not exactly a heartwarming tale (either of terror or of joy), but Nesbø creates a compelling contrast of a desperate murder investigation against the backdrop of a festive Scandinavian Christmas.
Politically Correct Holiday Stories by James Finn Garner
For fans who enjoyed Garner’s Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, these humorous reworkings of traditional Christmas tales provide a nice bit of laughter during a hectic season.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Doctor Seuss
Like the first entry on this list, we all know Grinch from its memorable TV adaptation. But Seuss’s colorful original is great in book form, too, and another great choice for something to do with the kids in your life. Your heart might grow two sizes that day.
