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Christmas Letters from Hell
by Michael LentWho doesn't love to open the mailbox during the holidays and find a newsletter? Whether it's a juicy missive from a college roommate inadvertently revealing her husband's wandering eye, a self-congratulatory account of a cousin's rise to power at the local fast-food joint, or a mind-numbingly detailed account of a year's medical ailments (including photos) from a coworker, they're always entertaining. Christmas Letters from Hell skewers holiday letters of all shapes and sizes, from the ones that come crammed with cheesy graphics or written from the perspective of the recently neutered family dog to those filled with stories of "perfect" family vacations that were clearly anything but. Here Santa uses his holiday letter to let the elves know that he'll be outsourcing to China effective immediately; a bipolar mom tells two very different versions of the year's events; and Osama bin Laden touches base with his high school host family in Minneapolis. Christmas Letters from Hell serves up a steaming, savory blend of the holiday cheer, humor, and twisted truth in our well-intended attempts to stay in touch gone horribly, horribly wrong.
Christmas Lights: A Novel
by Christine NamanChristmas is right around the corner . . .It’s the most wonderful season of all, and for the women of Christmas Lights, it’s a time of magic, good cheer, and, most of all, family.In this collection, we meet Katherine, Julianna, Adrianna, Cassandra, Victoria, Alexandra, and Isabella—seven women each wishing for their very own Christmas miracle. From Katherine, who is caring for an ailing loved one, to Cassandra, the busy mother of toddlers, and Adrianna, struggling with the difficulties of marriage, to Victoria, who is searching for a love to call her own, these stories perfectly capture the heart and soul of the holiday spirit. As Christmas Eve approaches, each woman strives to remember the reason for the season before coming together in a moving finale that celebrates the true meaning of Christmas.Full of festive cheer, Christmas Lights is the perfect stocking stuffer for fans of Debbie Macomber and Fannie Flagg—or anyone longing to rediscover the magic of Christmas.
The Christmas List
by Richard Paul EvansDear Reader, When I was in seventh grade, my English teacher, Mrs. Johnson, gave our class the intriguing (if somewhat macabre) assignment of writing our own obituaries. Oddly, I don't remember much of what I wrote about my life, but I do remember how I died: in first place on the final lap of the Daytona 500. At the time, I hadn't considered writing as an occupation, a field with a remarkably low on-the-job casualty rate. What intrigues me most about Mrs. Johnson's assignment is the opportunity she gave us to confront our own legacy. How do we want to be remembered? That question has motivated our species since the beginning of time: from building pyramids to putting our names on skyscrapers. As I began to write this book, I had two objectives: First, I wanted to explore what could happen if someone read their obituary before they died and saw, firsthand, what the world really thought of them. Their legacy. Second, I wanted to write a Christmas story of true redemption. One of my family's holiday traditions is to see a local production of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. I don't know how many times I've seen it (perhaps a dozen), but it still thrills me to see the change that comes over Ebenezer Scrooge as he transforms from a dull, tight-fisted miser into a penitent, "giddy-as-aschoolboy" man with love in his heart. I always leave the show with a smile on my face and a resolve to be a better person. That's what I wanted to share with you, my dear readers, this Christmas -- a holiday tale to warm your season, your homes, and your hearts. Merry Christmas
A Christmas Memory: One Christmas, and The Thanksgiving Visitor
by Truman CapoteAvailable for the first time in a single volume are the three holiday stories that Truman Capote regarded as among his greatest works of short fiction. Two of these childhood memoirs--"A Christmas Memory" and "The Thanksgiving Visitor"--center on the author's early years with a family of distant relatives in rural Alabama. Both pay loving tribute to an eccentric old-maid cousin, Miss Sook Faulk, who became his best friend. In "A Christmas Memory," Miss Sook, Buddy (the narrator), and their dog, Queenie, celebrate the yuletide in a hilariously tipsy state. In the poignant reminiscence "One Christmas," six-year-old Buddy journeys to New Orleans for a reunion with his estranged father that shatters many illusions. And in "The Thanksgiving Visitor," Miss Sook invites the school bully, Odd Henderson--called by Buddy "the meanest human creature in my experience"--to Thanksgiving dinner. These three heartwarming classics are all distinguished by Capote's delicate interplay of childhood sensibility and recollective vision. For all ages.
A Christmas Memory
by Richard Paul EvansNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Christmas Box and the Noel Collection comes A Christmas Memory, a poignant, deeply felt novel about loss, grief, the healing power of forgiveness, and the true meaning of the holiday season.It&’s 1967, and for young Richard it&’s a time of heartbreak and turmoil. Over the span of a few months, his brother, Mark, is killed in Vietnam; his father loses his job and moves the family from California to his grandmother&’s abandoned home in Utah; and his parents make the painful decision to separate. With uncertainty rattling every corner of his life, Richard does his best to remain strong—but when he&’s run down by bullies at his new school, he meets Mr. Foster, an elderly neighbor who chases off the bullies and invites Richard in for a cup of cocoa. Richard becomes fast friends with the wise, solitary man who inspires Richard&’s love for books and whose dog, Gollum, becomes his closest companion. As the holidays approach, the joy and light of Christmas seem unlikely to permeate the Evans home as things take a grim turn for the worse. And just when it seems like he has nothing left to lose, Richard is confronted by a startling revelation. But with Mr. Foster&’s wisdom and kindness, he learns for the first time what truly matters about the spirit of the season: that forgiveness can heal even the deepest wounds, and love endures long after the pain of loss subsides. In A Christmas Memory, Richard Paul Evans (#1 New York Times bestselling author and the &“King of Christmas fiction&”) delves deep into his childhood memories to take readers back to an age when his world felt like it was falling apart, reminding us that even in the darkest of times, the light of hope can still shine.
A Christmas Miracle for the Railway Girls: The festive, feel-good and romantic historical fiction book (The Railway Girls Series, 6) (The railway girls series #6)
by Maisie Thomas'Heartwarming historical fiction ... The perfect stocking filler for fans of Nancy Revell, Daisy Styles and Margaret Dickinson' Eastern Daily Press__________________The sixth heartwarming, feel-good instalment in the much-loved Railway Girls series!Manchester, 1942. There are surprises in store for the railway girls this festive season...When Cordelia's daughter Emily falls for a young chap who doesn't meet the approval of her father, Cordelia is reminded of her own first love - a love that she has never forgotten.Mabel is determined to get to the bottom of a spate of local burglaries. Her heart is in the right place as she sets out on a quest to clear her friend's name, but there will be unforeseen consequences.It's nothing short of a miracle when Colette returns to Manchester. But it's not going to be easy for her to keep living the life she once knew, and an impossible situation lies ahead.There will be more than one storm for the railway girls to weather but with the friendship and support of one another, there's hope that all will be well by Christmas...Readers LOVE the Railway Girls:'Make yourself a cuppa and find a comfy spot on the sofa because you are not going to be able to put this down''I simply cannot wait for the next one - I am hooked!''Gives a vivid picture of women's lives in wartime Manchester''Dramatic, intriguing and sprinkled with plenty of wit and heart''It's just like catching up with old friends'
Christmas Mommy (Cornerstone Community Church #1)
by Terry FowlerAuntie Julie is the Christmas mommy. That's Julie Dennis's role for the next two weeks to her nephews and niece while her brother and his wife enjoy a much-needed getaway. Her only support is the assistant pastor, her former boyfriend who left her behind as he chased after God. Noah Loughlin has loved Julie for a long time. Now that the Lord has brought her back into his life, Noah feels confident he can pursue her as his future wife. But she has wounds she's never revealed, and the reality of his calling is a threat to Julie's sense of stability. Can Noah compete with the mayhem of caring for five kids and reach Julie's heart with only fourteen days until Christmas?
Christmas Mourning: A compelling crime novel full of festive adventure (The Falconer Files #8)
by Andrea FrazerCHRISTMAS MOURNING is the eighth instalment of Andrea Frazer's Falconer Files, a detective series chock-full of picture-postcard villages, dastardly deeds, and a delightful slice of humour.Praise for Andrea Frazer's twisty and compelling crime novels:***** 'The best laugh I have had for a long time. Great story very well written' Reader Review***** 'I loved the book. A good British mystery. Characters are great. All mystery lovers would enjoy this' Reader Review***** 'I have read all of the Falconer Files and they are all excellent. Well written with lovable and quirky characters' Reader Review***** 'Andrea Frazer's Falconer files are outstanding long may she continue to write them they are like a breath of fresh air' Reader Review***** 'Once again, another gripping story in a perfect village... a lot of twists and turns and wonderful descriptions so that one feels actually "there" amongst it all' Reader Review***** 'Discovered this series of books and can't get enough of them. Characters very appealing and loads of humour. Just what I like best' Reader Review_________The UK is experiencing its worst winter for years.Catastrophic news for DI Harry Falconer, as he has rashly promised to spend Christmas with his sergeant, Carmichael, and Carmichael's rambunctious family, in Castle Farthing - only to find himself snowed in and in and spending a lot longer at chez Carmichael than is desirable...Without power or telephones, and Castle Farthing cut off from the outside world until further notice, Christmas Day greets them... with a murder in St Cuthbert's Church, where the locum vicar has discovered, to his horror, one of Castle Farthing's residents nailed to a gigantic cross.Falconer and Carmichael are left to dig their way out of Carmichael's cottage to investigate the terrible crime, with none of the technology and support normally available to them.As if this is not enough to cope with, Carmichael has agreed to look after a huge Great Dane over the festivities, Kerry Carmichael is just about to give birth - and death is still stalking the snowed-in community, intent on claiming at least one more victim...
Christmas Mourning: A compelling crime novel full of festive adventure (The\falconer Files Ser. #8)
by Andrea FrazerCHRISTMAS MOURNING is the eighth instalment of Andrea Frazer's Falconer Files, a detective series chock-full of picture-postcard villages, dastardly deeds, and a delightful slice of humour.Praise for Andrea Frazer's twisty and compelling crime novels:***** 'The best laugh I have had for a long time. Great story very well written' Reader Review***** 'I loved the book. A good British mystery. Characters are great. All mystery lovers would enjoy this' Reader Review***** 'I have read all of the Falconer Files and they are all excellent. Well written with lovable and quirky characters' Reader Review***** 'Andrea Frazer's Falconer files are outstanding long may she continue to write them they are like a breath of fresh air' Reader Review***** 'Once again, another gripping story in a perfect village... a lot of twists and turns and wonderful descriptions so that one feels actually "there" amongst it all' Reader Review***** 'Discovered this series of books and can't get enough of them. Characters very appealing and loads of humour. Just what I like best' Reader Review_________The UK is experiencing its worst winter for years.Catastrophic news for DI Harry Falconer, as he has rashly promised to spend Christmas with his sergeant, Carmichael, and Carmichael's rambunctious family, in Castle Farthing - only to find himself snowed in and in and spending a lot longer at chez Carmichael than is desirable...Without power or telephones, and Castle Farthing cut off from the outside world until further notice, Christmas Day greets them... with a murder in St Cuthbert's Church, where the locum vicar has discovered, to his horror, one of Castle Farthing's residents nailed to a gigantic cross.Falconer and Carmichael are left to dig their way out of Carmichael's cottage to investigate the terrible crime, with none of the technology and support normally available to them.As if this is not enough to cope with, Carmichael has agreed to look after a huge Great Dane over the festivities, Kerry Carmichael is just about to give birth - and death is still stalking the snowed-in community, intent on claiming at least one more victim...
Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane (An Oliver's Well Novel #2)
by Mary McDonoughOriginally published as The House on Honeysuckle Lane, Mary McDonough’s novel is now a Hallmark Movies & Mysteries movie, Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane. Join Mary as she welcomes readers back to the small town of Oliver’s Well, Virginia, in a story of holiday and homecoming, as three siblings gather for a Christmas of unexpected gifts. Even in a town as picturesque and rich in history as Oliver’s Well, there’s something special about the Reynolds house on Honeysuckle Lane. Sturdy yet graceful, it’s where Andie, Emma, and Daniel Reynolds grew up—before they began to grow apart. For Danny, this first reunion since their mother’s death is a chance for him and his sisters to relive cherished holiday traditions before finally settling their parents’ estate. But readying the house for sale proves no easy task when every piece of furniture and every moment together stirs up the past. Andie, the oldest sibling, didn’t just leave home years ago, she left her young daughter too. Though she’s found success as a self-help author, coming back shakes her equilibrium. How can she presume to guide others if she can’t be honest with those closest to her, much less herself? . . . Middle child Emma struck out on her own instead of accepting her father’s offer to share his business. Yet now she finds herself wondering if it’s possible to start over. The house on Honeysuckle Lane contains a lifetime’s worth of joys and dreams, and its share of regrets too. This Christmas, it will be the place where Andie, Emma, and Danny come together to remember, laugh, fight, plan—and find their way forward as a family once more.
Christmas on My Mind (A Cowboy Christmas #2)
by Janet Dailey"A delightful annual tradition." --RT Book ReviewsThe future looks merry and bright... The little town of Branding Iron, Texas, keeps an annual tradition that makes the holidays especially festive--the Cowboys' Christmas Ball. But Sheriff Ben Marsden, busy with work, joint custody of his son, and caring for his aging mother, has no plans to attend. Not until a pretty newcomer to his small town gets involved in the planning. Suddenly Ben finds himself wanting to keep a close eye on Jessica Ramsey, and not just because her relatives seem to be in jail more than out. He can tell the mysterious redhead has secrets in her past, but now that she's bought a little fixer upper with her mom to start a bed and breakfast, the whole family's turning over a new leaf. With the prospect of dancing and celebrating ahead, surely there's time for everyone to unwind. Because this year, more than ever, Ben's got Christmas--and loving--on his mind. Praise for JANET DAILEY and her novels"Dailey confirms her place as a top mega-seller." --Kirkus Reviews"Readers will be glad they've gone along for the ride." --Chicago Sun-Times on Heiress"The spirit of Christmas permeates this charming holiday romance." --RT Book Reviews on Merry Christmas, Cowboy
Christmas on Nantucket: Book 2 in the gorgeous Winter Series
by Elin HilderbrandA warm and enchanting festive novel from New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand. Christmas on Nantucket finds Winter Street Inn owner Kelley Quinn and his family busily preparing for the holiday season. Though the year has brought tragedy, the Quinns have much to celebrate: Kelley has reunited with his first wife Margaret, Kevin and Isabelle have a new baby; and Ava is finally dating a nice guy. But when Kelley's wife Mitzi shows up on the island, along with Kevin's devious ex-wife Nora and a dangerously irresistible old fling of Ava's, the Inn is suddenly overrun with romantic feuds, not to mention guests. With jealousy, passion, and eggnog consumption at an all-time high, it's going to take a whole lot more than a Christmas miracle to get the Quinns - and the Inn - through the holidays intact.
Christmas on Nantucket: Book 2 in the gorgeous Winter Series
by Elin HilderbrandThe Quinn family celebrate their most dramatic Christmas yet in this enchanting sequel to Elin Hilderbrand's bestselling WINTER STREET.Christmas on Nantucket finds Winter Street Inn owner Kelley Quinn and his family busily preparing for the holiday season. Though the year has brought tragedy, the Quinns have much to celebrate: Kelley has reunited with his first wife Margaret, Kevin and Isabelle have a new baby; and Ava is finally dating a nice guy. But when Kelley's wife Mitzi shows up on the island, along with Kevin's devious ex-wife Nora and a dangerously irresistible old fling of Ava's, the Inn is suddenly overrun with romantic feuds, not to mention guests. With jealousy, passion, and eggnog consumption at an all-time high, it's going to take a whole lot more than a Christmas miracle to get the Quinns - and the Inn - through the holidays intact.(P)2017 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
Christmas on the Island: A Novel
by Jenny ColganFrom the New York Times bestselling author of The Café by the Sea—whose novels are “an evocative, sweet treat” (JOJO MOYES)—comes this heartwarming holiday novel set on a charming Scottish island.On the remote Scottish island of Mure, the Christmas season is stark, windy, and icy—yet incredibly festive and beautiful...It's a time for getting cozy in front of whisky barrel wood fires, and enjoying a dram and a treacle pudding with the people you love—unless, of course, you've accidentally gotten pregnant by your ex-boss, and don't know how to tell him. In the season for peace and good cheer, will Flora find the nerve to reveal the truth to her nearest and dearest? Will her erstwhile co-parent Joel think she’s the bearer of glad tidings—or is this Christmas going to be as bleak as the Highlands in midwinter? Meanwhile Saif, a doctor and refugee from war-torn Syria is trying to enjoy his first western Christmas with his sons on this remote island where he’s been granted asylum. His wife, however, is still missing, and her absence hangs over what should be a joyful celebration. Can the family possibly find comfort and joy without her?Travel to the beautiful northern edge of the world and join the welcoming community of Mure for a Highland Christmas you'll never forget! And warm up your kitchen with bonus recipes for the Little Beach Street Bakery’s seasonal shortbread, Lanark Blue Scones, and Black Buns.
Christmas Past
by Glenice CrosslandWhen seventeen-year-old Mary O'Connor collapses one Sunday in church she is taken to live with Dr Roberts and his wife in a beautiful Yorkshire village for her health. Though initially employed as a maid, Mary soon becomes the daughter the couple were never able to have. With Britain at war, unable to remain idle, Mary finds employment in the local steel works but when her fiancé Tom Downing is killed in action Mary is convinced it is retribution for their night of sin during Tom's Christmas leave. However, Mary grows to love Jack Holmes, a local miner. They marry and move into a humble terrace house with little but their love to keep them going. As the years pass Mary is determined to achieve success for herself and her family. She sets up her own dressmaking business and it seems as if she has finally found peace of mind. But the business starts to dominate her life until tragedy once more threatens to destroy all she most cherishes...
The Christmas Promise
by Richard Paul EvansThis holiday season, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Noel Collection returns with another heartwarming story of secrets, heartbreak, forgiveness, and the true meaning of Christmas. <P><P>On the night of her high school graduation, Richelle Bach’s father gives her and her identical twin sister, Michelle, matching opal necklaces. “These opals look identical,” he tells them, “but the fire inside each is completely unique—just like the two of you.” Indeed, the two sisters couldn’t be more different, and their paths diverge as they embark on adulthood. Years pass, until—at their father’s behest—they both come home for Christmas. What happens then forever damages their relationship, and Richelle vows never to see or speak to her sister again. In their father’s last days, he asks Richelle to forgive Michelle, a deathbed promise she never fulfills as her twin is killed in an accident. <P><P>Now, painfully alone and broken, caring for the sickest of children in a hospital PICU, Richelle has one last dream: to be an author. The plot of her book, The Prodigal Daughter, is a story based on her sister’s life. It’s not until she meets Justin Ek, a man who harbors his own loss, that a secret promise is revealed, and Richelle learns that the story she’s writing is not about her sister, but about herself. <P><P><b>A New York Times Best Seller</b>
Christmas Pudding and Pigeon Pie
by Nancy MitfordChristmas Pudding and Pigeon Pie are two sparkling comedies from early in the career of Nancy Mitford, beloved author of The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate, here published in one volume with a new introduction by Jane Smiley. In Christmas Pudding, an array of colorful characters converge on the hunt-obsessed Lady Bobbin's country house, including her rebellious daughter Philadelphia, the girl's pompous suitor, a couple of children obsessed with newspaper death notices, and an aspiring writer whose serious first novel has been acclaimed as the funniest book of the year, to his utter dismay. In Pigeon Pie, set at the outbreak of World War II, Lady Sophia Garfield dreams of becoming a beautiful spy but manages not to notice a nest of German agents right under her nose, until the murder of her maid and kidnapping of her beloved bulldog force them on her attention, with heroic results. Delivered with a touch lighter than that of Mitford's later masterpieces but no less entertaining, these comedies combine glamour, wit, and fiendishly absurd plots into irresistible literary confections.
The Christmas Ranch
by Raeanne ThayneHOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS Hope Nichols has never felt as if she belonged anywhere, except her hometown of Pine Gulch. So, when she hears that her family's property, Christmas Ranch, is set to be shut down forever, a determined Hope heads home. She refuses to let the Grinch steal her holiday-this will be the most memorable ranch Christmas ever! And, thanks to hunky former navy SEAL Rafe Santiago and his adorable nephew, she might just pull off that miracle. Rafe is undeniably drawn to Hope and her passion for rebuilding her family home. But he knows more about Hope's tragic past than even she herself could imagine. And though she doesn't know it, she owes him her life. And all he wants in return is for her to spend it with him...
The Christmas Room
by Catherine AndersonThe beloved author of the Mystic Creek series gifts readers with a novel of homespun holiday cheer, as two families discover the joy of hope and redemption.... Widow Maddie McLendon has uprooted her life to move to Rustlers Gulch with her son and grandson. But as a brutal Montana winter looms on the horizon, contractors have yet to break ground on their new house, leaving them to live in a makeshift camp of trailers, tents, and sheds....Since his wife died six years ago, millionaire rancher Sam Conacher has been content to wallow in his grief alone while keeping a tight rein on his twenty-six-year-old daughter. But now the girl has gone and fallen in love with his foolish new neighbor’s no-good son....Maddie and Sam will never see eye to eye on anything, until a near-tragedy gives them a true glimpse into each other’s souls. And as the first snowflakes begin to fall, they’ll discover that an open heart is the biggest gift of all....
The Christmas Secret (Christmas Hope)
by Donna VanLiereFrom the author of the Christmas Hope series comes a novel that reveals how the greatest gifts in our lives are sometimes discovered beneath the biggest boulder in the road. When a struggling young single mother saves the life of an elderly woman, she sets into motion a series of events that will test her strength, loyalty, and determination--all the while setting her on the path to finding true love. Life isn't easy or simple for Christine Eisley, the hardworking mother of seven-year-old Zach and five-year-old Haley. Her ex-husband goes out of his way to make her life extremely difficult. She works long hours as a waitress to make ends meet, and because she's behind in the rent, she needs to find another place to live. When Christine saves the life of a woman who works in Wilson's department store, the owner of Wilson's wants to find her, to thank her, but Christine has disappeared, losing the job she depended on to feed her kids. Marshall Wilson sets his grandson, Jason, to the task of finding the mysterious "Christy." It's the last job Jason wants... but is finding Christy the one thing he really needs? To protect herself from being hurt yet again, Christine holds her secrets close, but in the end it's the discovery of a safely guarded secret that will change the course of her life forever. The Christmas Secret is a novel for anyone who wants to see how love is a gift that keeps giving back; that hope is a treasure that never runs dry; and that faith is a miracle reborn with each new day. There are more books by DONNA VANLIERE in Bookshare's library.
A Christmas Snow
by Jim Stovall[from the back cover] "For Kathleen, Christmas has always been an unwelcome reminder of her father's abandonment almost three tumultuous decades ago. Although she has tried to forget her past, it has not forgotten her, and in the days leading up to Christmas, an unforgiving blizzard traps her in her home with two unlikely roommates who bring her face to face with the hurts of her past-and the hope of a happier future. Will she let go of the past and grad hold of a future full of love and forgiveness? Or will she continue to be haunted by her pain as the snow storm of the century brings with it the hope of lasting joy?"
A Christmas Song
by Divino B'AtistaATTENTION: A warning for the ones who considers themselves “faithful readers”: please, don’t read this Christmas special without having read “NO ÚLTIMO VOLUME” before. For the simple fact that small details will not be absorbed as expected, and also, for a better perspection of events, since this short story takes place after the “final chapter” and long before the “epilogue”.
A Christmas Story: The Book That Inspired the Hilarious Classic Film
by Jean ShepherdA beloved, bestselling classic of humorous and nostalgic Americana--the book that inspired the equally classic Yuletide film.The holiday film A Christmas Story, first released in 1983, has become a bona fide Christmas perennial, gaining in stature and fame with each succeeding year. Its affectionate, wacky, and wryly realistic portrayal of an American family's typical Christmas joys and travails in small-town Depression-era Indiana has entered our imagination and our hearts with a force equal to It's a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street.This edition of A Christmas Story gathers together in one hilarious volume the gems of autobiographical humor that Jean Shepherd drew upon to create this enduring film. Here is young Ralphie Parker's shocking discovery that his decoder ring is really a device to promote Ovaltine; his mother and father's pitched battle over the fate of a lascivious leg lamp; the unleashed and unnerving savagery of Ralphie's duel in the show with the odious bullies Scut Farkas and Grover Dill; and, most crucially, Ralphie's unstoppable campaign to get Santa--or anyone else--to give him a Red Ryder carbine action 200-shot range model air rifle. Who cares that the whole adult world is telling him, "You'll shoot your eye out, kid"?The pieces that comprise A Christmas Story, previously published in the larger collections In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash and Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories, coalesce in a magical fashion to become an irresistible piece of Americana, quite the equal of the film in its ability to warm the heart and tickle the funny bone.From the Hardcover edition.
A Christmas Story
by Jean Shepherd Philip Grecian<p>A beloved, bestselling classic of humorous and nostalgic Americana--the book that inspired the equally classic Yuletide film. <p>The holiday film "A Christmas Story," first released in 1983, has become a bona fide Christmas perennial, gaining in stature and fame with each succeeding year. Its affectionate, wacky, and wryly realistic portrayal of an American family's typical Christmas joys and travails in small-town Depression-era Indiana has entered our imagination and our hearts with a force equal to "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Miracle on 34th Street," <p>This edition of "A Christmas Story" gathers together in one hilarious volume the gems of autobiographical humor that Jean Shepherd drew upon to create this enduring film. Here is young Ralphie Parker's shocking discovery that his decoder ring is really a device to promote Ovaltine; his mother and father's pitched battle over the fate of a lascivious leg l& the unleashed and unnerving savagery of Ralphie's duel in the show with the odious bullies Scut Farkas and Grover Dill; and, most crucially, Ralphie's unstoppable campaign to get Santa--or anyone else--to give him a Red Ryder carbine action 200-shot range model air rifle. Who cares that the whole adult world is telling him, "You'll shoot your eye out, kid"? <p>The pieces that comprise "A Christmas Story," previously published in the larger collections "In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash" and "Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories," coalesce in a magical fashion to become an irresistible piece of Americana, quite the equal of the film in its ability to warm the heart and tickle the funny bone.</p>
The Christmas Surprise (Rosie Hopkins #3)
by Jenny Colgan'Nobody does cosy, get-away-from-it-all romance like Jenny Colgan' Sunday Express Snuggle up and escape to the beautiful island of Mure this winter. Jenny Colgan's new Christmas novel, CHRISTMAS AT THE ISLAND HOTEL, is out now. ___________________________________ In a tiny little sweetshop, something very special is waiting under the Christmas tree . . . With mouthwatering seasonal recipes for you to try at home Snuggle up and escape with Jenny Colgan 'An evocative, sweet treat' Jojo Moyes 'Gorgeous, glorious, uplifting' Marian Keyes'A cracker - the must-read this festive season' Sun 'Irresistible' Jill Mansell 'Just lovely' Katie Fforde 'Naturally funny, warm-hearted' Lisa Jewell 'A gobble-it-all-up-in-one-sitting kind of book' Mike Gayle__________________________________Rosie Hopkins, newly engaged, is looking forward to an exciting year in the little sweetshop she owns and runs. But when fate strikes Rosie and her boyfriend, Stephen, a terrible blow, threatening everything they hold dear, it's going to take all their strength and the support of their families and their Lipton friends to hold them together. After all, don't they say it takes a village to raise a child?__________________________________ Why readers ADORE Jenny Colgan 'Jenny Colgan has a way of writing that makes me melt inside' 'Her books are so good I want to start over as soon as I have finished' 'There's something so engaging about her characters and plots' 'Her books are like a big, warm blanket' 'Her stories are just so fabulous' 'She brings her settings and characters so vividly to life' 'The woman is just magic'