Book picks similar to
Don't Call Me Christina Kringle by Chris Grabenstein


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christmas
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Snowed In At Snowflake B&B


Kellie Hailes - 2020
    Her cooking job over the festive season was always her favourite time of year. Until, thriller writer Reuben Richards buys the beautiful inn she always thought would one day be hers.Grumpy and too-good-looking-for-his-own-good, Reuben has no experience running a B&B, let alone cooking and spends most of his time in his study hiding from the guests. Thankfully Sam isn't interested in love right now, let alone the one man who might lead to her losing the one place that has ever felt like home. It looks like it's going to be up to Sam to mix up a little bit of Christmas magic!Can Sam save Snowflake B&B in time for Christmas and maybe even find love under the mistletoe?

Miracle on 10th Street: And Other Christmas Writings


Madeleine L'Engle - 1998
    She continues this tradition with Miracle on 10th Street, a collection of poignant writings and reflections that give readers a glimpse of how the wonder of Christmas resonates in her personal life, which deeply involves her family and faith: "I think back to that Christmas when my husband and I did not know whether our little girl would live to grow up," she writes. "Between that Christmas and this, there have been many times when I have been in the fiery furnace, but I am beginning to understand who is in there with me and that when I need it, I am given courage I never knew I had." For anyone yearning for the childlike wonder of the Christmas season to arise in them once more, Miracle on 10th Street is a rich and delightful read.

Rag-and-Bone Christmas


Dilly Court - 2020
    December 1865.Snow is falling fast and Sally Suggs is working tirelessly to bring in enough money to keep bread on the table. Her father, a skilled rag-and-bone man, has fallen ill and now Sally has taken up his trade.But this is a man’s world and competition is fierce, and Sally’s rival Finn Kelly always seems to be one step ahead. Her family’s one valuable possession is their horse, Flower, yet with no one to protect them, London’s underbelly of black-market traders circle closer.Sally needs to find help in the most unexpected places if they are to survive…

The Christmas Killer


Alex Pine - 2020
    But when he opens an early Christmas present left on his doorstep, he soon realises it is no gift. Inside is a gruesome surprise, and a promise – twelve days, twelve murders. Not long after, the first body is found, half frozen in the snow. As the blizzards descend, panic spreads through the remote Cumbrian village – there’s a killer amongst them, and with eleven more victims to go, anyone could be next…. Can James stop the killer before they strike again?The first in a new series, Alex Pine has written a dark, atmospheric crime novel, set in a snowed-in Cumbrian village, for fans of Val McDermid, Ross Greenwood and LJ Ross.

P.N. Elrod Lunch Time Reading Omnibus


P.N. Elrod - 2011
    Elrod's picked 15 of her favorite short works for this multi-genre collection spanning 15 years of publication.Also included is a never before published VAMPIRE FILES story, featuring her urban fantasy vampire PI, Jack Fleming!Each story has been polished afresh for this anthology, with pages of new material added.More information -- and previews of the stories! -- may be found at her website vampwriter-dot-com.Titles:1. A Night at the (Horse) Opera (Vampire Files, Fleming)2. The Breath of Bast (Vampire Files), Ecsott)3. Bossman (Original mystery, no vamps)4. Slaughter (Vampire Files, Fleming & Gordy)5. The Devil's Mark (Original historical vampire)6. You'll Catch Your Death (Vampire Files)7. Izzy's Shoe-In (Historical mystery introducing Izzy DeLeon, fearless girl reporter)8. The Quick Way Down (Vampire Files, Fleming and Gordy)9. The Scottish Ploy (Original romance/mystery)10. Grave-Robbed (Vampire Files, Fleming)11. The Company You Keep (Vampire Files, Gabriel Kroun)12. Death in Dover (Jonathan Barrett before he got vamped, historical mystery)13. Drawing Dead (ALL NEW VAMPIRE FILES, Fleming)14. King of Shreds and Patches (Hamlet from a different point of view, mystery)15. Fugitive (Science fiction/space opera)16. BONUS STORY! The Wind Breathes Cold (Quincey Morris: Vampire)

Six Geese a' Slaying


Kathleen Bacus - 2013
    When her grandma’s nemesis, Abigail Winegardner, plans a living nativity, complete with a camel, Tressa’s competitive grandma won’t be outdone. Gammy is determined to create her own living—and molting—“Twelve Days of Christmas” pageant, but her aviary extravaganza is in jeopardy when the stars go missing, turning this holiday into a wild goose chase that’s bound to ruffle more than a few feathers. Will the plucky Tressa track down the missing cast before the curtain rises?

Christmas with the Cornish Midwives


Jo Bartlett - 2019
     Anna Jones heads up the busy midwifery unit and barely has time to think about planning her forthcoming Christmas Eve wedding, in between taking care of new-borns and mothers-to-be in the beautiful seaside town she calls home. When she nearly loses her fiancé, Brae, in a freak storm, the wedding takes on a whole new focus and she can’t wait to be part of a family again, after so many Christmases without one. Everything seems to be falling into place and there’s more to celebrate than ever, including a very festive hen night with her close friends from the midwifery unit. But the night before the wedding, disaster strikes and Anna begins to wonder if she’s destined to ever have a happy Christmas again. She doesn’t reckon on the power of Christmas spirit in Port Agnes, though, or the sheer tenacity of her best friend, Ella. Can the community pull off a minor miracle and give one of their midwives the very merry Christmas she deserves? Or are some things simply impossible, even for a Port Agnes Christmas?

Home Alone: The Classic Illustrated Storybook


Jason Rekulak - 2015
    Now, illustrator Kim Smith has reimagined the story as a classic Christmas fable—complete with bumbling burglars, brilliant booby-traps, and a little boy named Kevin who’s forced to fend for himself. Through a series of comic adventures, Kevin learns lessons about responsibility and the importance of family. With an amusing read-aloud story and enchanting, immersive illustrations, this charming adaptation can be enjoyed year after year alongside The Polar Express, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and other Christmas storybook classics.

A Stubborn Sweetness and Other Stories for the Christmas Season


Katherine Paterson - 2013
    Through unexpected and uplifting ways, each is reminded of the first Christmas story and the vision of hope and peace it offers the world. They realize that even in the darkness, the light and song of Christmas can be seen and heard.Originally written to be read during the Christmas Eve services at Paterson's church, this collection of holiday stories is perfect for individuals, families, and churches to read and share during the season.Eight of the stories were originally published in the book A Midnight Clear and four were published in Angles and Other Strangers. There is one new story: "On the Night of His Birth."

Just Another Week in Suburbia


Les Zig - 2017
    He and his wife Jane are still trying for a baby after seven years. His neighbours have their quirks to be navigated. And his job as a high school teacher, while satisfying, comes with its challenges.Every day is much like the one before that is, until Casper makes a discovery that threatens everything he knows... As Casper 's fears grows into obsessions, his world starts to unravel.Just Another Week in Suburbia is a story about love, trust, and insecurity, and the question of whether you can ever really know another person.

The Mike Lupica Collection


Mike Lupica - 2008
    Three of New York Times bestseller Mike Lupica’s wildly popular sports stories gathered together in one box! Baseball and basketball fans will rejoice, for all of their favorite novels are available in one gorgeous package!

The Toymakers


Robert Dinsdale - 2018
    It is the same every year. Across the city, when children wake to see ferns of white stretched across their windows, or walk to school to hear ice crackling underfoot, the whispers begin: the Emporium is open! It is 1917, and London has spent years in the shadow of the First World War. In the heart of Mayfair, though, there is a place of hope. A place where children’s dreams can come true, where the impossible becomes possible – that place is Papa Jack’s Toy Emporium.For years Papa Jack has created and sold his famous magical toys: hobby horses, patchwork dogs and bears that seem alive, toy boxes bigger on the inside than out, ‘instant trees’ that sprout from boxes, tin soldiers that can fight battles on their own. Now his sons, Kaspar and Emil, are just old enough to join the family trade. Into this family comes a young Cathy Wray – homeless and vulnerable. The Emporium takes her in, makes her one of its own. But Cathy is about to discover that while all toy shops are places of wonder, only one is truly magical...

The Little Shop on Silver Linings Street


Emma Davies - 2019
    With a unique talent for matching the perfect piece of jewellery to any romantic milestone, she painstakingly polishes each stunning creation every morning and safely locks them away each night, longing for the day she’ll have a love story to call her own… But everything changes one day in December when the owner announces she is retiring. She will leave the shop to whichever of her three sons creates the perfect piece of Christmas jewellery for Daisy. In danger of losing the job that once saved her, Daisy is catapulted out of her comfort zone as each of the brothers sweeps her off her feet to find out what her heart truly desires. Between ice-skating, starlight shopping and cosy candle-lit dinners, it’s only handsome and guarded youngest brother Kit who really seems to be listening. Because Daisy has a secret. Every night, when the shop closes, she lays out her tools in neat rows and creates sparkling designs of her own… As Christmas Day approaches, Daisy’s growing feelings for Kit fill her with a confidence she never knew she had. But as the brothers present their elaborate gemstone masterpieces, she’s in for the shock of her life… Was Kit using her to get ahead in the competition all along? Or has he truly worked out the one thing she has always longed for? They say all good things come in small packages, but the best things don’t need wrapping at all… Snuggle up with an absolutely heartwarming Christmas read and find a warm spot by the fire. An unputdownable festive treat for lovers of Jenny Colgan, Lucy Diamond and Debbie Johnson. Readers adore Emma Davies! ‘Oooooohhhhhh.... I literally loved this book!... The story is heart-warming and festive, and has really got me in the mood for Christmas!!… It really makes you want to keep reading to see if there really is a happy ending. If you want a heart-warming, uplifting, feel good festive romance then this is definitely the book for you.’ Curled Up with a Good Book, 5 stars ‘Wow… I was fighting tears almost constantly… which was rather awkward since I had saved the last bit to read in a restaurant with dinner!! It was just so good, and so romantic… I love every second of this book, and it’s definitely my favourite… Such a joy to read, and I recommend it to anyone that loves Christmas books.’ Rachel’s Random Reads, 5 stars ‘A wonderfully festive and heart-warming read. It had me totally captivated and read it in one afternoon. The perfect read for this time of year. Simply wonderful!’ By the Letter Book Reviews, 5 stars ‘My ability to actually put one of these stories down and go to bed is non-existent… just wraps around your heart like a warm blanket.’ I Am, Indeed, 5 stars ‘What a ride! Just when you think all is lost the magic of Christmas and Joy's Acre weave their spell and...no spoilers but...

Sookie Stackhouse Series Set (Volume 1-12)


Charlaine Harris - 2008
    . . . . LIVING DEAD IN DALLAS . . . . . CLUB DEAD . . . . . DEAD TO THE WORLD . . . . . DEAD AS A DOORNAIL . . . . . DEFINITELY DEAD . . . . . ALL TOGETHER DEAD . . . . . FROM DEAD TO WORSE . . . . . DEAD AND GONE . . . . . DEAD IN THE FAMILY . . . . DEAD RECKONING . . . . . DEADLOCKED . . .

A Girl Called Hope (Hope Series Book 1)


Kay Seeley - 2019
     In Victorian London’s East End, life for Hope Daniels in the public house run by her parents is not as it seems. Pa drinks and gambles, brother John longs for a place of his own, sister Violet dreams of a life on stage and little Alfie is being bullied at school. Silas Quirk, the charismatic owner of a local gentlemen’s club and disreputable gambling den her father frequents, has his own plans for Hope. When disaster strikes the family lose everything and the future they planned is snatched away from them. Secrets are revealed that make Hope question all she’s ever believed in. Can Hope keep them together when fate is pulling them apart? What will she sacrifice to save her family? A captivating story of tragedy and triumph you won’t want to put down.