Christmas Stories for the Heart


Alice Gray - 1998
    The heartwarming and tender treasury -- another release in the bestselling Stories for the Heart series from Alice Gray -- includes stories by several of America's most respected and loved Christian communicators. Divided into three sections, "Christmas Treasures," "Once Upon a Christmas Time," and "Christmas Reflections," it's the perfect holiday gift to give or to keep for readers who want to curl up by a crackling fire and renew their faith, hope, and love for the holiday season.

Christmas at the Red Door Inn


Liz Johnson - 2018
    Two friends. Three days to fall in love. Lifelong islander Brooke Kane doesn’t know what to do with her college degree, her dreams, or her future, but she knows better than to venture far from home when there’s a storm brewing. But a promise to check on Rose’s Red Door Inn prompts Brooke to venture out. By the time she arrives at the inn, the snow is knee-deep and visibility almost non-existent. She settles in to spend a few days alone at the inn until a familiar figure appears at the door. Father Chuck O’Flannigan has never felt like a bigger fool. So focused on his recent decision to leave Prince Edward Island, he’s caught unaware by the blizzard while on a walk. He can only see the inn’s red door, a promise of safety. But when he discovers that Brooke—the only woman who could tempt him to stay on the island—is also taking refuge there, he knows he’s in trouble. With Christmas only three days away, Brooke is determined that they’ll celebrate—even if it’s just the two of them. Happy to play Scrooge to her Tiny Tim, Chuck wiles away his hours dreaming of a return to Ireland—praying that God may have plans for him there. After all, God seems to have forgotten him in North Rustico. But as Brooke brings Christmas to life, her joy makes him wonder if God may not have forgotten him. In fact, God may have big plans for both of them—if they can only survive Christmas at the Red Door Inn.

Winter Warmers


Carole Matthews - 2012
    . .Cold TurkeyTara is in love with a man she can't have. She expected to spend Christmas with him but when the big day arrives, she finds herself alone. Sad and upset, Tara just wants to ignore the festive season - and then a chance encounter changes everything.About GardeningI love my husband Sam but our relationship isn't what it used to be. Can I find a way to bring us back together?Treat yourself to this heart-warming collection - it's perfect for warming up those winter nights.

Christmas in the City


L.J. ShenPenny Reid - 2019
    Travel through six cities and fall in love with these enchanting love stories. L.J. Shen & Helena Hunting Just The Tip  It’s not every day you meet a stranger who knows how to jingle your bells… Corinne Michaels & Melanie Harlow Baby it’s Cold Outside My Christmas list did not include a broken heart, freezing temperatures, or my tree stuck in the door to my apartment building, but that’s what I got. Just when I thought Santa had failed me, I got something I never thought to ask for … Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward Kissmas in New York It was just supposed to be a simple kiss with a stranger.  I'd done it to prove a point--that I hadn't lost my sense of adventure. But you know what they say about the best laid plans. Maybe I'd get something in my stocking after all this holiday season... Sierra Simone & Kennedy Ryan The Christmas Crown Noelani, queen of Manaroa, has one mission on her diplomatic visit to the States: forge strategic alliances for her homeland. When she meets brooding security specialist Brock Grimsby, their unexpected alliance heats up the holiday. One night. No promises, but come Christmas, will either be able to walk away? Penny Reid & L.H. Cosway Songbird Two lonely souls find companionship in Dublin for one magical night. Broderick Adams doesn't mind his solitude, until she walks in. Ophelia Kelly sings to heal her heart, but has no idea he's listening. Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy EPIC Jamie and Wes are having a blast living and working in Toronto. Until a scout for another team swoops in to make one of them an offer that might complicate the life they've built together.

The Book of Awesome


Neil Pasricha - 2010
    With a 24/7 news cycle reporting that the polar ice caps are melting, hurricanes are swirling in the seas, wars are heating up around the world, and the job market is in a deep freeze, it's tempting to feel that the world is falling apart. But awesome things are all around us-sometimes we just need someone to point them out.The Book of Awesome reminds us that the best things in life are free (yes, your grandma was right). With laugh-out-loud observations from award- winning comedy writer Neil Pasricha, The Book of Awesome is filled with smile-inducing moments on every page that make you feel like a kid looking at the world for the first time. Read it and you'll remember all the things there are to feel good about. The Book of Awesome reminds us of all the little things that we often overlook but that make us smile. With touching, warm, and funny observations, each entry ends with the big booming feeling you'll get when you read through them: AWESOME!

The Christmas Violin


Buffy Andrews - 2013
    When he closed his eyes it was her that he saw. But now, he saw Willow. And it scared him and made him feel guilty. And yet he couldn’t help himself, couldn’t help feeling what he was feeling…The last thing grief-stricken widower Peter St John expects to find at the cemetery is love. But one evening, as he lays flowers on Camilla’s grave, he is drawn to the haunting melody of a solitary violin player. And so he encounters beautiful concert violinist Willow Channing, who has her own grief to contend with. A second, chance meeting fuels the fire. And soon Peter knows that as one song ended, another might begin.

The Shepherd, the Angel, and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog


Dave Barry - 2006
    The year is 1960, and the Christmas pageant at St. John's Episcopal Church is a very big deal. Doug Barnes is a shepherd this year, which is better than being a Three King, because you get to carry a stick. There are problems, however. The girl he likes is playing Mary opposite a Joseph who is depressingly smart, athletic, and cute; the family dog is doing poorly, and they have no idea what they're going to tell Doug's little sister, Becky; and his dad's just gotten a flat tire, which means they might not even get to the pageant. But Christmas is a time of miracles. And for Doug and his family, this will be the most miraculous Christmas of all.

This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life


David Foster Wallace - 2009
    The speech is reprinted for the first time in book form in THIS IS WATER. How does one keep from going through their comfortable, prosperous adult life unconsciously? How do we get ourselves out of the foreground of our thoughts and achieve compassion? The speech captures Wallace's electric intellect as well as his grace in attention to others. After his death, it became a treasured piece of writing reprinted in The Wall Street Journal and the London Times, commented on endlessly in blogs, and emailed from friend to friend.Writing with his one-of-a-kind blend of causal humor, exacting intellect, and practical philosophy, David Foster Wallace probes the challenges of daily living and offers advice that renews us with every reading.

The Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits


Les Standiford - 2008
    His publisher turned it down, so Dickens used what little money he had to put out A Christmas Carol himself. He worried it might be the end of his career as a novelist.The book immediately caused a sensation. And it breathed new life into a holiday that had fallen into disfavor, undermined by lingering Puritanism and the cold modernity of the Industrial Revolution. It was a harsh and dreary age, in desperate need of spiritual renewal, ready to embrace a book that ended with blessings for one and all.With warmth, wit, and an infusion of Christmas cheer, Les Standiford whisks us back to Victorian England, its most beloved storyteller, and the birth of the Christmas we know best. The Man Who Invented Christmas is a rich and satisfying read for Scrooges and sentimentalists alike.

Esther's Gift: A Mitford Christmas Story


Jan Karon - 2002
     In Esther's Gift, Esther Bolick is filled with the holiday spirit as she prepares to bake the annual batch of her famous-and utterly scrumptious-orange marmalade cakes. Right after Christmas Eve service at Lord's Chapel, she and Gene will deliver a two-layer marmalade to each of seven friends and neighbors, all of them favorite Mitford characters. Then Gene calculates what it costs to bake this legendary cake, and Esther is stunned. Is it worth it to spend so much money on people who haven't always measured up to her expectations? The answer is clear. She'll cut her list back-way back. This decision makes perfect sense until the lyrics of a Christmas carol steal into her heart, and help remind her what a gift really means.

A Charlie Brown Christmas


Charles M. Schulz - 1965
    It seems like everybody has forgotten what Christmas is truly about. But Lucy, Linus, and the whole Peanuts gang have some holiday surprises that will make even Charlie Brown feel merry!

Do You See What I See?: Exploring the Christmas of Every Day


Ross Parsley - 2008
    In Do You See What I See? Pastor Ross Parsley shows how God uses ordinary people to fulfill His plan and purpose. He gives a warm, humorous, and uniquely honest look into the nativity story. Along the way he highlights how God's favor and plans are often followed by dashed hopes, heartache, and disappointment.but he shows that if we're faithful with what God puts in front of us we can accomplish the extraordinary.

The 12 Brides of Christmas Collection


Margaret BrownleyAmy Lillard - 2015
    In nineteenth century settings across the heartland of America, experience old-fashioned Christmas traditions and sweet romance from twelve acclaimed Christian authors.The Festive Bride by Diana Lesire BrandmeyerThe Nutcracker Bride by Margaret BrownleyThe Christmas Star Bride by Amanda CabotThe Advent Bride by Mary ConnealyThe Christmas Tree Bride by Susan Page DavisThe Nativity Bride by Miralee FerrellThe Evergreen Bride by Pam HillmanThe Gift-Wrapped Bride by Maureen LangThe Gingerbread Bride by Amy LillardThe Fruitcake Bride by Vickie McDonoughThe Snowbound Bride by Davalynn SpencerThe Yuletide Bride by Michele UleMeet Alma, Lucy, Esther, Melanie, Polly, Deborah, Annabelle, Sophie, Maddie, Karen, Arabella, and Kate who are surprised by how God brings them the desires of their hearts. Watch as faith, courtship, and heartfelt gifts open each of their hearts to love.

Love, Christmas - Holiday stories that will put a song in your heart! (The Holiday Series, #1)


Leanne BanksTraci E. Hall - 2016
    Each brand-new title is inspired by a Christmas carol and will lift your spirits and bring on the holiday cheer. We Need a Little Christmas by Leanne Banks - Can a handsome cynic become a Christmas believer? Frosty the Snowman by Mimi Barbour - Stranded in an Alaskan snowstorm, strangers Hali and Terry are forced to rely on each other for survival. Last Christmas by Joan Reeves - Annabelle gave him her heart, but Rick threw it away. He wants redemption, she wants revenge. Holly Jolly Christmas by Mona Risk - Pregnant at 18. Adoption would save the baby’s future but may cost her the man she loves. Do You Hear What I Hear? by Patricia Rosemoor - Live-in-lovers Shelley and Jake are now in a cold war of their own over Christmas. White Christmas by Rebecca York - Was she in a coma, or was she in a Christmas fantasy? So This is Christmas by Denise Devine - He was her child nemesis, now he’s her best friend forever. Grown Up Christmas List by Donna Fasano - All she wants for Christmas is to feel safe… then she meets her guardian angel. Blue Christmas by the Sea by Traci Hall - Alone for Christmas, Tamsyn helps mystery writer Evan find his mojo—love is a gift neither can refuse. Santa Baby by Taylor Lee - Lily’s only hope was that this time, he wouldn’t be able to find her. Let It Snow by Stephanie Queen - A stranger and a snow storm on Christmas Eve create the ultimate test for Dane & Shana. Merry, Did You Know? by Jennifer St. Giles - Can a Christmas Miracle change the future of a woman who doesn’t believe in love and a man who can't love again? O Christmas Tree by Alicia Street - Can Piper convince Cody to let go of his painful past and embrace the hope of Christmas and possibly love? Sleigh Ride by Katy Walters - Miss Sophia Vale faces poverty. Enter the Earl of Breconbridge, renowned as a rake hell with a conscience. Deck the Hearts by Rachelle Ayala - Can Holly’s jolly Christmas spirit help Grinch Gordon Gills save the town of Christmas Creek? Silver Bells by Jacquie Biggar - Can a Christmas wish bring two stubborn souls together and give a little girl the gift she wants? Hark the Herald Angel Falls by Michele Hauf - To earn her halo, angel Merit must convince the person who holds her earthly soul in limbo—her husband—to stop loving her. Little Drummer Boy by Dani Haviland - How could a mere drummer boy help those stranded in the worst winter storm of the 18th century? I’ll Be Home For Christmas by Nancy Radke - When former a former Navy SEAL plucks a woman from the Mediterranean Sea, he discovers a fighter tougher than he. Santa Claus is Coming to Town by Cynthia Cooke - A big city girl reunites with a small town boy—magic. A Santa in need of an elf—Christmas magic.

What Is the Gospel?


Greg Gilbert - 2010
    How are we to formulate a clear, biblical understanding of the gospel? Tradition, reason, and experience all leave us ultimately disappointed. If we want answers, we must turn to the Word of God.Greg Gilbert does so in What Is the Gospel?. Beginning with Paul's systematic presentation of the gospel in Romans and moving through the sermons in Acts, Gilbert argues that the central structure of the gospel consists of four main subjects: God, man, Christ, and a response. The book carefully examines each and then explores the effects the gospel can have in individuals, churches, and the world. Both Christian and non-Christian readers will gain a clearer understanding of the gospel in this valuable resource.