Dear Father Christmas

As I was doing my research to find 25 different Christmas-themed books, I found out about an absolutely lovely book from the Tolkien clan.  It seems that between the years of 1920 and 1943, J.R.R. Tolkien's children wrote letters to Father Christmas and Father Christmas (Tolkien himself) replied!  The collection was collected and edited after Tolkien's death by Baillie Tolkien, his daughter in law.  It was originally published as The Father Christmas Letters on September 2, 1976, the third anniversary of Tolkien's death.  It was warmly received by critics and some of them have even suspected that what he wrote in these letters helped to inspire Tolkien's epic, The Lord of the Rings.  Today it is known as Letters From Father Christmas.



The first letter from Father Christmas arrived on December 22, 1920, when John Francis Tolkien was three.  Michael Hilary Tolkien was two months old, so the letter is only addressed to John.  It's a short letter that answers a single question: where Father Christmas lives.  It was accompanied by a drawing.  That letter would set the tone for the next twenty three years.

Every letter is accompanied by drawings and images of the letter that Father Christmas wrote.  In the first decade or so, the letters are written by Father Christmas with the occasional help of the Polar Bear.  We get snapshots of what was going on in the family's lives through the letters, such as in 1927, when Father Christmas wrote that he heard the family hand an Icelandic visitor.  The same year, he writes only to Michael and Christopher, ages 7 and 3, saying that John, age 10, hadn't written to him.  He supposes that Christopher is too old to be writing to Father Christmas and that soon he will stop hanging his stocking.  But Father Christmas will not forget John.

The letter in 1929 is the first one not addressed to "the boys".  This time, it's addressed "Dear Boys and Girl".  In June, the Tolkiens welcomed a long hoped for daughter, Priscilla.

As the letters pass through, Father Christmas and Polar Bear are joined by Red Gnomes and Snow Men, Snow Elves and the Polar Bear's nephews, Paksu and Volkotukka.  1936 introduces Ilbereth the Elf, Father Christmas' secretary.  This is perhaps the first true appearance of a Tolkien Elf; The Hobbit wasn't published until the next year.

The last letter in the book is written solely to fourteen-year-old Priscilla, saying that it will be the last one.  He supposes that Priscilla will follow after her brothers and be too old to hang up her stocking, but he will not forget her.  Written in 1943, Father Christmas himself writes about how it is grim--"I think they mean miserable: and so it is, I fear, in very many places where I was specially fond of going." The Second World War has touched even these lighthearted letters.  Tolkien's three sons were all serving in the War, so it's not surprising.

I loved this collection.  Its' a special kind of magic that I want to share with my own children, when I have them.  If you have children of your own, I would recommend sharing these letter with them too.  Everyone will laugh over the shenanigans of Father Christmas, Polar Bear, and the cubs.

Merry Christmas, one and all.

Wilde in Love

I do try not to use book titles as my blog post titles, but this one is just too good!  Eloisa James rolled out her newest historical fiction on Halloween, and I was so excited.  However, I had to wait to read it because of budgeting.  (La, if only I got paid to read!)  It went on SALE this week, so I jumped right on that train.  And I am so glad that I did!

Wilde in Love is set in the late 1770's, firmly in the Georgian period rather than the more common
Regency period that occurs about forty years later.  The book introduces us to a whole new family that seems pretty fun so far.  The Duke has married three times, the first and third to true loves, the second not so much.  He has several children, and they are all named after warriors:  Alaric, Spartacus, Leonidas, Boudicca, ect.  They all seem to have a vibrant and adventuresome spirit that makes them live up to their names.

Lord Alaric has just come home from his adventures abroad and he feels like it might be time to stay home.  What he doesn't realize is the amount of fame he's gained by publishing books of his adventures.  There's even a play (not authored by Lord Wilde, I assure you) that turns him in to a dramatic, if farcical, hero!  His older brother, North, is engaged to the lovely Diana and the whole family has gathered at Lindow Castle to celebrate the engagement with a house party.  Important to note, Lindow Castle sits on the edge of a dangerous bog--in fact, the Duke's eldest son, Honorius, died in the bog.

In attendance at the party is Miss Wilhelmina Everett Ffyche.  Known as Willa to  her good friend and cousin, Lavinia, she has two faces.  The first is the perfect and polite Miss Ffyche that has made her the belle of the ball, and the second is the wicked and witty Willa that she shows in private, mainly to Lavinia.  Alaric sees Willa at this party and it's like the lightning bolt has come from the heavens.  He sees her and he wants her.

Willa doesn't fall as instantly in love with Alaric as he does with her, but she is definitely attracted to him.  She fights it for reasons that you find out later in the book.  Her heart is pretty much his when he gifts her with Sweetpea, a baby skunk--I'm sorry, American Sable.  Alaric starts to get his wish when a former acquaintance shows up and he convinces Willa to be  his "fake fiancee".  What will happen, however, if a crazy lady shows up with a pistol?

So, I'll admit that I'm not as dedicated of an Eloisa James reader as I am some of the other authors that I read.  Some of it's just that, sometimes, I like what I know.  I'm a historian, so when people twist history to fit there story, I cannot stand it.  I love historical fiction, but it's hard for me to break out of my author shell.  (I have the same problem with historical dramas in film.  I yell at them when they're wrong.)  However, I think I'll have to read some more of Ms. James!  Willa and Alaric were both great characters, but many of the secondary characters were fleshed out too!  I feel like I know some of these characters.  It was nice when you usually get secondary characters who are fleshed out enough to fulfill their purpose.

I can't wait for the next book in the series!  I already have it preordered!

Sometimes Life Interferes

So I came into December with every intention of finishing my 25 Days of Christmas books.  However, life has intervened.  I recently moved, and it was a necessary one.  It did happen sooner than I expected, so I have not been prepared with posts already written for this time that I've been without internet.  So, I'm going to give up my goal this year.  Next year is different! 

Happy Holidays to all my readers. 

I Almost Did It!

Alright, this was supposed to be twenty-five days of Christmas books, but I'm caving today.  The past few days have been busier than I expected, and so I didn't have today's book done!  This is a strange occurrence for me with this blog; I'm generally scheduled out a few days in advance.  The other day, I even wrote my first post for 2018!

Today, I'm going to tell you about a Christmas movie instead of a Christmas book.  I really love Christmas movies, and I always watch what I consider to be the classics:  Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Year Without a Santa Claus, Nightmare Before Christmas... These are all movies that I remember watching with my grandparents when I was young.  They're good memories.  As I've gotten older, I've gotten into some of the more sentimental Hallmark-type movies.  My favorite one that I've watched so far is The Spirit of Christmas.

Kate is a workaholic.  She's a lawyer in Boston, and her superior knows that she doesn't have plans for Christmas.  So he picks Kate when one of their clients dies and the clients Inn needs to be appraised for sale.  Kate heads up to the Hollygrove Inn where she discovers that the building is supposedly haunted!  Turns out, it actually is.

In the era of Prohibition, the Inn was owned by Daniel Forsythe.  In order to, he thought, keep his fiancee happy, Daniel became a bootlegger, running alcohol into the country via Montreal.  On Christmas Eve, on a return trip, Daniel was hit over the head and killed.  Every year since, for thirteen days, Daniel has returned to the Inn as a physical person.

When Kate hears Daniel's story, she's determined to help him move on.  He's a bit curmudgeonly and ungrateful at the beginning, but he comes to appreciate the help.  The two grow to like each other and there is a definite attraction.  (Not going to lie, Daniel is played by a very attractive Thomas Beaudoin.  Yum.)  However, as the pair learn more about the time just after Daniel's death, he gets frustrated.  To Kate it's an interesting story, but this was his life.  They get in a bit of a fight about it. 

Kate gets recalled to Boston when another client of her firm dies.  It's there that she finally gets the answers to help Daniel out, but what will Daniel choose?  Will he take thirteen happy days and the rest of the year of agony just to be with Kate, or will he pass on?

This was a cute movie that I really enjoyed watching.  It definitely gave me the warm fuzzies that I associate with this season.  Definitely watch it!  It is on Netflix!

Tomorrow I'm holding out for my children's books then back on track!

Unicorns and Wyverns, OH MY!

So yesterday was super duper busy for me, and I didn't get to finish the book that I had planned for today.  But you know what?  That's okay!  Zoe Chant released the next book in her Fire and Rescue Shifters series, and it just happens to take place around Christmas!  Firefighter Unicorn is a book that I've been waiting for.  I figured out in the first book, if I remember right, that paramedic Hugh Argent was a mythical unicorn shifter (I mean really.... mythical shifter, healing powers, silver/white glow?  Am I the only one who made this jump?), but I was really curious to see how his story would unfold.  Unicorn mythology all seems to center around being pure and virginal. How exactly is someone supposed to pair that with a romance novel?

Ms. Chant manages it quite wonderfully.  Hugh is paired with Ivy Viverna, who we met a few books ago, and quite frankly, most of the team doesn't particularly like her.  Ivy is a wyvern shifter who just happens to be deadly to the touch, no matter what form she's in.  So needless to say, she hasn't exactly done the horizontal tango with anyone.  Due to her poisonous nature and needing to earn money, she managed to get on the wrong side of the Fire and Rescue team in that other book.  She seems to get easily involved with the less legal side of the world, particularly those who want her to make poisons for them.  When Ivy finds out that Hugh is a healer, she goes to him for help with a specific situation.

See, Ivy has a little sister, Hope, who is confined to a wheelchair.  They think she has a degeneratvie muscular/skeletal disorder that has left her, at this point, unable to walk.  Hugh discovers that there is just a poison buildup in Hope's system, adn he does his best to heal it.  However, on the way, Ivy managed to get caught up with a man on the wrong side of the law, one who desperatly wants her to work for him.  Ivy, Hope, and Hugh flee to Hugh's parents' house, and that's where we discover that Hugh is the heir to an Earldom.  It was a bit of a HOLY S*** moment for me.  That one I didn't expect. 

When Hugh is kidnapped, and subsequently looses his unicorn half, can Ivy heal him?  And what do you think Hope might have as a Christmas present for Ivy?

If you like this book, make sure you check out the first five!  You don't really need to read the others to enjoy this book, but they all work together really beautifully.

A Countryside Christmas

So, Lisa Kleypas (who was on here just a few days ago with Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor) is also an AMAZING historical fiction writer.  To be honest, I know more of her historical fiction books than I do of her modern-day books.  The Wallflower Series were some of my first forays into historical romance, and they continue to be favorites.  Then the Hathaway series builds off that, and now there's the Ravenel series which has actually reunited us with a few characters from the Wallflowers!  Each of these series will get their own day in the spotlight in the early months of next year, specifically the Ravenel books.  The fourth Ravenel book, Hello, Stranger, comes out on February 27, and I for one COULD NOT be more excited.  But back on task!

Much like yesterday's book, Secret Santa, Ms. Kleypas' A Wallflower Christmas lets us revisit characters that we've fallen in love with.  You don't need to have read the Wallflower series to enjoy the story.  Annabelle, Lillian, Evie and Daisy are coming together for Christmas at the country estate of Lillian's husband, the Earl of Westcliffe.  However, also coming is Rafe Bowman, the eldest brother of Lillian and Daisy and the heir to the Bowman fortune.  Rafe is coming because his parents have all but arranged his marriage to the perfectly proper Lady Natalie Blandford.  Needless to say, Lillian wants her brother to be as happy as she is, so she invites Lady Natalie's cousin and companion, Miss Hannah Applegate over for tea so that Lillian and the other Wallflowers can mine her for information.  It's here that Hannah meets Rafe, and there is something electric between them.  But Rafe knows what is expected of him.

And so we travel off to Stony Cross Park in Hampshire where the festivities continue.  Rafe courts Lady Natalie, as he is supposed to, but he's fascinated by Hannah.  Hannah is also quickly becoming friends with Annabelle, Evie, Lillian, and Daisy, when she finally arrives.  She's also falling for Rafe, and it's hard for her.  Lady Natalie doesn't love him, but she is okay with marrying him.  Rafe is in a difficult spot.  If he doesn't marry Lady Natalie, his father will cut him off.  If he does marry her, he won't get to have Natalie.

I liked looking back and seeing the characters of the Wallflower books again, and I liked meeting the new characters.  However, as a shorter book, Hannah and Rafe don't quite get as much character development as some of the other characters in Ms. Kleypas' longer books do.  It's a bit of a trade off, but I do like Hannah and Rafe, so I'm okay with it.  It's a good Christmas read.

And then there's Mr. Bowman's seriously awful toupee.  It gets an adventure or two of its own.  To find out how exactly it ended up in the Christmas tree, you'll need to read the book!

Just Who is that Santa in the Corner?

Today's book is a quick novella set back in my favorite fictional town.  That's right, we're back in Keeneston, KY!  I wrote just last month about the first three books that take place in Keeneston.  Before we get to today's book, there's two books in the Bluegrass Brothers series that tell the stories of Cade and Marshall, and how they get their girls.  Then, before the third book, we get Secret Santa!

Two days before Christmas, and we get to revisit some favorite characters.  Kenna is just coming back from shopping for her baby before a long day in Court with Dani.  The friendly town masturbater, Mr. Chapman is back!  He's an amusing man.  So is the case before him where a man might have electrocuted himself by Christmas tree....  Paige is so pregnant she is ready to pop, and so is her new sister-in-law, Annie.  Big, bad Marshall gets cornered by the Keeneston Belles and asked to judge their swimsuit contest.  Dani is struggling with the pressure to produce an heir for Rahmi, particularly after a miscarriage just a few months before.  And the Roses?  They're making a huge vat of special iced tea and helping the town by funding a few projects.  All that betting does pay off, after all.

On Christmas Eve, the town gathers for a Christmas part.  But when Santa comes in carrying a sack of perfect gifts for the residents, questions start flying.  Just who IS this Santa Claus anyway?!  Hopefully not seventy year old John Wolfe, particularly after the way he kisses Tammy!  Between a fully trained police dog that Marshall has been wanting, the perfect onsie for Annie's baby, and a priceless treasure for Mrs. Wyatt, it seems like a Christmas miracle.  Finally, Santa gets to Paige, and he grants her request to have a baby.

Paige is trapped in labor in Keeneston, as the biggest storm of the season has grounded the helicopters and trapped the ambulance.  Luckily, Dr. Emma is in the house.  And vet Katelyn too when Annie goes into labor next!  Will Annie and Paige have healthy babies?  Will Dani and Mo survive the pressure from dear old Dad?  And just who is that Santa Claus anyway?

This is a fabulous, quick read that takes you back on a visit of characters you already know, and brings a little Christmas in.  It's no more than 50 pages or so, so it's a great read in an hour or so.  Read Ms. Brooks Bluegrass Books, then come spend Christmas in Keeneston!

Welcome to Friday Harbor

Lisa Kleypas is an author that I read a lot.  In fact, she'll appear later this month with a different book.  This time, I read a new book to me, Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor.  It's a little bit of a misnomer, because it doesn't actually have that much to do with Christmas.  I mean, the most mention of the holiday was in about the last twenty pages.  It has also been given a new title, Christmas with Holly, so don't worry.  They're the same book.

On a devastating night in March or so--inferred from a few things--Victoria Nolan dies in a car crash.  She leaves her six year old daughter Holly under the guardianship of her oldest brother, Mark.  Mark takes Holly home to Friday Harbor, where he moves in with his brother, Sam, and Rainshadow Vineyard.  However, by September, Holly hasn't said a word, and the Nolan men are understandably worried.  That all changes when straitlaced Mark takes Holly into Maggie's toy shop.  Maggie shows the six year old a little magic, and Holly discovers her voice.  Over the next few months, Maggie and Mark become friends, and Holly becomes a little chatterbox.

It would seem like an easy conclusion for the pair to just start dating, but there are more hangups than that.  Mark is seeing Shelby, who we only meet a few times.  Maggie is struggling to recover two years after losing her husband to cancer.  It's not an easy road for them, but they both know that something is there.  In a fine, upstanding fashion, Mark doesn't make a move on Maggie until it's clear that his relationship with Shelby is over (read to find out how that ends!), which makes me feel pretty good.  It was also definitely something I needed right now as I'm going through some rough stuff myself!  It takes Maggie a little longer to ease into things.

I liked this book, but that was unsurprising for me.  I haven't picked up a Kleypas book I don't like, and there are several I HIGHLY recommend.  I was left a little wanting, however.  I wanted a little more character development and a little longer of a story!  This book felt fast.  I mean, I finished it during an eight hour shift at work while doing a million other things.  I'd like my books to take a little longer than that!  I also didn't see as much growth in Mark and Maggie as characters as I do in some of Kleypas's other books.  This is and feels like a quick holiday read.  And that's not a bad thing.  I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the Friday Harbor series now that I've finished this one.  Maybe I'll see my character development there?

OH!  And my research tells me that Christmas with Holly is a Hallmark Hall of Fame Christmas movie!  I'll have to try and get my hands on it somehow so I can watch!  Although, after seeing the movie poster.... The actors look a little young.  I'm not so sure now.

I Need a Little Christmas

Today's book is Just a Little Christmas by Janet Dailey.  When I was a little girl, my grandmother taught me an old Johnny Mathis song, which is a cover from a song from the musical Mame, called "We Need A Little Christmas."  Now that I'm older, I know that she taught me the worlds wrong.  My Gran taught me that the words were "We need a little Christmas, just a little Christmas," and it's not.  Regardless, it's a great song.  I linked it to it's title so you can listen.  The entire time I was reading Ms. Dailey's book, I was humming this song!

Just a Little Christmas is a new book out this year.  It's about a woman, Ellie, who left her small town life a decade before and moved to the big city.  She was in law school when she married a man named Brent (spoiler alert:  he's a jerk), but their marriage wasn't a good one.  After catching him cheating one too many times, Ellie divorced him and left, heading back to the small town of Branding Iron and her family.  She is holding her own really well, but she's understandably nervous about being a single mother.  She doesn't have plans to stay in town for too long, intending to head back to the city where she can work.

It's also the story of Jubal and his daughter Gracie.  Jubal was Ellie's love in high school.  When he proposed she wasn't ready, and she turned him down and broke his heart.  He married another girl from their town, Laura, and has a beautiful and precocious eight year old daughter, Gracie.  After his father's death two years before, Jubal has been struggling to pay off the man's debts.  now that he finally has, he has plans for the ranch.  When he goes to the bank for a loan, he discovers that his father has sold the ranch.  It was in a very quiet and underhanded manner, so Jubal had no idea.  He is bound and determined to get his ranch back!

It's Christmas, and Ellie and Jubal are working together to figure out what happened to the ranch.  Ellie and Gracie are also growing closer.  Can Jubal and Ellie convince themselves to risk their hearts and get back together?  And what will Ellie do when her ex-husband shows up again?

This was a good book.  I liked the mystery aspect, and it definitely kept my interests.  I also liked how it was a high school sweethearts getting back together story, but not a sappy one.  Jubal and Ellie don't instantly fall into each other's arms, but they are adults and talk out their issues.  They also seem very real as characters.  Here's an example.  Ellie is about to be a single mom, but she's not unrealistic about it.  She's not "I'm going to be a perfect mother," or "I don't know what my baby is going to do without a father."  She's solidly "Well, this happened.  Let's deal with it."  I really liked that. 

I think it's a delicate balance with a Christmas book, not being too sappy, or too "Christmas Miracle", but not completely disregarding the season.  Ms. Dailey has done a great job with that!!

Happy Holidays, everyone.  I'm off to the next book!

On The First Day of Christmas....

So, for anyone who wants to know, the Twelve Days of Christmas are actually the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany, January 6th.  Now that I have that out of the way...  (It bugs me all the time.  I try to keep it contained though.)

Today's Christmas book is Debbie Macomber's Twelve Days of Christmas.  I really enjoyed this book.  It works on the premise of killing someone with kindness.  It's difficult to do in real life, but worth it.

Julia is working for Macy's this Christmas season, but she's trying to get a job at a software company working in social media.  The challenge for Julia and the other person vying for the position is to have a blog that has the most followers.  Julia's blog isn't getting many followers at all.  When her neighbor steals her newspaper, she calls her best friend in a tizzy.  Cammie suggests that Julia kill her neighbor with kindness this Christmas season, and blog about the process.  It's a great suggestion, even though Julia fights it, and it is gaurenteed to be something that people want to read!  I'd want to read it!

So Julia starts to work on Cain Maddox, her neighbor.  On the first day, she brings him his newspaper.  He doesn't really appreciate it.  On the second day, she attempts to buy him coffee.  He doesn't like that either.  But Julia persists.  When they both end up at a concert at a local senior home--Julia because she's playing piano for the singing group and Cain because his grandfather lives there--Cain accuses her of stalking him and Julia nearly gives up.  After wavering, her resolve tightens.

Cain has his reasons to be a bit Ebeneezer Scrooge-like, I will admit.  I'll be the first to tell you how much childhood trauma and losing people can effect your mood and you're relationship with holidays.  But as he starts to open up to Julia, you see a really sweet relationship develop.  He also has a great relationship with his grandfather, although we mainly see Bernie through Julia's connections with him.

When the truth comes out about Julia's blog, Cain is hurt, and for good reason.  No one likes to know that someone has been using them, even if it was well meant.  By the time he finds out, both Julia and Cain have started to fall for one another.  Will their budding relationship survive?

I liked this book a lot more than I expected to.  I'm a bit cynical and I have a hard time believing that someone can change someone in just a few days, but I try and hold back on that around Christmas.  This book was funny and sweet, and had just the right balance of all of the elements.  Also, it wasn't a religious meaning of Christmas book.  It was much more of a do something nice for your neighbor kind of feeling, but set at Christmas.  I also loved it because it was quick to read! 

Angels for Christmas

Today is the first of December, and the holidays are just around the corner.  I wanted to do something special for my first Christmas on the blog, and I wanted a bit of a challenge as well, so I decided on twenty five days of Christmas books!  About halfway through planning this adventure, I realized that I only had Christmas books.  For those of you who celebrate Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, or any other midwinter celebration, I am sorry!  If you have any good books to recommend, please don't hesitate to do so!  I have tried to stay away from too many overly religious books.

When I was planning the books for this month, I did not plan on starting with Melody Carlson's The Christmas Angel Project.  I was planning on something a bit lighter and, quite frankly, funnier, but when I read this book, it just fit to come first. 

Abby is part of a book club with four other women--Grace, Belinda, Louisa, and Cassidy.  She is the leader of the group and she holds them all together, so it is devastating to the women when Abby dies the day after Thanksgiving.  It seems that the group will fall apart, but then Abby's husband delivers the Christmas present that Abby had made for each of them.  Receiving the small angel ornaments changes the premise of the book club when they decide that, for Christmas, they are going to be angels for others.  Each woman finds a project, and each woman meets a challenge during their project that makes them either realize something about themselves or their lives. 

Louisa, the eldest of the group, has lost her husband and one of her best friends within a year.  An artist herself, she starts an art therapy group, even though she doesn't know what she's doing.

Belinda, a upcycled clothing shop owner, works with girls at a local high school on a fashion show. 

Grace's marriage is in trouble and her twin, college age children are acting up.  She works to furnish and decorate three Habitat for Humanity homes for three families.

Cassidy is the youngest and a veterinarian.  She starts volunteer veterinary care for those on fixed incomes.

I don't want to share anything else, because the story is just beautiful.  It does have elements of prayer and religion, but not in a way that shoves God down your throat.  I was touched by the story, because in a way its about the meaning of Christmas and doing things for others, but not in A Christmas Carol fashion or in a "Christmas Miracle" trope.  Definitely check this one out!