MAY I SUGGEST

by Betty Scanlon

HOLIDAY NOVELLAS

At this time of the year many best selling authors come out with short novellas, which are read to get readers in the holiday mood. They are easy reads that have this festive season as a backdrop. I always treat myself to one to start the holidays. They can also be a wonderful break for the reader during this hectic time. They are quick and fun. Readers- Do this for you! Here are a few of my favorites:

  • Visions of Sugar Plums by Janet Evanovich- This Stephanie Plum story is as intriguing and hilarious as books numbered from One to Ten. Can a mysterious man named Diesel help Stephanie get a tree, apprehend the little old toy maker who has skipped his bond right before Christmas and survive a Plum family dinner?
  • A Christmas Journey by Anne Perry - Bringing Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould from her Thomas Pitt mystery series proves to be an interesting holiday story. The tragedy that unfolds in the Berkshire countryside during the Victorian era speaks of friendship and responsibility.
  • A Christmas Visitor by Anne Perry- This subtle seasonal mystery carries a message of the need to forgive and be forgiven. Taking a character (Henry Rathbone) from her William Monk series, she takes us to a family reunion in the Lake District of England.
  • Skipping Christmas by John Grisham- Grisham writes about the Krank family who is going to do without Christmas just this once. It is a hilarious look at the holiday traditions that make life chaotic.
  • A Redbird Christmas by Fanny Flagg- After moving from cold, snowy Chicago to the warmth of the south, the main character, Oswald finds that a small girl and a bird can enrich a small Georgia community. This aging orphan also gains a family while discovering new talents.
  • The Christmas Thief by Carol & Mary Higgins Clark- A eighty foot blue spruce destined for the Rockefeller Center with diamonds attached to a branch is the center of this mystery by the Higgins Clark mother-daughter writing team.
  • Shepherds Abiding by Jan Karon- Another book in the Mitford series has the reader alternately laughing and crying. Father Tim finds new gifts while restoring an old English nativity scene.
  • The Christmas Train by David Baldacci- Tom Langdon has to get from Washington D.C. to L.A. in time for Christmas. This train ride across America showcases Baldacci's talent for telling a poignant holiday story. The characters we meet on this train are warm, wild and funny.
  • Silver Bells by Luanne Rice- Rice sets this tale in Manhattan. She tells of a widow, a widower, a prodigal son and romance.
  • The Gift by Nora Roberts- Home for Christmas and All I Want for Christmas are 2 short stories dealing with holiday romance. A reporter coming back to New Hampshire after 10 years to win back a previous love and a set of twins desire for a new Mom from Santa Claus are the topics of these stories.

    • A List of Previous Book Reviews