Burgs Sunday book review

Seasons reading! Take a break during the busy holidays, and distress with a good Christmas book. All titles are available at the Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library.

The Snow White Christmas Cookie by David Handler, Minotaur Books, 2012.
With a cover pretty enough to frame, Handler’s 9th book features the duo of Connecticut State Trooper Des Mitry and film critic Mitch Berger. They have 40 inches of snow, dead bodies, car accidents, mail fraud and murder. What else can happen during this Christmas to remember?

Merry Christmas, Alex Cross by James Patterson, Little, Brown and Co, 2012.
Wonder why it took Paterson 35 years to write a Christmas book? It’s Christmas Eve and Alex Cross is at home with his family when he gets a call about a hostage situation.  He’s off to solve the case before it escalates. In an instant, a second situation takes place, worse than the first. Alex Cross at his finest. Be sure to catch the movie, soon to be a DVD, with Tyler Perry as Alex Cross.

Christmas at Eagle Pond  by Donald Hall, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012.
Former Poet Laureate of the United States Donald Hall draws on his childhood memories to pen a cute little story of times past. It’s 1940 and 12-year-old Donnie is on his way to his grandparent’s farm in New Hampshire. While doing chores, he finds an old sleigh in the barn. It’s a beauty and as it turns out, it may be his ticket home.

The Christmas Kid and other Brooklyn stories, by Pete Hamill, Little, Brown and Company, 2012.
Hamill usually writes hard-boiled, dark detective stories, but he also writes short stories.  This book spans 30 years of his writing career and shows his love for the New York of his youth. The title story tells of the friendship between a group of boys living in Park Slope right after World War II and a little kid who arrives in the neighborhood to stay with his uncle after escaping a concentration camp. All the stories are nostalgic and will put you in the Christmas mood. “No one writes about New York City with more passion-and more historical knowledge—than the journalist and novelist Pete Hamill,” says the Connecticut Post.

Beautiful Winter by Edle Catharina Norman, Sellers Publishing Company, 2012.
This book will inspire you to bring the outdoors inside this holiday season. Learn how to make beautiful holiday wreaths, garlands and decorations for your home and table. Easy instructions, lots of tips and some gorgeous photography.

A Home-Baked Christmas: 56 Delicious Cookies, Cakes and Gifts from Your Kitchen, Hearst Books, 2012.
A great little book with lots of wonderful things to eat. Even if you just look at the pictures and dream about all the good things to eat!

Being Santa Claus: What I Learned About the True Meaning of Christmas by Sal Lizard, Gotham Books, 2012.
When Sal Lizard was in his 20s, his beard and hair turned white and his belly turned into a bowlful of jelly…believe it or not. He has been playing Santa Claus for over 20 years and loving every minute of it. Read his story.

For the younger readers:

Santa from Cincinnati by Judi Bennett, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2012.
I bet you didn’t know that Santa was born in Cincinnati. Here is his story…why he decided to give toys away at Christmas, how he got the reindeer to fly and how he ended up owning real estate at the North Pole. Santa, by the way, has a college degree.

The Christmas Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood, Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2012.
It’s Christmas and it can be noisy but some things are just meant to be quiet. A snow fall with big fluffy flakes, a winter walk and the twinkling lights.  Find your quiet in this sweetly illustrated book by Renata Liwski.

How do Dinosaurs say Happy Chanukah? By Jane Yolen and Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press, 2012.
Dinosaurs big and little and sometimes they misbehave. Maybe it is that they sneak a peek at the gifts, or snatch the dreidel or blow out the candles on the menorah. Big, colorful illustrations and an even bigger Happy Chanukah wish.

The Berenstain Bears’ An Old-Fashioned Christmas by Jan and Mike Berenstain, Harper, 2012.
Everyone’s favorite bears are preparing for Christmas with lots of caroling, wrapped packages, Christmas treats for our animal friends and of course, stockings hung by the chimney with care. Celebrate 50 years of the Berenstain Bears this Christmas!

-Compiled by Paula Alston, director of Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library.

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