Secrets of a Christmas Box... A New Christmas Favorite & a Review!

"From the start of December,

to Christmas Eve night,

one chapter an evening,

wrapped up with delight."

Secrets of a Christmas Box by Steven Hornby is a charming, wonderful story that will have you smiling as you turn the pages reading the adventures of Larry, Debbie and Splint, ornaments that come to life after the lights are turned off and the family goes to sleep...

"In the secret world of the Christmas 'Tree-Dwellers', Larry, a glass snowman, wakes up from the long sleep in the Christmas box, to find his brother is missing from the tree. With friends, he escapes into the house to search for him, and embarks on a series of fantastical adventures."

After the Christmas box comes out and the ornaments are all put on the tree, the fantastic world of the Tree-Dwellers comes to life. Slowly the ornaments wake up from their seasonal sleep and a huge celebration is begun. New ornaments are welcomed and old friends share a pine needle or two for treats. It is pure delight as we peek into the world of the ornaments, at the dangers of breaking if they fall off the tree, or the need to remember their 'bedtime branch', so the family doesn't know they moved from where they placed them! You'll be looking at your Christmas tree a little differently after reading this fantastic tale!

The book is divided into 24 chapters, so you can read one chapter a night starting Dec.1st and ending Christmas Eve. It is well written, with cute illustrations spread throughout and a wonderful story to read together as a family. It just warmed my heart to read it as Larry, Debbie and Splint show us the true meaning of friendship & the importance of family...

Start a new family tradition with the reading of Secrets of a Christmas Box during the month of December! And feel the magic of the season that Steve Hornby created in a little story that will touch your heart.

“Growing out of my childhood, I remembered trying to hold onto those magical feelings I only got at Christmas time, the warm fuzziness in my stomach and the giddy excitement of knowing Santa Claus would soon be arriving... I wanted to create a world that captured those magical feelings I had as a child, but also include a sense of what Christmas means to me today, every time I open up that wonderful Christmas box.” – Steven Hornby

Would you like to read an excerpt of Secrets of a Christmas Box? Here's a sample... it's Chapter Nine! And I want to especially thank Golriz Fanai of Ecky Thump Books, who send me the review copy of this wonderful book! Thank you Golriz! It was magical!

The Sunday Salon... Reading with a Holiday Theme! A wonderful new Children's book & a little something for us girls too!

What is the Sunday Salon? Imagine some university library's vast reading room. It's filled with people--students and faculty and strangers who've wandered in. They're seated at great oaken desks, books piled all around them, and they're all feverishly reading and jotting notes in their leather-bound journals as they go. Later they'll mill around the open dictionaries and compare their thoughts on the afternoon's literary intake...

It's official- it's the Holiday Season! I hope everyone who celebrated Thanksgiving had a wonderful day with family & friends. I have finally recovered from cooking and eating... And now I've got to share with you some great seasonal reads- books with a holiday or winter theme. There are wonderful classics, mysteries and romances written especially for this time of year, but today we'll just touch on something for the kids & family to read together and something just for us girls!

Secrets of a Christmas Box by Steven Hornby... Enter the magical festive world of the Christmas 'Tree-Dwellers', as Larry, a Christmas snowman, wakes up after the long sleep in the Christmas box, to find his brother is missing. Desperate to find him before Christmas, Larry, along with his girlfriend Debbie, a newcomer Splint, and Larry's companion Tinsel, break the laws of the ‘Tree-Elders’ and escape down the tree and away into the house, to look for clues. Away from the safety of the tree and in an unfamiliar world, the Dwellers stumble upon a dark and sinister secret that threatens their entire world. Can Larry and the group make it back to the tree in time to warn the others, and finally uncover the truth behind the ‘Secrets of a Christmas Box’? I was lucky enough to receive a review copy of this charming book! I'll be posting my 'official' review later in the week, but just had to mention Secrets of a Christmas Box today because it is such a sweet book. It's written in 24 chapters so that you can read one chapter a night beginning December 1st and ending Christmas Eve. Like a Advent calendar, but in book form! The characters are delightful and so is the story. Written for ages 8 and up, this could be the start a holiday reading tradition. This is what holiday reading is all about! Would you like to read a little of the story? Here's an excerpt.

Knit the Season by Kate Jacobs... A loving, moving, laugh-out-loud celebration of special times with friends and family. The story begins a year after the end of Knit Two, with Dakota Walker's trip to spend the Christmas holidays with her Gran in Scotland-accompanied by her father, her grandparents, and her mother's best friend, Catherine. Together, they share a trove of happy memories about Christmases past with Dakota's mom, Georgia Walker-from Georgia's childhood to her blissful time as a doting new mom. From Thanksgiving through Hanukkah and Christmas to New Year's, Knit the Season is a novel about the richness of family bonds and the joys of friendship. For fans of The Friday Night Knitting Club, and anyone who enjoys a good story, Knit the Season should warm the heart on a cold wintry night! And This Book is Kindle Ready!

A Highlander Christmas by Dawn Halliday, Cindy Miles and Sophie Renwick... A festive anthology featuring three all-new stories, three sexy Scotsmen, and a magical holiday setting. An enchanting trio of paranormal Christmas stories: Dawn Halliday's Winter Heat...Lost in a blizzard, a young woman casts a spell over the brooding Highland warrior who rescues her. Cindy Miles's A Christmas Spirit...A museum curator's tour of a Scottish castle leads to an unexpected encounter with a dead-sexy spirit. Sophie Renwick's Yuletide Enchantment...Passion blooms between an anxious bride-to-be and a dark, sensual stranger from another world. What could warm us girls up better on a cold winters night than a little romance!? A Highlander Christmas has gotten great reviews and offers a little escapism and fun during what can be a hectic time of year! And how can you resist a hunk in a kilt?! This Book is Kindle Ready!

This month will also bring reviews for some wonderful holiday theme books- one of which is A Christmas Carol Special Edition by Charles Dickens and with special insights by Stephen Skelton. It's a wonderful book with annotations, and insights into the story's biblical allusions. What are you reading these days? Do you like to read holiday themed books this time of year? I especially enjoy reading the childrens stories that bring me back to the days long ago when Santa was still a mystery to me...

Happy reading... Suzanne