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Holiday Cheer 2012

Holiday Cheer

Holiday Cheer 2012

At Bookreporter.com, we've been celebrating the holiday season in style with our Holiday Cheer Contests and Feature. As our gift to you, we've been spotlighting a book and give five lucky readers a chance to win it.

Although the contests have ended, we encourage you to take a look at this year's featured titles. These are books you'll want to read during the holidays --- and throughout the year as well!

Afraid to Die: A Selena Alvarez / Regan Pescoli Novel by Lisa Jackson - Thriller

The bodies of two women who Detective Selena Alvarez  knew are found frozen solid and deliberately displayed. And each wears a piece of Selena's jewelry. Selena’spartner, Detective Regan Pescoli, is on the case, but this killer already knows too much about her secret terror, her flaws, and the past she's tried to outrun. And soon he'll show her that she has every reason to be afraid.

Angels at the Table: A Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy Christmas Story by Debbie Macomber - Romance

 

Shirley, Goodness and Mercy know that an angel’s work is never done, especially during a time as wondrous as New Year’s Eve. With an apprentice angel, Will, under their wings, they descend upon Times Square in New York City eager to join in the festivities. And when Will spies two lonely strangers in the crowd, he decides midnight is the perfect time to lend a heavenly helping hand.

Beach Season by Lisa Jackson, Cathy Lamb, Holly Chamberlin, and Rosalind Noonan - Romance

A heart-wrenching anthology that explores the topic of lost loves and the magical qualities of unexpected second chances. In each story, the author proves that with a resilient spirit, love never truly dies—and, in fact, can be sweeter the second time around.

Better Than Chocolate: Life in Icicle Falls by Sheila Roberts -

Sweet Dreams Chocolate Company has been in the Sterling family for generations, ever since Great-Grandma Rose literally dreamed up her first fabulous recipe. But now it looks as if they're about to lose Sweet Dreams to the bank—and that would be a disaster, not only for the family but for the town of Icicle Falls, Washington. Can Samantha, the oldest daughter and new head of the company, come up with a way to save it?

Capturing Camelot: Stanley Tretick's Iconic Images of the Kennedys by Kitty Kelley - Photography

An archetypical photojournalist, Stanley Tretick was sent by United Press International to follow the Kennedy campaign of 1960. The photographer soon befriended the candidate and took many of JFK's best pictures during this time. When Kennedy took office, Tretick was given extensive access to the White House, and the picture magazine Look hired him to cover the president and his family. Tretick is best known today for the photographs he took of President Kennedy relaxing with his children. His photographs helped define the American family of the early '60s and lent Kennedy an endearing credibility that greatly contributed to his popularity.

The Christmas Plains by Joseph Bottum -

Wreaths and holly, fruitcakes and mistletoe, ornaments and snowflakes, St. Nick and Scrooge's humbug, Joseph and Mary, a young child in a manger and magi from the East.  By turns sweet and comic, sentimental and serious, the former editor of First Things magazine shares his reflections of the mad joys and wild emotions of the season while growing up on the South Dakota plains.

The Chronicles of Downton Abbey: A New Era by Jessica Fellowes and Matthew Sturgis - Television

 

THE CHRONICLES OF DOWNTON ABBEY, carefully pieced together at the heart and hearth of the ancestral home of the Crawleys, takes us deeper into the story of every important member of the Downton estate.This lavish, entirely new book focuses on each character individually, examining their motivations, their actions, and the inspirations behind them. An evocative combination of story, history, and behind-the-scenes drama, it will bring fans even closer to the secret, beating heart of the house.

How I Came to Sparkle Again by Kaya McLaren - Fiction

 

Jill Anthony finds her husband in bed with another woman; Lisa Carlucci is sick and tired of having meaningless sex; and 10-year-old Cassie Jones no longer believes in anything anymore after losing her mother to cancer. The lives of these three people, who are at the crossroads of heartbreak and healing, will be changed one winter in Sparkle.

Merry Ex-Mas: Life in Icicle Falls by Sheila Roberts -

 

Cass Wilkes, owner of the Gingerbread Haus bakery, was looking forward to her daughter Danielle’s wedding --- until Dani announced that she wants her father, Cass’s ex, to walk her down the aisle. Seriously? Even worse, it appears that he, his trophy wife and their yappy little dog will be staying with Cass….

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain - Fiction

 

A deeply evocative story of ambition and betrayal, THE PARIS WIFE captures a remarkable period of time and a love affair between two unforgettable people: Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadley.

Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan - Historical Romance

 

Set in 1972 during the Cold War, England's legendary intelligence agency MI5 embarks on an operation code-named "Sweet Tooth" to fund writers whose politics align with those of the government. Cambridge student Serena Frome is hired to infiltrate the literary circle of a promising young writer named Tom Haley. But when she begins to fall in love with him, she wonders how long she can conceal her undercover life.

To Heaven and Back: A Doctor's Extraordinary Account of Her Death, Heaven, Angels, and Life Again: A True Story by Mary C. Neal, M.D. - Memoir

 

In 1999, Dr. Mary Neal drowned in a kayak accident. While cascading down a waterfall, her kayak became pinned at the bottom and she was immediately and completely submerged. Despite the rescue efforts of her companions, Mary was underwater for too long and, as a result, died. TO HEAVEN AND BACK is Mary’s remarkable story of her life’s spiritual journey and what happened as she moved from life to death to eternal life, and back again.

Unspoken by Lisa Jackson -

The envelope delivered to Shelby Cole’s Seattle home contains no return address, just a photograph of a little girl. Shelby knows at once that this is the daughter she was told died at birth, and in that moment, Shelby knows something else: she needs to go back to Bad Luck, Texas.

You Don't Want to Know by Lisa Jackson - Romantic Suspense

Two years ago, Ava's two-year-old son Noah went missing, and his body has never been found. Ava has spent most of the past two years in and out of Seattle mental institutions, shattered by grief and unable to recall the details of Noah's disappearance. Now she's back at the family estate she once intended to restore to its former grandeur. But she can't shake the feeling that her family and her psychologist know more than they're saying.

ZooBorns: The Next Generation: Newer, Cuter, More Exotic Animals from the World's Zoos and Aquariums by Andrew Bleiman and Chris Eastland - Nature

 

ZOOBORNS THE NEXT GENERATION may be the most adorable baby animal book ever created! Featuring full-color photos and fascinating facts on exotic baby animals from every corner of the globe, this collection is irresistible to any animal lover.