December 2011

The Christmas season is here! Did it sneak up on everyone else, or am I alone in feeling this way? I am thinking that this may be because of our October blizzard, which between that and the August hurricane spun my world a new way, where I feel like my seasons are a bit off. I am sure ALL of you are more prepared for the holiday than I am!

One reason I am behind is that I did something different this year. My sister and her family always travel north for the holidays. This year, my schedule allowed for me to fly to Atlanta and see her the first weekend in December. It was wonderful to visit her and her family, as always, and this time I had the added bonus of seeing her home decked out for the holiday. Diane is a wonderful artist, and her home reflects her talent; getting to share this with her was fabulous. While Christmas at home is not quite unfolding the way I typically plan at our house, the specialness of this visit anchored for me what should be a part of the holiday --- time to spend with family and reach out to people we love.

So, though I still am debating whether to put up a tree in New Jersey or on the Outer Banks where we willl once again be for Christmas, and while I cannot decide what the menu will be for the family dinner I am doing Friday night and the decorations are still stashed in the attic --- and my present pile is very small right now --- I somehow feel that this year I have a lot of the spirit of the season inside me, and that feels very good right now.

Of course, another reason I haven’t had time to plan for the holidays is because I’ve been busy at the office! We still are redesigning our websites (Kidsreads.com and ReadingGroupGuides.com still need to be done, and we are launching 20SomethingReads.com in late February or early March). Plus, we still are moving content over from our old sites. FIFTEEN years of history accumulates a lot of work to move from place to place, even virtually. I keep envisioning oversized moving vans lined up on a street with our content on board, but, ah, if only it was so easy as calling Bekins to pack and unpack!

But now, without further ado, here are some highlights from this new update, the last before the new year.

We have a great Christmas Books Roundup this year to get you in the holiday spirit. Need a gift idea for your favorite Christmas-lover, or think your local Scrooge needs some cheering? Our feature includes titles on everything from romance to mystery and friendship, family and faith. There’s sure to be something for everyone on your Christmas list here --- including yourself! For the record, there is a LOT of book giving going on in my world this year, as always. Truly I can think of a book --- and dare I say the perfect book --- for everyone on my list.

There are also a number of great new books hitting shelves just in time for the holiday rush. We have 10 new reviews for you this month, including LOVE OUT LOUD by Joyce Meyer, which has 365 nuggets of advice on how to love yourself, God and others --- one for each day of the new year; Melody Carlson’s THE CHRISTMAS SHOPPE, which tells the tale of a mysterious woman whose scraggly hair, jangly jewelry and locked door to her shop begin to arouse suspicion; and THE CHRISTMAS NOTE by Donna VanLiere, the story of an army wife who moves to a new town and finds an unexpected friend in a surly neighbor.

This month’s contest book is BEAUTIFUL BATTLE: A Woman’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare by Mary E. DeMuth, which is about battling all of life’s demons. All you have to do is fill out the form on this page by Friday, January 13th at noon ET to be entered to win a copy.

One more quick thing. Over at Bookreporter.com, for the fourth year, authors are contributing holiday blog pieces about book giving and receiving. The series started on November 28th and will wrap up on January 6th. I have been enjoying these very personal stories, and I hope that in the days ahead, you will have some time to peruse them as well.

Have a very Merry Christmas. May the true spirit of the holiday find its way into your lives, and may your celebrations bring you time to enjoy special traditions, as well as making some new memories.

Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)

To celebrate the Christmas season, we at FaithfulReader.com have compiled a list of heartwarming, hopeful and inspirational books for you to enjoy or share with others. Our featured titles include stories of romance, mystery, friendship, family and love, as well as guides to help you keep your faith focused during the hectic and sometimes shallow commotion of Christmas. We hope these books will bring peace, renewal and joy to you and your loved ones during this special season.
 

THE CIRCLE MAKER: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears by Mark Batterson (Christian Life/Prayer)
Do you ever sense that there's far more to prayer, and to God's vision for your life, than what you're experiencing? It's time you learned from the legend of Honi the Circle Maker --- a man bold enough to draw a circle in the sand and not budge from inside it until God answered his prayers for his people. What impossibly big dream is God calling you to draw a prayer circle around? Reviewed by Michele Howe.