12 Days of Christmas Books, Movies & Music
Whether you’ve completed your shopping or haven’t started, Christmas is coming soon. Here are some books, movies, and CDs to enjoy this holiday season. Although the library building is closed to visitors, you can still request items to be picked up curbside. Simply place a hold or fill out our request form. We’ll let you know when your items are ready, and you can call us to schedule your pickup. Our new curbside hours are: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday 10-5; Tuesday 11-7, and Saturday 10-1. If you would rather stay inside during these cold winter months, don’t forget to check out Overdrive for books and Freegal for music
Books
The Christmas Boutique by Jennifer Chiaverini
Just weeks before Christmas, severe wintry weather damages the church hall hosting the Christmas Boutique–an annual sale of handcrafted gifts and baked goods that supports the county food pantry. Determined to save the fundraiser, Sylvia Bergstrom Compson offers to hold the event at Elm Creek Manor, her ancestral family estate and summertime home to Elm Creek Quilt Camp.
Christmas Card Murder by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Peggy Ehrhart
A collection of three holiday-themed novellas includes Leslie Meier’s “Christmas Card Murder,” in which the discovery of an old Christmas card with a nasty message finds Lucy Stone investigating a decades-old murder.
Christmas Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke
While Hannah speeds through a lengthy holiday checklist, drama in town grows like Santa’s waistline on Christmas Eve. Her sister Andrea wants to stave off the blues by helping out at The Cookie Jar, Michele’s love life is becoming complicated, Lisa needs Hannah’s advice, and Delores has a Christmas secret she’s not willing to share. But nothing dampens the holiday mood more than the chilling mystery surrounding the man found near death in an abandoned storefront two doors down from Hannah’s bakery.
A Christmas Gathering by Anne Perry
As beautiful as it may be, their friends’ country home is not where Lady Vespasia wishes to spend Christmas with her new husband, Victor Narraway. She’d rather pass a relaxing holiday at home with him–especially because Victor, former head of the London Special Branch, seems to be hiding some undercover dealings with the other guests who have gathered in the spacious home. As tensions grow among the couples, the young and beautiful Iris Watson-Watt becomes the center of several men’s focus. Unbeknownst to Vespasia, Iris carries a message for Victor that may help unmask a British traitor. As Victor plots his moves, he is reminded of a similar case from twenty years before, when a young Frenchwoman also carried a clandestine message–one that resulted in her murder, still unsolved to this day. Victor has always been tormented by his failure to protect her–and now, with all eyes on Iris, Victor must act fast before history repeats itself. With the joy of Christmas at risk of being forgotten and Vespasia feeling alone on this holiday meant to be shared with loved ones, Victor must ultimately learn to forgive himself.
A Dog’s Perfect Christmas by W. Bruce Cameron
The problems fracturing the Goss family as Christmas approaches are hardly unique, though perhaps they are handling them a little differently than most people might. But then a true emergency arises, one with the potential to not only ruin Christmas, but everything holding the family together. Is the arrival of a lost puppy yet another in the string of calamities facing them, or could the little canine be just what they all need?
The Gift of Family by Mary Monroe
A middle-aged couple who have never been able to have children and an elderly widow who maintains a grueling schedule to support her grandkids come up with a solution to help both families during the holiday season, with unexpected results.
Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
Holidays on Ice is a collection of six stories, all, of course, on a Christmas theme. David Sedaris’s darkly playful humor is another common thread through the book, worming its way through “Seasons Greetings to Our Friends and Family!!!” a chipper suburban Christmas letter that spirals dizzily out of control, and “Front Row Center with Thaddeus Bristol,” a vicious theatrical review of children’s Christmas pageants. As always, Sedaris’s best work is his sharply observed nonfiction, notably in “Dinah, the Christmas Whore,” the tale of a memorable Christmas during which the young Sedaris learns to see his family in a new light. Worth the price of the book alone is the hilarious “SantaLand Diaries,” Sedaris’s chronicle of his time working as an elf at Macy’s, covering everything from the preliminary group lectures (“You are not a dancer. If you were a real dancer you wouldn’t be here. You’re an elf and you’re going to wear panties like an elf.”) to the perils of inter-elf flirtation. Along the way, he paints a funny and sad portrait of the way the countless parents who pass through SantaLand are too busy creating an Experience to really pay attention to their children. In a sly way, it carries a holiday message all its own. Read it aloud to the adults after the kids have gone to bed.
Mr. Dickens and his Carol by Samantha Solva
Charles Dickens is not feeling the Christmas spirit. His newest book is an utter flop, the critics have turned against him, relatives near and far hound him for money. While his wife plans a lavish holiday party for their ever-expanding family and circle of friends, Dickens has visions of the poor house. But when his publishers try to blackmail him into writing a Christmas book to save them all from financial ruin, he refuses … On one of his long night walks, in a once-beloved square, he meets the mysterious Eleanor Lovejoy, who might be just the muse he needs.
The Modern Magi: A Christmas Fable by Carol Lynn Pearson
From the author of the bestselling A Stranger for Christmas. All her life, Annabelle Perkins has dreamed of traveling to Bethlehem and bringing a gift to the birthplace of Jesus. But when it finally happens, what actually occurs is not what Annabelle expects.
Noel Street by Richard Paul Evans
The year is 1975. Elle Sheen–a single mother who is supporting herself and her six-year-old, African-American son, Dylan, as a waitress at the Noel Street Diner–isn’t sure what to make of William Smith when his appearance creates a stir in the small town of Mistletoe, Utah. As their lives unexpectedly entwine, Elle learns that William, a recently returned Vietnam POW, is not only fighting demons from his past, but may also have the answer to her own secret pain–a revelation that culminates in a remarkable act of love and forgiveness.
One Bright Christmas by Katherine Spencer
This Christmas the peaceful town of Cape Light shines extra bright. When Lauren Willoughby returns to Cape Light for the holidays, she’s hardly feeling festive. Although her family views her as a sharp, successful New York attorney, she’s come home to heal from a bad breakup and a career setback. While freelancing for a local law firm, Lauren meets Cole McGuire, a widower and a single father, as difficult to deal with as he is attractive. His sweet daughter Phoebe is instantly drawn to Lauren’s whimsical side, and Cole’s reserve is soon worn down by her straight-talking charm. Lauren knows she’s falling hard for this handsome, enigmatic man and his adorable little girl, but worries that the attachment can only lead to heartache. For Phoebe’s sake, Cole is committed to a quiet country life while Lauren is a city girl, determined to return to the bright lights to make her mark. Meanwhile, a movie crew has come to Cape Light, and the entire town is starstruck. Everyone except Lucy Bates, who harbors a secret about the film’s star, Craig Hamilton. One magical summer long ago, they met at the village theater and fell in love. Despite their big plans and promises, Craig broke her heart. They never spoke again and she’s certainly never forgiven him. Yet, for some uncanny reason, he’s appeared out of the blue. Will she accept this chance to sort out their painful past? Or forever regret it? And to Lillian Warwick-Elliot’s dismay, one chilly night her husband Ezra takes in a scruffy, little dog. Lillian is determined to pass the stray to “a more suitable family.” But at what cost to her marriage and Ezra’s devotion? With Christmas nearly here, can the good folks of Cape Light open their hearts to forgiveness and love?
The Perfect Present by Rochelle Alers, Cheris Hodges, and Pamela Yaye
Includes Three Stories
A Christmas layover: When Navy SEAL Captain Noah Crawford and elementary school teacher Sierra Nelson meet on a plane headed east from San Diego, they’re glad to pass the time in friendly conversation. But when a freak storm grounds them, Sierra offers Noah a place to spend the night with her extended family, all of whom assume they’re a couple. And as the holiday spirit infuses every moment they spend together, they both begin to wonder if a relationship is a special gift they didn’t expect . . .The Christmas lesson: Kayla Matthews isn’t looking forward to heading home this Christmas. Divorced and struggling, nothing has turned out the way she expected, including her childhood friend, DeShawn Carter. Now the high school principal, he’s also the kind of man she’s always dreamed about. But before the holidays are over, Kayla has a chance to reclaim everything she once thought she wanted, or prove to DeShawn that they have a second chance worth celebrating . . .Christmas with you: Celebrity stylist Maya Malone can’t find anything joyous about the season, not since her ex-fiance ÌŒleft her on Christmas Eve. But one look at suave, sexy sports agent Marc Cunningham is almost enough to change her mind. Their instant attraction feels like the best sort of present, except for one very large obstacle, Maya’s NFL star big brother, Marc’s new client. It will take more than holiday spirit to convince everyone involved that Marc and Maya’s connection will make the angels sing . . .
Movies
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Follows three under appreciated and over burdened women as they rebel against the challenges and expectations of the Super Bowl for moms: Christmas. If creating a more perfect holiday for their families wasn’t hard enough, they have to do all of that while hosting and entertaining their own mothers.
Pen pals since the age of 15, Gina and Seth have created a friendship based solely on letters and snapshots they have sent to one another, although the pictures are of their better looking best friends. Now as adults, they finally get a chance to meet. Afraid to face the truth, each sends their best friend to pose as them for the first meeting. Much to their horror, the best friends fall in love, but soon the truth is revealed and all learn important life lessons about honesty and self-esteem.
On Christmas Eve, a despicable miser is visited by three spirits who show him visions of Christmasses past, present, and future. He is totally changed by these experiences and becomes cheerful and benevolent.
A young boy must convince his parents that a toy rifle is the only Christmas gift that will make Christmas worthwhile. Not only do his parents face what many other parents do during that time of the year, but their actions fit in with the All-American Christmas.
When only child, Blair leaves the family nest, Luther and Nora decide to book a cruise and skip Christmas altogether. Their decision to boycott tradition has the whole neighborhood in an uproar, and when Blair calls on Christmas Eve to announce a surprise visit with her new fiancée, the Kranks have just twelve hours to perform a miracle and pull themselves and their neighbors together to throw the best celebration ever.
Jennifer, a hardworking and ambitious woman, returns to her hometown for the holidays and begins exchanging letters with a secret admirer. Soon, she realizes that her admirer is actually someone from her past and decides to find out just who it is. Now that she has a second chance at love, will she be able to take it?
A human baby accidentally ends up at the North Pole and grows up among the elf community. Buddy, as he comes to be known, knows that he’s “special”. When he’s 30, Buddy learns from Santa that he’s really a human. He decides to go in search of his father, to find out where he belongs. He walks to Manhattan, and is immediately run over by a cab. His father at first rejects him and Buddy ends up in a department store where other elves are working. But all the while, things are looking bad for Santa Claus. When Santa crashes his sleigh in Central Park, it’s Buddy’s moment to shine. “Buddy’s sing & cheer along edition” contains pop-ups with sing-along lyrics, recipes, fun facts, and other features.
The House Without A Christmas Tree
A young Nebraskan girl named Addie wants nothing more for the holidays than a Christmas tree. Her bitter, widowed father refuses, but slowly learns the spirit of the season.
Based on the true story of three armies in the bloody trenches of World War I and the miraculous Christmas Eve truce they unexpectedly forge. (French, Englis, and German dialogue with English subtitles)
Kate is a young woman who faces an endless streak of bad luck and poor decision-making. Working as an elf in a year round Christmas store is not good for the wannabe singer. However, she meets Tom there. Her life takes a new turn. For Kate, it seems too good to be true.
It’s all about love and holiday cheer in London. The Prime Minister is smitten with his caterer; a widower’s young son nurses the ultimate schoolboy crush; a writer falls for his Portuguese housekeeper; a devoted wife and mother copes with her potentially unfaithful husband; and a lovelorn American is desperately attracted to a colleague.
The classic musical about two guys that become a popular song and dance team and play at a resort for charity. Irving Berlin wrote the title song.
CDs
Ne-Yo
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
Rob Halford
Idina Mezel
Lea Michele
Pentatonix
Eric Clapton
James Taylor
John Legend
Llegó Navidad (Spanish)
Los Lobos
Josh Groban
LeeAnn Rimes
This is just a small selection of the library’s books, movies, and CDs. If you don’t see something you want here, please contact the Reference Desk at 978-674-4121. A librarian will be happy to help you.