We all hear how important it is to take time for ourselves during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. This month's Lucci's List offers an array of quick and easy books to enhance your celebrations and soothe your spirit.
"Christmas In Love: A Flash Fiction Anthology" edited by George Donnelly is the best Christmas-themed book I have read this season. This collection of flash fiction includes a range of genres from uniquely talented authors. I found the brief stories to be refreshing and engaging, perfect for busy readers during the holiday season.
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From the expected tomes of "A Tale of Two Majis," to the whimsical fairy-tale charm of "The Sugar Plum Fairy's Rescue," and the spookily gratifying "Angelica," this collection encompasses all the dark and bright in the holiday season.
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"The Movie Star's Red Hot Holiday Fling" by Christine Glover is the best Christmas romance I have red all year. It is much more than a cute holiday smooch fest. No cheesy fake holiday spirit. This is a REAL story, packed with dramatic intrigue, multi-dimensional characters, real-life struggles, and a trail of growing love leading to a uniquely intimate relationship. And Christmas joy.
I recommend this to readers who may not typically be romance readers, and who would like a lift of holiday spirit without being drowned in superfluous sweetness.
"The Twelve Days of Seduction" by Faire Claremont is an old-fashioned Christmas romance. The secret was a bit confusing to me, but the style of writing was perfect for the time period. I was a little leery of the employer/employee relationship, but the steamy parts were portrayed in heart pounding romance. I found myself giggling and rooting for the love story to continue! A lovely light holiday read for romance enthusiasts.
"A Cinderella Christmas Carol" by Hope C. Tarr is a romance story combining elements of "A Christmas Carol" and "The Devil Wears Prada." A sweet quick read with a happily ever after.
"White-Hot Holiday" by Coleen Kwan is a short cute holiday romance. A grinchy man and an antler-wearing gal bring out the best in each other. A predictable story that fans of romance novellas will enjoy during the holiday season.
"Secret Santa Baby" by Robin Covington is a Christmas themed novella about workplace romance. A love triangle between friends, a will they-or- won't they vibe, and a secret Santa trying to buy attention with gifts. Some people will enjoy the light romance, but the overall story grated on me. Well written and cutesy.
"Hogfather" by Terry Pratchett reads like an irreverent whirlwind of sardonic hilarity. A mixture of Tales From the Crypt, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, this tale of Christmas is one of the stranger and funnier ones I have read. Not just about epically strange characters and situations, "Hogfather" is also a fable of how human mythos evolve through culture shifts and time's progress.
I have not read anything else by Terry Pratchett. Reading this as a stand-alone in a series did not confuse me or detract from the book at all. I am now adding more Terry Pratchett to my Lucci's List!
"Boy Erased: A Memoir" by Garrard Conley is a behind the scenes look at religiously biased programs that train gay people to become straight.
This memoir details the author's life as a young gay person, and the struggles his family encountered when his father became a pastor at the time that he came out as gay. The family dynamics were shattered and the closeness between mother and son became irrevocably strained.
Told in flashbacks, the boy's voice comes through as honest, pained, and discouraged. His love of literature leads him to think differently about the fact that he is gay.
All in all this is an important book to read, particularly for anybody who has never heard of the kind of "straight camp" the author was subjected to. It is hard to believe that these institutions led by untrained and hurtful are still active and promoted by many churches and religious communities throughout America.
Coming soon: Lucci's List 2018 Top Ten, and Lucci's List 2019 Preview!
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Happy holidays, readers!