Winter Holiday Reading Challenge Wrap-Up

I just completed the Winter Holiday Reading Challenge. I only set myself a goal of 4 books as I'm not much of a holiday reader - I don't get that much extra time to read with all the wrapping, shopping, and get togethers that I have to do on my spare time.

Here is a link to my original post. The books were changed a few times but my goal of 4 never wavered.

Happy Reading and Happy Holidays.

On Strike for Christmas by Sheila Roberts

On Strike for Christmas was a nice, feel good, get in the Christmas spirit type book. As I’m sure you can determine from the title alone, the book is about several women who decide to go on strike during Christmas. They feel overworked, underappreciated and totally taken advantage of during the holidays. There are four main characters:

Joy - married to "Bob Humbug"; he detests everything Christmas.
Laura - married to Mr. Popularity; he’s always the perfect host but never willing to lend a hand.
Sharon - married to a laid back, whatever happens, happens, type of guy; she’s a perfectionist.
Kay - married to Mr. Penny Pincher himself; she has to buy gifts for her own step kids because he won’t even spend on that.

It was uproariously funny to read chapters of the poor husbands tackling normal everyday Christmas chores the wives would normally handle -from getting an Advent Calendar, to buying and putting up the Christmas tree. I confess there were several times where I was actually laughing out loud. Especially when it was Glen (Laura’s husband) that you were reading about.

I felt the women were a bit self-centered and didn’t think much about their families and how this "strike" would affect their marriage, but in the end the story had a very touching ending (with me shedding a tear or two - I’m such a sucker for these things). So, if you want to read about families, friends and Christmas fun, this is the book for you this holiday season.

The Gift of the Magi and Other Short Stories by O.Henry

This book is my first introduction to O.Henry and his mischievous twists of fate to all his story endings. I was forewarned about these twists and tried to guess throughout all the stories - but I was always surprised. I found this quite delightful. This book is a compilation of his short stories written between 1906 - 1911 including:

- The Gift of the Magi
- The Cop and the Anthem
- Springtime a la Carte
- The Green Door
- After Twenty Years
- The Furnished Room
- The Pimienta Packages
- The Last Leaf
- The Voice of the City
- While the Auto Waits
- A Retrieved Reformation
- A Municipal Report
- A Newspaper Story
- The Ransom of Red Chief
- A Ghost of a Chance
- Makes the Whole World Kin

I truly enjoyed The Gift of the Magi (a story about love being more powerful than earthly possessions), The Cop and the Anthem (actually made me laugh out loud), Springtime a la Carte (I’m a sucker for love), The Pimienta Pancakes (so funny and ironic), The Last Leaf (because it was beautiful), and The Ransom of Red Chief (hilarious). The other stories weren’t to my taste but still interesting enough to read. I don’t want to give you more than that so I don’t ruin them for you, but it was a very quick and entertaining read.

The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans

The Christmas Box is one of the most beautiful stories I have had the pleasure to read. It is about taking the time to smell the roses. As a parent, you can't help being busy and not taking enough time to watch our children grow. This book makes you rethink your priorities. It is written which such depth and simplicity that it is quite a joy to read not only throughout the holidays, but a story worth remembering year round.

Grace by Richard Paul Evans

This is one of those books that just pains you to have to put it down. It was a very emotional, intense and sad tale. The characters are charming. Important issues are addressed in a delicate manner. I felt the ending was a bit rushed but it definitely pulled at the heartstrings - of course, making me shed a tear or two. This is my first Richard Paul Evans book, but now I am intrigued by his much talked about The Christmas Box.

I was happy to hear how RPE is using his income to help out abused children through various charities. You can sign up for his mailing list at RichardPaulEvans.com before December 31,2009 and $1 is donated by Operation Kids to The Christmas Box International to help abused and neglected children.

Grace is a must read. Have your tissues ready!

Winter Holiday Reading Challenge

Rules:

1. The Winter Holiday Reading Challenge will last from November 1, 2008 to January 31, 2009.

2. The theme for this challenge is Winter Holidays. The books that you choose to read must have a storyline that includes celebrating a winter holiday, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year's, etc. (However, the holidays are not limited to just these examples.)You choose the number of books you wish to read.

3. Leave a comment at the end of this post if you want to join in on the fun.Each month, leave a comment at the end of the Winter Holiday Reading Challenge Update post that includes the book (title and author) that you read for that month and the link to your review (if you have one).

4. And finally... Enjoy your holiday reading!

My List:
1 The Gift of the Magi and Other Short Stories by O.Henry (completed - 11/25/08)
2 Grace - Richard Paul Evans (completed - 11/11/08)
3 The Christmas Box - Richard Paul Evans (completed - 11/22/08)

4 On Strike for Christmas - Sheila Roberts (completed - 12/3/08)