It’s Monday! What are you reading? Is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journey. Kellee and Rikki at Unleashing Readers and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts gave the meme a kidlit twist. It’s a great way to reflect on what you’ve read and reviewed the last week and plan what you want to read next. Join up with us and discover what good books other people are reading.

I love preparing for Christmas. This week has been filled with wrapping presents, baking goodies and singing Christmas carols. We haven’t had much snow yet, but we are still enjoying veggies from our garden. It’s hard to believe that we have broccoli and cabbage still growing. And, of course, I’m enjoying my favorite Christmas stories! Sunday afternoon I sat down with a pile of my favorite Christmas books from our collection.

I finished…

Song of the Quarkbeast by Jasper Fforde – Even though Jennifer Strange solved the dragon problem (in quite unexpected ways) in the first book, more problems pop up for Kazam and its magicians. In order to keep King Snodd from taking over magic for purely commercial profit (his own, of course), Jennifer accepts a magical challenge. It’s not going to be a fair fight since King Snodd keeps arresting the wizards and throwing them in prison. Throw in a few surprises from the Vanishing Moose, a ring that does not want to be found and a new quarkbeast roaming the kingdom to keep things interesting. Did I forget to mention a visit beyond the troll wall on a disintegrating magic carpet? There are a quite a few more surprises, too. I am looking forward to reading the next adventures for Jennifer in the Eye of Zoltar.

The Drummer Boy by Ted Dekker – In a future world Christmas has been banned, but people still celebrate the Holiday with lots of giving and buying and selling. Daniel wants to play the drums like his father but his wrists are stiff from where they were broken. When he receives a drum as a present, he learns the song of the little drummer boy and the story of Christmas. Daniel is determined to change the Holiday and share what he as learned.

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski and illustrated by P.J. Lynch- A gloomy, grieving woodcarver slowly rediscovers the joy of Christmas as he carves a new Nativity for a widow and her son. I cannot read this story without tears. The Widow McDowell and her son Thomas quietly offer kindness to Mr. Toomey despite his gruffness until his heart begins to thaw from its frozen grief. It is a quiet story (even though Thomas struggles to be quiet) with lush illustrations.

Auntie Claus by Elise Primavera – The Kringle family lives in New York and celebrates Christmas year round. The two children might be a tad bit spoiled, but this year Sophie is determined to learn the secrets of her mysterious Auntie Claus. She stows away in her aunt’s luggage and finds herself serving as the newest elf at the North Pole. Before she can return home, Sophie must learn the first and final elf rule: It is far better to give than to receive.” This is a fun story with lively illustrations to match.

How Santa Got His Job by Stephen Krensky and illustrated by S. D. Schindler – Santa didn’t always work delivering toys. No, he had quite a few jobs beforehand–zookeeper, chimney sweep, short order chef, postal worker, circus act. He encountered challenges at each one, but each job taught him something that would come in handy later. I love the creativity that imagines the circuitous route Santa took to find his place in the world.

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg – No matter how many times I read this story, I am captivated by the journey to the North Pole and the bell from Santa’s reindeer. I know I’m not the only one as I see friends boarding local trains for their own version of the Polar Express, complete with pajamas and hot chocolate.

Santa’s Book of Names by David McPhail – I learned of this book when I was student teaching when one of the teachers shared it. Edward gets up late one Christmas Eve to see Santa. He just misses Santa, but spies the book Santa accidentally left behind. Even though Edward can’t quite read (patience, his mother advises, not more tests), he knows the book is important. When Santa circles back, he invites Santa along for the rest of the journey. When a seagull knocks off Santa’s glasses, David has to read the names and toys from the book for Santa.

I’m currently reading…

What Have You Lost edited by Naomi Shihab Nye – The poems I read this week seemed to speak directly to the news of the past few weeks. Poets write of what they have lost from war and violence. As every day seems to bring yet more violence somewhere in the world, these poems remind me that there are things more powerful than fear and hatred.

Soul Tsunami by Leonard Sweet – This is the first book in the trilogy that ends with Soul Salsa (above). It is much more theoretical than practical, but fascinating in its look at shifts in the culture from modern to postmodern. Even though it was published in 1999, many of Sweet’s insights are even more true today. Not only does he look at the seismic shifts in culture, but he presents ways for the church to be involved in this transformation rather than just complaining that things aren’t the way they used to be. I find myself thinking about many of the concepts explored as I watch the news each day.

God Is in the Manger by Dietrich Bhonhoeffer – This is the new book my Bible study is reading. Yes, we are a few weeks late since it is a series of reflections for Advent, but we won’t mind continuing after Christmas. This first week’s reflections are on waiting. I don’t know about you, but I find waiting hard, especially when times are difficult. I am amazed at how Bonhoeffer can find meaning and even joy as he waited in a prison cell.

Coming up…

More Christmas books! I have quite a few more downstairs in the basket that I want to revisit. What are your favorite Christmas stories?

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