The SIXTH Post of BOOKMAS!

Season's greetings...

...and welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers!

It's time for POST SIX of the TWELVE POSTS OF BOOKMAS.

What IS Bookmas, you ask?

Great question!

Bookmas is similar to Christmas, except it brings tidings of great reads, holiday gifting suggestions, and just about all the bookish fun you can imagine from across the genre spectrum. It's all in one place at one time (sorta) and ready to help you get out from under the yuletide stress, and get back to enjoying the season...one page at a time. 

Just why is it the "Twelve Posts" and not the twelve books? Simple...I have WAY TOO MANY titles for you to consider, peruse, and read all about to limit it to twelve titles. These posts are intended to highlight some great titles, give you ideas for your gifting this year, and help me clear up my "read-it-but-need-to-review-it" teetering stack. Triple focus...yes siree! So, ready or not, let's get this sled on the road as we unwrap today's featured titles....

Mr. Dickens and His Carol

by

Samantha Silva

9781250154040

Flatiron Books

Every holiday season I endeavor to read SOME version of Charles Dickens' timeless classic, A Christmas Carol.  This year my selection was easy because once I laid eyes on this cover, this title, and read a bit about what was to come....I WAS SOLD.

This is the (fictitious) story of Mr. Dickens in a time when he was riding the high of his success only to discover how a fickle a beast it can truly be.  His latest release...an utter flop.  The only way to satisfy his publishers, regain the favor of his public, and secure his family's future is to meet the challenge set before him....write a Christmas book in one month's time that will drop jaws, still hearts, and reestablish him as the top writer of his time.  No pressure, right?  Yeah...right.  It's enough to blow even the calmest person's stack in the slowest of times, but the holidays are notorious for being busy busy busy, especially in the Dickens household.  Add to that relations crawling out of the woodwork from times gone by, family pulling on both time and pocket, bills accumulating to the heights of the newly acquired Christmas tree, and...why it's easy to see how things get off track, including his family life which he cherishes above all else...or at least, he use to.  Seems someone has lost sight of the spirit of the season...good thing with the right passages traveled, the right memory laden corridors reopened, the right chance taken perhaps initially for the wrong reasons, one can find themselves again and in doing so, grant greater Christmas wishes than you could ever imagine.

A WONDERFUL story that celebrates the story we've come to love as well as the man behind its creation with twists and turns of the heart you won't expect.  High recommendation for the reading season or any time for fans of "the Boz" as well as those just discovering his writing talent.

The Thursday Night Club

...and Other Stories of Christmas Spirit

by

Steven Manchester

9781945839160

Fiction Studio Books

This season we were graced with another release from one of favorite Fiction authors, Mr. Steven Manchester.  His work has always been able to touch my heart, move my soul, bring me to tears, and reach all the other emotional highs and lows we as readers LOVE to experience in our reading explorations.  The title featured here is a collection of three novellas, two released previously on their own and the third being a new pen.  While some have connections to his other works (case in point, A Christmas Wish is actually an add on of sorts to Goodnight, Brian), they can all be read as is and enjoyed to the fullest.  

A brief look at my stroll through the pages found me having a bit of a hard time to get into the first story, The Thursday Night Club, initially with the number of voices struggling to be heard, but finding it oh so heartwarming after a tragic interlude.  The second story took me right back into the world of GOODNIGHT, BRIAN, a story that I adored, with a furtherance of the initial message we received...love should be unconditional. I was very glad to catch up with Mama, Brian, and Steph once again!  Last but not least, The Tin-Foil Manger, just about broke my heart. Such warmth, such love, such feeling...all wrapped up with a Christmastime bow. 

When all is said and done...THIS is the stuff that drew me to this author's work in the first place. THIS type of writing, this type of storytelling. It may not hit NY Times Bestselling lists (though it certainly deserves a spot of its own), but you know what...it speaks for itself.

Christmas, Present

by

Jacquelyn Mitchard

9780060565589

William Morrow

Short but certainly not sweet, it delivers a heart-wrenching story that gives us characters to know without the proper time to love them before they are ripped right our of our grasp.  Seriously, the cover had me in a holiday mood with a smile on my face, but the tale within was more content to leave me with tears in my eyes and a gasping heart.  It reminds us how precious every day is, to never put off til tomorrow what can be done today, and to cherish all those in our lives.

Special thanks to the William Morrow publicity team for the copies for review. (THANKS!) For more information on these titles, the authors, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above. Be sure to check back for the next BOOKMAS post for more bookish fun!

Happy holidays and happy reading!

A Dickens Junction Mystery: The Edwin Drood Murders by Christopher Lord

Hi there!

Welcome back to the site that aims to please the reader in you every day of the week, Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

So, the Christmas holiday is almost upon us.  Are YOU ready?  AS for me, I’m trying to be though I DO think that this season has flown by WAY too fast.  Missed out on enjoying the whole kit and caboodle thanks to being so busy with work and what not….le sigh.  At least there were good reads to be had, right?  RIGHT!  Speaking of which, today’s blog tour guest fits that bill and another quota of my own, just right.

What’s that second quota?  Why, my Dickens requirement of the season!  Didn’t know about that one now did ya?  ^_^  Those that follow my site now for  more than a year, might remember this from last season but allow me to enlighten you.  Each year, I endeavor to read a version of that classic Dickens novel A Christmas Carol.  I already accomplished that tradition this year thanks to the awesomely adorable work via BabyLit but that doesn’t mean that the fun has to stop there.  When I saw this Dickens stewed work come through the old email box, I read about it…pondered it…and more quickly than not decided I needed to be in on the action…and trust me, there is plenty to go around.  Ready to meet today’s blog tour guest and book of choice?  Let’s!  Gents, don your top hats; gals, grab your bonnets.  Time to celebrate the day Dickensian style with…

A Dickens Junction Mystery:

The Edwin Drood Murders

By

Christopher Lord

9780985323639

Harrison Thurman Books

About the book…

The Droodists have arrived in Dickens Junction.  Local bookstore owner Simon Alastair has his hands full in his role as co-chair for the latest convention honoring Charles Dickens’s uncompleted novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood.  A movie star, a pesky blogger, dueling scholars, a stage hypnotist, and an old family friend (among others) all have claims on Simon’s time.  In addition, some Droodists are clearly more – or less – than they appear, including a mysterious young man by the improbable name of Edwin Drood.

When a priceless ring and a rare Dickensian artifact go missing, Simon and reporter-partner Zach Benjamin learn that someone will do anything – including murder – to obtain an object of desire.

The first sign that something was amiss should have been all the last minute attendees…considering this is something of an UBER fan event, eyebrows should have been rising.  The second tell tale sign, the fact that one of the participants is named (or at least registered as being so) after the character of unknown fate in the novel at the center of their society’s planned discussions.  Just a little too coincidental for my taste to not raise suspicion.  Anywho…

What we have here is a meeting of the literary minds with a large helping of drama, a dash of mystery, and a little romance thrown in for good measure.  Whatever side of the Dickensian camp you fall into or out of, you’re sure to find some enjoyment from this little gem…or rather NOT so little.  The gem, not the book.  The Heart of Helsinki  is the gem at hand, out of hand, and back again, though not the only treasure at risk…we’ll get to that part in a minute.  This sparkly number currently belongs to one Osma Dilber, a sweet little elderly lady who is smart as a whip, and nice as can be.  Whomever would set their sights on bringing harm to her deserves it back on them twice fold.  Strong and steady, that’s who she is…and a kindly friend to those in the Dickens know and even those not quite so.  Also on the so side of things…

Meet Simon.  He’s our leading man in a sense; full time bookstore proprietor, Dickensian enthusiast, and amateur-ish sleuth.  He had his hands in the crime solving cookie jar once (in book 1) and found he liked the taste; though he would not wish the circumstances he’s found himself ensconced in on anyone, especially to simply practice his detective skills.  Anywho…Simon along with his partner Zach make an formidable and enviable pair.  How so?  Well, it’s not their stature, though their standing with the community is flawless, but rather the way they work together and help balance each other out both professionally and personally.  These two gents are genuine high quality and the results they produce in all they tackle are held to the same standards.  But I digress, I am getting way off topic…let’s circle back to the story.

Many are introduced in this “play” but only MOST will see it through to the very end.  That’s right my friends…it’s called The Edwin Drood MURDERS for a reason.  The way things unfold is rather curious, both as they progress and the final curtain call.  There are staged scenes straight out of the suppositions of dedicated Drood fans as well as those with less than cultured taste.  Think Bonesbut less on the morgue research and with English accents.  Does it work?  You bet…as does the flash of personal events our lead couple is sorting through.  Random note…I couldn’t help but notice a greater number of same sex relationships represented than in most stories I’ve read.  Whether done with intent or simply an after thought inserted subconsciously due to the author’s preference, I shan’t guess but trust me, it makes them no more or less likeable; just another set of literary characters to know, enjoy, and welcome back the next story round.

In conclusion, though a bit too Clue-ish for me at times, I still enjoyed my time in Dickens Junction and in fact wouldn’t be too surprised if you heard of me visiting once again in the near future…bookishly of course.  There’s a little matter of not having read book 1, The Christmas Carol Murders, that I would like to clear up, if you know what I mean (*adds to wish list*).  ^_^  The characters were many, those notable fewer on my roster…then again, I am rather picky about who I pick up and take with me upon book’s end.  Come ride the literary roller coaster and see if you can’t guess who’s who and done what with whom where, why, and how…before Simon says (Ha!  Sorry, I couldn’t resist that pun.)

Review copy received courtesy of Jessica at Mindbuck Media.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this promotion as well as those forth coming, be sure to stop by their official site.  To learn more about Dickens Junction both past, present, and future, start your journey now with a virtual visit and see what lies in store for you. 

Until next time…happy reading!

BabyLit: Little Master Dickens: A Christmas Carol!

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers...the place to be whether young in age or just in spirit, we've got something that will satisfy the reader in you.  Speaking of spirits...

One way that I like to celebrate this wintry wonderful season we've just begun is by reading a new-to-be version of that holiday classic, A Christmas Carol by the infamous Charles Dickens.  Along those lines, today we're getting a visit from dear old Jacob Marley!  You know...the one that was "dead to begin with"?  Guess what?  He still is!  Or rather...he still is.  *somber tone* ...but not to worry because we welcome his presence nonetheless as he endeavors to save the wayward soul of none other than...well, you know who.  You do, right?  Oh tell me PLEASE that you do!?!  I could never forgive myself if you didn't!  Well okay, MAYBE I could, but YOU couldn't at the very least.  Anywho, let's clear up this mini-mystery and move forward with today's post, shall we?  Don your gay apparel and greet today's featured title with a jolly "ho, ho"!  Today's book of choice is...

Little Master Dickens:  A Christmas Carol

A Color Primer

by

Jennifer Adams

Illustrated by

Alison Oliver

BabyLit Books

978-1-4236-2575-9

Okay.  Let's take a moment to ooh and aah at the cover...oh go on!  You know you want to.  *_waits_*  There.  Feel better?  Good; now try to contain yourself for a moment because once we crack the cover on this one, it's all over...that peace you obtained I mean.  ^_^

YOu may recognize the style of this board book from previous posts...as well you should seeing as how the BabyLit titles despite my lack of an actual baby in the house...fur babies count but you know what I mean) have been in my rotation for a while now...and wouldn't you know it?  They've got another winner on their hands...in my opinion at the very least.  I mean, COME ON!  It's the classic work most of us know but for BABIES...do YOU know a better way to get them acquainted with the work of Dickens any earlier?  Well, okay...reading to them while still unborn helps (THANKS MOM!) but once they arrive, I'd say these are an AWESOME way to go.

This particular edition is a color primer.  What's the mean?  Well, to put it simply, it introduces wee ones to the rainbow of colors in the world while putting a little bookish twist on the whole experience.  How so?  So full of questions!  Me likee!  With every turn of the stiffened page, we move a step forward in the familiar story but in a colorful or color-filled way.  We see someone's blue coat.  We gaze upon a white full moon.  We see green wreaths and purple drinks, and well, you get the picture...and get the picture is EXACTLY the point!  Each scene depicted, each color presented comes with a side of story both visually and of the written word...thereby allowing the learning to commence WHILE the fun continues to be enjoyed by readers well passed the age of "just beginning".

So, if you're looking for a great book to share with your little one, a new way to explore a timeless classic (*raises hand*), or simply are among those that can appreciate whimsical illustrations utilizing colors like they were going out of style (in a GOOD way!)...this is certainly a book to add to your must read list.  If by some small un-miracle, you are among those like the BEFORE Scrooge rather than the AFTER...still give it a try you silly little miser!  Reading enriches the mind...but also stimulates the heart and feeds the soul (< - - just don't tell the miserly ones that part in advance...they'll be okay. ^_^).

Review copy received courtesy of the publisher.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title as well as the complete series of BabyLit books, be sure to stop by the series site, the official site, check out their Facebook page, pin them on Pinterest, or follow along on Twitter.

Until next time...happy December...and happy reading!

Twas the Night Before Christmas....Almost...

Hi there readers!

Welcome back to a late night edition of the site that aims to fill your Christmas stocking with reading joy….Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers. So, it’s almost Christmas Eve. Have you finished all your shopping and wrapping? Got the holiday food all ready to go? Yeah…if you do, raspberries to you. =0P Just kidding! But seriously, I’m happy for you. Me? Not so much. Been oh-so-busy with work that I haven’t had the time to finish out everything yet and seeing as how I work tomorrow morning (Christmas Eve no less…) looks like I’ll be finishing up tomorrow afternoon/evening. *le sigh* Not ideal, but better than NOT finishing, ya know? Anywho…

Tonight’s review is a quickie…in more ways than one! It’s a title that I try to read every year in one format or another and without even thinking about it what with all the other reading I have going on, I accomplished it yet again. TOO COOL! ^_^ So, what title is that? Why only the epitome of all holiday picks….today’s book of choice is….

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

By

Charles Dickens

Okay….so that’s NOT the actual cover over there. Sorry but try as I might, I couldn’t seem to find the match up for the one I read online and as I read it in preparation for story time at our store, I don’t have it in my actual home library, so we’re going off the actual experience right now as opposed to tempting you to purchase a particular copy. ^_^

So…the experience. It was much better than I expected. I wasn’t certain how much could be captured of the original story what with this particular edition being so very short and written in verse. Yep, that’s right. Think “Twas the Night Before Christmas” and add a touch of Dickens and TADA…you have your book. Anywho….the illustrations weren’t fantastical but they were present and for younger readers it would certainly supply the necessary visuals to get them involved in the story, one of the many reasons I was looking at it for the group event. As we all know, the classic tale does have a bit of a dark side with the possible death of Tiny Tim and Scrooge’s own impending doom, and though they aren’t entirely absent from the book….they handle it in stride with enough tact that even the wee little ones ears should be a fine audience.

In short (as promised), a surprisingly good read but then again…it IS Dickens after all. Though I don’t have the specifics on me about this particular edition (Sorry!), I can’t help but recommend the story itself to you in whatever format you may encounter it. It’s a classic that never grows old and with each new edition I add to me “read” collection, I find something else in the story to ponder or embrace. It’s stood the test of time with good reason and truly is a great reminder of what Christmas REALLY means.

So, be sure to share the love and joy of the season with those you hold dear…and those you simply meet in passing; there can never really be too much good cheer, after all. I’m off to start checking my list off once at least….

Until next time…happy holidays…and happy reading!

Jacob, Is That You?: A Christmas Carol Special Edition, Review

Got your attention didn't I?  Admit it.  You thought that this was going to be about New Moon with the Jacob mention and all....tsk tsk.  Twilight-a-holics...(just kidding...you know I'm guilty of that myself..)  In the spirit of the holiday season, I felt it only appropriate that the very first book review of December goes to a Christmas-ey title!  (Of course the fact that I was reading it already fit perfectly with that thought...and the thought really did come first...no really, it did!)

Today's title is a new take on an old favorite.  Well, not really, it's actually the original take on the original classic, but with special features added in. (You'll see what I mean in a moment.....keep reading....)  For anyone looking to add to their list of holiday books to read, you'll definitely want to keep a spot open for this one.  Today's book of choice is....

A Christmas Carol Special Edition:

The Charles Dickens Classic with Christian Insights

and Discussion Questions for Groups and Families

by

Charles Dickens

edited by

Stephen Skelton

(I'll just go ahead and say what you're thinking right now....whew!  That was a looooonnnnggggg title!)This is the original classic as written by the classic author of yesterday and today...master Charles Dickens.  His 1843 original novel (WOW!  That is not a typo by the way....that makes the book....166 years old!  I think even old Scrooge would be impressed!) is represented in its full text, allowing readers the rare chance to read it was it was intended.  For those that have read this story in the past (guilty!), you may be surprised to find out just what was changed, or removed completely in the version you currently hold dear!  What pray tell would be the incentive then for those of you that HAVE in fact read the original text?  Well, this book adds tidbits of information along the way.  From historical facts to biblical references, there is something for every taste and it does not detract in any way from the book!  BONUS for those with book clubs or study groups...between each Stave (or section, chapter, whatever you'd prefer to call it) there are discussion guides with questions to spark conversation.  Pretty cool, huh?

So....let me start out by saying that I generally don't read the books classified as Christian "insert genre here".  Now before you light the fire in the pit to roast me over (gulp), it's not that I have anything against them or those that do read them....I also don't have anything against the ideas religious and otherwise that they speak to....I mean for crying out loud, most of my schooling was in private schools with religious affliations!  I have found though (and this was found out in one of the schools I attended) that sometimes (not always), the story is filtered leaving you with a mere shell of what really occured.  It's not always the bad scenes and things that are taken out...sometimes its stuff that you wouldn't have even blinked twice at.  Case in point....in one of my schools (and it was only one in particular) that used this type of novel, had us read their version of the classic, The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne.  Now, I had read the original at least twice in my previous school years, so the changes were very apparent to me...it's so much the story that changed, I mean things still played out the way they were written, but the messages weren't as strong...no, that's not right, maybe broad or wide-reaching?  They were customized for what they wanted to relay to you despite the author's original intentions.  Sorry but that's not really fair to the author in my book....

Now that I'm done ranting as to why I don't usually read...well, you know....here is the good news...I really liked this version of the book!  Wanna know why? (in case you haven't guessed) The ORIGINAL text is there...you could actually read it straight through without any interruptions if you wanted to.  The add-in's of note are listed in the sidebars on each page and matched to the corresponding text with number notations.  Yes, some of them are Christian oriented and pointing to the fact that Dickens was a spiritual (no pun intended) man after all...however, there are just as many (if not more) factoids listed that were quite interesting.  Such as why he always made the schoolmasters such tyrannts....or what the heck "negus" really is?  (bet you can't guess!)  It's really quite a read, if I do say so myself (and this is my blog, so I guess I am!). 

On a side note, for those of you that have not yet had the chance to see the newest version of A Christmas Carol brought to "life" by silver screen mavens and Jim Carrey...I highly recommend it!  (Although, I do have to give a little warning to those with small children....there are some rather creepy almost scary scenes...) I actually saw the movie (in 3-D no less) prior to reading this book and I must say that of the many versions I've seen, it stayed pretty darn close to the original events....a miracle in this age of adaptations.

Special thanks to Julie as FSB Associates for the review copy!  (THANK YOU!) (Oh, and as you know the fact I received a copy does not not taint my reviews....just makes some of them possible since without reading it I can't really review it....)  This great group can be found online as well as on Twitter (but of course).

COMMENT CREATOR
In celebration of this particular story.....just a simple question will be asked.  Have you ever read the original text that you are aware of?  If so, what did you think?  If not....which version of this holiday classic on TV or the silver screen has been your favorite thus far?

Until next time....happy holidays....and happy reading!