Friday, October 31, 2014

Books I'm Grateful I've Read Giveaway Hop! Nov 1 to Nov 14th!

               Thanks to our Host, Stuck in Books!

This Hop takes place from November 1st to November 14th!

INTERNATIONAL 

1 ebook WINNER

A book I am very grateful I've read is Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain. ANY of her books are AMAZINGLY written! This book touched me very personally, and I would like to share it with you!



Description:
Bestselling author Diane Chamberlain delivers a breakout book about a small southern town fifty years ago, and the darkest—and most hopeful—places in the human heart


After losing her parents, fifteen-year-old Ivy Hart is left to care for her grandmother, older sister and nephew as tenants on a small tobacco farm.  As she struggles with her grandmother’s aging, her sister’s mental illness and her own epilepsy, she realizes they might need more than she can give.


When Jane Forrester takes a position as Grace County’s newest social worker, she doesn’t realize just how much her help is needed.  She quickly becomes emotionally invested in her clients' lives, causing tension with her boss and her new husband.  But as Jane is drawn in by the Hart women, she begins to discover the secrets of the small farm—secrets much darker than she would have guessed.  Soon, she must decide whether to take drastic action to help them, or risk losing the battle against everything she believes is wrong.

Set in rural Grace County, North Carolina in a time of state-mandated sterilizations and racial tension, Necessary Lies tells the story of these two young women, seemingly worlds apart, but both haunted by tragedy.  Jane and Ivy are thrown together and must ask themselves: how can you know what you believe is right, when everyone is telling you it’s wrong?

Employing accessible characters and compelling language, Chamberlain deeply mines the appalling, little-known history of North Carolina’s Eugenics Sterilization Program, in effect from 1929 to 1975. As worker-tenants on a tobacco farm in 1960, 15-year-old Ivy Hart lives with her faltering, temperamental grandmother, mentally slow yet breathtakingly beautiful 17-year-old sister, young nephew “Baby” William, and her own epilepsy. Jane Forrester, an idealistic social worker, whose status-conscious doctor-husband isn’t convinced his wife should hold a job, feels smothered by the social niceties of the early ’60s South and starts to question the boundaries and mutual respect in her own marriage. When Jane becomes Ivy’s family’s social worker, she encounters the state program that seeks to sterilize “mental defectives,” among others with supposedly undesirable characteristics. Through every choice she makes from then on, Jane triggers an inescapable series of events that thrusts everything either she or Ivy ever held to be true into a harsh light, binding them together in ways they do not immediately comprehend or appreciate. Absorbing and haunting, this should strongly touch Chamberlain’s fans and draw those who enjoy Jodi Picoult and Barbara Delinsky. 
HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Chamberlain is the best-selling author of 21 novels, and her latest will have a 150,000-copy first printing and be supported by a major marketing campaign. --Julie Trevelyan

You can read my review about this book HERE!
(You might even want to check YOUR state's Eugenic Board and see if they still practice this. My state of Michigan still practiced this up until 1983. SAD!)

I DARE you not to fall in love with this author! I read every new release, and am working on reading her previous books, too! I have 20 of her books to read as she just released a NEW book called, "The Silent Sister". You can read that review HERE! She writes about every subject you can possibly think of! I LOVE this author! You can find her on FACEBOOK at Diane Chamberlain's Readers Page She is VERY interactive with her Readers! Enjoy!

There is a Novella you can purchase to see if you would like this book for only 99cents, and that is the book that hooked me into reading THIS book! It is called "The First Lie". It's well-worth reading! It'll shock you! It's a very shocking read! You'll know what they are talking about, but the characters don't have a clue. You may even shed a tear or two!

HOW TO ENTER? FILL OUT THIS FORM BELOW!






Before you go, make sure you read my Sunday Posts of the NYTimes Top 15 (20) Bestsellers PLUS BLOG UPDATES! I have the latest and greatest information about what's going on at the blog, what's coming up at the blog, and MORE info that you don't want to miss! It's a great post to read to learn everything that's happening! Thanks, ahead of time!

Now, HOP ON OVER TO THESE BLOGS IN THIS HOP AND ENTER THEIR GIVEAWAYS, TOO! Have FUN!!!



#REVIEW - Mr Miracle, A Christmas Novel by Debbie Macomber


Description

Beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber celebrates the most wonderful time of the year in this heartwarming Christmas novel of romance, hope, and the comforts of homecoming soon as a Hallmark Channel original movie!
Harry Mills is a guardian angel on a mission: help twenty-four-year-old Addie Folsom get her life back on track—and, if the right moment strikes, help her find love. Posing as a teacher at a local college in Tacoma, Washington, Harry is up to the task, but not even he can predict the surprises that lay in store.


After trying to make it on her own, Addie has returned home to Tacoma for the holidays, but this time she plans to stay for good, enrolling in the local community college to earn her degree. What she doesn’t plan to do is run into Erich Simmons.


Addie and her next-door neighbor, Erich, are like night and day. Growing up, he was popular and outgoing while she was rebellious and headstrong, and he never missed an opportunity to tease her. Now she intends to avoid him entirely, yet when they’re suddenly forced to spend Christmas together, Addie braces for trouble.

Perhaps it’s the spirit of the season or the magic of mistletoe, but Addie and Erich soon find they have more in common than they thought—and that two people who seem so wrong for each other may actually be just right. With a little prompting from a certain angelic teacher, the two are in for a holiday miracle they’ll never forget.

MY TAKE:
5+++ STARS!!!
This NEW "Mr Miracle" book will be a HALLMARK MOVIE to be aired on December 2014, "Mr Miracle", stars Harry Mills (Rob Morrow, who you may recall from 'Northern Exposure' (I LOVED that TV series!) and from 'Number3s', (another TV series I LOVED! You know, the ONLY cute guy in that series! He was an FBI Agent!) He is coming down from Heaven this Christmas Season for a 'trial basis' as a Guardian Angel! It will air on SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6th! I found that out from doing a little online research! ALL thanks to the Hallmark Channel! AND Debbie Macomber's NEW book, Mr. Miracle (remember Mrs. Miracle? YEP! Woo-hoo, now the angel is a good-looking MAN! The Hallmark Channel has adapted this book to a movie! 
So Harry Mills, is a brand 'NEW' guardian angel here on Earth doing his trial run for his initial mission, (and now the rest is from the publisher!) is here to help twenty-four-year-old Addie Folsom get her life back on track—and, if the right moment strikes, help her find love. Posing as a teacher at a local college in Tacoma, Washington, Harry is up to the task, but not even he can predict the surprises that lay in store! (I took a little liberty with this description up above, just so you know!)
You will FLY through this 233 page book, it is THAT GOOD! I started it and it was over! I LOVED it! I especially loved the parts when Harry Mills was put into predicaments with women! He felt things he NEVER felt in heaven! LOL!!! I couldn't stop laughing!!! I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to keep reading this story! Let me tell you that you will be cracking UP SO HARD at some of the predicaments Harry Mills gets himself into during his FIRST TIME ON EARTH! Oh, my! I never laughed SO hard and out loud as I did while reading this book! I was irritating my husband who was trying to read himself! (I really didn't care! This book was just THAT GREAT! LOL!!!) This will be one book you can't miss and one movie you will WANT to set your DVR on just in case some Holiday event pops up, a family get-together (Boring! As compared to this show!) or another show is on you cannot live without! The scenarios he gets himself stuck into is with a particular WOMAN! LOL! Mind you, this angel has never felt the attraction to a woman such as this assertive and aggressive woman! You can't help but to laugh! 
Celeste is an angel here on earth as well, and she is what seems to be Harry's Supervisor, in a way. She knows EVERYTHING that goes on with everyone! She is a riot! I loved her! She even knew how Harry would feel around women! That, was a HOOT as she explained it!
We also learn about neighbors, Addie and Erich. Both of their mothers are friends, and have planned to take a cruise this Christmas together. The problem happens when Erich falls and breaks both of his wrists. It is suuggested that perhaps Addie helps to take care of Erich so both their mothers can still go on the cruise! Sparks stark to fly between them, and by the end of the book they are kissing!!! Under the mistletoe, of course! Ooooo! I LOVE this story!
Little do we know, that is ALL we are told! The rest must be in another book, or in the movie! At the end of this book, we get a sneak-peak at 20 pages of this author's NEXT Christmas book, Starry Night! That book promises to be very warm, loving, life-like as all Debbie Macomber's novels are, and a book you'll want to pre-order! I received this book for FREE from the Publisher, Ballantine, and NetGalley, in exchange to read and write a review about it. "Free" means I was provided with ZERO MONIES to do so, but to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading it and giving my own honest opinion no matter whether it is positive or negative. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the law set here: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html., The Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, 16 CFR 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising Federal Acquisition Regulation.


ebook: $ 7.99
print:  $11.88

Don't forget! This movie will air on Saturday, December 6, 2014 on Hallmark Movie Channel!

HALLMARK MOVIES FROM HALLOWEEN TO NEW YEAR'S EVE!


Courtesy of the Hallmark Channel, Mr. Miracle!

Debbie Macomber's Mr. Miracle 
Saturday, December 6, 8/7c 

Starring: Rob Morrow, Michelle Harrison, Britt Irvin, Sarah-Jane Redmond, Andrew Francis 

Heavenly angel Harry Mills is sent to Earth on a trial assignment to intervene in the life of a woman who needs help getting her life on track after the death of her father. With a deadline of Christmas day, he attempts to help her heal in order to embrace a new future, and an unexpected love, just in time to celebrate the miracle of the holiday season.

Based upon 'this book' you can read NOW, Mr. Miracle, by Debbie Macomber!
You'll LOVE it!


Beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber celebrates the most wonderful time of the year in this heartwarming Christmas novel, Mr Miracle, of romance, hope, and the comforts of homecoming soon as a Hallmark Channel original movie!
12 NEW MOVIES OF CHRISTMAS
Hallmark Movie Channel has lined up for us 2 whole MONTHS of *NEW* magical Christmas movies every weekend, both days! These movies will again run all the way up to New Year's day! 
From The Hallmark Channel - "The holiday tradition returns! Get ready for the 12 
New Movies of Christmas, only on Hallmark Channel's Countdown to Christmas. 
The Countdown begins at 8/7c on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31stwith a 
Princess for Christmas! Followed by the first of the brand new originals for the 
holiday season on November 1st with MORE NEW Christmas movies! 
**********************************************************
Just so you are informed, the EVENING OF HALLOWEEN, Friday, October 31st at 8:00pm EST Hallmark KICKS OFF the NEW MOVIES with Countdown to Christmas at! It continues on that Saturday, November 1st, and Sunday, November 2nd! Friday, October 31st starts it ALL! The Hallmark Channel will START airing 12 NEW MOVIES for this holiday season every Saturday and Sunday evening at 8:00 EST! You can find ALL of the NEW movie schedules, dates and times HERE! 
I can honestly tell you from experience you will NOT WANT TO MISS THESE! I LOVE the christmas books The Hallmark Channel turns into movies! I look forward to this time of year every year! I can never get my FILL of them, and I look forward to them each year! The movies run ALMOST 24/7 with previous years' movies blended in as well, except for the "Home and Family", talk show which generally airs twice a day, if I am remembering correctly? Personally talk shows are just not my thing to watch, and I do tune out that 2-hour/4 hour time frame.) I am VERY GRATEFUL to The Hallmark Channel for their movies! Exciting! It is no different this year, ALMOST 20 hours a day of Christmas movies that I LOVE!!
I often get SO spoiled during this time because there are just so many great movies during this time! I use my DVR to catch some of my favorite movies each year so I can watch them later in the year, too, to help pick up my spirits, if need be, especially 'after' Christmas! Last year my FAVORITE movie was "Let It Snow" with Candace Cameron Bure, Jesse Hutch and Alan Thicke! It's STILL on my DVR! It was about "an executive with plans to update a rustic lodge has a change of heart when she falls in love." It says "Air Date: 01-01-13. G, TV-G. 1-1/2 hours long! I LOVE this movie!! It's probably one I should buy! I have LOST my movies one time during a thunderstorm! UGH!!! After these are over, I have this HUGE feeling of let down after the first of the year! I really do! I almost feel a little depressed! Isn't that something! There is so much happy and fun things to look forward to during December that January is really a let-down! Plus we have the snow, too, you know!
This NEW MOVIE for 2014, "Mr Miracle", stars Harry Mills (Rob Morrow, who you may recall from 'Northern Exposure' (I LOVED that TV series!) and from 'Number3s', (another TV series I LOVED! You know, the ONLY cute guy in that series! He was an FBI Agent!) He is coming down from Heaven this Christmas Season for a 'trial basis' as a Guardian Angel! It will air on SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6th! I found that out from reviewing the book (review to follow) while doing a little online research! ALL thanks to the Hallmark Channel! AND Debbie Macomber's NEW book, Mr. Miracle (remember Mrs. Miracle? YEP! Woo-hoo, now the angel is a good-looking extremely naive young MAN! The Hallmark Channel has adapted this book to a movie! So Harry Mills, is a brand 'NEW' guardian angel here on Earth doing his trial run for his initial mission, (and now the rest is from the publisher!) is here to help twenty-four-year-old Addie Folsom get her life back on track—and, if the right moment strikes, help her find love. Posing as a teacher at a local college in Tacoma, Washington, Harry is up to the task, but not even he can predict the surprises that lay in store! (I took a little liberty from the publisher with this description up above, just so you know!)
And now for my review of Mr. Miracle! It will be the next post!

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

#REVIEW AND MORE! "Quilted by Christmas" by Jodie Bailey: A NEW Quilts of Love book! Enter a #Kindle #Giveaway and Merry Quilted #Facebook Party!

Don’t miss the newest Quilts of Love book, Quilted by Christmas by Jodie Bailey. October’s QOL release is a warm Christmas tale of God's steadfast love.



Enter to win a Kindle HDX, and RSVP for the “Merry Quilted” Quilts of Love Facebook party on December 9th.

qol-quiltedbychristmas-400

One winner will receive:
  • A Kindle Fire
  • Two copies of Quilted by Christmas by Jodie Bailey (One for you and one to give away as a gift!)
  • Hidden in the Stars by Robin Caroll
  • Swept Away by Laura V. Hilton and Cindy Loven
Enter today by clicking the button below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on November 16th. Winner will be announced November 17th at the Quilts of Love blog.

Wait! There's more! RSVP for the "Merry Quilted" Quilts of Love Christmas Book Chat Party on December 9th and connect with some of the Quilts of Love authors. Jodie Bailey, Laura V. Hilton, Cindy Loven, Cathy Elliott, and Gina Welborn will be hosting a "merry" evening of book chat, Christmas traditions, prizes, and more!

qol-quiltedbychristmas-enterbanner
{NOT ON FACEBOOK? ENTER HERE.}

RSVP today and spread the word—tell your friends about the giveaway via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on December 9th!


My Take:
5 Stars!
Reading ANY of the Quilts of Love books are like going on a new journey you've been dying to go on for forever! I LOVE these books! Of course, the Christmas books are always my favorites, but then again I'm a sucker for Christmas and all it's magic! (However ALL of these books are the perfect book to pick up no matter what season it is!) None of these books are in any order, so you can pick up any one, two, three or more and have a brand new story and be in heaven as you read!
Taryn McKenna thinks she's an easy person to forget, even now at age 30. She definitely needs more self confidence, but after losing her parents when she was a young teenager, I can see how that could happen. Taryn is an extremely lucky girl in that her Grandparents took her in and have raised her since. Her Grandmother, Jemma, wants to finish an Irish Chain quilt (one of 'my' favorite patterns! One I that is on my bucket list! I've made a lot of quilts, but I LOVE this one and I think it's the BEST for Christmas!) for New Years Day for a very special and dear niece of hers, and every second of her time has been going into finishing up this quilt, yet things have been happening that makes it seem like they are keeping her away from it - ugh! 
Taryn has a secret, and only her Grandmother knows what it is, not even her old boyfriend, Justin knows it. Speaking of him, guess who's back after 12 years in the Army? Yep! Justin! They didn't leave on very good terms, in fact, it was quite a fight which they never forgave each other for, and both left feeling extremely hurt, however, they've never had a chance to forgive each other because they have never seen each other since. So yes, this book does hold some forgiveness in it, and maybe this just might be the key to happiness for Taryn, finally!
This book (and entire series) is a Christian Fiction, so Taryn and the other characters have relied upon God to be their strength all of these years, and it has worked, for the most part, but even WAY cool Grandma Jemma learns a little more about this, too, even at her age, as she goes through a lot in this story, too. See, even these characters are written rich, warm, and like real people. You can't help but to love them and leave this book with a nice warm and fuzzy afterglow!
I hope you love this book as much as I did! It is really a perfect read for any time of the year, but since this is such a christmas'y book, it will fit right into this holiday! A must-buy, must-read ASAP! I received this book for FREE from the Publisher, Abingdon Press, and NetGalley, in exchange to read and write a review about it. "Free" means I was provided with ZERO MONIES to do so, but to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading it and giving my own honest opinion no matter whether it is positive or negative. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the law set here: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html., The Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, 16 CFR 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising Federal Acquisition Regulation.

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to enter the Giveaway and attend the Facebook party! If you've never been to a Facebook party, you don't know what you are missing! Plan on it! Mark that calendar! You don't even have to leave the comfort of your warm and cozy home during this crazy time of year with all those Christmas shoppers out there!


Saturday, October 25, 2014

The #NYTimes Top 15 (20) #Bestsellers in #Fiction for the week ending 10-26-14 PLUS #BLOG UPDATES!


Welcome! It's another week of #BESTSELLERS in #Fiction! Post by NOON every Sunday and sometimes earlier! First, let's see what's going on at the blog!

REVIEWS DONE THIS LAST WEEK:
The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain HERE!
The Story of Santa Claus by Joseph A McCullough HERE! 

"Spooktakular Giveaway Hop" GOING ON NOW to Halloween at MIDNIGHT! Just click HERE! Close to 300 blogs are participating!!! Come and enter then HOP away!!!

DON'T FORGET THE #KINDLE #FIRE HDX #GIVEAWAY! NOW TO 10-27! Or, $229 #Amazon GC OR $229 #PayPal #CASH! HERE!

REVIEWS COMING THIS NEXT WEEK:
The Release Dates are listed, but that does not mean my reviews will be listed on those dates - there are a LOT of them!

"Mr Miracle" by Debbie Macomber - I'll possibly post this Sunday evening! Check back!

Release Date: Tuesday, Oct 28th, 2014 
"The Midnight Plan of the Repo Man" by 
"The Ship of Brides" by Jojo Moyes
"The Wolf in Winter" by John Connolly
"The Killer Next Door" by Alex Marwood

I'll get my Review Date after Oct 27th for:
"Quilted by Christmas" by Jodie Bailey (released on Oct 20th!)

Release Date: Thursday, Oct 30th, 2014
"If I Knew You Were Going to Be This Beautiful, I Never Would Have Let You Go" by Judy Chicurel

Plus I have a LOT of Indie Authors/Self Published books from authors, too, who I need to write reviews for! I'll get there!
Usually I don't talk about this, but this neurological muscle disease, (Stiff Person Syndrome) is really playing havoc with my body with the temperature changes, as usual. Summer was nicer, my muscles liked the warmer weather MUCH better than the cold, and now that the cold is settling in, they don't like it! So I'm just a little slower right now. I'm trying!

Make SURE to come back for these dates! Mark you calendar . . . for . . . 

NEW GIVEAWAY HOP!!! Starts this coming Saturday, Nov 1st to Friday, Nov 14th, called "BOOKS I'M GRATEFUL FOR"

AND

THE LITERARY BLOG HOP - Saturday, Nov 1st to Wednesday, Nov 5th till midnight! 

Okay! Let's hit the books!

FICTION: COMBINED EBOOK AND PRINT

1.  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
ebook: $7.99
print:   $8.49



2. Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult
ebook: $11.84
print:   $16.80



3. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
ebook: $  4.99
print:   $13.50



4. Deadline by John Sanford
ebook: $10.99
print:   $16.77



5. Burn by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
ebook: $  9.99
print:   $16.80



6. Stepbrother Dearest by Penelope Ward
ebook: $3.99
print:   $9.88



7. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
ebook: $4.99
print:   $8.40



8. Edge of Eternity by Ken Follett
ebook: $11.99
print:   $20.72



9. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
ebook: $  6.50
print:   $13.60



10. Personal by Lee Child
ebook: $10.99
print:   $16.45



11. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
ebook: $4.99
print:   $5.99



12. I Love How Much You Love Me by Bella Andre
ebook: $4.99
No print book available at this time



13. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
ebook: $6.99
print:   $8.33



14. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
ebook: $10.99
print:   $16.16



15. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
ebook: $6.99
print:   $8.99


And the rest are: 



  • PARIS MATCH, by Stuart Woods (Putnam)
  • WINTER STREET, by Elin Hilderbrand (Little, Brown)
  • ONE IN A MILLION, by Jill Shalvis (Grand Central Publishing)
  • DOWN AND OUT, by Kelley R. Martin (Kelley R. Martin)
  • DRAGONFLY IN AMBER, by Diana Gabaldon (Dell)
  • Tuesday, October 21, 2014

    #REVIEW - The Story of Santa Claus by Joseph A McCullough


    DESCRIPTION:
    Every December 24th millions of children eagerly await a visit from a large, bearded man in a red suit. But where did Santa come from and how did he evolve into today's Jolly Old Saint Nick?


    Well before Washington Irving's legendary poem 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' shaped the modern vision of Santa Claus riding a flying sleigh pulled by magical reindeer, his story actually began about seventeen hundred years ago in the Eastern Roman Empire. There, a young orphan named Nicholas became famous for using his inheritance to give gifts to the needy. In his most wildly-known story, he threw bags of gold over a wall into the house of a destitute merchant, so that the man would not be forced to sell his daughters into slavery. Eventually, this young and holy man became the Bishop of Myra and lived a life of faith and miracles, fighting injustice and protecting the weak. Even after his death, his miracles continued, and he is credited with saving sailors, healing the sick, and even raising the dead. In time, he became known as St. Nicholas the Wonder Worker.


    In the numerous centuries since the passing of Saint Nicholas, his story has grown, developed, and been combined with numerous other legends. In the Netherlands, he became known as Sinterklaas, the old man who brought presents to children with the help of his assistant Zwarte Piet. In England, he became Father Christmas, the living embodiment of the holiday.


    Fully illustrated with original color drawings, Santa Claus celebrates the story of his beginnings as a holy man in Ancient Rome, through his development in the Middle-Ages, to his current, likeness on advertisements, greeting cards, apparel and decorations - right down to real-life mall-based family photo opp. It is a winding, magical tale filled with mystery and good will towards all men, sure to fill even the most jaded scrooges with a little bit of Christmas magic.

    A portion of all of the profits from this book will be donated to help disadvantaged children throughout the world.

    MY TAKE:
    3 STARS
    According to Amazon, this is Non-Fiction, Political and Social Sciences and Sciences. Interesting. For people who would enjoy reading tales of how ‘Santa Claus’ came to be throughout history, then this book would be enjoyable read for them, especially in the genres the book is listed in. Honestly, I thought I was getting a book that was much more classic of ‘our’ Santa Claus, and aimed more towards family, especially our children, but I was very wrong. I truly think it was the cover that clearly gave me the wrong idea. It looked so inviting, especially for children. The only thing this book will do for our children is put them to sleep, although maybe that is what a 'goodnight story' is all about. Your children are not going to understand anything in this book until it gets to the end when it has The Night Before Christmas poem in it, and when it talks about Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. I did not enjoy this book, sadly, and it's a shame for your children because they won't understand this at all. You will ruin Santa if you do read this to them, again only if they can understand it. Allow your kids to grow up and become adults before you give this one to them to read ruining what we know of Santa today. Allow them to be able to make their own decisions, too. Don't believe me? Get the sample and read it. Also know that Chapter One in the sample stops before it gets to become to difficult and technical for children to understand.
    This book starts all the way back to the early years of AD. There were so many things I could not buy in the stories that were told ‘word of mouth’, such as God talking to people, (that belongs in the bible) having visions of God coming to them in their dreams where He tells them to do this or that. I believe in the bible, NOT a book like this that is telling us stories asking us to believe in them. If this were the case, these stories would be in the bible, but they are not.
    Not until towards the end of this book does it start to talk about the Protestants coming here to the US because they wouldn’t buy into the Catholic religion and wanted to split off and have the freedom to do so, and the versions of Santa Claus (or whatever the author called Santa at that point). It was the Protestants vs. the Catholics. The Protestants won over their version of Santa here, but wasn’t freedom of religion mostly why they came over here in the first place? It wasn’t until the 1820’s that people started to claim they saw a man flying through the air with reindeer. This was the start of ‘our’ Santa Claus as we know him today. When Clement Clarke Moore wrote a poem called ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, this still remains today as the most popular and widely read poems of all time. (Heck, my daughter could recite this entire poem when she was eighteen months old! I’m NOT kidding! Word for word! She LOVED it! Heaven knows we read it every night, even when it was not even close to Christmas!) This is not told to us until the 77% mark, so we went through a LOT of supposed Santa history before we even get NEAR to today. You can imagine ALL of the made-up stories that happened prior to this! There are a LOT of them!
    Mrs. Claus - no one has a good story for how she came to be.
    Why ALL these years people felt the need for a Saint who only did good for the good children/people, I do not know, but we still have that, don’t we . . . except the bad children are NOT punished when they WERE way back then! Yes, they got nothing, or something to make them act good! Instead, today we glorify bad kids behavior despite, so maybe back then it wasn't a bad thing that they didn't put up with it at all! I think we have at least that part backwards today! Although the kids would not side with that!
    If you think you want to read ALL about this saint, you’ll love this book. I think for the majority of people, we’ll still like the current ‘fairy tale’ version! I do! Nothing will sway me from it, either.

    One more thing. 1939. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Gene Autry and Montgomery Wards! (Some of you may be too young to know what Montgomery Wards is!) The invention of Rudolph helped us get through World War II. The rest of you know the rest! I feel there are much better books out there when it comes to the history of Santa Claus and I have enjoyed them much more so than this one. I received this book for FREE from the Publisher, Osprey Publishing, and NetGalley, in exchange to read and write a review about it. "Free" means I was provided with ZERO MONIES to do so, but to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading it and giving my own honest opinion no matter whether it is positive or negative. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the law set here: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html., The Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, 16 CFR 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising Federal Acquisition Regulation.



    ebook: $ 9.89
    print:  $12.30