Christmas Reading: Part 1

Every year I get nostalgic for the Christmas of my junior year of highschool when we were assigned Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol which I vividly remember reading in my parents' living room next to the glittering tree. I loved it so much and completely forgot it was even homework. Every year, I say I'm going to re-read it and read other Christmas books, but I never find the time, so deciding to try audiobooks this year is working out splendidly for me. Many of these are short no matter what format you read them in, but I'm practically flying through them. It's so nice to read this many Christmas stories during such a busy season. I haven't gotten to A Christmas Carol yet, but am planning to read it next week along with my blogging buddy Riv over at Bookish Realm and another blogging blogging buddy of hers, Sam over at Tiny Library. 'Tis the season!

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, by Barbara Robinson
Series? Yes, The Herdmans #1
Publisher: Harper Children's Audio
Date: First published in 1972; audiobook published in 2005
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Publisher

I first read this book in the 6th grade, and reading it as an adult, I completely get why it was assigned at my Catholic grammar school. It's a very entertaining story about the Herdmans, a family of miscreant children who know nothing about church or Christmas and participate in a pageant for the very first time. It teaches morals and values while also telling the religious story of Christmas. The shenanigans the Herdmans get into are interesting enough to hold kids' attention and the lessons aren't stuffy or preachy, but they are most certainly there. In addition to the story itself, I would be remiss not to mention how incredibly good the narrator's performance is. This audiobook is the perfect example of how a great narration can make a story even better than it is in print. I don't generally read children's books quite this young, but this one has made me want to read the other two Herdman books! I just read that the author passed away over the summer, but I'm sure this very special book of hers will live on for a very long time.

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NPR Holiday Favorites, by Susan Stamberg
Series? NPR has other collections, but not technically a series
Publisher: HighBridge
Date: 2008
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
My Rating: 3 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Publisher

I'm not exactly sure why this is considered an audiobook, but apparently it is -- it's filed with the audiobooks in the library and has an ISBN and everything, but it's really just a collection of holiday broadcasts from various NPR shows. My feelings are split on this one. There were quite a few heart-warming stories that I really enjoyed, but some of the others that were supposed to be funny fell a bit flat for me. David Sedaris' Santaland Diaries is always a good one, but I skipped it on here because it isn't the full version. I listened to it on his Holidays on Ice collection instead. In total, it's only about 2 hours long, so it was definitely worth listening to even if every story didn't hit it out of the park. And I do think it would be nice to listen to in the car while travelling for the holidays.

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Holidays on Ice, by David Sedaris
Series? No
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Date: March 5, 2013
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
My Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Author | Publisher

I listened to this audiobook for the first time 5 years ago, and I could have sworn it was funnier. I love humor books, but I'm starting to think David Sedaris' writing isn't exactly my brand of humor. I did laugh a bit, but each story seems to be hit or miss for me. Santaland Diaries, Sedaris' story about working as a Macy's elf, is a classic and still quite good. Six to Eight Black Men is offensive at times, but a mostly funny account of some Dutch Christmas traditions that seem pretty absurd. Jesus Shaves was definitely my favorite story in the whole book and it isn't even about Christmas! In this story, Sedaris is in a French class where he and his fellow classmates give halting, literal translations in an attempt to explain Easter to a student who is unfamiliar with the holiday. Christmas makes only a very brief appearance, but this story is the shining jewel of the collection and Sedaris' narration of it is outstanding. Unfortunately, most of the others were just OK this time around. Not a waste of time, but overall this re-read was not as good as I had hoped it would be.

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These books count toward my reading goals for:
2013 Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge

Weird Things Customers Say in Bookstores

Weird Things Customers Say in Bookstores by Jen Campbell
Series: Not per se, but there is a 2nd volume out in the UK
Publisher: Overlook
Date: Sept. 13, 2012
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Author | Publisher

WARNING: This book will cause uncontrollable laughter. Do not read in public if cracking up in front of strangers is something that embarrasses you. If you are supposed to be doing something else, but want to surreptitiously read a book instead, don't choose this one because you will totally get busted. Don't hide this one inside War & Peace and expect to get away with it. Seriously. You've been warned.

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Words can hardly express my love for this book! I first heard about it when Kay of It's a Book Life shared a link to an excerpt featuring 10 different snippets in one of her bookish news posts. I knew right away I had to read it and immediately put in a request at my library. Two days later I picked it up and had to force myself to not read it in one sitting because I wanted the enjoyment to last just a bit longer. I had been plodding though a bit of a slow book and this was just the break I needed. I brought it with me to my grandmother's house Mother's Day weekend and some of my more bookish relatives were laughing along with me as I read out some of my favorite passages. My aunt took it up to bed with her and finished it that night!

It's a slim volume and anyone who loves books and bookstores will get a kick out of it. If you've ever worked in a bookstore, other retail establishment, or any job that deals with the public, you will get a kick out of it. If you're amazed by the foolishness that comes out of people's mouths sometimes, you will most definitely get a kick out of it. A few of the anecdotes in the chapter 'Customers Behaving Badly' were more appalling than funny, but all of them will leave you have shaking your head and asking yourself, "How could someone really say that?!" You will appreciate your neighborhood booksellers all the more after reading this one, that's for sure. Read. This. Book. Just do it, because I can't imagine you would possibly regret it. :)

Oh, and the author also has a Tumblr that will make your day if you're a book lover.
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This book counts toward my reading goals for:
2013 Books About Books Challenge