From the Stacks: Spirited Novels

The perfect December evening between all the social gatherings should involve a warm beverage in a jolly mug and a stack of Christmas themed novels. With the light of the tree and a scented candle, your mood will change to relaxation and comfort. Choose a Christmas romance or a holiday mystery and fan the flame of the Christmas spirit.

Becky Brandon has returned from the States to live in the charming village of Letherby and work in a gift shop. Life is good, especially now that Becky takes time every day for mindfulness that actually means listening to a meditation tape while shopping online. When Becky's parents ask her to host Christmas this year, what could possibly go wrong besides menu and gift demands and the appearance of an old boyfriend? As the countdown to Christmas begins and her big-hearted plans take an unexpected turn toward disaster, Becky starts to wonder if chaos will ensue, of if she will manage to bring comfort and joy to Christmas after all. Sophie Kinsella’s Christmas Shopaholic is full of laughs and a great way to get in the holiday spirit.

Kiss Me at Christmas by Jenny Bayliss is an enjoyable read with echoes of a Dickens’ Christmas. When Harriet’s college-aged daughter opts for Manhattan's winter wonderland instead of Christmas at home, Harriet finds herself not feeling bright and merry. Harriet will takes the fall for some students who break into the town's old Winter Theater. To get the students off the hook, the theater's elderly owner requests that Harriet direct the washed-out stage's final Christmas performance. Harriet will do anything to help the kids. Directing the play with the owner’s lawyer will not exactly change her life, but it might just reignite the Christmas spirit and remind her what makes life merry and bright again.

Laid off from her department store job, Carmen has perilously little cash and few options. The prospect of spending Christmas with her perfect sister Sofia and her perfectly ordered yuppie life does not appeal. Frankly, Sofia does not exactly want her prickly sister Carmen there either. Sofia has yet another baby on the way, and a client who needs help revitalizing his shabby old bookshop. So Carmen moves in and takes the job. Thrown rather suddenly into the inner workings of Mr. McCredie's ancient bookshop on the picturesque streets of historic Edinburgh, Carmen is intrigued despite herself. Can Carmen breathe new life into it in time for Christmas shopping? Jenny Colgan’s appealing story, The Christmas Bookshop, sprinkles a little frosty magic in the December air.

Yummy food is one of the best parts of the Christmas season, but a good yuletide mystery does not hurt either. Hannah Swenson and her good pal Lisa have agreed to provide all the goodies for the town's annual production of “A Christmas Carol”. Before

anyone can say "Bah, humbug!" a Santa-sized sackful of trouble ensues. Like the fact that Lisa's husband will be playing Mr. Claus to his ex-girlfriend Phyllis Bates' Mrs. Claus. Or that before the curtains even go up Phyllis is found dead in the snow wearing a costume that the real Mrs. Claus would put on the naughty list. The suspects pile up faster than snowdrifts in a blizzard while a merry murderer remains on the loose. With clues even harder to find, it might take a visit from ghosts of Christmas past to wrap up this mystery in time for the holidays. Christmas Caramel Murder by Joanne Fluke is a quick read with interesting characters and great dialogue.