Tuesday, December 01, 2020

by Joanne Mengel

I’m usually not one to rush the holiday season, but with all the turmoil 2020 has given us so far this year,  I say we start early. Fond du Lac Public Library has loads of holiday themed reading at your fingertips. I compiled a list of my favorite new books that are available for checkout right now. The building is closed to the public Monday through Friday but feel free to place holds on any of these and arrange for curbside pick-up seven days a week, or you may come in and browse for more holiday titles on the weekend. ‘Tis the season!

Christmas Card Murder  by Lee Hollis and Peggy Ehrhart: A collection of three holiday-themed novellas includes Leslie Meier's "Christmas Card Murder," in which the discovery of an old Christmas card with a nasty message finds Lucy Stone investigating a decades-old murder.

A California Christmas by Brenda Novak: Spend the Holidays in Silver Springs, where the greatest gift of all is the love you never expected. Part of the Silver Springs series, this one is sure to please all you romance lovers out there. 

Christmas at Holiday House by RaeAnne Thayne: A young widow endeavoring to give her little boy a wonderful Christmas relocates to Silver Bells, Colorado, where she works beside a single-minded businessman to restore his historic family mansion in time for the holidays. What better setting than Colorado at Christmas time?

Holding out for Christmas by Janet Dailey: A demure kindergarten teacher with dreams of Nashville stardom makes a difficult choice when she reunites with a smitten and wildly attractive rancher during an annual Western-themed Christmas ball that launches a holiday season of romance and promise. And, there are puppies!

One More for Christmas by Sarah Morgan: A brush with mortality compels a tough-love businesswoman to gather her estranged family for a Christmas reunion in Scotland, where she teams up with her adorable granddaughter to help her daughters reconcile. The author really touches on the importance of family. I loved it so much I read it in a day!

A Dog’s Perfect Christmas by W Bruce Cameron: The problems fracturing the Goss family as Christmas approaches are hardly unique, though perhaps they are handling them a little differently than most people might. But then a true emergency arises, one with the potential to not only ruin Christmas, but everything holding the family together. Is the arrival of a lost puppy yet another in the string of calamities facing them, or could the little canine be just what they all need?

An Ivy Hill Christmas by Julie Klassen: If you enjoy historical fiction, this holiday novella is for you. In the late 1800s, haunted by an old secret, Richard Brockwell prefers to stay away from Ivy Hill — until his mother threatens to stop funding his carefree life unless he returns for Christmas. Will Christmastime in Ivy Hill, with all of its divine hope, surprises, and romance, work its magic? Short, but so enjoyable.

Willing to wait? Here is a list of new titles that have a waiting list. Place your holds now - I am sure they will be worth waiting for!

The Noel Letters by Richard Paul Evans

The Christmas Table by Donna VanLiere

Jingle All the Way by Debbie Macomber

A Princess for Christmas by Jenny Holiday

One Bright Christmas by Katherine Spencer

You also can find even more great holiday reads at our "Seasonal Reading" display near the central staircase!

Joanne Mengel is a member of the Information Services team at the Fond du Lac Public Library.