Review: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

If you’re new to the classics scene, especially Victorian era classics, and have been previously daunted by the length of Victorian novels, I recommend trying A Christmas Carol. I enjoyed this novella. In only a few pages, Dickens creates interesting characters that you care about and a story you want to finish. Even if you've seen movies based on this tale the book is still worth reading. 

Dickens was a master at writing for his audience, pulling on just the right strings, and those strings still pull 21st century readers. The supernatural element creates a surprisingly spooky environment for a Christmas story. I have to wonder if people thought Dickens was crazy -- “You’re going to write a ghost story about Christmas?” -- but it works and is truly a wonderful, touching little story about a greedy man who reconnects with the important things in life -- people. Did you read A Christmas Carol? What did you think?

Publisher: Dover, 1991     Pages: 68
Rating: 5 Stars     Source: purchased copy

Review: Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

Today's review is from my mom! Enjoy!

With a cute cover and holiday-themed title, Skipping Christmas had all the right stuff to entice me to read it.  Having an obvious Scrooge-like sentiment as its title, I wanted to know what would make someone have that mentality, and how they could pull it off in a modern world.

Luther Krank, the tax accountant protagonist, decides he will not participate in Christmas, and he means all of it – the money spent being his number one complaint.  Living in a large city where he is constantly, aggressively bombarded with pleas for his charity and goodwill, he decides to forgo Christmas and take his wife on a luxury cruise instead.  What follows is a “shock and awe” reaction from his friends, coworkers and neighbors. No Frosty the Snowman on his roof?  No annual Christmas dinner for 50 of his closest friends?  No tree, calendar, fruitcake purchased for the Boy Scouts, Policemen's Charity, Fireman's toy drive? Scandalous!  Ridiculous!  Unheard of!

Although not everyone will experience the Krank's stress during the Holidays, everyone has experienced some form of these stressors: traffic congestion, sickness, absent children, needy people, greedy people, bad weather, etc.  I could understand why Luther decided to escape to a tropical climate and indulge in a little “me time.”  But his carefully calculated scheme unravels and is rewoven into a celebration of a different sort, one with an unusual twist, wrapped in kindness and generosity. 

Snow or no snow, presents or no presents, in sickness and in health, Christmas will come and go, and this story emphasizes that it's how we behave and live out our values that matter much more than whether everything looked, smelled and tasted picture-perfect.  After all, that only happens in our dreams! 

Publisher: Doubleday, 2002     Pages: 177     Source: purchased copy