Sunday, November 13, 2011

The Christmas Shoppe

ImageThe Christmas Shopper
Written by Melody Carlson
Published at Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group

About the book

The small town of Parrish Springs is not quite ready for Matilda Honeycutt.

A strange older woman with scraggly gray hair and jewelry that jangles as she walks, Matilda is certainly not the most likely person to buy the old Barton Building on the town's quaint main street. When it becomes apparent that her new shop doesn't fit the expectations of Parrish Springs residents, a brouhaha erupts. After all, Christmas is approaching, and the last thing the town needs is a junky shop run by someone who looks and acts like a gypsy. But as townsfolk venture into the strange store, they discover that old memories can bring new life and healing.

Once again, Melody Carlson delivers a Christmas story that will touch hearts and delight the senses. Sure to be a classic, The Christmas Shoppe is filled with the special magic the best Christmas stories share—that intangible mixture of nostalgia, joy, and a little bit of magic.

Who is Melody Carlson?

Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books with sales of more than five million. She is the author of several Christmas books from Revell, including the bestselling The Christmas Bus, The Christmas Dog, and Christmas at Harrington's, which is being considered for a TV movie. She is also the author of many teen books, including Just Another Girl, Anything but Normal, Double Take, The Jerk Magnet, and the Diary of a Teenage Girl series. Melody was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books in 2010 and 2011. She and her husband live in central Oregon. For more information about Melody visit her website at www.melodycarlson.com.

My Thoughts

This book is interesting for the fact that it contain a story that is set up during the Christmas season in a small town.    The characters are interesting and you get feel/see the magic through the pages of it.

The story line is quite simple.  A stranger arrives to town and purchase a building in the downtown core.    When the other store owners in that section realized what she is doing with the building, there is an uproar.   They want her out of there.  But what they didn’t expect in exchange was the healing process that Matilda Honeycutt has started in the citizen of the town who comes through the door of The Christmas Shoppe.

And when Christmas comes around, Matilda can’t be found anywhere….   Makes you wonder if she wasn’t an angel after all.

I enjoyed reading this refreshing book though at times it seemed too good to be true.   I guess part of me would like to have a shop like this in the city where I could discover old memories hidden in my soul and start a healing process.  The stories behind each character is quite interesting though I have found that some of these stories could use a little bit more detailed information.   For example, at some point someone offers to purchase the newspaper of the town and the owner is seriously thinking about it.   But the two people don’t talk to each other.  The whole idea is mentioned through a third party.   Little disparities like this can bother some readers.

Christmas type of book are not for everyone but I find that every year it is good to read at least one.   

The Christmas Shoppe is available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, even at amazon.ca.

Disclaimer:  Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

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