Christmas countdown #4

The weather has turned chilly here this week, thank goodness.  I really can't get into community holiday events when it is 70 degrees outside like it was yesterday.   The slight damp, brisk breeze and temperatures in the 50's make the right combination to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the afternoon.  

So, taking a break from children's Christmas books and classics, here are two of my personal favorite reads.  

Brenda at Coffee Tea, Books and Me has a great list of books for grownup reading.  She and I agree on a couple of the selections and I found a few on her list that I want to read this season.

On of my very favorite Christmas reads is the Shepherds Abiding in the Mitford series by Jan Karon.  Jan is another NC author and the books of this series are set in quaint town in the NC Mountains (near where my son attended college and now lives).    I missed the Mitford books when they were first being published and enjoyed my first title several years ago as an audiobook.  I needed a distraction during a long car trip with my daughter, who was 12 at the time.  If you have never read the books, do get the first of the original series in audio. This is one of the only times I would ever recommend listening to a book before reading it; I love the reader's voice for Father Tim.    We were both hooked by the end of the first book and listened to or read the entire series over the next month or two.

The plot of  Shepherds Abiding centers around the Christmas season in which Father Tim purchased a very old nativity set.  A mystery ensues with a surprise ending.   You will enjoy this book, even if you have not read the previous books in the series. 

A also recommend the tiny books, The Mitford Snowmen.  It is the perfect size for reading with one pot of tea in one sitting.  Even if you are unfamiliar with the characters and back story, you will appreciate the humor and sweetness of the story.

Do you have a favorite Christmas book?   One you always read with your children?  Please leave a comment - I need some new titles in my Christmas shelf.