My Christmas Curse

by Joan Gable

Joan Gable does it again. She weaves a tale full of nostalgia and memories—perfect for the Christmas season.

Overview:
What’s a Christmas Curse? It’s the unfortunate phenomenon that has plagued travel writer Megan Blake since childhood. She has very bad luck between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and it tends to get worse as Christmas approaches.

Meg had her boss and peers in stitches at the office Thanksgiving party as she told them stories of funny, awkward events that always seem to happen to her at Christmastime. Upon hearing her stories, her boss convinced her to write a daily column recapping her funny Christmas Curse stories.

Join Meg on her twenty-six day journey. As she writes a daily column about her Christmas Curse, she learns that no matter how unlucky your past may be, your future can always be bright.

Genres: Christmas, Romance, Fiction, Holiday, Contemporary, Friendship, Amazon

160 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 25, 2013

About the author

Joan Gable writes contemporary women’s fiction that is nostalgic yet rings true to life. She’ll have you wondering if her stories are really fiction.

When she’s not writing or learning the business of being an author-preneur, she’s trying to be a kind and loving wife, mom, role-model, sister, friend, aunt, daughter, and housekeeper (she’s having a very challenging time with the last one!).

Reviews

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Christmas Curse – What a delightfully different Christmas book! Megan Blake is a travel writer with a new assignment. It stems from a whimsical discussion at an office party about some of her mishaps and misadventures during the winter holidays. Each day, she writes about a different memory. Some of her stories are hilarious! Some are less funny but still amusing; others are wistful, even sad. Does she elaborate and embellish the truth? Probably. After the first column is a dud, Meg gets on a roll and soon learns that she has quite a following. Her mother calls her every day, and even strangers are sending her e-mails about her writing.
It sort of becomes a case of “what goes around comes around” when she writes about some of her dating experiences, since it turns out that the guys are reading her column too. The good, the bad, and the ugly? Maybe, maybe not.

The style featured in this little gem features Meg’s daily stories, which I really enjoyed. It reminded me of a Christmas about a ten or more years ago when my siblings and I decided to create a Christmas memory book for our parents. We each wrote a page or so recalling favorite holiday memories from our childhood. Many of us had the same memories, of course, like sneaking into “the locked room” to steal a peek at our unwrapped gifts, which we did for years, until someone got caught. Meg’s stories all featured what she called her “curse,” something that always went wrong or prevented the event from happening at all.

What I liked about the way these little sketches unfold was how they triggered memories for me. They also help Megan appreciate her past, enjoy her present, and look forward to her future. I also loved the relationship she has with her mom and the way that her dad’s outlook changes throughout the book. Best of all, those curses, she realizes, are something that happen to everyone throughout the year, and they are not all that terrible. Through writing about all those little episodes, she is able to reconcile some of those relationships that ended badly and – surprise! There is one unexpected gift this Christmas for Meg! Perhaps there is no Christmas curse this time around.

4 stars

[WeeBee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought of this almost like an advent calendar. Little adventure each day. Sweet and predictable as most Christmas stories are but enjoyable at the same time. I enjoyed the development of Meg’s relationship with her mother as any mother would. I also enjoyed her father’s mental health issues and how they chose to deal with and help him. And the fact that although there was improvement they intended to go further for professional help. I felt the siblings didn’t interact as much as I anticipated but that happens as people mature and have their own lives and families.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun take on a Countdown to Christmas. Some of the escapades made me laugh out loud. I would love to travel as much as she seems to in this story but since she's a travel writer that makes sense. Loved the descriptions of the men she used to date and how she meets up with them later...too funny.

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable, different take on holiday recollections and present interactions between the main character and her family and friends. Some of her comments are hilarious; others more pensive; but all of them resonate with me as I was reading this book.

4.5 stars, raising to 5 for its great method!

[Kerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feel good holiday read. Slow and steady with a happy ending.

[Virginia Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read

I like the easy flow of Mrs. Gable's writing, the topics are all something that can be stories right from my life. Nothing so far reaching that I can't possibly put myself there. I can put "me" in any one of the books I have read, (loon lake series + this one). To me that makes the book sweet and a nice change for an afternoon read. The editing is spot on, or at least very few errors, which is important to me!

I enjoyed the main character Meg, although I didn't like the way Mrs Gable tied the players from the loon lake series, not having met Meg in either of those books, but this is why I am not giving the fifth star. Meg and Sammy spent an important day, had an important conversation, and then Sammy disappeared. To me, that is not necessary. If I enjoy the way an author writes, I seek out other books, its unnecessary to spend a chapter that has no meaning to the story just to promote other books. That chapter confused me, was there going to be a story about the mountain Lion? Meg is a travel writer, this cat was in a backyard? Meg did nothing with it? Or did I miss something? Well, its possible I missed the point all together, I just felt that writing this was just to talk up the loon lake series. Of course, then there is Alaska in March another reference made to the loon lake series! Never mentioned in the Loon lake Series BTW!

All that aside, I do recommend this story, even if you read it in July. (Its a Christmas Story) Its a heartwarming story. Not action packed and very very G rated.

[Marilyn Geary · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging Christmas tale

I enjoyed the style, the flow, the usage of the main character's occupation, a journalist, writing articles to give us insight into her life. I liked that it gave closure, hope, and a possible new beginning. A good read slightly romantic, but mostly about family and old friends. Recommended.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meg is a writer and on Thanksgiving she amused some friends with stories of her Christmas curse. They thought she should share her stories by writing one a day for the day of December till Christmas. Her stories are enjoyable but illustrate how each of us have similar problems. It is an amusing and delightful book.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Curse?

Such a fun read. So much meaning written in each curse episode. Since I was born in Ft. Wayne Indiana I recognized many of the description of family life in the Midwest. Just a sweetly written, funny family story.

[evelyn p oliger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read..

I think this story is amazing. For her to believe that she was the only one with a Christmas curse. It happened to the best of us. I loved the book. And I'm looking forward to the next one.

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this festive story. I really didn’t expect to, but it was just perfect to read at this time of year as I begin my festive readings. Yes there are a few predictable bits, but it was simply a lovely festive story. A book I’ll read again I’m sure.

[Janice · Rating 1 out of 5]

Where was the editor??? Aside from the many grammatical errors and misspelled words, the writing was childish. The main character acted more like a teenager than someone in her 40's. Really wanted a heartwarming Christmas story not boring so-called Christmas curse anecdotes.

[Viola M. Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing journey through memories mislabeled as the Christmas Curse!

I enjoyed the. In depth look at memories, the ultimate conclusions drawn by the maincharacter, ANF the depiction of a warm and blessed family, in spite of problems.!

[Susan brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure Pleasure

What a wonderful book. So many happy memories came back to me about my own family Christmases. A real joy.

[Adrienne Sweeney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute Christmas story

Loved this little Christmas story. So cute and light hearted but some great advice for us all. Just what I needed to start off season!

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a light story and a quick read. The perfect Christmastime book.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

A refreshing twist on the usual holiday rom-com plots. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Danette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good Christmas book to read in the season and this was just great.. Great length, great concept, great ending. Good stuff. No, great stuff.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, cheesy Christmas story. I liked how each chapter started out with her articles and how the author tied them into the storyline.

[Melanie Byrnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple but charming Christmas story.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute Christmas tale which grows on you.



Any book with Christmas in the title which crosses my path, particularly at this time of year is literally a guaranteed read for me I love Christmas books.
When I started this it didn't have any UK reviews but the reviews I did find were very mixed, while some loved it others couldn't finish it, one couldn't get past the first chapter and another commented it could have been written by a thirteen year old, I was intrigued, I mean I was always going to read this book anyway, it has Christmas in the title.
Megan Blake is convinced she has a Christmas curse, this goes back as far as she can remember and on the lead up to christmas she's writing a cute little article detailing her curse, giving the readers examples and letting them judge for themselves. Yes, we know she's not actually cursed and it's just a series of unfortunate incidents happening around Christmas and as you know things always seem more vivid and memorable if they happen around a major holiday or event.
On starting this book the main thing that surprised me was Megan's age, I don't know why but I never expected her to be 42 years old, it really threw me.
A few pages in and I understand the reviews now, all of them.
I can see the appeal of this book, cute little Christmas tales from the past which move the story along making Meg think about her past therefore giving us a much fuller picture of her life, and we're there with her when she meets the past again, but I'm struggling with her age and the writing style, I can see where the reviewer was coming from when she pointed out this could have been written by a thirteen year old, it's weird I just can't get my head around Meg being 42.
I have to say the more I read the more I got dragged in, no that's not right, the more I got charmed in, I wanted more of these little stories and I wanted her to meet up with Crush.
I've enjoyed this book, not initially I'll admit but the more I read the more I enjoyed it, it's cute and charming but, and I know I keep harping back to this but I couldn't get my head round the fact that she was 42 she seemed so, so much younger.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to BookBub.com I am now able to inundate my Kindle with free books. I'm still determining whether this is a good or a bad thing. This is a review of one such freebie.

The plot seemed simple enough in a good way. A female travel writer expands her horizons by writing a column related to horrible events that have happened to her in or around Christmas throughout her life. In the process she rekindles a relationship with an old crush and makes amends with some of those exes who have wronged her in the past. Easy enough.

Where this plot failed for me is that every single character, including the men who cheated on her, all seem so goody two shoes. Sure, it's sometimes nice to experience a simple, happy story set in a season that's supposed to mirror good will, but this tale overdoes it on the glad tidings. And as for Meg's belief and columns related to her "Christmas curse," they don't read as horrible events so much as platforms to imbue us with more in-your-face, You Should Be Grateful sentiment. It's all just over the top and there's no real dramatic turning points or moments that lead you to speculate what's going to happen next.

This definitely wasn't a great read for me, but if you're just looking for a quick, harmless, hokey story ending with the author's "why I wrote this book" explanation, this may be an ok selection for you. Personally I was happy to see an author admit she's not a writer but gave the effort anyway. For that alone I give this book two stars.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was like the day after Christmas when the family is sitting down in front of the lighted Christmas tree, having hot chocolate (with a candy cane to stir), the fire is going in the fireplace and memories are being shared. The story is about Meg Blake, a travel writer who has been asked by her boss to write a serious of special articles after hearing stories Meg shared of funny Christmas incidences. And so begins a journey into memories, sometimes difficult sometimes funny and sweet. The articles make Meg realize that perhaps she's not cursed but, like George Bailey, has really had a wonderful life. Joan Gable has given us a Christmas story sure to bring back our own memories, not just of Christmas but those special times we've had with family and the quirky traditions we all have. Will look forward to more of Ms. Gable's writing.

[J · Rating 1 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 1.5 stars

It took my over three weeks to finish reading this book, even though it's fairly short. I liked the idea of metafictive elements as the protagonist published a short story in her newspaper column every day in the lead-up to Christmas. An advents calendar but in the form of reminiscent stories. Trouble is, My Christmas Curse was very mundane.

Sure, there were sweet moments but on the whole, I felt very lukewarm towards the book. With such a title, I expected the book to be either funny or sad. It was neither. What got to me the most though was the constant moral preaching thinly veiled by the protagonist's personal experiences. I didn't appreciate that. It wasn't a terrible book by any means but it sure was bland and the holiday mood hardly touched me at all.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure if I would like this book, because of the title. It sounded like a downer. Meg writes for a newspaper, and has pitched the idea of a series of columns on her Christmas Curse, or bad things that happened to her at Christmas time. She had nice stories about some bad things that happened, but stated that they are the things that made her what she is today. She learned positive lessons from these negative trials. She gets many positive emails and phone calls, after people read her columns. She hears from two of her old boy friends, who seem to want to get back together with her. She goes home for Christmas, and she gets together with her teen aged crush, and they seem to have something going for them.

[Lorna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a light, humourous read concerning Meg. A forty something woman who is convinced she has a Christmas curse as there always seems to be something that goes wrong for her over the festive period. She has a daily column that recounts some of her funnier mishaps for the reading audience, one for each day of December leading upto Christmas day.
Asides from the column the reader also gets to see how Meg is faring now, and how her column actually makes her realise that it's not just her, theses things happen to everyone and also that unlucky things are not just reserved for the festive period but maybe just a little more noticeable within the context.
Witty, light, and easy to dip in and out of. Worth a read.

[Donadee's Corner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christmas memories

Meg was a travel writer, for Christmas this year she took on a column of what she described as her Christmas curses. Each day she would write a story about her disastrous Christmases.

What did I like? This was a very inspirational story but not about faith in the way you would think. It was more about finding faith in yourself.

What will you like? Simply a great story, with awesome descriptions about everything from the places to the characters. Wonderful experiences that could be yours. The story line has all the elements to make you laugh, cry and be happy. Don't miss this really intriguing story for making new memories in your life.

[Antoinette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, I read this book in February, and the story is about the days leading up to Christmas, but to my defence I have to add that I read 'Christmas' books all year long. Nothing better to get me in a good mood!
I liked the columns at the start of the chapters - it is hard to write columns which are interesting ánd entertaining. I also liked how everything fell into place when Megan bumped into some of the people from her past, mentioned in the columns.
Not spectacular, but a pleasant, quick read, which captured the atmosphere of the holiday season.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a nice inspiring read. Meghan Blake has bad luck of sorts every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Her editor at the newspaper where she works as a travel writer has challenged her to come up an article a day leading up to Christmas. Each chapter is another article as well as what led up to the situation or what happened after. Meghan finishes each with her own thought about what she has learned and what she hopes for those reading the column. Very enjoyable quick read. Thanks Bookbub for the free book.

[Lisa Robbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a sweet, fun book about the days leading up to Christmas. Megan Blake is a newspaper columnist who was asked to write a special column in the month of December recounting stories of her past Christmases and her "Christmas Curse". The column stories bounce around the years, but it's fun to see Meg reminisce about past Christmases while looking forward to a trip home for the current one. A super fast, easy read that was very enjoyable. I found myself laughing with Meg's stories and pulling for her to have a great Christmas with her family...and perhaps a special someone?