Play Book Tag discussion

Please post your reviews of your Fall Flurries Books for December here. You might read a book that is about Hanukkah, Christmas, Boxing Day, Kwanza or other topics which relates to December.
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The Gift of the Magi - O. Henry - 5 Stars - 12/4/25

The Gift of the Magi is one of my favorite short stories and is considered a Christmas classic.

To be able to give a meaningful Christmas gift to each other, Jim and Della both sacrifice the thing that is special to them without a second thought. Selflessly, both of them make a sacrifice to make the other happy, which is a beautiful sentiment.

Unlike other books, there are no conflicting things throughout the story; Della and Jim always show their love for each other and show selflessness when it comes to the other person’s happiness. I feel like "Gift of the Magi" is a truly unique Christmas story, and I'm glad I took the opportunity to reread it this holiday season.

Olivermagnus wrote: "
The Gift of the Magi - O. Henry - 5 Stars - 12/4/25

The Gift of the Magi is one of my favorite short stories and i..."

I love this story - I've seen a one-act play of it. Also Sesame Street had Bert & Ernie do the equivalent. I found this on line:

This story was been retold by the Muppets several times. The first was on the album Merry Christmas from Sesame Street and later filmed as part of Christmas Eve on Sesame Street. In this version Ernie and Bert trade in their most prized possessions at Hooper's Store so that they can afford Christmas presents for each other: Ernie his Rubber Duckie for a cigar box to hold Bert's paper clip collection, and Bert his paper clip collection for a soap dish to hold Rubber Duckie. In contrast to the original story, Mr. Hooper, realizing what is happening, returns Rubber Duckie and the paper clip collection to Ernie and Bert in the spirit of Christmas.

I too love this story, and actually just re-read it last night as it was the read for the 2nd day of an old online literary advent calendar (linked in the current Kaffeeklatsch). I don't recall the muppet adaptations, but there have been film adaptations that I have loved. After re-reading it, I made a mental note to see the one I remember most favorably - which I believe starred Marie Osmond as Della. Yes, it dates me and I think was in the 1980s.

The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose

3 stars

It is Christmas time and the Molly Gray is excited to spend time with her family and boyfriend Juan Manuel. They both work at the Regency Grand Hotel; her as the head main and him as a pastry cook. The holidays also bring an annual gift exchange for the staff at the hotel that has caused Molly some issues in the past. As she plans for Christmas, Molly notices that Juan is busier than usually and questions some of his actions.

This is a sweet book for the holidays. The author has Molly stay true to her good hearted personality that is present in the other books in this series. There are misunderstandings that lead to hurt feeling, but it is the holidays and people are on her side. Nita Prose portrays the mix of characters well and adds some in for humor, but it is Molly that the reader cares about.

GR is glitchy tonight, not letting me save reviews or post them to PBT. I'll pick it up tomorrow, but wanted to post here, if GR lets me.

I'm doing a couple of Literary Advent Calendars where you read excerpts or short stories or even poems relating to the holidays. I also have a couple of short stories from series I've read which are set at the holidays. Thus, my December reading for Flurries will mostly likely only be short works, though I just discovered that my final The Compass read is set just after Christmas, as the Chinese New Year approaches - and I'm counting it too.

The first couple of short stories I've read so far and just reviewed:

The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry, which Olivermagnus also reread recently and posted a beautiful review. It's one of my favorite stories to revisit in this season, a true classic celebrating the gift of love between a young couple with deep love and poor finances. It's also been adapted many times, my favorite being from around 1978, The Gift of Love starring Marie Osmond and Timonthy Bottoms.

Another read from one of the literary advent calendars was The Elves and the Shoemaker based on Grimm's Fairy Tales: Forever Classics. It's the tale of a poor shoemaker who suddenly finds that each morning, the shoes have been made for him. I adored this as a child, as much for the story as for the illustrations in the copy we had - probably a Little Golden Book. What I had forgotten was that this is set in part at Christmas! I was just as charmed this time around.

One of the poems read in one of the advent calendars is e.e. cummings' A Little Tree. Look it up.

Theresa wrote: "GR is glitchy tonight, not letting me save reviews or post them to PBT. I'll pick it up tomorrow, but wanted to post here, if GR lets me. .."

I had a lot of trouble with one of mine last night, too. Finally managed to get it done, luckily.

Winter - much of action takes place during December and culminates just after Christmas.

Murder by Lamplight by Patrice McDonough - 4 stars.

I was reading this for a PH prompt and belated realized that not only is it set primarily in December, but it culminates just after Christmas and insights into the MC come to the fore during the Christmas holiday.

I recommend this highly as a murder mystery steeped in the history of a pivotal time in the later Victorian era. It's first in a series, and while not quite the first book published by the author, it's quite an impressive series debut.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Winter

The Winter Fortress: The Epic Mission to Sabotage Hitler's Atomic Bomb by Neal Bascomb - 5* - My Review

The Winter Fortress tells the amazing true story of Norwegian commandos who sabotaged the heavy water plant at Vemork during World War II. The Germans needed deuterium oxide to develop an atomic bomb, and the facility in occupied Norway was their primary source. A team of resistance fighters (who were trained in Britain and dropped into the Norwegian wilderness), planned and executed a raid on the heavily guarded plant in February 1943. Bascomb portrays how the commandos used their familiarity with Norwegian terrain to survive conditions that stopped German pursuers. The book alternates among Norwegian commandos, German scientists, British intelligence officers, and plant workers. It reads like a mystery-thriller. The scientific explanations are presented without slowing the momentum. The book also looks at the ethical dilemmas of wartime, especially with respect to risking civilian casualties. I enjoyed learning more about the Norwegian resistance. This is one of those books that some people call “non-fiction that reads like fiction.” Highly recommended!

Winter

February by Lisa Moore - 3* - My Review (set mostly in February 1982)

Helen is a widow living in St. John's, Newfoundland. Her husband Cal died in 1982 when the Ocean Ranger oil rig sank during a storm, leaving her to raise their four children alone. She struggles with grief while working multiple jobs and taking care of her kids. Cal appears to her in flashbacks: their courtship, marriage, his departure for the rig. We also view her children’s lives at significant milestones in their lives.

It is written in a quasi-stream-of-consciousness. The storyline moves between past and present, in a fragmented fashion, from 1982 to 2008. I presume this method is intended to reflect the way memories come to us at random moments. These short sections frequently jump between time periods, which means the reader must piece together the chronology.

The novel is about long-lasting grief. It is a fictionalized version of a real event. Helen's grief never stops and becomes incorporated into her daily routines. One of my personal issues with books is fragmented storytelling. I much prefer narratives that flow seamlessly, but I can understand the reason the author chose it. It is a nicely written book, and ending is well crafted.

The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah by Jean Meltzer; 4 stars



I recognize its time for me to stop calling the author Motzah Ball Meltzer. That was her first book, and the first one I read. And so it kind of stuck... But given the intensity and complex depth of her themes, I have been thinking the moniker, while I love it, its no longer right. Ladies and gentlemen, her first name is Jean.

I am am a sucker for Jewish themed books, and particularly, this obscure category I am now calling Ghanukah Romance. And yes, there is a goodreads list for that. I have read a lot of that, and always at the season, to get and keep me in the mood. Motzah Ball Meltzer, and yes I loved it that at one point in our story, our heroine is actually reading The Motzah Ball!, she is very good at getting the magic of the season, to fit alongside some often very difficult themes, usually to do with severe disability. And other tough traumatic themes.

It took me a moment to get with the premise of the story. Our heroine Evelyn has worked hard her entire career, and has the opportunity to produce A Christmas Carol for CBS, with a very hard to manage star. This is going to propel her career to great heights if she can survive the antics of this British Megalomaniac. But she has other problems to fight. Much like A Christmas Carol, the book takes place over the Eight Nights of Chanukah, and Evelyn is visited by the Eight Hanukkah Heartbreaks. This would be a lot to take, if Evelyn did not also suffer debilitating migraines which cause (sometimes) some delusional behavior in their extremes. I have to admit it was clever, and it did take me a moment to get into it. But once I was in, I was absolutely hooked - and especially on Audio. Evelyn is read by Dara Rosenberg, the entire book is, and she is a quite popular narrator for Jewish heroines. I have heard her at least 6-10 times in my Hanukkah listening.

Enter Heartbreak/Heartthrob David - Her ex-husband who left her two years ago, after a trauma. Although its clear from the beginning that his assertion that she left him first, that immediately tracks. And you know what you are dealing with. Evelyn just has to learn to see it for herself. David is literally too good to be true, and we really eventually do need to see him "blow." Evelyn is challenging, but also likeable. The therapist in me wanted her to "get it" and grow quicker than she does, but I was heartwarmed by her eventual ability to do it. I was happy that the book didn't turn her into a shrinking violet housewife, and allowed her to be herself and have her career and her success matter. Evelyn is quirky and colorful, and full of a lot of pain as well as love. I enjoyed this one, as I have everything our Jean has written. I do love a book that highlights Jewish life and culture and knowledge. It does indeed feel like coming home. Thank you for this one. It was both fun and moving.

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren



Very cute. A Recommend from Theresa and countless others. After the relationship finally started to develop, I got into it faster and deeper. I ended up being actually really moved by the Mountain cabin as a character and the relationships held within this group of intertwined families. And a holiday theme at this time is always perfect. 3.5

The Festival of Lights - 16 Stories; Multiple Authors; 3 stars

Truth is, I have never been a lover of short stories. But there were a few good ones in there! My favorite actually read as memoir, and I thought it was beautiful and perfect. It was the one where the guy describes his own childhood with the one gift rule, set down by his mother. That one really captured something for me. Happy Chanukah everyone!

A Very Scalzi Christmas
3 stars

Cute. Sure laughs and a big awwww 😊.

by Jacqueline Frost - 3 stars

After 4 years of Christmas murders, Mistletoe, ME has attracted even a set of true crime podcasters to the scene- just in case. This year is a big one for Mistletoe with an anniversary and the town is celebrating with a Victorian theme and Holly's mom is going for the world record for the largest gingerbread man. Unfortunately a body ends up in the batter ending all hopes for a happy Christmas season. With a friend of the family accused and the victim's mother a guest in the inn, Holly cannot help but help the investigation.

I will continue to enjoy this series. I appreciate the fun that the author pokes with the town and others being aware of the curse of a Christmas murder every year. This year she even adds a character with her name as Jack Frost and chill whenever she appears. This one seemed less plausible to me as situation around the crime and the perpetrator didn't quite match the person trying to stop the investigation. They were too meditated and aggressive. I'm interested to see what happens next year though truly they should all just skip town somehow for Christmas.

Snowstorms & Sleigh Bells / Kelley Armstrong
4 stars

This is a holiday novella as part of the author’s time travel series. In a previous book, Rosalind had spent four years in the 21st century, all the while trying to get back to her family in the 19th century. She finally was reunited, and now it’s two months later and Christmas is coming.

Rosie, her husband, August, and their 5-year old son, Edmund, will be spending the holiday with their good friends at Thorne Manor (their friends’ home). Unfortunately, there is a room in Thorne Manor where the “stitch” is located when they travel back and forth in time, and though the room is normally locked, Edmund manages to get into the room, and disappears into the 21st century.

I really liked this. I loved the holiday “feel” of it. It’s another short, quick read, but really enjoyable. I also love the cover.

Back to Jan Karon's Mitford as Christmas time. Such a feel good story just when I needed it.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

The Greatest Gift: A Christmas Tale by Philip van Doren Stern
4 stars

If you love the movie It's a Wonderful Life, you must read this story that was the movie's inspiration. The story is perfect and the back story about it's origins is absolutely worth the short amount of time it takes to read.

Lyn wrote: "The Greatest Gift: A Christmas Tale by Philip van Doren Stern
4 stars

If you love the movie It's a Wonderful Life, you must read this story that was the movie's inspiration. The st..."

I recently just added this to my TBR! It's a favorite that I watched the other night, and saw a semi-staged radio play version off-Broadway in NYC. I've recently been on the lookout for the written sources for some of these beloved classics.

by Erin Sterling- 3 stars

The third and most recent of the Ex Hex/ Grave Glens series shifts to Wales and Christmas time instead of Halloween in Georgia. Bowen suffering from guilt at the lost of his best friend hires a private seeker of magical items, Tamsyn, to try to bring his friend back. Slowly finds that he likes having her in his somewhat lonely life despite her being only human and not a witch at all. When circumstances bring them to a Yuletide wedding at a manor haunted by its past and a bit of its present, Tamsyn and Bowen need to solve the mystery to save themselves.

I appreciated that most of the tension in the book was around solving the mysteries and trying to get back to the present and the romance could be be a bit more low key though of course there were uncommunicated insecurities and hang ups there as well. There was much going on but I enjoyed the yuletide break.

Very late review. So anyone who knows me, knows I love my holiday Chanukah Romance Audios, and my favorite of these are Liz Maverick. Although Amanda Elliot can give her a run for her money when it comes to Jewish Romance and Food! Naturally I inhaled this a Pre-Chanukah treat. Many of Liz's narrators are the same. Andrew Eiden has done many of her books, plus those of Sarah Adams and others. Turns out, this one is a spin-off of last years "Booked For the Holidays" and clearly, no one read my review. Because he continued to narrate, or the producers insisted, the friend in this book, but the hero in the first - the characters name as Dov. But not like the beautiful white Dove. No, kind of like He Dove into the pool. Liz and Andrew, any Jewish person, which is your target audience, would be weirded out and unsettled. Just in case their is a third spin off. I gather you are going for consistency here - but really. At least Dov was a minor character.

Liz Maverick does Chanukah and New York City extremely well! This one was darling, and featured a charming bookstore in an incredible community. The female heroine is dealing with loss, and while you root for her, one is quite anxious for her to see what is right in front of her. Caleb. Was it Caleb and Sophie? This is a bookshop you want to visit. And a really delightful pair. The meaning of the fudge ritual actually really moved me, and showed how Sophie moved through her loss toward love and possibility. I thought the whole thing was adorable, really charming and fun, and very well done.

Don't worry Liz, I have a couple more of yours left to enjoy. I did complete the entire Eight Winter Nights Series over the course of four years, and a few other intermittent. but I do know you will be back for next Chanukah.... Thank you, and Happy Chanukah to you!

Cozy for the Holidays by Liz Maverick; 4 stars

Very late review. So anyone who knows me, knows I love my holiday Chanukah Romance Audios, and my favorite of these are Liz Maverick. Although Amanda Elliot can give her a run for her money when it comes to Jewish Romance and Food! Naturally I inhaled this a Pre-Chanukah treat. Many of Liz's narrators are the same. Andrew Eiden has done many of her books, plus those of Sarah Adams and others. Turns out, this one is a spin-off of last years "Booked For the Holidays" and clearly, no one read my review. Because he continued to narrate, or the producers insisted, the friend in this book, but the hero in the first - the characters name as Dov. But not like the beautiful white Dove. No, kind of like He Dove into the pool. Liz and Andrew, any Jewish person, which is your target audience, would be weirded out and unsettled. Just in case their is a third spin off. I gather you are going for consistency here - but really. At least Dov was a minor character.

Liz Maverick does Chanukah and New York City extremely well! This one was darling, and featured a charming bookstore in an incredible community. The female heroine is dealing with loss, and while you root for her, one is quite anxious for her to see what is right in front of her. Caleb. Was it Caleb and Sophie? This is a bookshop you want to visit. And a really delightful pair. The meaning of the fudge ritual actually really moved me, and showed how Sophie moved through her loss toward love and possibility. I thought the whole thing was adorable, really charming and fun, and very well done.

Don't worry Liz, I have a couple more of yours left to enjoy. I did complete the entire Eight Winter Nights Series over the course of four years, and a few other intermittent. but I do know you will be back for next Chanukah.... Thank you, and Happy Chanukah to you!

The Winter Witch by Paula Brackston; 4 stars

I have always enjoyed Paula Brackston, and this Series has been on my TBR since the dawn of my Goodreads time, which really means around 2016. Might as well be the dawn of time. I will absolutely continue with Morgana and Cai, fabulous interesting characters. Morgana is a witch and she's also mute, since the loss of her father. But there is another witch in town pretending to be good, and cursing her and Cai, who will not be stopped. So instead, the town turns on her. Great witchy winter love story!

Fulfills two end year categories for me. Its the very last of the Play Harder Prompts for List Four, and is a December Fall Flurry. Works for me.

Delightful Holiday Cozy set in Santa Fe
Feliz Navidead

Review- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Perfect for a long road trip ...


Deck the Halls – Mary Higgins Clark & Carol Higgins Clark – 3***
Mary Higgins Clark and her daughter, Carol Higgins Clark, combine their talents in a mystery series featuring the collaboration of the two writers’ lead characters – Alvirah Mehan, former cleaning lady who won the lottery and is now an amateur sleuth, and Regan Reilly, daughter of a famous mystery writer and a licensed private investigator. This is an interesting and fun mystery. The reader always knows who the culprit is, but it’s fun to watch the police, Regan and Alvirah arrive at the solution.
LINK to my full review

The Secret History of Christmas Baking: Recipes & Stories from Tomb Offerings to Gingerbread Boys by Linda Raedisch

Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

A Highland Christmas

Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Christmas

The Christmas Pig by J.K. Rowling - 4* - My Review

Sweet children’s Christmas story about a young child who has lost his beloved toy pig, called Dur Pig (aka D.P.). Something magical happens on Christmas Eve that leads Jack into the Land of the Lost, where all missing things go. Along the way, he encounters various lost objects who help or hinder his quest. This short novel is told in two parts: Jack's realistic family life dealing with divorce and a newly blended family, followed by his fantasy journey through the Land of the Lost. By the end, Jack learns a few important lessons. It works as both an adventure and an allegory and would be a good one to read together with children going through a similar family disruption. I am obviously not the target audience, but I was looking for a whimsical non-romance read for Christmas Eve and this book fit perfectly.

Santa's Dragon by Doug Preston - 5 stars

Tbis is the story of Pueblito, the last dragon who one Christmas Eve in Santa Fe, New Mexico saved all the special Christmas gifts for Santa Fe's children. Santa changed Pablito into a magic Christmas Train for one night to help deliver all the children's gifts. Then Santa invited Pablito to live at the North Pole with all the other dragons.

Charming whimsical cihidren's picture book for the holidays with nice illustrations.

Three Holidays and a Wedding



I think you guys know I adore the holiday season reads, particularly Chanukah Romance. This one I have to say was clever and really fun, well woven. Set in the 90's, when Ramadan, Christmas, and Chanukah all fell at exactly the same time, a plane strands a Muslim wedding party, a young woman raised with Chanukah and Christmas, who is grieving, and has a really sucky boyfriend who is about to propose to her. On the turbulent flight, our two unlikely heroines reveal themselves and their true essences, and that is the start of an incredibly unlikely friendship. They end up stranded in Snow Falls, where a Christmas movie is being filmed, and where for some reason, all holidays are represented in this unknown idyllic little town. This book was super fun, and I enjoyed learning about Ramadan as well, and seeing our heroines fall in love. The family parts of it, were the best for me. Maryan's Dadu, and Anna's Stepmother Beth. I found it to be the perfect Holiday Season read. Take me to Snow Falls. There is indeed magic there.

Christmas

Small Things Like These, Keegan, Claire, 5 stars
Simple story about an act of moral courage, against a shameful practice accepted as the status quo.

Time of the Child, by Williams, Niall *, 4 stars
Sad, intense and heartwarming book set in Ireland.

10 Things I Hate About Christmas, Pine, A.J., 3 stars,
Cute som-con set in the town ofTinsel. Silly but it fit my mood.

Hanukkah romance


The Matzah Ball – Jane Meltzer – 4****
This was just the kind of light romance reading I needed at this time. Meltzer does deal with some serious issues: family expectations, self-doubt, forgiveness, and how the handicapped are treated and/or ignored. But the focus is on the push/pull, enemies-to-lovers relationship between Jacob and Rachel. And it was a complete delight to watch these two not only fall in love, but realize what they were in danger of missing.
LINK to my full review

I'm late with this one, and there's one more to go. Is it really 2026 already?

Highland Christmas - Beaton
Audio performance by Graeme Malcolm
4 stars

I’d forgotten all about Hamish Macbeth. I think he used to ride around in my car in boxes of cassette tapes checked out of the library. Thanks to a timely recommendation, this novella was a fun holiday visit with an old friend. This series started in 1985 so it was interesting to find Hamish worrying about mobile phone use interfering in a police raid.
Not to worry it’s still mostly word of mouth and local gossip that helps Hamish solve a criminal case. It’s also local knowledge and community support that helps him provide a happy Christmas for those who needed it most.