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THE CHRISTMAS DOG
BY MELODY CARLSON
Christmas miracles can come from unlikely sources.
Betty Kowalski isn't looking forward to the holidays. She just can't seem to find Christmas in her heart. Maybe it's because her husband is gone. Maybe it's because she's missing her children. Or maybe it has something to do with her obnoxious new neighbor, who seems to be tearing his house apart and rearranging it on the lawn.
But when a mangy dog appears at her doorstep, the stage is set for Betty to learn what Christmas is really all about.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books, several of them Christmas novellas from Revell, including her much-loved and bestselling book, The Christmas Bus. She also writes many teen books, including Just Another Girl, Anything but Normal, the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, the TrueColors series, and the Carter House Girls series. Melody was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books, including the Notes from a Spinning Planet series and Finding Alice, which is in production as a Lifetime Television movie. She and her husband serve on the Young Life adult committee in central Oregon.
MY REVIEW:
This is a perfect holiday book. It is short so you can enjoy a good story while your time is so limited during the madness of the holidays and it conveys a good message of how something good, including love, can come around when you least expect it. It also will get you in the holiday mood if you are not already!
Perhaps Betty Kowalski needs a book like this as she is having a hard time getting in the holiday mood and with good reason. This year she will be by herself, missing her husband. It also doesn't help that she has an annoying neighbor, Jack, who is the bane of her existence or so she thinks. Leave it to a sweet puppy to solve her problems.
A puppy appears on Betty's doorstep and he is a cutie but she is in no mood for this. She thinks the puppy belongs to that creep next door, Jack. The poor puppy wanders back and forth between their two houses while neither Betty nor Jack will claim him. They obviously have one thing in common-stubbornness! When Avery appears, she immediately falls in love with the puppy. Avery is Betty's granddaughter who, it seems, has run away from her family. Now Betty loves Avery but feels caught in the middle as she knows she has to support Avery's parents and yet she feels sorry for Avery and understands where she is coming from.
What happens with Avery and how the puppy makes a difference in all their lives is a touching story with some twists and turns that in the end will remind the reader of the message in this book about finding things when we least expect them. Does Betty finally get into the holiday spirit and will Avery make up with her parents? What will happen to the puppy and how does Jack wind up in all this at the end? This and much more will help to put YOU into the holiday spirit and as you read the book it will give you some enjoyable down time when you most need it during this hectic time of the year. I know of at least 3 people I would give this book to right now and I am sure they could benefit from it.
EXCERPT:
HERE IS YOUR CHANCE TO
WIN ALL THREE BOOKS IN THIS
REVELL CHRISTMAS TOUR
BINGLE BELLS BOOK BUNDLE!
CLICK ON A BOOK FOR A LINK
ALL ENTRIES TO WIN THIS BUNDLE WILL
BE DONE THIS TIME AT THE END OF
EACH POST AS YOU WOULD NORMALLY DO!
A WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN BY
MY COMBINING ALL ENTRIES
FROM EACH POST
INCLUDING THIS ONE!
RULES:
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY, SORRY
--NO P. O. BOXES, PLEASE
--ALL ENTRIES MUST CONTAIN
YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
--EACH COMMENT MUST BE MADE SEPARATELY
OR THEY WILL NOT COUNT
AS MORE THAN ONE ENTRY!
HOW TO ENTER:
+1 MORE ENTRY: ENTER ONE MORE OF MY ALREADY ANNOUNCED GIVEAWAYS AND COME BACK AND TELL ME ABOUT IT...IT MUST BE ONE YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY ENTERED, PLEASE! YOU MAY WANT TO CLICK ON THE CHRISTMAS CLOCK IN THE LEFT HAND COLUMN TO GET TO MY EASY TO SEE ENTRIES PAGE WITH LINKS TO THEM ALL!
+1 MORE ENTRY: CHECK OUT THE EXCERPT AND SCROLL THROUGH AS YOU READ AND TELL ME ONE THING IN THE EXCERPT THAT YOU FIND OUT
6 PM, EST, DECEMBER 4
THAT WAS EASY!
NOW WATCH FOR YOUR
NEXT SYMBOL TOMORROW!
38 comments:
Yes...I could REALLY benefit from some down time! 2009 was a difficult year due to personal issues and the stress has really taken its toll. Hopefully, some holiday down time and a positive outlook for 2010 will give me what I need to soldier on!
miller4plusmore(at)bellsouth(dot)net
Thanks for the giveaway =o)
I entered your The Christmas Bowl giveaway after reading these entry guidelines.
miller4plusmore(at)bellsouth(dot)net
Oh, I'm such a push-over for any book featuring a dog! I'd love to enter for this. And of course I could use some down time during the holiday season. Who wouldn't like some down time. Then I could sit down with a hot cup of cocoa, snuggle up with my dog, and read a wonderful book like this. :o)
ludeluh at yahoo dot com
Just entered your giveaway for the classic edition of The Christmas Carol, for an extra entry for The Christmas Dog. Great seletion of Christmas books you are giving away!
ludeluh at yahoo dot com
I read through the excerpt, and learned that Gladys Spencer has a pink guest bathroom with dainty pink soaps and monogrammed pink towels. :o)
ludeluh at yahoo dot com
I loved the part where she sees the discarded pink toilet and compares it to herself...old and abandoned. Pretty clever! What a great excerpt...made me want to read the book even more!
miller4plusmore(at)bellsouth(dot)net
Yes I could use some down time this holiday season. My kids have me searching all over for their hard to find wishes! What the appeal is of those fake hampsters, I have no idea.
lizzi0915 at aol dot com
+1 I have read the excerpt and learned that she has elderly neighbors, the Spencers whose house is not as well kept as it once was.
lizzi0915 at aol dot com
I plan on taking some down time during the holidays, especially regarding blogging! :) Will spend extra time with family and friends.
email in profile
I think everyone could use some down time during the holiday season. We all seem so busy with decorations, gifts, etc that we don't really relax and enjoy the season. I'd sit down and read a good book!
mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com
I just entered the giveaway for the Sedaris audio tape.
mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com
I found that Betty is having a disagreement with her neighbor over the location of the fence between their properties.
mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com
Luckily we have shutdown over the holidays so I will definitely get some much needed downtime with family
msboatgal at aol.com
I could definitely benefit from some down time during the holidays, not because I am busy with Christmas but just because I am tired. Life is too fast and we tend not to stop and smell the roses. I want more fragrance! Thank you for having this giveaway!
lag110@mchsi.com
I would definitely like downtime for the holidays. The first thing I would do would be get my Christmas cards done. milou2ster(at)gmail.com
Definitely! Taking lots of vacation leave this month. It's been a rough year... calamities, furlough, dental health issues... need the time off!
delilah0180(at)yahoo(dot)com
I also entered The Magic Warble giveaway.
lag110@mchsi.com
Entered National Parks giveaway!
delilah0180(at)yahoo)dot)com
I learned that Al and Gladys Spencer used to own Spencer House, once the prettiest house in the neighborhood!
delilah0180(at)yahoo(dot)com
I could use some down time this year. I am disabled, just had a heart problem and emergency heart cath. My mom is turning 88 and having a hip replacement the next day. My son and his wife just had their hours cut at work. My sister's family is all having problems. So a break in woes would be good. This book looks like a good escape.
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
I just entered the I, Alex Cross audiobook giveaway
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
I don't care about "down time" - I want to go go go! I want to see all my kids and grandkids. I miss them all so much!!!
libneas@aol.com
Down time would be great-2009 was not my best year ever, I had a personal tragedy that thru me for a loop.
thanks for the giveaway.
chocolate and croissants at yahoo dot com
I entered the Christmas clock giveaway
chocolate and croissants at yahoo dot com
I work in retail! Downtime is at a premium this time of year--
!!
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com
I actually don't really need down time during the holiday season. At least not for this holiday season. I'm looking forward to the crazy hecticness of it all!!
zedster.tbb(at)gmail(DOT)com
Who couldn't use more time? I wish I myself would make time for me..but I don't..seems like I always can find something that has to be done and that's not right, I know.
anjamie4 AT gmail dot com
I entered for the lovely National Parks book
anjamie4 AT gmail dot com
I think it is cute how she named the street Nutmeg Lane in this holiday book.
anjamie4 AT gmail dot com
Oh, yes, I could definitely use some downtime. Thanks for the great giveaway.
dlodden at frontiernet dot net
Betty misses her old neighbors, the Spencers. Theirs was the most lovely house in the neighborhood until their health failed and they moved into assisted living, then passed away within months of each other. Now Jack Jones is her neighbor and she definitely doesn't like him. I wonder what will change about her feelings during the course of the book?
dlodden at frontiernet dot net
First, explain to me what this "downtime" concept means! No, I'd love some down time. Just to relax and get myself more in the mindset of what this season is about.
fourkidsrgreat(at)gmail.com
I just entered The Lacuna giveaway! Don't know how I missed it before.
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com
I like the way you have these excerpts posted. I like Carlson's writing and I'm intrigued by Betty and her life. Property line disputes can get ugly.
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com
This sounds like some cozy Christmas chick lit! Love the dog too. I could use some downtime (who couldn't?) because it's so easy to get swept away in the rush of the season. We have cut way back so it's not as crazy as it used to be. When my kids were little December was a blur with concerts, games, several parties, work, shopping for many more people, several family get togethers and more than a few birthdays. It's not nearly as hectic as it once was. Whew!
5wrights1[at]verizon[dot]net
The issues in the excerpt about the argument between Betty and her neighbor is so sad. We lived in a neighborhood where the same thing happened and the people never spoke to each other again!
5wrights1[at]verizon[dot]net
who doesn't need down time, just 15 mins without the I want's....
copperllama at yahoo dot com
entered I, Alex Cross
copperllama at yahoo dot com
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