Give Books for Christmas and Save!

     I'm all for taking advantage of downloading free Kindle books, but they are really hard to wrap! You may also find that some of the recipients on your Christmas shopping list either don't own ereaders or they prefer to do it old school and read actual paper books. Here are some ways to help you save money during your holiday shopping.

     If you have students on your shopping list, you can help them save plenty on their text books through a Chegg Coupon or Bookbyte Coupon. There are several coupons available to choose from including free shipping when you buy text books to a discounts on text book rentals. Even way back when I was in college, text books used up the majority of my school budget, and they have only gotten more expensive.

     For those really tough people on your shopping list that you can't buy books for, you can browse thousands of coupons at Coupon Code Zone where you can find something for everyone.

**This post brought to you by Coupon Code Zone.

A Christmas Carol - Featured Review

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

     "Marley was dead: to begin with." Another memorable opening line by Dickens. It sets the mood and leaves no argument that when Marley appears, he is most certainly a ghost.

     This is a classic tale that has been told and retold many times by Hollywood. Of all of the different versions that I have seen, it is surprising to note that The Muppets' Christmas Carol is the most true to the original text as Gonzo plays the role of narrator quoting directly from the book.

     One of my favorite Christmas traditions that we started years ago involves reading A Christmas Carol. There are only five chapters and every year, on the 20th of December, we read the first chapter and it becomes our countdown to Christmas, reading a chapter a night and concluding with the final chapter on Christmas Eve. We did modernize this tradition a couple of years ago by downloading the audio book so that we can all read along instead of taking turns reading out loud. I'm not sure I prefer this method though as it makes it a little more difficult for impromptu discussions mid-chapter.

Top Ten Tuesday - Free Christmas eBooks

     These e-books are currently* available for free on Amazon and are good and festive to get you in the holiday spirit. The top four will be this December's monthly picks.

My Only Wish by Anna Robbins is a contemporary romance that takes place within the Christmas season. Read my review.

Married by Christmas by Scarlett Bailey is listed as Comtemporary Fiction on Amazon, but I'd bet it is a romance. Read my review.

The Cricket on The Hearth by Charles Dickens never reached the notoriety of A Christmas Carol but is another Christmas story written by the classic author.

The Night They Nicked St. Nick by Carl Ashmore is a story that the whole family can enjoy.

Licence to Love by Kristen James. I love free boxed sets and can never pass them up, this is a set of four holiday themed romance stories!

December Featured Author

     I'm going to do Something a little bit different this month. I have chosen 4 different previous featured authors that have Christmas books available so that I can keep a theme of Christmas stories for the entire month. This month's featured reviews will be A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Santa's Twin by Dean Koontz, Skipping Christmas by John Grisham, and House on Hope Street by Danielle Steel!

Get A Job! - Review

Get a Job! by Donnie Love Genre: Humor

     With this review I should probably make a double disclaimer. While this review was not solicited by the author, I did not need to purchase a copy of it as the creator is my brother. With this said, I will be an unbiased as possible.

     This book is a graphic novel, which is a polite way of saying that it is a comic book. It is a collection of the comic strips that Donnie has been producing for years that are based on his personal experiences working in auto parts factories in Detroit, MI and pokes fun at some of the every day life occurences in the life of a factory rat. While those who have worked in factories will be able to relate to many of the situations, even those who have not will find many chuckles between the covers. For an example of his unique style of humor feel free to visit Donnie Love's Factory Rats website.

Christmas Crimes at Puzzel Manor - Saturday Short Review

Christmas Crimes at Puzzel Manor by Simon Brett Genres: Mystery, Holiday

     If you enjoy mysteries and solving puzzles then this is an excellent Christmas selection for you. While the story in itself was enjoyable, I found the plot easier to figure out than the puzzles. In fact one of the puzzles was only easy to solve because I had already guessed what was going to happen so knew what solution to look for. However, I DID read this book five or six years ago and while I couldn't actually remember the plot, there may have been some subconscious intuition at play where I just thought I had figured things out early and I was actually remembering it.

     The puzzles are fairly difficult but if you enjoy the challenge of a tough puzzle you will find them up to par. If you find the puzzles are too hard, fear not, the answer is at the end of the chapter and the solution is given in a way that if you just want a bit of a hint to try to proceed on your own, you can do that too.

Crossroads Road - Pick of the Month Review

Crossroads Roads by Jeff Kay Genre: Humor

     And I thought my family was crazy! This novel takes a look at the king of all dysfunctional in-laws. Jovis McIntire's wife is the only sane person in her family. When her mother, Sunshine, hits a $234 million lottery jackpot she designs her very own subdivision and offers a custom-built house to each family member along with two million dollars cash. There is a catch of course. If they take the deal, they have to live in this familial subdivision for the remainder of the mother's life. Sunshine is a control freak. Since she is footing the bill, which she makes sure to mention often, the remaining family members are walking on eggshells until the houses are constructed and they receive the deeds to their new homes and the funds promised to them.

     This story was a real joy to read. The situations are hilarious and the antics of Jovis's in-laws are horrifying. It is hard to believe that he doesn't go off the deep end immediately with all the drama that is going on around him. It literally had me laughing out loud in many places.