Audible Book Review: The Autobiography of Santa Claus by Jeff Guinn

This is full of interesting history tidbits about Santa and other Christmas traditions.

The Autobiography of Santa Claus
By: Jeff Guinn
Narrated by: John H. Mayer

Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 12-10-04
Language: English
Publisher: Listen & Live Audio, Inc.
Genre: Biographical, Folklore, Memoir
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall, Story and Narration

Publisher's Summary
Jump on Santa's sleigh for a journey through 17 centuries of Christmas magic!
This enchanting holiday treasure combines historical fact with glorious legend as Saint Nicholas himself reveals the definitive story of Santa Claus. From his birth in Lycia to meeting Mrs. Claus and all of his helpers, Santa relates the tale of how he spread his message of generosity and the goodness of giving across the world.
Families will delight in every entertaining chapter of this holiday classic, one for each cold December night leading up to Christmas!
©2004 Jeff Guinn (P)2004 Listen & Live Audio, Inc.

Review:
This interesting work begins with Santa choosing to share his own biography to a journalist who doesn’t quite have all the facts. He tells of his birth in Lycia in 280 A.D. and shares how his Christian faith and the baby Jesus influenced him to share his wealth with others. After years the legend of Saint Nicholas was developed around his gift giving to others in his home town.

He shares how magic became part of his story as he picked up friends along his travels and how he was given different names around the world. He also shares how many of the Christmas traditions, such as stockings, trees, yule logs and much more, began.

I was fascinated and delighted by his helpful friends who include Felix, Layla, Attila the Hun, Arthur of Britain and even Leonardo Da Vinci! I was even more interested in the history, for example, learning that Christmas celebrations were banned by American pilgrims, but fortunately celebrated in the Dutch communities.

I didn’t realize until I looked at the Table of Contents on the Kindle ‘look inside’ feature that the chapters are set out so they can be read one a night for the first 24 days of December. That is a good idea and I think would make the reading or listening more enjoyable than forging through it as I did. I recommend this to families to read and share with their children during December. The story is filled with the philosophy that "it is better to give than receive."  It would be a great way to encourage finding ways to share with others instead of focusing only on the anticipation of receiving gifts.

Audio Notes: John H. Mayer’s deep voice fits the work and Santa’s personality. He captures other voices appropriately too. The listening is engaging and fun.

Source: Audible 12/24/17 Daily Deal Purchase $2.95. This qualifies for 2018TBR and Audiobook Challenge.

Audio Book Review: 'Tis the Season (Main Street #3) by Ann M. Martin

This is a sweet Middle Grade story and an easy listen.
'Tis the Season (Main Street #3)
by Ann M. Martin
Read by Ariadne Meyers

Audio CD, 4 CDs, Unabridged
Published November 1st 2007 by Scholastic, Inc.
ISBN 0545025354 (ISBN13: 9780545025355)
Genre: Family Life, Holiday, Middle Grade, Tween
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0, Overall, Story and Narration

An unforgettable holiday story in Ann M. Martin's timeless new series

It's looking to be a hard holiday season for the girls of Main Street. For Flora and Ruby, it's the first Christmas without their parents around. For Olivia, gift giving and tree decorating must be balanced with the fact that both of her parents need jobs. And for Nikki, there's the presence of her mean, angry father to reckon with. Luckily, the girls have each other--and the community around them. As Camden Falls prepares for its annual festivities, Flora, Ruby, Olivia, and Nikki all find that the hard things become easier when there are family, friends, and neighbors to share things with.

Review:
Flora (10-11 years old) and Ruby (8-9 years old) have lost their parents and have moved to Camden Falls to live with their grandmother, Min. The girls have made new friends, especially Olivia who lives next door and Nikki. Flora and Ruby love helping and doing crafts at Min’s store Needle and Thread. This is the first year the girls will spend Christmas in Camden Falls and now they are learning to accept the joy of the season with the help of their friends and the love of close neighbors.

Olivia’s parents are struggling financially, and she is worried her parents will have to move out of town to start a new business. Nikki has always had to cope with an abusive father but this year he is leaving home for work elsewhere. The family waits to see if he will send any money home to help or if he will come back with his anger.
This is a middle grade story which is warm and easy to read. It shares problems that young girls might experience and shows how friends can help as well as a small, close community. The story addresses some adult issues like loss and grief, abuse and alcoholism. It also shares in a very touching way how others can be Santa’s helpers. This read fine as a standalone although I imagine starting at the beginning of the series would be good for the intended audience. I recommend this to tweens and their parents.

Audio Notes: Ariadne Meyers does a really nice job with the narration. She provides different voices for the characters and is able to portray the emotions of the children and the older characters. I enjoyed the listening experience.

Source: Purchased used at Library Book Sale. This qualifies for 2018 TBR and Audiobook Challenge.

Merry Christmas 2018

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

There are so many wonderful Christmas songs but this one popped out at me.

We have had a year of challenges that have only made us stand firm in our faith.
This is a time to stop and remember the most important things I need to share.
I am praying that my family and friends Remember that Jesus is the Reason for Season and have a VERY BLESSED CHRISTMAS!

Christmas Eve 2018 - O Come, O Come Emmanuel

REJOICE!

Sunday Post December 23, 2018/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday December 24, 2018

I am linking with Sunday Post at Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading now at The Book Date (at Wordpress).

What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

We were able to get two closings done on Friday but I have one, maybe two that we will go in for after Christmas. I am thankful for the work.

I learned that the Contractor had only tarped the hole and not the entire roof as quoted. When it rained Thursday we still had rain coming in. They came back Friday and have now tarped the whole roof. I will find out next week if it holds against the rain. Meanwhile I am getting a second quote for the dry-out as the first one was out of line.

Hubby did a little labor he shouldn't have this week. We have a water leak under the house but it is a mystery as it doesn't stop when the water is turned off. A plumber also said it isn't impacting the pump pressure. We hope to figure it out this week.

I have local family gifts to wrap tonight and tomorrow.

My listening and reading was good this week. I finished two audio books and two ebooks. I posted four reviews on blog; one at Goodreads. And I posted my usual memes.

I only visited 19 blogs last week.
Shout Out this week to Dream Come Review. Alana is another avid reader, a "fledgling writer".
Thank you to all the nice people who visit me.

These were last week's posts:

• Sunday Post December 16, 2018/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday December 17, 2018.

• NG2018- #NetGalley Book Review: Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff by Dana K. White; Cleaning, Hoarding, How To; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0.

• ATBR- Audible Book Review: All Systems Red by Martha Wells; AI, Sci Fi, Short Story; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall, 4.5 Story and 5.0 Narration.

• NG2018- #NetGalley Book Review: A Chance at Christmas by Beppie Harrison; Christmas, Historical Romance, Holiday Romance, Regency; My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0.

• Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway December 21, 2018. Open Worldwide. Ending 12/20/2018.

• ATBR- Goodreads Audio Book Review: Gather ‘Round the Sound: Holiday Stories from Beloved Authors and Great Performers Across the Globe; Christmas; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall, 4.25 Story and 5.0 Narration.

• NG2018- #NetGalley Book Review: Someone to Trust by Mary Balogh; Historical Romance, Holiday, Regency; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement December 23, 2018.

Finished Reading:
1. Audible/Smartphone (ATBR)

Gather ‘Round the Sound: Holiday Stories from Beloved Authors and Great Performers Across the Globe
by Paulo Coelho (Goodreads Author),
Yvonne Morrison (Goodreads Author)
, Charles Dickens
, Angèle Masters (Narrator)
, Daniel Frances Berenson (Narrator)
, Magda Szubanski (Narrator)
, Simon Callow (Narrator)
, Dan Starkey (Narrator)
, John Banks (Narrator), Vern (Narrator)
I listened to this last week but forgot to include it in Finished Reading. My review at Goodreads is linked above.

2. eBook/Kindle and Smartphone (NG2018)

Someone to Trust (A Westcott Novel Book 5)
by Mary Balogh
This is an interesting historical where the female character is older than the male.
My Review is linked above.
Source: 2018 NetGalley.
Click on book title for full description.

3. Audio CD in Car (ATBR)

'Tis the Season (Main Street #3)
by Ann M. Martin
Read by Ariadne Meyers
This is a sweet MG story.
Source: Purchased used at Library Book Sale.
Click on book title for full description.

4. Audible/Smartphone (ATBR)

The Autobiography of Santa Claus
By: Jeff Guinn
Narrated by: John H. Mayer
Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins
This is an interesting history of Santa.
Source: Audible 12/24/17 Daily Deal Purchase $2.95.
Click on book title for full description.

5. eBook/Kindle and Smartphone (NG2018)

Patience for Christmas: A Holiday Novella
by Grace Burrowes
This is a delight.
Source: NetGalley 2018.
Click on book title for full description.

Currently Reading:

1. ADE/PC (NG2018)

101 Chicken Keeping Hacks from Fresh Eggs Daily:
Tips, Tricks, and Ideas for You and your Hen
by Lisa Steele
Since we have added our henhouse this year I thought this would be a good book to read.
Source: NetGalley 2018.
Spoil your chickens and beautify your coop with 101 Chicken Keeping Hacks from Fresh Eggs Daily.
Join Lisa Steele, chicken-keeper extraordinaire and founder of Fresh Eggs Daily, on a behind-the-coop tour like you've never seen. Lisa has spent years figuring out the best ways to keep chickens healthy, the natural way, and she's collected more than just your average tips.
101 Chicken Keeping Hacks from Fresh Eggs Daily includes simple ideas for re-using and upcycling old items, as well as detailed information on using natural ingredients to enhance and improve your chickens' lives without breaking the bank.
This guide includes these handy ideas and much more:
Feeding: Try homemade scratch, growing fodder, or frozen treats
The Run: Make a chicken swing or DIY scarecrow
Chicken Health: Find ideas for boredom busters, homemade salves, and herbal teas
The Coop: Keep it clean with a natural coop cleaner and make your own coop curtains
The Garden: Build an herb drying rack or brew a batch of chicken poop “tea”
So what are you waiting for? Make your chickens the happiest birds on the block!

2. Audible/Smartphone (A2018)

The Trouble with Twelfth Grave
A Novel
By: Darynda Jones
Narrated by: Lorelei King
Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
I know I picked this up at NetGalley but it will be quicker to listen.
Source(s) NetGalley 2018 and Audible Sale Purchase November 2018.
Publisher's Summary
Grim Reaper Charley Davidson is back in the 12th installment of Darynda Jones' New York Times best-selling paranormal series, The Trouble with Twelfth Grave.
Ever since Reyes Farrow escaped from a hell dimension in which Charley Davidson accidentally trapped him, the son of Satan has been brimstone-bent on destroying the world his heavenly Brother created. His volatile tendencies have put Charley in a bit of a pickle. But that's not the only briny vegetable on her plate. While trying to domesticate the feral being that used to be her husband, she also has to deal with her everyday life of annoying all manner of beings - some corporeal, some not so much - as she struggles to right the wrongs of society. Only this time she's not uncovering a murder. This time she's covering one up.
Add to that her new occupation of keeping a start-up PI venture - the indomitable mystery-solving team of Amber Kowalski and Quentin Rutherford - out of trouble and dealing with the Vatican's inquiries into her beloved daughter, and Charley is on the brink of throwing in the towel and becoming a professional shopper. Or possibly a live mannequin. But when someone starts attacking humans who are sensitive to the supernatural world, Charley knows it's time to let loose her razor-sharp claws. Then again, her number one suspect is the dark entity she's loved for centuries. So the question becomes: Can she tame the unruly beast before it destroys everything she's worked so hard to protect?
©2017 Darynda Jones (P)2017 Macmillan Audio

3. eBook/Kindle and Smartphone (NG2018)

Slay Bells: A Christmas Village Mystery
by T.C. Wescott
I saw this at a couple other Mailbox Monday posts (Carol's Notebook and another).
I thought it looked so cute - I didn't resist.
Source: 2018 NetGalley.
“If there is a list of perfect books for Christmas, then I am pretty sure Slay Bells is on that list.” – GOODREADS review
‘Twas the week before Christmas and all through the village, the night settled in over swirling-smoke chimneys.
The air was alive with pine and with holly, with sugar and cinnamon and cider, by golly!
Along snowy lanes and through shadows it crept, past windows behind which each villager slept,
Where sleeping dogs lie and cats rest a’purring—
Tonight, in Christmas Village, a killer is stirring.
Nestled betwixt an opulent garden with meandering footpaths and an ancient grove of plum trees, Plum Cottage Inn is plum-full with lodgers in for the Christmas Festival. There are no vacancies...until one by one the lodgers start dying in inexplicable ways.
Short as a stump, round as a wheel, sweet as a candy cane, and a sharp as a whip, Maribel Claus loves a good puzzle. Can Mrs. Claus solve the mystery and save Christmas?
If you enjoy the classic Golden Age small village and English country house mysteries as well as lighthearted cozies of our present day, you will fall in love with the Christmas Village Mysteries. And your love affair starts right here with Slay Bells.
Slay Bells includes diagrams of the murder scenes and a one-of-a-kind BOOK GROUP CHALLENGE.

4. Audible/Smartphone (A2018)

Storm Glass
(Harbinger, Book 1)
By: Jeff Wheeler
Narrated by: Kate Rudd
Series: The Harbinger Series, Book 1
Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
This was in my Wish List and somehow my Hubby got it for free this weekend. He started listening so I will read it too.
Source: Audible Free title 2018.
Publisher's Summary
From the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Kingfountain Series comes the first novel in a bold and richly imagined world.
Theirs is a world of opposites. The privileged live in sky manors held aloft by a secretive magic known only as the Mysteries. Below, the earthbound poor are forced into factory work to maintain the engine of commerce. Only the wealthy can afford to learn the Mysteries, and they use their knowledge to further lock their hold on society.
Cettie Pratt is a waif doomed to the world below, until an admiral attempts to adopt her. But in her new home in the clouds, not everyone treats her as one of the family.
Sera Fitzempress is a princess born into power. She yearns to meet the orphan girl she has heard so much about, but her father deems the girl unworthy of his daughter’s curiosity.
Neither girl feels that she belongs. Each seeks to break free of imposed rules. Now, as Cettie dreams of living above and as Sera is drawn to the world below, they will follow the paths of their own choosing.
But both girls will be needed for the coming storm that threatens to overturn both their worlds.
©2018 Jeff Wheeler (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

December 23, 2018 - I am up to date and enjoying the One Year Bible plan reading through You Version App. I am doubling now because I need an extra five days as I started five days into the year.
I am really enjoying the 10 day reading plan for Christmas: Our Daily Bread Christmas: Gift of Grace.
[You can check out audio of the One Year Bible Plan on the companion commentary online.]

I completed five books (one from last week) and posted five reviews. That leaves 3 current reviews to post.
I am slowly adding reviews to NetGalley, Goodreads, Amazon and Audible. I still have older ones to catch up on too.
I am working on three more NetGalley titles which will reduce my shelf to 6. I have 2 additional on request and will pick up more before the year is over.  I now have four author titles in queue. Still many through InstaFreebie and many new author requests I haven't replied to.

Welcome to Mailbox Monday.

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. This Meme started with Marcia at A Girl and Her Books (fka The Printed Page) and after a tour of hosts has returned to its permanent home at Mailbox Monday. Thanks to the ladies sharing hosting duties: Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit and (yours truly). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.
I added two book titles from one author.
I picked up one Audible daily deal.
I didn't pick up any Kindle paid titles.
I only picked up 2 free kindle titles again. (Note these are in my Amazon library, NOT on my Kindle until I download and transfer them.)
Are your mailbox and TBR piles blooming?

Review Titles

Author Review titles to read in January and February:

Vigilante Assassin: An Action Thriller (Jake Wolfe Book 2)
by Mark Nolan

and

Killer Lawyer (Jake Wolfe Book 3)
by Mark Nolan

I enjoyed book one of the series and reviewed it at this link: Dead Lawyers Don't Lie.

Won

I won a book through an iRead Book Tours giveaway. Thank you Laura at iRead.
Lullaby Road
by James Anderson
"Winter has come to Route 117, a remote road through the high desert of Utah trafficked only by eccentrics, fugitives, and those looking to escape the world."
This suspense thriller sounds interesting.

Purchased

I purchased only one Daily Deal 12/23/18 $3.95.
Heaven Adjacent
By: Catherine Ryan Hyde
Narrated by: Laural Merlington
Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
Release date: 06-19-18
"a bittersweet novel about healing old wounds and finding a new place to call home…"

Free

My Hubby picked up a free Audible which added to our family library:
Storm Glass
(Harbinger, Book 1)
By: Jeff Wheeler
Narrated by: Kate Rudd


I still have one more Audible Original which I will pick this week with my two December Audible Credits.

I only added 10 free titles to my Kindle library over the past week. Only a little side time adding free books this week.  Titles found linked through Bookbub, Bookfun, Ereader News Today, Free Par-tay, Ignite Your Book, Inspired Reads, Pixel of Ink or Kindle ebooks.