I know, I’ve slacked. Stay tuned for my end of year blog review in January and I’ll cover the rest of my 2011 books there. I can’t help it, I’ve enjoyed vacation too much.

I hope you enjoyed your vacation as well.

The Christmas Shoes

(Christmas Hope #1)

Written by: Donna VanLiere
Pages: 132

Sometimes, the things that can change your life will cross your path in one instant-and then, in a fleeting moment, they’re gone. But if you open your eyes, and watch carefully, you will believe….

Robert is a successful attorney who has everything in life-and nothing at all. Focused on professional achievement and material rewards, Robert is on the brink of losing his marriage. He has lost sight of his wife, Kate, their two daughters, and ultimately himself. Eight year old Nathan has a beloved mother, Maggie, whom he is losing to cancer. But Nathan and his family are building a simple yet full life, and struggling to hold onto every moment they have together. A chance meeting on Christmas Even brings Robert and Nathan together-he is shopping for a family he hardly knows and Nathan is shopping for a mother he is soon to lose. In this one encounter, their lives are forever altered as Robert learns an important lesson: sometimes the smallest things can make all the difference. The Christmas Shoes is a universal story of the deeper meaning of serendipity, a tale of our shared humanity, and of how a power greater than ourselves can shape, and even save, our lives.

I love Christmas music. My playlist for December would take twelve hours to get through. I love it and I will admit that I tend to start listening in November. What can I say? I’m a sap.

It’s Christmas. I love it. I love the lights, I love the music, I love the cookies, and I love the hustle and bustle.

Many that know me, know I’m not the sort that cries at the drop of a hat. I’m really not into tears. That said, have you heard this song on the radio? This little waif of a kid wants to buy his mother a pair of pretty shoes so she has something nice to meet Jesus in. The problem? He’s just a kid and he’s poor and there’s not enough money to pay for the shoes.

Even a robot like me can’t help but sniffle at the thought.

I didn’t know about this book until one of my book club members opened it up at our swap. No, I didn’t get it. I ordered it, because I wanted a new Christmas read and I thought this might be good, even if I did know the outcome.

The book switched between first person (the song narrator) and third person omniscient (other players in the story).  That was a little different.

The author really explored the story and fleshed it out more.

I actually liked this and it was a nice Christmas vacation read.

I definitely recommend this book. It won’t take you more than an hour or two to read and it’s a sweet story about the life, change, and redemption.

–Lady O