Oh, friends. It's almost that time of year. Even just the cover of this book gives me a warm and cozy feeling inside!!
I've long been a fan of Christmas stories. It began when my mom would read them to my siblings and me during the holiday season...and somehow, I never grew out of loving them (Christmas stories, that is. Not my family. I mean, I still love them, too. You know what I mean.).
This particular collection of novellas has an additional perk to it: the stories are not only about Christmastime but also about the Amish. There's such a beautiful simplicity and charm about their lifestyle. It reminds me of the pioneers' lifestyle of simplicity, hard work, and care for community.
But I digress. This book is delightful. I loved curling up with it these past couple weeks and getting to know the characters. I also am a sucker for novellas. Some novellas can be cheesy but these were nice quality. Two of the authors, Cindy Woodsmall and Mindy Starns Clark, were authors I've previously read and enjoyed. I also appreciated that each of the novellas were tied together by a specific story in the beginning and all took place in the same town, with a few cross-overs of characters. My favorite story was probably Guiding Star, the first novella. It would make a great Hallmark movie! Mourning Star was intriguing as an Amish Christmas mystery novella-- a funny mix of genres! In the Stars was perhaps my least favorite but I still enjoyed it. Star of Grace was written by one of my all-time favorite authors.
This would not be a top five favorite Christmas book (because hey, there are just too many amazing Christmas classics!) but I was definitely pleased with the quality of the writing and the enjoyable holiday settings of this book! It was a perfect start to my Christmas reading for the season! Four stars.
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[Thank you to Blogging for Books for sending me a copy of this book at no charge. This review contains my honest and original comments.]
This book sounds delightful! I like cute, but not overly cheesy Christmas stories, and I love stories about the Amish-the simplicity is so refreshing! I agree, the cover looks very cozy and wonderful. I'll definitely have to look for this when I start reading Christmasy books next month!
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