Synopses & Reviews
For as long as Christmas has been celebrated, poets and writers have sought to explore every aspect of it, from the story of the nativity to the festive traditions families worldwide have established over the centuries. And such works have forever changed the way we think about the holiday. Where would Christmas be today without Ebenezer Scrooge or andldquo;andlsquo;Twas the Night Before Christmasandrdquo;? and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;A Literary Christmas is a seasonal compendium that collects poems, short stories, and prose by some of the greatest poets and writers in the English language. Like Charles Dickensandrsquo;s Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present, the selections featured here are representative of times old and new. Readers will enjoy a convivial Christmas Day with Samuel Pepys, Anthony Trollope, George Eliot, and Nancy Mitford; venture out into the snow in the company of Jane Austen, Henry James, and Charles Dickensandrsquo;s ever-popular Mr. Pickwick; and warm up by the fire with the seasonal tales of Dylan Thomas, Kenneth Grahame, and Oscar Wilde. As a companion to the book, A Literary Christmas is also being released as a two-CD set, featuring readings of many of the same poems and prose extracts from the book.and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; and#160;An entertaining and instructive way to survey great literature, A Literary Christmas is the perfect gift for anyone seeking to start their own literary Christmas traditions.
Review
and#8220;For those who like their mistletoe with a cultural pedigree, the British Library has compiled bite-size Christmas excerpts from works of great literature.and#8221;
Synopsis
White Knight Christmas
by New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster
Detective Parker Ross hates Christmas; Lily Donaldson lives for it. She's determined to introduce him to the pleasures of the season, and he's looking forward to being deliciously converted...
Snowed Under by Erin McCarthy
Justin Fairbanks has always been attracted to Claire Robbins. When she gets soaked by a snowplow and asks him to help remove her wet clothes, well, what sane man could possibly say no?
I'll Be Home For Christmas by Kathy Love
Seven years ago, Rob Marsten chose work over the love of his life, Erica. Now, a snowstorm and a car rental mix-up lead to a reunion, and this time. Rob will show Erica exactly how much he wants her.
Ms. Humbug by Jill Shavis
Wild, daring, a complete rebel, Matt is the man no woman can tame--until he kisses his nemesis, Cami, at the office holiday party, and suddenly, all bets are off...and running...
The Good Girls' Guide To A Very Bad Christmas by Kylie Adams
Peri Knight has had it with being good. She's made a list of her top five sexiest fantasies, and, in the week before Christmas, she's going to live out every single one.
Seducing Scrooge by Katherine Garbera
It's Christmas Eve, and workaholic Jackson Peters is annoyed that his staff has left early. Only Krista Miller is still there, but from the look on her face, she doesn't seem to have work on her mind...
Synopsis
Discover how a detective learns to enjoy the season, how a snowfall and rental car mix-up lead to a reunion, and how even a workaholic can be seduced in these tales by Lori Foster, Erin McCarthy, Kathy Love, Jill Shavis Wild, Kylie Adams, and Katherine Garbera. Original.
About the Author
Jill Shalvis is the author of several popular series including the Lucky Harbor Series (It Had to Be You; Always on My Mind; Forever and a Day); the Animal Magnetism series (Rescue My Heart; Animal Attraction; Animal Magnetism), the Wilders series (Instant Attraction; Instant Temptation; Instant Gratification), and the Sky High series (Strong and Sexy; Superb and Sexy; Smart and Sexy). Her baseball-themed romances include Slow Heat and Double Play, and she also appears in anthologies such as He's The One.
Table of Contents
A. and#160;BEFORE CHRISTMAS
1.and#160;and#160; Clement Clarke Moore: The Night Before Christmas
2.and#160;and#160; Charles Dickens: A Christmas Carol [extract]
3.and#160; and#160;Arnold Bennett: The Feast of St Friend [extract]
4.and#160; and#160;Laurie Lee: Cider with Rosie [extract]
5. and#160; William Wordsworth: Minstrels
6.and#160; and#160;Emily Bronte: Wuthering Heights [extract]
7.and#160; and#160;Thomas Hardy: The Oxen
8.and#160;and#160; Edward Thomas: The Gypsy
9. and#160; D H Lawrence: Sons and Lovers [extract]
10. Saki: Bertieand#8217;s Christmas Eve
B.and#160; THE NATIVITY
11. Christina Rossetti: A Christmas Carol
12. John Milton: On the Morning of Christand#8217;s Nativity
13. John Donne: Nativity
14. William Blake: A Cradle Song
15. Elizabeth Barrett Browning: The Holy Night
16. G K Chesterton: A Christmas Carol
C.and#160; AT CHRISTMAS
17. Samuel Pepys: Diary. 25 December 1662
18. Anne Bronte: Music on Christmas Morning
19. Anthony Trollope: Orley Farm [extract]
20. Robert Louis Stevenson: Christmas at Sea
21. George Eliot: The Mill on the Floss [extract]
22. Thomas Haynes Bayley: The Mistletoe Bough
23. Rudyard Kipling: Christmas in India
24. Nancy Mitford: Christmas Pudding [extract]
D.and#160; CHRISTMAS FOOD AND DRINK
25. Washington Irving: Christmas Dinner [extract]
26. Charles Dickens: A Christmas Carol [extract]
27. Thomas Tusser: Christmas Cheer
28. Theodore Watts-Dunton: Wassail Chorus at the Mermaidand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Tavern
29. Benjamin Zephaniah: Talking Turkeys
30. P G Wodehouse: Another Christmas Carol
E.and#160; CHRISTMAS AT WAR
31. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Christmas bells
32. Thomas Hardy: A Christmas Ghost-story
33. Wilfred Owen: Winter Song
34. Cyril Winterbotham: Christmas Prayer [From the Trenches]
35. G K Chesterton: The Truce of Christmas
36. W H Davies: The Holly on the wall
F.and#160; A CHILDand#8217;S CHRISTMAS
37. Dylan Thomas: A Childand#8217;s Christmas in Wales [extract]
38. Kenneth Grahame: Wind in the Willows [extract]
39. Louisa May Alcott: Little Women [extract]
40. Richard Middleton: The Carol of the poor children
41. George Mackay Brown: The lost boy
F.and#160; CHRISTMAS ICE AND SNOW
42. John Evelyn: Diary [extract]
43. John Gay: Trivia [extract]
44. Henry James: English Hours [extract]
45. William Shakespeare: As You Like It [extract]
46. Jane Austen: Emma [extracts]
47. William Makepeace Thackeray: The Mahogany Tree
48. Charles Dickens: Pickwick Papers [extract]
G.and#160; NEW YEAR
49. Percy Bysshe Shelley: Dirge for the Year
50. A E Housman: New Yearand#8217;s Eve
51. Thomas Hood: Christmas Holidays
52. Alfred Tennyson: Ring out, wild bells
53. Robert Herrick: Ceremony upon Candlemas Eve
54. Robert Burns: Auld Lang Syne