Get into the holiday season with reading! These recommended reads include books with a focus on December holidays. The staff at the Talking Book Library in Worcester put their heads together to suggest some fun reads (and a few movies!) to get cozy with.
Digital book (DB), braille (BR), large print (LT), and audio described videos (DVD) copies of these titles are available from the Perkins Library or the Worcester Talking Book Library. Please contact the library to order any of these books.
Prepared by Joel Keisling and Lee Anne Hooley
Worcester Talking Book Library
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
Barbara Robinson
Everyone agrees that the Herdmans are the worst kids in the history of the world. When they hear about the free refreshments at Sunday school, the Herdmans not only show up, but also muscle their way into the lead roles of the annual Christmas pageant. For grades 3-6 and older readers. 1972.
Download The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, DB 38118
Download Braille, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, BR 16320
Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment
Deepak Chopra
A retelling of the Buddha’s search for truth. The prince Siddhartha leaves behind his comfortable palace, becomes a wandering monk who faces many trials and much suffering, and transcends physical pain to achieve enlightenment as the Buddha. Includes a concise practical guide to Buddhism. 2007. (Dec. 8th is Bodhi Day.)
Download Buddha: a Story of Enlightenment, DB 64648
Download Braille, Buddha: a Story of Enlightenment, BR 17229
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Christmas Cheer
Jack Canfield
Inspirational stories center on the true meaning of Christmas and on traditions, memories, the spirit of giving, and love of family. Commercial audiobook. 2008.
Download Chicken Soup for the Soul, DB 72321
The Christmas Train
David Baldacci
Journalist Tom Langdon takes a cross-country train from the East Coast to Los Angeles to spend Christmas with his girlfriend. On the trip he meets a host of zany characters, including one who happens to be his former lover. Sparks fly until Tom’s girlfriend shows up in Chicago. Bestseller. 2002.
Download The Christmas Train, DB 55045
Download Braille, The Christmas Train, BR 14463
The Complete Kwanzaa: Celebrating our Cultural Harvest
Dorothy Winbush Riley
An anthology of essays, folktales, poems, personal profiles, and recipes on the African American festival of Kwanzaa. The selections serve to illuminate the seven principles of the event and to guide in its celebration. For senior high and older readers. 1995.
Download The Complete Kwanzaa, DB 42533
Hanukkah in America: A History
Dianne Ashton
Professor of religion examines regional variants of the ancient Jewish tradition. In New Orleans, Hanukkah means decorating a door with a menorah made of hominy grits; latkes in Texas are seasoned with cilantro and cayenne pepper; children in Cincinnati sing Hanukkah songs and eat oranges and ice cream. 2013.
Download Hanukkah in America, DB 81412
Hiddensee: A Tale of the Once and Future Nutcracker
Gregory Maguire
An alternative take on the fairytale that was the basis for Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet The Nutcracker. Provides a backstory for toymaker Drosselmeier and the Nutcracker that Drosselmeier carves and eventually gives to young Klara. Some descriptions of sex. 2017.
Kwanzaa: An African American Celebration of Culture and Cooking
Eric Copage
Kwanzaa is a week-long (December 26-January 1) African-American celebration of the “first fruits.” The author has compiled a sourcebook for the observance. Included are selections from historical works, folklore, and biographies that illustrate the “Nguzo Saba” (seven principles of Kwanzaa,) interspersed with a host of recipes from the African diaspora. 1972.
Download Kwanzaa: An African American Celebration of Culture and Cooking, DB 34527
Merry and Bright
Debbie Macomber
Merry Smith is too busy with her family, holiday preparations, and a demanding boss to be thinking about dating. Her mother takes the decision out of her hands by setting her up with an online dating service—but her perfect match is someone she never expected. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2017.
Download Merry and Bright DB 89198
Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mother of the Civilization of Love
Carl Anderson
Anderson, author of A Civilization of Love (DB 66661), and Chàvez, a Guadalupe apparitions expert, explore the historical and modern significance of the Virgin Mary’s 1531 appearance to Christian convert Juan Diego, an indigenous Mexican and, later, saint. Views the Lady of Guadalupe’s legacy as a catalyst for good. 2009.
Download Our Lady of Guadalupe, DB 70928
The Physics of Christmas: From the Aerodynamics of Reindeer to the Thermodynamics of Turkey
Roger Highfield
A British scientist probes the origins of Christmas and its trappings. Discusses icons and rituals. Topics range from “who was Santa?” to a history of gift giving, to an analysis of chocolate addiction, to an explanation of snowflakes’ individuality. Speculates about future possibilities in “Christmas 2020.” 1998.
Download The Physics of Christmas, DB 48443
Silent Night
Mary Higgins Clark
The Dornan family is in New York City on Christmas Eve because Tom Dornan has just had surgery for leukemia. When his wife drops her wallet, Cally Hunter, desperate for Christmas money, picks it up. Young Brian Dornan follows her, because inside the wallet is a recuperative St. Christopher medal for his dad. But Cally’s brother, an escaped convict, is waiting in her apartment, and he has plans for the money and for Brian. Some strong language. 1995.
Download Silent Night, DB 44421
Download Braille, Silent Night, BR 10612
Skipping Christmas
John Grisham
Tax accountant Luther Krank calculates that a Caribbean cruise will cost less than what he and his wife, Nora, spent celebrating the holidays last year. Since daughter Blair is in the Peace Corps, they plan to skip Christmas. Luther, however, doesn’t anticipate the town’s reaction. Some strong language. Bestseller. 2001.
Download Skipping Christmas, DB 52929
Download Braille, Skipping Christmas, BR 13636
The Snow Angel
Glenn Beck
Rachel, stuck in an abusive marriage, is afraid to leave her husband. But that starts to change when an old friend asks for help. And on a magical Christmas Eve, Rachel realizes that her daughter and her senile father need her and finds the courage to change her life. Bestseller. 2011.
Download The Snow Angel, DB 74035
Something to Celebrate
Felicia Mason
Three stories of holiday romance by African American authors. As the New Year approaches in Monica Jackson’s Truly Everlasting, Trask and Felicia discover they are meant for each other. Others find love in The First Noel by Felicia Mason and Margie Walker’s Kwanzaa Kupendi. Some explicit descriptions of sex. 1999.
Download Something to Celebrate, DB 57518
Sugar Pine Trail
Rae Anne Thayne
Quiet librarian Julia Winston is seeking new experiences, but falling for Jamie Caine, the sexy military pilot who lives upstairs, might be too much excitement. When Julia finds herself caring for two young boys over the holidays, however, she needs Jamie’s help. Some descriptions of sex. 2017.
Download Sugar Pine Trail, DB 89495
Winter Solstice
Rosamunde Pilcher
Elfrida, a retired actress; Oscar, a recent widower; Carrie, recovering from a love affair; Lucy, Carrie’s niece; and Sam, deserted by his wife, spend the winter solstice in a Scottish cottage, where they form a lasting bond that allows them to recover from their various challenges and losses. Bestseller. 2000.