My Review of Remembering Christmas

Here's a description of the book from Revell:

"Can one Christmas change a life forever?

Rick Denton lives his life on his terms. He works hard, plays hard, and answers to no one. So when his mother calls begging him to come home after his stepfather has an aneurysm, Rick is more than a little reluctant. What was supposed to be just a couple days helping out at the family bookstore turns into weeks of cashing out old ladies and dealing with the homeless guy who keeps hanging around the store. The one bright spot is the lovely and intriguing young woman who works at his side each day.

As Christmas nears, Rick's old life beckons, the hurts from his past loom large, and the decisions he makes will determine more than just where he spends Christmas Eve.

With skillful storytelling, Dan Walsh creates a Christmas story that will have you remembering every good and perfect gift of Christmas."

My Rating: Spring

My Review:

Remembering Christmas is a life-affirming, hopeful Christmas story. The hero, Rick, is introduced as a frustrating, inconsiderate, self-centered man - whose attitudes and actions aren't so unfamiliar after all. He learns some valuable lessons about compassion and understanding as Walsh twists all the characters' lives into one lovely braid of a book.

For some, the holiday season is spent in hospital halls or out on the streets, homeless. And yet hope remains, and God is at work even in the suffering - perhaps especially so. Remembering Christmas gives the reader glimpses at people in very different places in life, and it shows the privilege of sharing the cheer of Christmas with others. With some romance, some good old-fashioned home-style Christmas, and a transformed heart, this is a sweet book to read at Christmastime or anytime you want to remember Christmas!

*With thanks to Revell Publishing for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion.*

“Available September 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”