The Christmas Shoppe by Melody Carlson.....and a giveaway

The small town of Parrish Springs is not quite ready for Matilda Honeycutt.



A strange older woman with scraggly gray hair and jewelry that jangles as she walks, Matilda is certainly not the most likely person to buy the old Barton Building on the town's quaint main street. When it becomes apparent that her new shop doesn't fit the expectations of Parrish Springs residents, a brouhaha erupts. After all, Christmas is approaching, and the last thing the town needs is a junky shop run by someone who looks and acts like a gypsy. But as townsfolk venture into the strange store, they discover that old memories can bring new life and healing.


Once again, Melody Carlson delivers a Christmas story that will touch hearts and delight the senses. Sure to be a classic, The Christmas Shoppe is filled with the special magic the best Christmas stories share—that intangible mixture of nostalgia, joy, and a little bit of magic.

My review:
I have almost come to equate Melody Carlson with Christmas stories. She has authored several Christmas novels, having come out with one yearly for the last several Christmases.

As with any of Melody's Christmas novels, this book is filled with interesting and unique characters, not the least of those Matilda Honeycutt. And as with any of Melody's Christmas books, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The plot was very original, and the setting and characters were top notch, the kind of setting that makes you want to step into the story and explore the town.

There is usually a lesson to be learned by the characters and/or a change to be made in a Melody Carlson Christmas novel, and these characters needed to learn a lesson or two, lessons good for the reader also: don't judge a person by their outward appearance, and we need to hold onto good memories.

I really enjoyed this book, and read it in one evening. It is the type of book that helps the reader focus on what is important not just at Christmas, but all of the time.

About the author:

Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books with sales of more than five million. She is the author of several Christmas books from Revell, including the bestselling The Christmas Bus, The Christmas Dog, and Christmas at Harrington's, which is being considered for a TV movie. She is also the author of many teen books, including Just Another Girl, Anything but Normal, Double Take, The Jerk Magnet, and the Diary of a Teenage Girl series. Melody was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books in 2010 and 2011. She and her husband live in central Oregon. For more information about Melody visit her website at www.melodycarlson.com.

Giveaway:

Thanks to the author and her husband, Chris, I have one copy of The Christmas Shoppe to give away. I will pick a winner using Random.org two weeks from today on December 1.

To enter, go to Melody's website. There are seven Christmas books listed on her website. She has 2 collections of 3-in-1 books, those don't count, list one of the 7 original :-)

The Christmas Shoppe is available from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Thanks to Donna at Revell for the review copy, and Chris and Melody Carlson for the giveaway copy.