Review and Tour: The Christmas Dog by

The Christmas Dog
by Melody Carlson
Revell (September 1, 2009) ~ 176 pages
Fiction / Contemporary / Christian Fiction / Christmas

Edition Reviewed: Hardback - Review copy received courtesy of the publisher, many thanks to both the author and the publisher for sending me a copy to review for this Revell Christmas Tour!

Perfect for : Personal Use, Book Club

My Thoughts: This is one of my favorite times of the year... with holiday decorations, get-togethers with family and friends, and wonderful holiday stories that are heart-warming! ... and The Christmas Dog is simply another book to add to my small shelf of holiday favorites! Not only does Melody Carlson write in a way that readers can relate to different aspects of the story, but she makes you feel immersed in the characters and they feel like real people.

I really loved the ups and downs explored in this book... the assumptions (don't we all come to the wrong assumption on occasion??) and clarifications, the twists and turns within the family, and the overall outcome of the story. Add in an adorable little brown dog who manages to touch everyone's lives, and you've got a fun and easy holiday read that you will come back to year after year.

This is another great holiday book that explores relationships of differing types and degrees: a new neighbor, a runaway grand-daughter, a mother and daughter who are at odds, a dog, etc.

I found this book to be very heart-warming, endearing and inspiring. I realize that after living in our current neighborhood for 5+ years, I feel like I know the neighboring family on one side well, and I am comfortable enough to speak on casual terms with a few others, but I want to get to know my neighbors, and the holidays might be the perfect time to extend some holiday cheer.

About the Book:

From Amazon: Betty Kowalski isn't looking forward to the holidays. She just can't seem to find Christmas in her heart. There's church, of course. But who can she bake for these days? And who would care whether or not she pulled out the Christmas decorations? Her new neighbor just adds to the problem. He's doing home improvements that don't appear to be improving much of anything. These days when Betty looks out the window, she sees a beat-up truck, a pile of junk, lots of blue tarps, and--horror of horrors--an old pink toilet. But when a mangy dog appears at her doorstep, the stage is set for Betty to learn a very important lesson about what Christmas is all about. This contemporary Christmas story is a timely yet gentle reminder that God can work miracles through something as seemingly insignificant as a little brown dog.

Excerpt:
The Christmas Dog

About the Author:

From Amazon: Melody Carlson is the prolific author of more than 200 books, including The Christmas Bus and All I Have to Give. She recently was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books. She lives with her husband in Oregon.