Don't you just love good Christmas reads? I know I do; I can read them year-round. And I especially love this story. Not only does it have a great lesDon't you just love good Christmas reads? I know I do; I can read them year-round. And I especially love this story. Not only does it have a great lesson, but reading it just always gives me that warm, cozy Christmas feel. I don't think I need to give this book a summary, as I believe pretty much everyone is familiar with the story.
Enjoyed by people all around the world for generations (this year, 2023, marks the 180th anniversary of its publication), A Christmas Carol explores the heart of Christmas and the "Christmas spirit." It's relatable, thought-provoking, touching, encouraging, and just leaves you with such a satisfied feeling in the end. It's such a feel-good ending. And although nothing is said of a baby in a manger, of the Christ sent here to save us, it still conveys valuable messages in line with those of Christianity, tackling important themes such as greed, poverty, forgiveness, generosity, compassion, charity, kindness, love, repentance, family, and much more. And redemption—the saving from sin, error, or evil—is one of the biggest of the themes, evident in Scrooge's character and transformation, also correlating to Christian beliefs.
The story focuses on what's meaningful and leaves out all the commercialism and things so evident in today's society. People don't write like this anymore, sadly. Stories written today don't have the same morals and lessons that Dickens expressed in this short story. It's sad that a lot of people today have a distorted or confused perception of Christmas. We all too often get so caught up in all the business, the presents, getting things, or good food and stuff. It's not like those things are wrong, of course, but in all the hustle and bustle of Christmas, we often get so focused on other things and inadvertently forget what Christmas really is all about. It's my belief that sometimes Christmas may very well be the time that we forget Christ or put Him on the back burner the most. This story, however, brings the right things back into focal point. It reminds you what's really important.
In conclusion, A Christmas Carol will always remain a beautiful, timeless, heartwarming Christmas story that everyone can enjoy, and it is one that never gets old, one which you'll find yourself coming back to time and time again, regardless of the time of year. ...more
Single mother Blythe Mason has had it tough. After her husband Ken ran out on her and her two kids, she's been struggling to keep her family afloat, wSingle mother Blythe Mason has had it tough. After her husband Ken ran out on her and her two kids, she's been struggling to keep her family afloat, with the help of her ex-brother-in-law Zayden. After Blythe discovers her car was accidentally swapped with another customer's at Zayden's auto repair shop and is now headed toward New York—with all her children's Christmas presents stashed in the back trunk—she and Zayden set out on a car trip to retrieve it, along with Blythe's grandmother and Zayden's grandfather. As they get to know each other better, Blythe begins to think that maybe she and Zayden were the ones meant for each other.
This short story was…marginally okay. However, the writing had so, so, so many errors!! Oh my gosh, it was so bad. You wouldn't believe how many grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors there were!! Like, I can't even—gosh, it was so bad. Not only that but the writing sans the errors was still bad. So many times, I couldn't even figure out what the author was trying to say because the wording was so off or ambiguous. Weird sentence structure, strange phrasing, odd writing in general. The writing just needs help. I don't even know if the author proofread this before publishing. There was even a continuity error; the number of years Blythe mentioned changed later and didn't add up.
The characters were mediocre. Zayden was okay, but I didn't like Blythe.
The author appeared to be a Christian and incorporated Christian Christmas themes but then said that Blythe thought Zayden was gay. That threw me off. I don't know why the author would put that in, and it really disappointed me that she did.
Overall, this story was meh. The awful writing errors are enough reason to give it only 2 stars....more
Dog-lover Cindy is on her way to Caldavia for a 6-day volunteer job at an animal shelter, the perfect way to spend her holiday, in her opinion. But ChDog-lover Cindy is on her way to Caldavia for a 6-day volunteer job at an animal shelter, the perfect way to spend her holiday, in her opinion. But Christmas Eve seems to be ruined when her flight is canceled. Thankfully, her dad was able to snag a pass to the 1st class lounge, so her night won't be all discomfort. There she meets a guy with an uncanny resemblance to the crown prince of Caldavia, whom Cindy and her sister have crushed on, and they instantly connect over a movie that's played in the lounge: Love Actually, which Cindy thinks is too unrealistic and is sure that romance like that doesn't happen "in real life." Tristan, however, is determined to convince her otherwise.
This story was short, clean, and fluffy. Sometimes you just want a lighthearted read before bed, and this provided that. I'm not sure if the author is a Christian, but I appreciated the Christian aspects of the story. Cindy talks about the true meaning of Christmas and about love, joy, peace, and miracles, and she and Tristan watch a nativity. The writing had several errors (some spelling, grammatical, and punctuation errors). The pacing was okay. I'm glad the author didn't take things too fast. Cindy was kind of funny, and Tristan was sweet and likable enough. I did find Tristan to be a little lacking in character, though, but I feel like that is excusable because it's such a short book and there definitely wasn't enough time for character development. Overall, this was a nice, sweet read....more
This was a very short, fun story about a girl who overthinks everything and starts wondering about her current relationship. At a Christmas gathering,This was a very short, fun story about a girl who overthinks everything and starts wondering about her current relationship. At a Christmas gathering, she goes on a treasure hunt set up by her boyfriend and ends up getting a proposal.
Poppy, the FMC is a fun, clueless, quirky, and somewhat eccentric dog-lover and is a likable character overall. The story was very lighthearted. The writing had some mistakes and errors, mostly punctuation and spelling errors, but it wasn't all that bad.
Content: • There's a bedroom scene, which came as a surprise to me, given it was pretty clean overall. Thankfully, it was fade-to-black and she didn't go into detail. • Kissing. • Mentions of sex....more
I love reading Luke's Gospel. I love all of the Gospels, of course, but I feel like Luke adds so much more detail in his telling of the story.I love reading Luke's Gospel. I love all of the Gospels, of course, but I feel like Luke adds so much more detail in his telling of the story....more
Honestly, it was a little boring. The pacing was really slow. Didn't finish.Honestly, it was a little boring. The pacing was really slow. Didn't finish....more
Saw this at a book store and just read it while waiting for my mom and my siblings. The art reminded me of something but I can't remember what.Saw this at a book store and just read it while waiting for my mom and my siblings. The art reminded me of something but I can't remember what....more
Ella あいみ M.
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