The Pastry Queen Christmas: Big-hearted Holiday Entertaining, Texas Style
by Rebecca Rather
from Ten Speed Press
The annual Fredericksburg Christmas parade marks the beginning of the Hill Country's holiday season, which means the Pastry Queen is kicking into high gear at her Rather Sweet Bakery and Café. As party invitations pile up in the mailbox, Rebecca Rather is up to her elbows in sticky meringue, gooey chocolate, and a sleigh's worth of savory indulgences to meet the Texas-sized entertaining-to-go orders of her neighbors. In THE PASTRY QUEEN CHRISTMAS, Rebecca shares nearly a hundred traditional recipes reflecting her made-with-love-from-scratch philosophy and the tastes of small-town Texas. Tree-trimming, open houses, cookie decorating, and Santas running down Main Street . . . Christmas time is here.
The First Christmas: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus's Birth
by Marcus J. Borg
from HarperOne
In The First Christmas, two of today's top Jesus scholars, Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan, join forces to show how history has biased our reading of the nativity story as it appears in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. As they did for Easter in their previous book, The Last Week, here they explore the beginning of the life of Christ, peeling away the sentimentalism that has built up over the last two thousand years around this most well known of all stories to reveal the truth of what the gospels actually say. Borg and Crossan help us to see this well-known narrative afresh by answering the question, "What do these stories mean?" in the context of both the first century and the twenty-first century. They successfully show that the Christmas story, read in its original context, is far richer and more challenging than people imagine.
This Year It Will Be Different
by Maeve Binchy
from Dell
From the New York Times bestselling author of Circle of Friends, The Glass Lake, and Evening Class comes a stunning collection of fifteen Christmas stories filled with Maeve Binchy's trademark wit, charm, and sheer storytelling genius.  In "A Typical Irish Christmas," a grieving widower heads for a holiday in Ireland and finds an unexpected destination not just for himself, but for a father and daughter in crisis. . . .  In "Pulling Together," a teacher not yet out of her twenties sees her affair with a married man at a turning point as Christmas Eve approaches. . . .  And in the title story, "This Year It Will Be Different," a woman with a complacent husband and grown children enters a season that will forever alter her life, and theirs. . .
These stories, and a dozen more, powerfully evoke many lives--from step-families grappling with exes to children caught in grown-up tugs-of-war--during the one holiday when feelings cannot be easily hidden.  The time of year may be magical, imbued with meaning.  But the situations are timeless.  And Maeve Binchy makes us care about them all.
Christmas Jars
by Jason F. Wright
from Shadow Mountain
Hope Jensen is a young, single woman and an aspiring newspaper writer, and when she receives a much-needed but anonymous Christmas gift, she's determined to find her benefactor. That search leads her to an unusual family with a longstanding Christmas tradition. Sensing a front-page feature article, Hope desperately wants to publish their story, but doing so would be a breach of trust. What she decides to do will change her life forever.
A Family Christmas
by Caroline Kennedy
from Hyperion
"When I began assembling [this] collection, I was skeptical that I would learn anything new about Christmas, but reading and reflecting on the history and spirit of Christmas brought back many memories, and taught me a great deal #133; The literature of Christmas ranges from the miraculous to the tragic, the profound to the ridiculous, but always represents the connection to something larger than ourselves." -Caroline KennedyIn A Family Christmas, Caroline shares the Christmas poetry, prose, scriptural readings, and lyrics that are most dear to her, drawing on authors as diverse as Harper Lee, Nikki Giovanni, Martin Luther King Jr., Billy Collins, John and Yoko, and Charles Dickens. There are also many lesser-known gems throughout and personal treasures from her own family -- including a young Caroline's Christmas list to Santa Claus and a letter from her father as President to a child concerned about Santa's well-being. This diverse and unique anthology will become a timeless keepsake, and will enrich your heart and mind with the spirit of Christmas.A Family Christmas includes selections from:Groucho Marx, Emma Lazarus, Mark Twain, Sandra Cisneros, Pearl S. Buck, Truman Capote, Gabriela Mistral, Ogden Nash, Clement Clarke Moore, Vladimir Nabokov, Marianne Moore, Calvin Trillin, E. B. White, and many more.Caroline Kennedy is the editor of the New York Times bestselling A Family of Poems, Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, A Patriot's Handbook, and Profiles in Courage for Our Time, and is the coauthor of The Right to Privacy and In Our Defense: The Bill of Rights in Action. She serves as the Vice Chair of the New York City Fund for Public Schools.
I'm Dreaming of a Chocolate Christmas
by Marcel Desaulniers
from Wiley
No one knows chocolate like Marcel Desaulniers, whose bestselling, award-winning books have made his name synonymous with luscious chocolate desserts. Now Desaulniers has created the ultimate holiday baking book for chocolate lovers everywhere, packed with full-color photography. The 72 chocolate treats and desserts you’ll find inside are guaranteed to draw oohs and ahhs from your family and friends, and many are also straightforward to make—which means you’ll have time to enjoy Christmas, too!
Crafting Christmas Gifts: 25 Adorable Projects Featuring Angels, Snowmen, Reindeer and Other Yuletide Favourites
by Tone Finnanger
from David & Charles Publishers
Features 25 adorable projects, including angels, snowmen, reindeer and other yuletide favorites
*Covers a variety of cute Christmas characters that will appeal to friends and family of all ages
*Every project is hand-sewn and comes complete with easy-to-follow instructions and templates
*Includes detailed information on techniques and patterns for making the projects' distinctive clothes and faces
With this charming collection of easy step-by-step projects, crafters can choose from more than two dozen loveable characters in rich, sumptuous shades that are ready for Christmas. Readers will find traditional Christmas characters like angels and snowmen as well as novelties like appliqué penguins, mice, and advent calendars. All of the projects use widely available fabrics and actual-size templates. Crafting Christmas Gifts also includes instructions for delightfully simple Christmas cards, hearts, tree decorations and gift bags.
Labor of Love: An Autobiography
by Anne Geddes
from Andrews McMeel Publishing
Anne Geddes' A Labor of Love: Anne Geddes A Biography reveals the events, emotions, and images that have shaped Anne's life. Her personal story melds with her extraordinary body of work to reinforce the inherent message behind her imagery: PROTECT, NURTURE, LOVE.
· Beginning with early childhood memories and continuing through her remarkable 25-year career, A Labor of Love: Anne Geddes A Biography is part autobiography, part retrospective—and entirely captivating.
· Anne reflects, through anecdotes and observations, on some of her most recognized images: how she painstakingly set the elaborate scenes, carefully selected the props, and ultimately, created magic. A Labor of Love: Anne Geddes A Biography also includes interesting follow-ups with the subjects of some of her iconic photographs and images from her best-selling works, Down in the Garden, Until Now, Pure, and Miracle.
Author's web site: www.annegeddes.com/
Christmas Around the World: A Pop-Up Book
by Chuck Fischer
from Little, Brown and Company
Master pop-up artist Chuck Fischer's most glorious creation yet -- CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD is the perfect holiday gift. Featuring
Rose's Christmas Cookies
by Rose Levy Beranbaum
from William Morrow Cookbooks
Christmas and cookies are synonymous. Extolling that happy truth, Rose Levy Beranbaum's Rose's Christmas Cookies provides a comprehensive selection of 60 cookie recipes for eating and decoration, for keeping and giving, that is probably the last word on the subject. The author of the award-winning The Cake Bible, Beranbaum has applied her passion for precise, foolproof recipes to the pleasurable business of cookie making. Including full-page color photos of every cookie, and more than 50 line drawings of techniques and templates, the award-winning book is both easy to use and a delight to the eye. Novice bakers and old hands alike will enjoy baking from it.
The recipes are arranged in chapters devoted to tree and mantelpiece cookies; cookies to make for and/or with kids; cookies for sending, for open house, and holiday dinner parties, among others. Included are recipes for classics such as Scottish Shortbread, Chocolate-Dipped Melting Moments, Mexican Wedding Cakes, Spritz Butter Cookies, Springerle, and Pfeffernüsse. Also offered are Beranbaum's own creations, such as Maple Walnut Sablé Sandwiches, and those of her friends, like Lora Brody's Christmas Phantoms and Mrs. King's Irresistibles. Where applicable, recipes offer optional mixing methods for food processor or electric mixer (or by hand). Beranbaum's "Smart Cookie" accompanies each recipe and provides hints on ingredients and techniques. Decoration, storage, and cookie-sending information abounds. Concluding with a color-photo-illustrated glossary of ingredients and equipment, the book is encyclopedic on its subject and virtually guarantees Christmas (or any time) cookie-making success. --Arthur Boehm
Since its 1990 publication, Rose's Christmas Cookies has been a phenomenal success. Who can resist Chocolate-Dipped Melting Moments Cookies or moist Mini-Cheesecakes with Lemon Curd . . . or David Shamah's Jumbles, a fabulous cross between a chocolate-chip cookie and a chunky candy bar bursting with raisins, chocolate chips, and pecans. Whether you need a cookie to decorate your tree or grace your mantelpiece (cookies like Stained Glass or Christmas Wreaths), a sweet to send (Mahogany Butter Crunch Toffee, Maple Macadamia Bars), or a special holiday treat for your dinner party (Praline Truffle Cups, Chocolate-Pistachio Marzipan Spirals), you'll find that perfect something here. Complete with 60 cookie recipes and a color photograph of each cookie for handy reference, this easy-to-use and fun-to-read book will result in scrumptious, festive, and splendid-looking cookies every time.
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