{Review} Nothing for Christmas & Other Holiday Tales by John Bolen

ISBN #: 978-1467901932

Page Count: 146

Copyright: November 2, 2011

Publisher: CreateSpace

Book Summary:

(Taken from Amazon)

A strange man in a bar declares that he is the real Santa; a couple married fifty years and both succumbing to Alzheimer's grasp to hold on to their memories of love; men tell tales of how a 12 inch doll altered their lives; these are just three of the nine short stories that deal with the comical, sentimental, dramatic, and sometimes tragic aspects of the human condition during the Holiday season.

Kathy's Review:

Let me get the negatives out of the way first. I try and follow the old adage of "don't judge a book by its cover," but in this case I have to say: this cover is atrocious. It looks like my 7-year-old made it. Sorry, but it's true.

Continuing with the bad news: formatting issues made it difficult for me to read the .mobi version of this book.

So far in this book review, I feel like the Grinch Who Stole Christmas. But, remember when the Grinch's heart grew 14 sizes and nearly popped out of his ill-fitting Santa suit? And then he shared the Roast Beast with Cindy-Lou Who? So was my change of attitude about Nothing for Christmas. I had pretty low expectations for the book based on the cover but I was pleasantly surprised. Each of these short stories has a very charming, sentimental feel to it. They each center around a holiday, either Christmas or Thanksgiving, but usually the holiday is only the backdrop to the action taking place.

As is usually the case with short stories, you can get through this collection pretty quickly. I read this over the course of a couple of hours, taking breaks between each story.

I think the writing lacks some polish, but author Bolen does a nice job of quickly building character and weaving in some mystery. I also like the subtle morals of each story. Some have happy endings, others do not, but each offers a look into human relationships and love. It could be a family love, or a love at first sight.

Order a copy of this book, and then curl up next to a roaring fire during the holiday season this year and enjoy each of these short stories. They all have something different to offer, and I think you'll like what's within these pages.


*An ecopy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.