The Christmas Shoppe by Melody Carlson

This was a fast, fun Christmas read.

In a tiny town called Parish Springs, a stranger comes. Her name is Matilda Honeycutt, and she is about to turn this tired little town upside down. She dresses like a hippy, and this town doesn't welcome strangers well. They barley handle their own citizens, much less newcomers. Worse yet, Matilda has purchased the most pivotal building and is opening a store. A Christmas store even. But when Matilda's store opens, to the un-seeing eye, it is anything but a Christmas Shoppe, it is something worse than a second hand store. The mayor is outraged, the other shop owners are up-in-arms. And during all this, lives of people we come to know in this story are being effected and changed. Tommy runs the newspaper, but doesn't know if he wants to anymore. Folks are tired, and bitter, and angry and hurt. But when they go spend time in the dust and odd merchandise in Matilda's shop something happens to them. Things that are life changing.

This was a sweet story, and nicely written. You can read it quickly, in an hour or so, and I enjoyed it.
It is also a hardcover, which I like, and bound in a nice ever-green color.

Carol

Can a Christmas Store and a Stranger Bring Change to Small Town?

Much-Anticipated Christmas Novella From Award-Winning Author Melody Carlson

In sleepy little Parrish Springs, everyone seems to know everyone else’s business practically before they do. The empty Barton Building has finally sold-- but not to the right person, according to Councilman Snider. He is successful in stirring up the townspeople and turning them against the new owner, Matilda Honeycutt. This older woman with scraggly gray hair and a different fashion sense doesn’t fit into the Parrish Springs tradition. The town is curious and yet afraid of her at the same time. But nothing convinces Matilda to give up her plans for The Christmas Shoppe (ISBN: 978-0-8007-1926-5, $15.99, 176 pages, September 2011) by best-selling author Melody Carlson.  

The neighboring shop owners respond in horror when The Christmas Shoppe doesn’t look and feel like all the other charming stores on the town's quaint main street. 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, healing, and love.

The Christmas Shoppe, by best-selling author Melody Carlson, offers a touch of Christmas with a mixture of nostalgia, joy, and hope. 

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, 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.

The book link is here: http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Shoppe-Melody-Carlson/dp/0800719263

Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life.  They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet.


Available at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a divison of Baker Publishging Group.