A Book A Week

"Dogs aren't takers, they're givers."

The last couple weeks have been a real whirlwind. I took a vacation the week before Christmas, and the holiday seemed to just blow right by. In the rush, I missed out on my usual traditions of holiday baking, Christmas movies, and parties. This week, I was so desperate to hang onto every last thread of Christmas, that I decided to read a Christmas themed book. I usually shy away from holiday novels, but it turned out that a book filled with Christmas cheer was just what I needed.

Mary Ann McCray is facing some drama at the local library. As a member of its board, she is arguing against replacing their longtime Santa that appears each year. The elderly man who normally plays Santa has simply gotten too old to fulfill the role. After all, no one wants to see their Santa attached to an oxygen tank. The board members insist the decision is not about how Santa appears, so Mary Ann suggests that perhaps Santa doesn't need to be a man at all. To her surprise, the board calls her bluff. Now Mary Ann must find a way to bring Santa's wife, Anna Claus, to life.

Just in time for the holiday, Abby and Link's marriage is falling apart. They recently put all of their savings into taking their two kids on a dream vacation to Disney World. Then Link lost his job and stared drinking. The last straw for Abbey came when Link got a DUI while the kids were in the car with him. She filed for divorce soon after. The family is thrust into complete turmoil. Their son wants nothing to do with Link, Link wants to escape the town and leave his family behind, and Abbey is trying to hold everything together for the sake of her children.

Todd McCray has just moved back home. The town has opened a new no kill shelter, and he's been tasked with running it. His intuitive connection with dogs and placing them with the perfect owners makes him a perfect candidate for the job. But his latest charge has left him befuddled. Elle, as he's come to call the dog, is an odd little creature. A strange mix of retriever and dachshund, she doesn't have the pure bred look most prospective owners long for. Despite his best efforts to train her as a service dog, Elle just doesn't take well to her training. She lacks even the most basic obedience behaviors. With a new job that leaves little time to baby her, Todd fears he may never find the perfect home for Elle.

In Noelle, Greg Kincaid captures the true spirit of the season in a simple story that is both emotionally engaging and easy to read. I was reminded of those holiday movies that play on the Hallmark Channel. You can see where the story is moving from a mile away, but you can't help but enjoy the journey it takes to get there. Noelle is the second book to follow the characters that were introduced in Kincaid's A Dog Called Christmas. Having never read the previous two novels, I can't say that my enjoyment of this one was diminished in any way. Kincaid provides enough backstory and introduction to avoid readers being lost at any point. Overall, Noelle was the perfect novel for me to hang onto the holiday season a bit longer. I'd argue that we need more books like it to help remind us what this time of the year is all about.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

(2017, 51)