Yule Books

"A Publicist and a Pear Tree" by Alesia Holliday. In Manhattan, Leah works for the "Bitch Queen at M&M Publishing. Her parents were coming from Ohio for the holidays until her sister gave premature birth with the lives of the twin newborns in jeopardy. With twelve days and counting to Christmas Leah feels alone, but is attracted to Luke. However, is he really her turtle dove mate willing to live and love in a pear tree with her?

"King of Orient Are" by Naomi Neale. Queens, New York personal shopper Keely has a love hate relationship with the Christmas holidays as she earns hefty fees as a surrogate shopper, but her clients can be very demanding and bothersome at this time of year. Her job leads her to Neil the Magus and shelter worker Duncan. No comparison between the flamboyant and the staid so why does she want to kiss Duncan under the mistletoe.

"Jingle This" by Stephanie Rowe. Her boss Roger dumps copywriter Angie because he has a new sex squeeze. His partner Kyle has wanted Angie for two years, but avoided her, as he fears his feelings for her. Angie makes it clear no more from either boss especially Kyle whom she loves, but he dumped her for her sister and now for their business. Kyle knows he wants Angie forever, but realizes he needs a Christmas miracle following his behavior towards his beloved.

These three holiday romance novellas star solid protagonists who make for a fine yuletide reading for contemporary romance fans.

Harriet Klausner

I really like this book. It will be very useful this Yule. Great craft ideas, blessings and stories. Wonderful for the whole family.

Each Llewellen book has a cool introduction about the history of the holiday. I recommend all the sabbat books in this series - - they have a lot more information than in any individual sabbat book.

As Winter approaches every year, so too does the magic of Yuletide days. Children are filled with anticipation and wonder. All over the world people are celebrating and embracing their beliefs. More often than not, these celebrations involve candlelight in some way, and family gatherings.

What else do the traditions of the world have in common? Where do these traditions come from? Dorothy Morrison explains it all so clearly and with great warmth and respect for diversity, in "Yule - A Celebration..." Here, you will find answers to questions heard in households every December: "Why does Santa use reindeer to pull his sleigh?" or "Where do candy canes come from?" Do you know the origins of the Yule Log? Do you know why the Chanukah Menorah and the Kwanza Kinara hold eight candles?

The Winter Solstice - Yule - has been celebrated for four thousand years! It is a time of renewal and rejoicing, and it is a time to celebrate light overcoming the darkness. There are many historical lessons to be learned here and Ms. Morrison has created a well researched, thorough guide to the significance of the "holidays". Included, is a most wonderful calendar for the month of December in which every day is a festival or celebration around the world, and how you can incorporate these traditions in your life.

Enjoyable are the chapters on trivia, omens and superstitions. Inspiring are the chapters on preparing for the season, gifting, feasting and festing, with recipes and craft ideas. Most inviting are the chapters on creating personal traditions. The world is truly a wonderful mixture of beliefs and customs and no matter where of who you are, this guide to Yule is a treasured gift of celebrations. [...]

This book offers more information about Santa Claus than it does the gods/godesses associated with the Winter Soltice. The craft projects are cheesey and the recipes terrible. Save your money and do a little research yourself and if you want recipes or craft projects pick up one of those special Christmas magazines for ideas you can adapt for a pagan holiday theme.

First off, let me point out that I have high standards when it comes to pagan books. I expect for my faith to be presented to the general public as something that should be taken seriously, not poked fun at. I realize that these may be high expectations, but nonetheless... The first chapter was funny to me because although I could understand where Dorothy was coming from in her explanation of the history of how Yule came to be I could almost hear the right-wing Christians raging on their pews. It was the way she explained it that seemed a bit of a stretch. On the other hand, I liked the way she presented the symbols of the season and where they originated. There were some good prayers. Also helpful to me were the recipes for the Yule Log Rolls and how to make a real Yule Log. Other than that I decided against purchasing this book. I'm hoping to find a concise book on Yule that digs deeper into the history and gives me a clearer picture of how people practiced Yule. (A NOTE TO EDITORS: If you are expecting to sell more pagan themed books of this kind, you need to start including full-color photos. If I am going to pay money for a book like this I want to see photos that go along with the recipes-what would a typical Yule table from 2006 look like for example?- and photos that go along with the craft projects. You cannot expect people to try the craft projects without knowing what they will look like.) This book is helpful for beginner pagans or nonpagans who just want a look at some fun history facts.

I love the Needlecraft Mystery series. This is my favorite in the series so far. The setting of suspects and investigators trapped in a snowbound hotel along with a cast of others reminds me of an Agatha Christie novel. While this mystery is not as good as an Agatha Christie, it is still very entertaining.

For a genre mystery this book was okay, but only just. The mystery was way too easy to solve near the beginning of the book which was a great disappointment because the characters were interesting and fun. The settings were well depicted and the needlework trivia handled well. I did not find the Nashville characters very believable, but I'm picky about that. YMMV. It was a way to pass the time, but there are better books out there of this ilk.

(Contains possible spoilers) This book, in part because it took place among people marooned in a storm didn't offend by misunderstanding its location, but it was ultimately not satisfying. The victim was so unsympathetic, and the suspects so sympathetic, that it was difficult to anticipate the final unveiling or, I suppose, unraveling. I kept thinking that the author was going to pull off a surprise ending by showing that someone else was responsible for deeds attributed to the victim or by coming up with totally unexpected villain, but no luck.

I'm a sucker for any mystery that's craft-related and set at Christmas time -- this book by Monica Ferris fits the bill. While I found the writing approach (different points of view, flashing forward and back in time) to be quite confusing, the writng itself was clear and entertaining. And though I'm not a needleworker, the descriptions of the patterns and samplers were so compelling that I feel the urge to pick up a needle and some floss!
Not a bad book, but not particularly memorable, either.

Cozy mysteries are generally rather cute, short on suspense and long on "charm". Good for a beach read, but otherwise unsatisfying. Crewel Yule certainly meets those criteria. But except for its very lengthy, mostly tedious descriptions of various needlework plans and patterns, there really isn't much to it. The dozens of crafters who make up most of the cast are stereotypical housewife types, and Betsy's 2 best friends are caricatures, one of a swishy gay man (Goddy) and one of a capable female cop who is apparently willing to work without pay. The reader is forced to listen to her explanation of what she is doing every time she interviews a suspect. And the motives of the various suspects are repeated more times than I could count. Except for the murderer and victim, everyone is so nice. I enjoy various types of needlework, including crossstitch and crewel, but didn't find much to enjoy in this tale, especially not the commercials.

Er, I felt I needed to review this as I was so very shocked when I read the intro. Maybe I can quote some relevant phrases: "the 'keltelven traditions' are a fictional construct based on research into Celtic and Pagan European traditions...the book you are about to read is written in the kind of Celtic mindset that permits of converse with people in 'other worlds' (in this case a 'fictional' landscape) and thus when you read about "the Kelteven Traditions" remember that what you are reading about is a fictional construct... All of the quotes in this book are drawn from sources attributed to characters living in the fictional landscape." My impression is that this is a celtic variation on Tolkein.

I have not actually read the book, only skimmed it-- I have no idea how to rate it. I was looking very quickly for a couple of resources on holiday traditions that precede the christian christmas and this is one I grabbed. Whoops! I gather that the author has made up a world, populated it with characters, and given them religious practices based on his research on Pagan traditions. Then he wrote a guide to their holiday traditions. I am totally new to the whole concept but I am pretty sure that the dates he uses for the 12 days of christmas are way off. So if you are a novice looking for actual information on holiday traditions I would steer clear. Perhaps the more knowledgeable Pagan practioners are able to glean new and interesting suggestions to use within their own celebrations. I just wish I had been warned.

I believe the author captures a life and history that few would forget and the book brings new depth and character to most books of its kind which are few. I can't wait to see his next book on the shelves soon. He has a vision and does a great job showing and guiding u through a book i give this book 4 stars i dont dont give that high of rating on most books Bravo to the author

This year during December, as I awaited the magick of the Winter Solstice and the New Year to be born, I read this exciting little book by Montague Whitsel! I am a priestess in the Wicchan tradition, and for years I have been looking for a way of walking my Way through the Winter Solstice Days with poetic, folkloric and magical symbols and rituals. This book -- ecclectic to the hilt -- has provided me with the most thorough guide I have yet run across. It's not your usual cup of brew! It might take you by surprise; but I will be recommending it to everyone in my covens, and to all my friends!

This book blends pagan and Christian symbols and stories to create a unique version of the Winter Solstice celebration that can be participated in and enjoyed by anyone who seeks to reconnect with ancient traditions in a contemporary and more meaningful way. The author makes a sincere effort to bridge the gap between secular and spiritual points of view, hoping that the reader will open his or her mind to new customs and possibilities for reawakening an aesthetic sense of the sacred season. Mr. Whitsel's rich language is a nice change from the matter-of-fact, utilitarian wording of so many current books on spirituality and reveals the deep passion that he feels for this subject. Certainly, one isn't compelled to "believe" in a new "system" of spirituality in The Fires of Yule, only invited to draw upon whatever symbols and rituals serve to augment one's appreciation of the Solstice, whether those be Celtic Christian or Celtic Pagan.

This is the most insultingly poorly written book about the making of a film I have ever read.

However, it is the only book available about the making of Gilliam's film Munchausen.

If you need such a topic for your library, I guess you'll obtain it...though you have been warned.

If you happen to like this movie or just Gilliam in general then I would suggest finding this book. The author, Andrew Yule, takes around thirty interviews from people related to the movie and encompasses all of the delays and pitfalls associated with it. From trying to cast Marlon Brando as the King of the Moon to the self centered producers (Thomas Schuly) total lack of concern for the crew or anyone in general this book shows how one of the most over-budgeted films of its time($20 million over) became a flop.

Terry Gilliam is the first to acknowledge that for each of his movies, he becomes the main character and their struggle in the story becomes part of his struggle to make the film. This overlap set an ominous tone that then went from bad to worse, from the frying pan to the fire and somehow a film came out the other side.

The making of the movie "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" is told via Andrew Yule's interviews and research, almost a post-mortem after the near-death experience of the filmmaking process. Director and producer fought, crews walked or were fired, accountants and accusations flew, and tigers and elephants literally got out of control. Compared to "The Battle of Brazil" that was a skirmish and this was a world war.

For Gilliam fans, join the director in all his pain as he attempts to surmount and juggle language barriers, lethargic crews, bad weather, financial disputes, mysterious accidents, casts of characters fictional and real, and his own visions.

The Time--Night is one of the most powerful books on poverty that has ever been written. The reader must look beneath the suface of Anya and her daughters relationship to find the true meaning of the novel. Once you see that this novel is truly about what lengths a woman will go to support her family, and inversily what she must do to protect her own heart in the process. Upon first reading one will want to despise all of the charecters, even little Tima, yet under the surface is a novel about a woman who can not love another person because loves means one must care for he loved one. Anya is unable to provie for any more people so how then can she love them if she can not provie for them. At the core this novel exposes the real struggles that people suffer through when there really is no way out.

Reading Ludmila Petrushevskaya is like snooping around the darkest corners of one's own soul. She mixes the day-to-day reality with urban legends, religious mysticism, dreams, ghosts, you name it. And she is usually really good at it--in this book, however, she sticks with reality, and, I think, shortchanges the reader.

This is a good book, of course. You cannot help sympathizing with the narrator-mother and feeling furious about the irresponsible slut of a daughter (though AA does begin to annoy you with her moralizing as she is reading the daughter's diaries, adding offensive comments along the way about her daughter's sex life). The choice AA must make in the end (and the futility of it) is the perfect finish to this very dark, depressing, at times heart-wrenching book. This book, however, is nowhere as good as some of Petrushevskaya's terrifying short stories.

I have to confess: I had mixed feelings about this book. I meandered along, enjoying the brief and naive sections plagiarized from the narrator's sluttish daughter Alyona, but muddling through Anna's daily life of suffering. Occasionally the anti-social antics of her grandson Tima livened up the scene. However, something pulled me forward, and, toward the book's close, as Anna stood in a surreal industrial landscape holding her senile mother, the whole series of events leading to this moment washed over me. The combination of stream-of-consciousness and deliberate straightforward narrative, the will of a woman to survive in a hostile environment, and the concerns of four generations of Russians fell together into a dirty ice crystal of great beauty. I highly recommend this book.

From the back cover:

"A Man To Live For" by Emma Richmond
As far as Francine was concerned, she and Gile Lapotaire were strangers thrown together by chance on a romantic train journey through Europe. Why, then, did the handsome French-Swiss banker seem to know so much about her--and despise her for it?

"Yule Tide" by Catherine George
Judith's marriage to Nick Campion had been brief and turbulent. But, two days before Christmas, she found herself making her way to her childhood home with her estranged husband. The journey was destined to be stormy--and not just because of the terrible weather!

"Mistletoe Kisses" by Lynsey Stevens
Kael Craigen claimed he still loved Jazmin, but could she forget his betrayal five years ago? Visiting her former home in Sydney for Christmas brought back memories of her past love for him--would a kiss under the mistletoe rekindle their passion?

"Christmas Charade" by Kay Gregory
Going home for Christmas was always a joy for Nina--apart from facing her father's annual matchmaking efforts! But this year it would be different. What she needed was a temporary fiance...and gorgeous, sophisticated Fenton Hardwick was the perfect candidate!

And my review:

The first story, "A Man to Live For" was VERY badly written. I couldn't get more than fifteen pages into it. It was just so choppy. It was full of little sentence fragments combined with huge, run-on rambling sentences (for balance, I suppose. I didn't work). It was like trying to read something written by a four-grader who has bad grammar. Not worth the time to read it. One star.

The second story, "Yule Tide", was quite enjoyable. I love stories of estranged spouses reconciling. While this one wasn't the best I've read, it was still pretty good. Both characters were loveable, and for once, the problems keeping them apart were realistic, without being insurmountable. I kept the book for this story. Four stars.

The third story, "Mistletoe Kisses", was not only stupid, but offensive. Stupid woman falls in love with a married man. Okay, she didn't know he was married at the time, but he sure did! Now it's years later, he's divorced, so now they can get back together and live happily every after, right? Gag, gag, barf! Ever hear the saying, "Once a cheater, always a cheater"? If a man can carry on with you when he's married to his first wife, he can just as easily cheat on you when you're his new wife. And this is supposed to be our hero? How can you cheer for a couple to get together when one is an idiot, and the other is lower than a snake's belly? One star (only because I can't give no stars).

The fourth story, "Christmas Charade", started off well, but the characters never developed beyond cardboard cutouts. They were both such stereotypes: alpha male, stupid, immature, insipid female. She acts sour (read: like a child) all the time, so he calls her Ms. Lemon. Funny the first time you read it, not so funny when he's called her that for the fiftieth time. Got bored halfway through and never finished it. One star.

Definitely not one of the better anthologies out there, though it is redeemed by having at least one decent story. Buy this if you find it at a garage sale or a thrift store, otherwise, it isn't worth the money.

Since "Coyotes" is only 64 pages, about half of which are devoted entirely to photographs, it might be a bit much to expect a wealth of detail. Still, I found the information in this book somewhat sparse. By my rough estimate, about half of the text is devoted to myths about coyotes and the animals' representations in cartoons. By comparison to Roadrunners, another entry in this series (and the only other one I have looked at), "Coyotes" does not present nearly as much information about the subject animal.

What information the book does supply, though, is interesting. The writing is appropriate for children who are interested in coyotes, and the photographs are quite beautiful.

I thought this book was very interesting. I never really believed in sasquatch and other legends but this book made me sit down and really think about what these things are. This book shows that some things are real and some things aren't. I think this book would be interesting for anyone from the ages nine to 13. Even for some older kids that are interested in this sort of thing. For kids in grade three or lower this book may be to old for them. The author gave very discriptive words in this book. Because I do not read a lot about U.F.O.s this was a great learning experience. This book also showed two points of view. Thank You

Reconstructing the Subject: Modernist Painting in Western Germany, 1945-1950 lacks historic fact and accuracy. Heibel jumps from speculation to speculation without ever using a single secondary souce.