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Lights, Loss, and Love
Matthew Norman’s Holiday Novel Shines with Real Emotion As a reader, one of my favorite things is discovering a new-to-me author. But almost as soon as the discovery is finished, a question follows: will I read another book by the author? Back in 2023, I discovered Matthew Norman based on his then-new novel, Charm City Rocks. I devoured that book in only four days, one of my fastest reads in a long time. For the past two years, when someone asks me to name one of my favorite books, Charm City Rocks made the list. You also must know that I don’t re-read books. I just don’t. There are too…
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It’s a Good Thing the Crooks Are Not Very Smart in The Christmas Thief
Gather ‘round kids and let me tell about something we had back in the day. Here in Houston, there was a store that let you rent audiobooks just like Blockbuster. T’was a great store, especially in the days before digital audiobooks are everywhere. One of the books I listened to decades ago was The Christmas Thief by Mary Higgins Clark and her daughter, Carol Higgins Clark. What I didn’t know then was that this was the second Christmas novel that Mary and Carol wrote together. What made these books special—other than the mother/daughter relationship—was the crossover aspect of the stories. One of Mary’s series featured lottery winner, Alvirah Meehan, and…
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Want a New Short Story Everyday for the Christmas Season?
We are in December now and the 2023 holiday season has begun. I’ve already been listening to my Christmas albums—always start with Chicago’s three Christmas albums—but made a fun discovery this year: Richard Marx’s “Christmas Spirit.” Boy, is that a fun song, and you really must watch the cameo-filled video. I’ve also started my season’s readings and, for the past past five years, my annual Christmas reading is anchored by an Advent calendar of short stories. The WMG Holiday Spectacular is the brainchild of veteran author Kristine Kathryn Rusch. She wondered what it would be like to have a new short story each day from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day.…