Remembering Christmas

Remembering Christmas
Dan Walsh
(Revell)
978-0800719791
September 2011/272 pages/$15.99
Can one Christmas change a life forever?

Rick Denton lives his life on his terms. He works hard, plays hard, and answers to no one. So when his mother calls begging him to come home after his stepfather has an aneurysm, Rick is more than a little reluctant. What was supposed to be just a couple days helping out at the family bookstore turns into weeks of cashing out old ladies and dealing with the homeless guy who keeps hanging around the store. The one bright spot is the lovely and intriguing young woman who works at his side each day.

As Christmas nears, Rick's old life beckons, the hurts from his past loom large, and the decisions he makes will determine more than just where he spends Christmas Eve.

With skillful storytelling, Dan Walsh creates a Christmas story that will have you remembering every good and perfect gift of Christmas.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dan Walsh is the award-winning author of The Unfinished Gift, The Homecoming, The Deepest Waters, and Remembering Christmas. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Dan served as a pastor for 25 years. He lives with his family in the Daytona Beach area, where he's busy researching and writing his next novel.




MY THOUGHTS:
Dan Walsh writes beautiful stories full of tender moments, and just as each of his previous three books did, Remembering Christmas touched my heart. Rick's character is well-portrayed as he begrudgingly agrees to step in for his mom and her husband (whom he does NOT consider his step-father) during an emergency. The contrast between his successful job & fast-paced life and their simple bookstore and slower pace annoys him, as do some of the eccentric individuals who frequent the store. Dan Walsh does a masterful job of showing how hurts and childhood perceptions can impact our lives as adults and the impact that unconditional love makes in a life, even years after the seeds are sown. This is a wonderful book to read for the holidays. It's definitely one for my keeper shelf, and I suspect reading it may become an annual tradition.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”