Catalog Search Results
Author
Summary
In Willa Cather's The Burglar's Christmas‚ a young drifter finds himself alone on Christmas Eve, penniless and starving. Though he has failed at everything in life, including crime, he decides to break into a home and rob it to raise money for food. When he is caught in the act by the lady of the house, they both come to a terrible realization. The burglar's desperate act leads to a transformative act of holiday love and charity. First published...
Author
Series
Summary
"For countless readers, Christmastime means a delicious new holiday mystery from New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry. A Christmas Escape, her thirteenth noel to the season, transports us to the Mediterranean island of Stromboli for an unconventional Yuletide adventure--and an unforgettable volcanic encounter. Lonely Charles Latterly arrives at his small hotel hoping that the island's blue skies and gentle breezes will brighten his spirits....
Author
Series
Summary
"When Victor Narraway, Thomas Pitt's close friend and former boss, and his new wife, Lady Vespasia, travel to Jerusalem for a Christmas holiday, Vespasia cannot shake the feeling that they are being watched. Then, an old man leaves a mysterious envelope for Narraway--and is murdered soon after. But it is only when the couple is ambushed the following morning that they realize they are in grave danger. Armed only with the instructions from the message...
Author
Series
Summary
The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle, the only Holmes mystery set during the Christmas season, is the seventh story of twelve in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. During the festive season, newspapers report the theft of the near priceless jewel, The Blue Carbuncle, from the hotel suite of the Countess of Morcar. John Horner, a plumber and a previously convicted felon, is soon arrested for the theft. When the Blue Carbuncle appears in a goose's crop...
Author
Series
Summary
In Anthony Trollope's Christmas at Thompson Hall, a British matron is intent on traveling to her ancestral home for Christmas Eve in spite of her husband's sore throat. In an attempt to alleviate his symptoms, she raids the hotel pantry to make a mustard-poultice to apply to his throat. When she gets lost on the way back to her room, she makes a terrible mistake that will put a British gentleman's sense of charity to the test. This timeless holiday...
Author
Series
Summary
In Harriet Beecher Stowe's short story, Christmas in Poganuc, a young New England girl, Dolly, is left alone while the village gathers at the church to celebrate Christmas. This timeless holiday classic was first published in the collection, A Budget of Christmas Tales by Charles Dickens and Others, in 1895. It follows up on Harriet Beecher Stowe's earlier work Poganuc People: Their Loves and Lives.
Author
Series
Summary
Beth and Jean and three other girls at No. 16 Chestnut Terrace are spending a cheery Christmas together opening presents that came in the mail, since none could go home this year. Beth remarks that Miss Allen, an older woman resident of the boarding house, is apparently alone this year. Though Miss Allen is not widely liked by the girls, they agree that no one should have to spend Christmas alone. Thus, a Christmas Inspiration is born.
Author
Series
Summary
"As Charlotte Pitt's grandmother Mariah Ellison finds herself investigating a long-unsolved slaying, it becomes clear that grappling with intrigue and foul play runs in the family. A festive Christmas package left on Mariah's doorstep contains an ominous present, sparking memories of a twenty-year-old murder that shattered her friendship with the victim's widow. Though the gift is a bitter reminder of that tragic time, in the spirit of the season...
29) A Christmas Tree
Author
Summary
Originally published in the 1850 Christmas edition of Dickens' journal Household Words, A Christmas Tree is considered to be one of Dickens's more autobiographical pieces. In it, decorations on the Christmas tree trigger the narrator's memories of Christmases past. This version of A Christmas Tree is part of Dreamscape's The Christmas Stories of Charles Dickens.
Author
Series
Summary
Originally published in Harte's 1875 short-story collection The Tales of the Argonauts, How Santa Claus Came to Simpson's Bar is set in California in the early 1860s and, like the rest of the tales in that collection, features the gold-seeking Argonauts. In this tale, like many of Harte's others, the folly and grit of human existence balance any good intentions, good cheer, or hope, resulting in a more complicated and somewhat bleak ending than is...
32) Nobody's Story
Author
Summary
Originally published in the 1853 Christmas edition of Dickens' journal Household Words, Nobody's Story uses the differences between the Big Wig family and the Nobody family to call attention to class-based inequity. This version of Nobody's Story is part of Dreamscape's The Christmas Stories of Charles Dickens.
Author
Summary
Originally published in the 1852 Christmas edition of Dickens' journal Household Words, The Poor Relation's Story takes place during a Christmas feast, where a poor relation of the host tells the story of his life. This version of The Poor Relation's Story is part of Dreamscape's The Christmas Stories of Charles Dickens.
Author
Summary
Originally published in the 1853 Christmas edition of Dickens' journal Household Words, The Schoolboy's Story recounts the tale of Old Cheeseman, a schoolboy who becomes the second Latin Master, and his former peers who consider him a traitor for doing it. This version of The Schoolboy's Story is part of Dreamscape's The Christmas Stories of Charles Dickens.
Author
Series
Summary
When Mark Twain's daughter Susie wrote a letter to Santa Claus, her father wrote back, signing Santa's name. Charming and heartwarming, this version of the short letter includes humorous descriptions of Santa's efforts to deliver the requested toys to the Twain household, as well as instructions to meet Santa at an appointed time outside for items that can't fit down the chimney. Written in 1875, Twain's daughter would tragically die of spinal meningitis...
Author
Summary
Originally published in the 1851 Christmas edition of Dickens' journal Household Words, What Christmas is as We Grow Older is an essay suggesting that Christmas should be a time of gratitude and forgiveness. This version of What Christmas is as We Grow Older is part of Dreamscape's The Christmas Stories of Charles Dickens.
Author
Series
Summary
"In this intriguing, uplifting holiday mystery from bestselling author Anne Perry, an orphan boy investigates a woman's kidnapping--and discovers there's more at stake than a disappearance. When Worm, a young orphan boy who works at the local clinic, sees Eloise being kidnapped by two men in the days leading up to Christmas, he immediately recruits Squeaky Robinson to help rescue her. But as they track Eloise down, they're surprised to hear that she...
Author
Series
Formats
Summary
"As beautiful as it may be, their friends' country home is not where Lady Vespasia wishes to spend Christmas with her new husband, Victor Narraway. She'd rather pass a relaxing holiday at home with him--especially because Victor, former head of the London Special Branch, seems to be hiding some undercover dealings with the other guests who have gathered in the spacious home. As tensions grow among the couples, the young and beautiful Iris Watson-Watt...
Author
Series
Summary
"Detective John Hooper, William Monk's right-hand man at the Thames River Police, has fallen in love with Celia, the cousin of the victim in their most recent murder case. Now Celia has discovered that the man her good friend plans to marry this Christmas is far from what he seems. His first marriage ended with his wife walking into the sea -- not of her own accord -- and Celia hopes Hooper can help show her friend the truth. But Celia herself has...