Book Club

For the month of December the Ainsworth Library Book Club has a choice of two books to read. To go along with our upcoming Dickens event, we are reading The Man Who Invented Christmas, about Charles Dickens and the times in Victorian England that fostered the writing of A Christmas Carol. The second book is a compilation of Christmas tales entitled, Chicken Soup for the Soul Christmas Treasury . We will meet on Monday, December 15th at 6 PM at the library. Come and join our discussion group.

Summary from NCLS

As uplifting as the tale of Scrooge itself, this is the story of how one writer and one book revived the signal holiday of the Western world. Just before Christmas in 1843, a debt-ridden and dispirited Charles Dickens wrote a small book he hoped would keep his creditors at bay. His publisher turned it down, so Dickens used what little money he had to put out a Chrstmas Carolhimself. He worried it might be the end of his career as a novelist. The book immediately caused a sensation. And it breathed new life into a holiday that had fallen into disfavor, undermined by lingering Puritanism and the cold modernity of the Industrial Revolution. It was a harsh and dreary age, in desperate need of spiritual renewal, ready to embrace a book that ended with blessings for one and all. With warmth, wit, and an infusion of Christmas cheer, Les Standiford whisks us back to Victorian England, its most beloved storyteller, and the birth of the Christmas we know best.The Man Who Invented Christmas is a rich and satisfying read for Scrooges and sentimentalists alike.

Author Notes

Les Standiford is the director of the creative writing program at Florida International University. He has lived in Miami since 1981.

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The Second Book:

Chicken Soup for the Soul Christmas Treasury: Holiday Stories to Warm the Heart

Abstract: A collection of stories for each day in December through Christmas Day, to rekindle the excitement of the season and remind us what Christmas is really about....With twenty-five true stories - one for each day in December through Christmas Day - this unique treasury will rekindle the Christmas spirit every December first and keep it burning in the hearts of readers throughout the holiday season,,,,