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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2171 KP) rated Christmas Past in Books

Dec 15, 2022 (Updated Dec 15, 2022)

Christmas Past

Brian Earl | 2022 | History & Politics

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

A Look at Christmas Traditions Past and Present

Have you ever wondered why we celebrate Christmas the way we do? If so, this book is for you. It takes a look at four categories: food, entertainment, sights and sounds, and society. Each category gets several chapters that focus on specific things like mince pies or candy canes, Rudolph, lights, and Christmas cards. We get a look at the origins, the rise, and sometimes the fall, of these old traditions.

This book is purely looking at the secular, pop culture celebration of Christmas, although the religious aspect does pop up occasionally, most noticeably in the chapter on “Silent Night.” A couple of chapters seem a bit vague, and the writing can be dry at times, but those are minor complaints. On the whole, this was a fascinating look at where our traditions came from, both those we still use today and those that have faded over time. I am not familiar with the author’s pod cast, but my understanding is much of this material first appeared there. As a Christmas lover, I enjoyed learning more about the holiday. If that’s you, you’ll enjoy this book as well.

Kudos

Dracoria Malfoy (690 KP) rated An Absolutely Remarkable Thing in Books

Mar 17, 2019

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

Hank Green | 2018 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy

9.3

(6 Ratings)

Book Rating

remarkable

did i expect hank green to be a great writer?
no.
was he?
i suppose so.
and did he live up to the expectations i set on this book?
yes.

this book was genuinely an amazing observation on fame and culture. it accurately depicted how change in terms of popularity can affect a person regarding both their relationships and how they percieve themselves. starring a queer lead, this book was quite frankly incredibly well done. i've gotta say, i didn't expect this level from a debut novel. I feel like the only reason i took off some points was because the story dragged a bit or sped up too much at points. there was never a constant, perfect pace to this story, though maybe that just added to the peculiarity of this novel.

also, gotta say;
certainly not YA