The Christmas Blizzard by Garrison Keillor Fiction Read Alikes A wealthy and depressed man bound for Christmas in the tropics is abruptly summoned home to North Dakota to visit an ailing aunt, arriving just in time to be trapped there by a blizzard. Humorous, Offbeat, Spare These books have the common threads of the holidays and second chances. There appeal factors vary a bit so those characteristics are included following each book’s description. Buffalo Valley by Debbie Macomber Arriving in the small prairie town of Buffalo Valley in North Dakota to visit an old family friend while his reluctant fiancée makes up her mind, Vaughn Kyle encounters Carrie Hendrickson and soon everything he once thought he wanted is called into question. Contemporary romance, Character-driven, Relaxed pace, Heartwarming Skipping Christmas by John Grisham Luther and Nora Krank have decided to set sail on a Caribbean cruise on December 25th and skip Christmas. They are about to discover that their decision brings enormous consequences--and isn't half as easy as they imagined. Humorous stories; Satirical fiction, Darkly humorous, Moving Writing Style, Witty Finding Noel by Richard Paul Evans A twenty-one-year-old woman searches for clues to her past while struggling with vague memories of being sent away by her parents at the age of seven, a younger sister, and a Christmas ornament inscribed with the word, "Noel." Christmas stories, Inspirational, Heartwarming author of: Promise Me, Grace, The Gift, The Christmas Box The Last Noel by Michael Malone On Christmas Eve, 1963, Noni Tilden and Kaye King--one from a prominent white family, the other from a poor black family--begin a friendship that lasts through four decades of change in their small North Carolina town. Love stories, Character-driven, Heartwarming Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews Antiques dealer Weezie Foley works vigorously to win a window decorating contest, an effort that is challenged when components from her display begin to disappear and her fiancé begins to act in a distant manner. Romantic suspense stories, Women's lives and relationships, Character-driven, Funny, Heartwarming The Christmas Train by David Baldacci Tom Langdon, a weary and cash-strapped journalist, is banned from flying when a particularly thorough airport security search causes him to lose his cool. Now, he must take the train if he has any chance of arriving in Los Angeles in time for Christmas with his girlfriend. Love stories, Heartwarming, Romantic, Richly-detailed A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly businessman, learns the true meaning of Christmas after he is visited by the ghosts of Christmases past, present, and future. Cinematic scenes, Ghost stories, Intricately plotted, Dramatic, Descriptive This list was created using NoveList. To find out how you may use this online resource, please ask at the Information Desk. N:/Reference/Readers Advisory/ Monthly Read Alikes/ Christmas Blizzard.doc December 2010 .