[photopress:Image15_product.jpg,full,alignleft]By the Light of a Star: True Christmas Stories (by various authors). A small collection of true Christmas stories by favorite LDS authors, this gift would be perfect for home teaching families and visiting teaching sisters. My favorite story was, “A Gift for Jesus” by Marilynne Todd Linford. Retails for $4.95 and takes just a short time to read through because of its small booklet size.

[photopress:Christmas_Rose_product.jpg,full,alignleft]Christmas Rose by Robyn Buttars. Rosie and her mother live in the house behind Pleasant Manor, a care center where Rosie’s mother works as a cook. Most kids would be scared of the elderly residents of Pleasant Manor, but not Rosie – she learns to love them all, especially her beloved Bessie, one of the long-term residents who knows everyone and everything. It’s through Rosie’s associations with the residents that she learns important lessons about life, love, and the true meaning of friendship.

Christmas Rose isn’t really a Christmas book because the messages learned can last all year long. It’s a good book for those who appreciate LDS novels but can’t find the time to read a full-length book. Retailing for $8.95, it lasts a short 115-pages and takes just a short while to devour.

[photopress:Spirit_of_Christmas_product.jpg,full,alignleft]Next, for the fiction AND Christmas lover in your life, we have The Spirit of Christmas: Stories of the Season by Jennie Hansen, Betsy Brannon Green, and Michele Ashman Bell. Much like By the Light of a Star: True Christmas Stories , this is a collection of holiday stories by LDS fiction authors, but these aren’t true. Still, these stories are a wonderful reflection of the spirit of Christmas and the gifts we can give to others during the holiday season. If you like the full-length novels written by the authors of The Spirit of Christmas, you’ll enjoy this short collection of stories. The Spirit of Christmas retails for $7.95.

[photopress:Miracle_5_product.jpg,full,alignleft]The Miracle of the Wooden Shoes written by Deborah Pace Rowley and illustrated by Dan Burr. It’s almost St. Nicholas Day, and Walter knows there’s no reason for him to leave his wooden shoes by the door. St. Nicholas wouldn’t be coming, and Walter only felt sadness in his heart because he knew this would probably be the last Christmas his ailing father spent with the family. However, the next morning, Walter’s shoes are outside, filled with candles and a parchment note that has a scripture on it. The next morning, Walter’s shoes are once again filled. Then the next morning. The fourth day, two American missionaries showed up at the door with the same rolled parchment that Walter had received in his shoes. Walter knew they had filled his shoes! Confused, the missionaries said that it wasn’t them – they themselves had received a note saying they should visit Walter’s family. What happens next is the true Christmas miracle! This hardcover illustrated book is perfect for families, as it is simple enough for children to understand and it has suggestions at the end for re-creating The Miracle of the Wooden Shoes. The Miracle of the Wooden Shoes retails for $18.95.

[photopress:Sharing_Christmas.F_product.jpg,full,alignleft]Sharing Christmas: Stories for the Season is yet another gift perfect for families. It consists of short stories and poetry about the holiday season, and is illustrated will beautiful old-time paintings of the joys of Christmas. A beautiful coffee table book complete with a satin ribbon bookmark, Sharing Christmas retails for $21.95.

[photopress:Christmas_Dollar_product.jpg,full,alignleft]My favorite out of all of our Christmas picks is Christmas For a Dollar by Gale Sears. The Kamp family is struggling just like everyone else is during the Great Depression. There’s only a dollar for the whole family to share to buy gifts for each other, but with the one dollar comes huge miracles – including a definitely shocking ending. Is Christmas For a Dollar a true story? Find out for yourself! Christmas for a Dollar is the perfect gift for home teaching families and visiting teaching sisters. It’s retails for $4.95 and is a short 19-page booklet.

[photopress:Reflections_of_Christ_product.jpg,full,alignleft]Lastly, we have the beautiful coffee table book Reflections of Christ with photography by Mark Mabry. It was Mark Mabry’s love of not only photography but also Jesus Christ that gave him the idea to recreate the life of Christ through real-time pictures. His creation, Reflections of Christ is a beautiful depiction of the Savior’s ministry, and his subjects are so realistic that it’s hard to not feel like you’re right there. Reflections of Christ retails for $25.95.

“Ripped straight from the headlines” – yes, you’ll definitely enjoy Hometown Weekly: Good News For a Change. I think this book reaches a wide audience. It would be great not only for the traditional LDS fiction readers, but most assuredly for the older generation. I highly recommend this book as a lighthearted change from the same old, same old.

You can find Hometown Weekly: Good News For a Change at a Deseret Book retailer near you or on the web at www.deseretbook.com.

A sudden twist in the plot reveals that it may not be all about the wolves. There are inheritances to be gained, and an unsavory family member out to get whatever he can with whoever he can use. Can Detective Prescott stop the environmental activists before anyone else gets killed?

I really enjoyed Don’t Cry Wolf. It’s always refreshing to see a mystery take place in an unusual setting with unusual characters. The plot is never dull, and it’s hard to detect where it’s all going to end up. I would definitely recommend this book to LDS fiction lovers ages 12 and up.

You can find Don’t Cry Wolf at Deseret Book retailers across the country and at www.deseretbook.com.