Review: Blue Christmas & Giveaway

Summary: It's the week before Christmas, and antiques dealer Weezie Foley is in a frenzy to garnish her shop for the Savannah historical district decorating contest, which she intends to win. Weezie is ready to shoot herself with her glue gun by the time she's done, but the results are stunning. She's certainly one-upped the owners of the trendy boutique around the corner, but suddenly things start to go missing from her display, and there seems to be a mysterious midnight visitor to her shop. 

Still, Weezie has high hopes for the holiday—maybe in the form of an engagement ring from her chef boyfriend. But Daniel, always moody at the holidays, seems more distant than usual. Throw in Weezie's decidedly odd family, a 1950s Christmas tree pin, and even a little help from the King himself (Elvis, that is), and maybe there will be a pocketful of miracles for Weezie this Christmas Eve. 

Back by popular demand, this new edition of the holiday classic includes an essay by the author, tips for "keeping the happy in holidays," additional recipes, and more. -- Harper

I mentioned a few days ago that I'm in a bit of a reading slump. Normally during this time of the year, I devour holiday-themed books, but this year I seem to be too busy to read much of anything. And that's why BLUE CHRISTMAS by Mary Kay Andrews was just perfect for me. First of all, it's by Mary Kay Andrews, an author whom I just adore. Secondly, it's under 200 pages and a very quick read. And lastly, and perhaps most importantly, it's just a very fun book.

BLUE CHRISTMAS was originally published in 2006 and it was an immediate New York Times bestseller. However, for some reason, I had never read it until this year. The novel is set in Savannah (a fantastic city!) and continues the adventures of Weezie Foley and her best friend BeBe from Mary Kay Andrews' Savannah series (SAVANNAH BREEZE and SAVANNAH BLUES.)

In BLUE CHRISTMAS, antiques dealer Weezie Foley is desperate to win the decorating contest in historic Savannah, but to do that she has to beat her new competitors Cookie and Manny. She decides to go with a very unique storefront window featuring Elvis' Blue Christmas as a theme. However, things begin to go awry when she notices things missing from her window and surprise gifts start showing up in her truck. Despite the many mishaps and surprises along the way, Weezie is determined to salvage this holiday.

I thought BLUE CHRISTMAS was fantastic. It was exactly the type of book I needed to read to remind me of the magic of the holiday season. Of course, the characters in this story are great -- it is a Mary Kay Andrews' book, but I also loved the humor which seems to be a trademark of her novels. BLUE CHRISTMAS wasn't entirely surprising (and some readers might even say it's a tad bit predictable), but in my opinion, it is good holiday fun.

And this is just a little bonus, but BLUE CHRISTMAS has some fun extras included in the back of the book. There are some recipes of food and drinks that were mentioned in the story. In addition, there are Ms. Andrews' notes about her inspiration for the story and tips for keeping the "happy in holidays." She also includes a fun (and vintage) Christmas playlist!

And since BLUE CHRISTMAS is a terrific book to read this time of year, I thought I'd share some exciting news with you. From now through Friday December 23rd, the BLUE CHRISTMAS e-book will be marked down to $1.99 at all e-book retailers. That price makes it a perfect gift for yourself or someone you love!

Thanks to Tandem Literary for providing a review copy of this book.

Giveaway alert: I have a copy of BLUE CHRISTMAS to share with one lucky reader. To enter, just fill out the form below before Monday, December 19th at 11:59 p.m. ET. I will randomly select and notify the winner the following day. This contest is open to those of you with U.S. addresses only. Good luck!