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Sherri Browning Erwin | Childhood Favorite Things
December 5, 2010
Ah, the holidays! Chestnuts roasting, stockings hung by the chimney, city
sidewalks dressed in style, people laughing, mulled cider spices warming the
blood... Yes, blood. I have to think of the vampires. They enjoy the holidays,
too. One of my favorite things about this time of year is snuggling by the fire
with a good book. What does an author of vampire stories read during the
holidays, you ask? Some childhood favorites:  1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss.
Sometimes shopping makes me feel like a Grinch, but the Whos down in Whoville
always bring out the best in me. My heart grows three sizes with every read.
Bring on the roast beast!
 2.
The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Like lead character Sara Crewe,
I've always been a princess in my own mind. The magic of Sara's imagination in
keeping the hard times from getting to her always reminds me, in a way, of the
magic of Christmas. And of course, she has her own sort of Christmas miracle at
the end. Did you know that The Little Princess was originally based on
Charlotte Bronte's abandoned manuscript Emma, about an heiress being abandoned
penniless at a boarding school? No wonder I love it! I'm partial to Charlotte
after working with her on Jane Slayre.
Some Romance:  3. The
Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig. A new one in my holiday rotation,
featuring intrigue between the bumbling Reginald "Turnip" Fitzhugh and
headmistress Arabella Dempsey over a mysterious Christmas pudding. Fans of the
Pink Carnation series will love it, and maybe some new fans will discover the
series.
 4. Naughty
or Nice by Sherri Erwin. A little self-
indulgence here. My Christmas set romance highlighting the transformation of a
young widow to a woman in love... with two men, a god and a man. Will she
choose Naughty, or Nice?
Some Fun:  5. The
Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore. Moore is an
author who never fails to make me laugh out loud, and who doesn't need more
holiday cheer? Archangel Raziel comes to earth to deliver a Christmas miracle
to a small boy, and ends up botching his mission to chaotic results.
 6. The
Joy of Cooking Christmas Cookies by Irma Rombauer,
Ethan Becker, and Marion
Rombauer Becker. Bakers will delight in the treasure trove of new holiday
recipes, and even non bakers will enjoy flipping through the pictures to
remember cookies and good times from Christmases Past.
And a traditional favorite:  7. A
Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Every year,
Scrooge's trials remind me to
be thankful for all I have in my life. Plus, I enjoy Dickens's scintillating
prose. I'm not just saying that because he's my current writing partner on
Grave Expectations, out in May 2011.
God bless us, every one! Sherri Browning Erwin
lives in Western Massachusetts with her husband, two kids, and a corgi. She
writes contemporary and historical fiction with a paranormal twist. Her latest
release is Jane Slayre. Look for Grave Expectations in May 2011. Learn more
about Sherri and her books at www.sherribrowningerwin.com or join Sherri
on Facebook at or Twitter.
Comments
18 comments posted.
Re: Sherri Browning Erwin | Childhood Favorite Things
Thanks for welcoming me to Fresh Fiction! What are some of your favorite
holiday books?
(Sherri Erwin 11:32am December 5, 2010)
You've listed some of my favorites, too! I'm always looking
for new ones, though.
(Margay Roberge 11:38am December 5, 2010)
No holiday books are coming to mind right now but The Little Princess, Naughty or Nice and The Stupidest Angel all sound very intriguing. I like that the Little Princess is named Sara, for two reasons. One, that the name Sara means princess and two, it's my name, as well and it's even spelt the same way (with no "h"!) :)
sweetbrier at shaw dot ca
(Sara Denluck 12:12pm December 5, 2010)
I used to name my favorite baby dolls Sara. Always loved the name.
(Sherri Erwin 12:25pm December 5, 2010)
an illustrated copy of 'the night before Christmans'. But now I'm going to find a copy of 'The Stupidist Angel" to read!
(Cate Sparks 1:58pm December 5, 2010)
Some of my childhood's favorite things are getting dressed up on Christmas Eve to welcome friends and family who visited. I also loved my Mom's special cookies that she made only at Christmas. Such a warm, happy and exciting time!
(Connie Fischer 3:51pm December 5, 2010)
My favorite thing was always decorating the tree, and saving the star on top for last.
(Pamela Stewart 4:00pm December 5, 2010)
Pamela, we always had an angel on top, but yes, trimming the tree is still one of
my favorite holiday activities. And cookies on Christmas Eve, like Connie.
(Sherri Erwin 4:15pm December 5, 2010)
Pilssbury Best of the Bake-Off Cookies and Bars is the cookbook I've used the most for the holidays. The most requested recipe is for Rocky Road Fudge Bars from there along with Butterballs. Another book that was read by Mrs. Claus to my kids was Prancer. Other favorites include the classic Little Women, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Polar Express, The Nutcracker. I like this trio of books by Jan Brett: The Wild Christmas Reindeer, The Mitten, The Twelve Days of Christmas. Carl's Christmas (has a black dog in it) by Alexander Day. I Spy Christmas which is a lap book along with The Jolly Christmas Postman (has envelopes to open and letters to share).
(Alyson Widen 4:25pm December 5, 2010)
Oops, I misspelled Pillsbury.
(Alyson Widen 4:26pm December 5, 2010)
I enjoyed reading your book list. Thanks for sharing. I love the books "The Christmas Box" by Richard Paul Evans, and "Winter's Gift" by Jane Monroe Donovan.
(Robin McKay 4:28pm December 5, 2010)
Trimming the tree is a favorite for me. I'm looking forward to it this year, we haven't put it up yet. No favorite books in mind, the ones you listed sounded like great reads!
(Brenda Rupp 4:38pm December 5, 2010)
Alyson, I have the Pillsbury one, too. Lots of great recipe ideas in that, but I will
give the Rocky Road Fudge Bars a try. I also love Little women.
(Sherri Erwin 4:47pm December 5, 2010)
Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" is read in our family every Christmas. Wonderful classic.
(Mary Preston 4:56pm December 5, 2010)
Hans Brinker and the silver skates, I love haveing my mom read it to me and then when I was older I read it until the cove fell off and it is still one of my fav's
(Vickie Hightower 4:59pm December 5, 2010)
It was a trip down memory lane looking at your book list. The only Christmas book that I had a chance to read was The Christmas Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini. I've read every book in her series, because I'm an avid knitter and crocheter, along with other crafts. I hope to get into quilts someday soon, and love her books. It's hard to read during the holidays, because I'm busy baking, decorating, and of course, knitting. lol I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year!!
(Peggy Roberson 10:42pm December 5, 2010)
I really want to learn to knit. I will be baking and decorating, too, but I'm always
reading.
(Sherri Erwin 12:15pm December 7, 2010)
I love your list of different books. My favorite is the Christmas Carol. Always love to read that Christmas. I just finished The Mischief of the Mistletoe. What a wonderful fast read that was. There are so many great Christmas books out there.
(Diane Castiglione 3:03pm December 10, 2010)
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