Evening Book Club
December 2015
Skipping Christmas
John Grisham
You're skipping Christmas! Isn't that against the law?”
Spike Frohmeyer
“This is a free country...you can do almost anything you
want.”
Luther Krank
Readers used the book as a springboard for sharing memories of
past Christmas celebrations. Readers devoted a great deal of time reminiscing about
exotic holiday treats. The conversation turned to recipes for favorite and
reviled, local and international delicacies most notably fruitcake, mincemeat
and venison hung out to cure on the porch. Nobody had a comment about the
smoked trout served at the
Krank's Christmas party.
Another animated discussion centered around favorite
Christmas specials; Emmett Otter’s Jug Band Christmas, Muppet Christmas Carol, Charles
Dickens Christmas Carol with Alastair Sim, and of course, A Charlie Brown
Christmas. The beloved Christmas character who brought an immediate smile to
everyone was Buddy the Elf and everyone at once recited his four main food groups; candy,
candy canes, candy corns and syrup.
Readers were not disappointed in the change of the author’s style
of writing legal thrillers. Most were already Grisham fans and had read his
other books and watched movies based on them. Once they discovered that
Skipping Christmas was supposed to be humorous they got in the holiday spirit, stopped
looking for dark elements and enjoyed the story. Some even laughed out loud at
the absurdity of it all.
When the question was raised, “Who would skip Christmas?”
only three said yes. When asked “What would you miss about Christmas?” the
answers were tallied and the conclusion was everything! Skipping Christmas was
a good idea until it wasn’t. This book served as a welcome break from stress of
holiday hustle and bustle. Readers were visibly relaxed and cheerful at the end
of the evening and a good time was had by all
Have you read Skipping Christmas? What did you think? Please
share your thoughts in comments.
