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Wednesday, December 16, 2015

What We Thought: Skipping Christmas by John Grisham




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.


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