Far From Reality

Title - The Christmas Dog
Author - Melody Carlson
Genre - Fiction/Contemporary
Pages - 172

Description
Betty Kowalski isn't looking forward to the holidays. She just can't seem to find Christmas in her heart. Maybe  it's because her husband is gone. Maybe it's because she's missing her children. Or maby it has something to do with her obnoxious new neighbor, who seems to be tearing his house apart and rearranging it on the lawn.

But when a mangy dog appears at her doorstep, the stage is set for Betty to learn what Christmas is really all about.

Review
I started reading this because i had nothing else to at the time. I was thouroughly suprised at how charming it was! The main charactor Betty is like the grandma you always wanted, sweet, spicy and caring. The book starts off a little slow and mentions the unruly neighbor (Jack Jones) alot, but i guess thats to set up what type of guy he is, which is according to Betty an uncaring, mean spirited, slob of sorts. The book progresses at an even pace, and really picks up when the little brown dog starts wandering through her yard and Bettys granddaughter (not by blood but by love) shows up on her door. There are times you want to cry, laugh and get angry, and the ending is so sweet i was smiling when i shut the book.

There are alot of good morals in this story, such as 'dont judge a book by its cover', 'love thy neighbor' and so on.. Its a very short read, i finished it in a few hours but its a good ride. The tale of the Christmas dog can be read by kids or adults, its clean, simple and heartwarming and i recomend it to anyone who wants to take a break from serial killers, vampires, and other such baddies for a while.

Check out her other book as well "The Christmas Bus"