Bad Santas is not a book for children. Here you will find the bloody, the bawdy and the downright bizarre in a celebration of the most imaginative, macabre and curious Christmas figures and customs from across Europe. Drawing on that continent's legacy of disquieting folk tales told at wintertime, Paul Hawkins' gleefully dark exploration of seasonal folklore is the perfect book for reading around the fireside.
A gleefully dark and well-researched exploration of the history and customs of European Yuletide folklore. How did St Nicholas save children from cannibalism? Who were the Yule Lads and why would they steal your sausages? Why was the Alpine Father Christmas accompanied by a demonic figure called the Krampus who bundled children into sacks and dragged them off to Hell? And why do Spanish nativity scenes often feature a defecating peasant? Over the course of the 20th Century, a universal image developed around the world of Santa Claus as a kindly Christmas visitor but, prior to that, each country, town and community would have Christmas visitors of their own - sometimes human, sometimes animal, sometimes something else entirely - with their own curious set of mythology and customs. The Finns were visited by a pagan goat named Joulupukki that was said to eat anyone who misbehaved. In Iceland, it was said that any child who did not receive an item of new clothing for Christmas would be caught and consumed by the monstrous Christmas Cat! Bad Santascelebrates some of the most imaginative, terrifying and outright curious Christmas figures from across Europe - looking closely at its legacy of disquieting fairy stories. With beautiful black and white line drawings in each chapter, this unusual, entertaining and gleefully dark exploration of seasonal folklore will make an ideal Christmas gift and the perfect book for reading around the fireside.
On Christmas Eve, Santa sets off to deliver presents to a little boy. But between a snowstorm, an icy roof, and a dusty chimney, things don't go as expected.
Annie Graceland: Cheesehead. Unwed. Hi-LAR-ious baker who talks to 'The Dead!' “So much fun! …Ghost Whisperer with Stephanie Plum’s crazy world!” Wendy Luvs2Read LOL, feel-good ANNIE GRACELAND mysteries can be read as STAND ALONES. __ It’s the Christmas Holiday season but I’m not feeling all that ‘Fa-la-la.’. My BFF drags me to the mall for some cheer but getting hit on by tipsy Bad Santa doesn’t put me in a better mood. I volunteer to cater desserts for Sweet Paws Animal Charity event but I wasn't planning on dressing up as Mrs. Claus. I also wasn't planning on some idiot murdering Bad Santa. Now his tipsy ghost follows me everywhere. But because every holiday story deserves “It’s a Wonderful Life” ending -- it falls on me to find the killer before the 'Bad Guy' strikes again. PRAISE ★★★★★ “ …the life and misadventures of Annie Graceland. I love these fun cozy mysteries…” Jeanie Jackson ★★★★★ “Fun holiday story for any time of year.” Tinkertoy Reviewer ★★★★★ “Can Annie manage a little Christmas miracle and solve the murder of the snarky Santa?” LLK Amazon Reviewer BAD SANTA's also available in Print and Audio. 1-Click this hilarious holiday cozy for hours of fun!
In Bad Kitty: Searching for Santa, by bestselling author/illustrator Nick Bruel, Kitty's back for another Christmas tale—this time involving Santa! In this hilarious story, Kitty battles with Santa and loses. Or does she? Kitty wants to write a letter. Actually, she wants to write a letter to Santa. But has Kitty been good this year? Hmmm . . . Kitty’s not so sure. She writes the letter anyway and is soon on her way to meet Santa in real life at the mall! Will she make it in time? Will Santa give Kitty what she’s asking for?
The bestselling star of No, David! turns Christmas traditions upside down with laugh-aloud humor. Readers of all ages will vividly remember trying to peek at hidden gift packages; writing scrolls of wish lists to Santa; and struggling to behave at formal Christmas dinner parties. Always in the background, we know Santa Claus is watching, soon to decide if David deserves a shiny new fire truck or a lump of coal under the tree. From playing with delicate ornaments to standing in an endlessly long line for Santa, here are common Christmas activities--but with David's naughty trimmings. A surefire hit that is destined to be an annual classic.
From New York Times bestselling author Mac Barnett and Geisel Award-winning illustrator Greg Pizzoli, an uproarious early reader series about a mischievous rabbit, a cranky old lady, and a lovable dog. When Jack finds himself on the naughty list, he worries that Santa will bring him coal. But Jack wants presents--lots of them. Will Jack be able to prove to Santa that he's not so bad after all? Welcome to the laugh-out-loud and irreverent world of Jack, a new early reader series by the New York Times bestselling and award-winning team of Mac Barnett and Greg Pizzoli.
Finally: the perfect stocking stuffer for the crime fiction lover in your life! With a foreword by CWA Diamond Award-winner Peter Lovesey, these eighteen delightful holiday stories by your favorite Soho Crime authors contain laughs, murders, and plenty more. This captivating collection, which features bestselling and award-winning authors, contains laughs aplenty, the most hardboiled of holiday noir, and heartwarming reminders of the spirit of the season. Nine mall Santas must find the imposter among them. An elderly lady seeks peace from her murderously loud neighbors at Christmastime. A young woman receives a mysterious invitation to Christmas dinner with a stranger. Niccolò Machiavelli sets out to save an Italian city. Sherlock Holmes’s one-time nemesis Irene Adler finds herself in an unexpected tangle in Paris while on a routine espionage assignment. Jane Austen searches for the Dowager Duchess of Wilborough’s stolen diamonds. These and other adventures in this delectable volume will whisk readers away to Christmases around the globe, from a Korean War POW camp to a Copenhagen refugee squat, from a palatial hotel in 1920s Bombay to a crumbling mansion in Havana. Includes Stories By (In Order of Appearance): Helene Tursten, Mick Herron, Martin Limón, Timothy Hallinan, Teresa Dovalpage, Mette Ivie Harrison, Colin Cotterill, Ed Lin, Stuart Neville, Tod Goldberg, Henry Chang, James R. Benn, Lene Kaaberbøl & Agnete Friis, Sujata Massey, Gary Corby, Cara Black, Stephanie Barron and a Foreword and story by Peter Lovesey.
This volume contains outstanding studies by some of the best scholars in ancient Greek Philosophy on key topics in Socratic, Platonic, and Aristotelian thought. These studies provide rigorous analyses of arguments and texts and often advance original interpretations. The essays in the volume range over a number of central themes in ancient philosophy, such as Socratic and Platonic conceptions of philosophical method; the Socratic paradoxes; Plato's view on justice; the nature of Platonic Forms, especially the Form of the Good; Aristotle's views on the faculties of the soul; Aristotle's functionalist account of the human good; Socratic, Platonic, and Aristotelian views on the nature of desire and its object. The volume will be of interest to students and scholars of ancient philosophy and classics.
