Book Review: The Christmas Scrapbook

Philip Gulley is an Indiana author often highlighted at our local library. I had never read any of his books, which take place in the fictional town of Harmony.  This looked like a light Christmas read and I was hoping to get out of a rut of Christmas Scrooge feelings.

With the weather looking dismal and gray for the past two days, the book didn't really succeed in lifting my mood, sadly.  It was just okay.  Nothing spectacular.  Nothing to write home about.  Just an average little down-home Christmas story.

Pastor Sam Gardner has determined to redeem himself from the previous year's failed gift and has enrolled in a scrapbooking class with the hopes of presenting his wife with an extra-special gift of a scrapbook.  Not wanting to tell his wife what he is up to, he tells her he is attending a men's group on Wednesday nights.  She fears the worst in two forms: first, an affair, and second, a terminal illness.  Sadly, he needs more help than he can imagine and the story unfolds into a series of mishaps and humorous misunderstandings.

If you are looking for something light and something with a small town appeal, this could be the story for you.  While not as inspirational or moving as something like Karen Kingsbury's red glove series, this story will give you a chuckle or two.  I read it in the space of a day, so it is easy to put away quickly.