"My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories" edited by Stephanie Perkins

This was another great compilation of holiday themed tales. 12 original short stories written by bestselling contemporary authors do not disappoint. In fact, I thought the book got better and better with each new story. Even though most are written as contemporaries, there are a few fantasies/fairy tales. Each one follows a character during the holiday season as something magical and life-changing happens to them. I also might note that not all of these are purely Christmas stories, some focus on New Year's and Hanukkah.

As I read the book, I was trying to select the stories that I particularly liked. In the end, I decided they were all equally excellent just different in some ways. Mark de la Pena made me laugh out loud and Holly Black brought me to tears. Laini Taylor's piece is pure magic and Kiersten White focuses on finding miracles right where we are in our daily lives... Overall, a great book. If you got this for Christmas, do not wait to read it until next December. Dive right it. You can always re-read it again - that is what I will do next year for sure!

For those who are not familiar with Stephanie Perkins' writing or do not recognize the names of some authors in this book, this is a great introduction to the work of these writers. I for one definitely want to read their other books.