Last-minute gifts and good books to cuddle up with

THE CHRISTMAS CLOCK

By Kat Martin

Vanguard Press, $14.95

Eight-year-old Teddy Winter desperately wants to buy an antique clock for his grandmother, who cares for him and is suffering from Alzheimer’s. She, in the meantime, is determined to find him a home before she succumbs completely to the disease. His efforts involve him in the lives of two couples whose love for each other has faded and, in a very unexpected way, he helps bring them together.

The heartwarming ending is perfect for the Christmas season.

CHRISTMAS MIRACLES

By Cecil Murphey and Marley Gibson

St. Martin’s Press, $14.99

Do you believe in miracles? And, what is a miracle anyway?

The authors have found the answers in the lives of ordinary people who faced seemingly impossible odds: a young dyslectic boy who suddenly found he could read; a man in a coma hears angels singing carols and awakens; a woman’s faith is renewed by the chance discovery of a long forgotten Nativity set.

This collection of 48 stories told by the persons who experienced them will warm your heart and cheer you.

THE SHACK

By William P. Young

Windblown Media, $14.99

If you haven’t already read this bestseller but have always intended to, now might be just the right time. It was a surprise hit when first published and, while many readers found it inspirational, others, like me, found it too far out.

A father, grief stricken by the abduction and murder of his daughter, is baffled years later when he receives a note, ostensibly from God, inviting him to meet in the shack where his daughter’s body was found. Reluctantly he goes there and what he finds will astonish you as it did him.

It’s still a big seller and will no doubt please the friends to whom you gift it.

RHINO RANCH

By Larry McMurtry

Simon & Schuster, $26

Duane Moore, whom we first met in McMurtry’s “Last Picture Show” and again later in “Lonesome Dove,” has turned 70, been divorced twice and heading for his third, had a heart attack and has now returned home to Thalia, Texas, to recuperate.

Duane’s been away so long, he’s treated almost like a stranger in Thalia where, if you weren’t born there, you’re a Yankee. He’s oil rich and ain’t got nothing to do but walk around the town and enjoy the shack on his ranch. That is until billionaire heiress K.K. Slater arrives and buys the adjacent 120 acres next to his ranch for a rhinoceros preserve.

Romance is in the air but complicated by an eclectic assortment of young and willing gals who have an eye for him. It’s a fast read, light plot and every page equally enjoyable with wonderful, sometimes hilarious, scenes.

Goodbye old Duane, hate to see you go.

THE LOST SYMBOL

By Dan Brown

Doubleday Publishing, $29.95

Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon makes his third appearance as the hero of a Brown mystery and is once again called upon to solve the meaning of ancient symbols, this time in Washington, not Paris, and in our nation’s Capitol building, not the Louvre.

While the plot shares a strong resemblance to “The Da Vinci Code,” “Symbol” introduces a new and more sinister mystery and one of the most evil and diabolical villains ever created. Interestingly, the entire action covers only 12 hours, beginning with an urgent call from Landon’s mentor, Peter Solomon, to fill in for a speaker. Only as it turns out, nothing is as it seems.

Readers who enjoyed “The Da Vinci Code” will grab this one.

SMASH CUT

By Sandra Brown

Simon and Schuster, $26.99

One of the central characters in this fast paced novel is shot dead on page two. How’s that for action? Paul Wheeler, co-partner of the family business had his enemies, the principal one being his nephew Creighton, a lazy bum and movie addict who does not believe in working.

Even though Creighton has an iron clad alibi, Paul’s constant companion, Julie Rutledge, still believes he was responsible for the murder. When Creighton’s family attempts to hire Derek Mitchell, Atlanta’s top defense attorney, Julie becomes even more convinced of his guilt and takes a highly unusual way of preventing the attorney from taking the case.

Scenes reminiscent of famous movies add greatly to the fun and mystery.

Happy reading and happy holidays.