What We Did On Our Holiday

What We Did On Our Holiday
Author: John Harding
Publisher: Random House
Total Pages: 323
Release: 2011-09-30
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1448110424

Thirty-somethings Nick and Laura have been married for 10 years and things aren't going well. She senses her biological clock ticking away and wants children while he doesn't. Not because he doesn't like children but because he feels a child would be just one responsibility too many. Nick's problem is his parents. He's devoted to them of course, but sometimes even he finds his patience wearing a little thin which in turn brings on the guilt. But they are rather a handful. They're conservative, highly eccentric and increasingly infirm. His Mum's so enormously overweight that her heart's now a bit dicky and she is certainly no longer up to looking after Dad by herself. He's got Parkinson's Disease - not the shaking kind, as Mum's always reminding people - but he's unable to do even the simplest task himself and needs constant care and attention. Nick knows the time has come to take the matter in hand but things need to be handled carefully. And so he and Laura take them to Malta for what they hope will be a happy final family holiday. Nick thinks his only problem is going to be avoiding Laura's amorous advances but this particular island turns out to be a sun-kissed cupboard with more than its fair share of skeletons... Tackling a taboo subject with sensitivity, understanding, great affection and good humour, What We Did On Our Holiday is a remarkably uplifting, moving and reassuring novel about a time in our lives when it seems roles are reversed and we find ourselves looking after the very people we'd always assumed would be there to look after us.

What We Did on Our Holiday

What We Did on Our Holiday
Author: John Harding
Publisher: Random House
Total Pages: 323
Release: 2000
Genre: Aging parents
ISBN: 0552998478

In this debut novel the author is tackling an almost taboo subject with compassion perfectly-timed humour and total lack of sentimentality. He brings to the fore the horrors and the hilarity of caring for elderly relatives.

The Book of (Holiday) Awesome

The Book of (Holiday) Awesome
Author: Neil Pasricha
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 167
Release: 2011-11-17
Genre: Humor
ISBN: 1101565551

“Neil Pasricha is a gift. This book would make even the grinchiest Grinch love the holidays again.”—A. J. Jacobs There’s nothing like the holidays. They bring out the best, and sometimes the worst, in everyone. Luckily, Neil Pasricha is here to remind us that not only are the holidays great, but there’s actually even more to celebrate than we realize. From Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, to other holidays throughout the year, such as Mother’s Day and Thanksgiving, The Book of (Holiday) Awesome will show you why holidays are...AWESOME. • Making the first footprint in fresh snow • When the in-laws leave • Waking up and realizing it’s Christmas • Just barely wrapping a gift with that tiny scrap of leftover wrapping paper • When they finally stop playing Christmas songs on the radio • Knowing “Kwanzaa” is worth more Scrabble points than “Hanukkah” or “Christmas”

Inventing Christmas

Inventing Christmas
Author: Jock Elliott
Publisher:
Total Pages: 136
Release: 2002-10
Genre: Antiques & Collectibles
ISBN:

Looks at the origins of modern Christmas traditions, which evolved over a twenty-five year period, beginning in 1823 with the publication of Clement Clarke Moore's "A Visit from St. Nicholas," to 1848.