PurdyBooks Blog

Comparing A Christmas Carol with A Halloween Carol

BHB Compares A Christmas Carol w/ A Halloween CarolWith the holiday season just around the corner, it's time to compare two of the best holiday books:A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and A Halloween Carol (The Legend of Decimus Croome) by Kevin PurdyWe'll take a look at everything from the authors, to the holidays, to the timeline to the characters in the novel/novella. For quick reference, take a look at the infographic on the right-hand side of this column or view it in a larger size by clicking on the infographic or viewing the Halloween infographic on PinterestSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave Novel A Christmas Carol A Halloween Carol Author Charles Dickens Kevin Purdy Holiday Christmas Halloween Words Fewer than 30,000 More than 48,000 Published 1843 2017 Main character Ebenezer Scrooge Decimus Croome Main character sidekick Bob Cratchit &/or Mr. Fezziwig Black Magic Sick child Tiny Tim Tommy Bobbich First Ghost Jacob Marley – dead business partner Patricia Croome – deceased wife Country Setting England America Town setting London Timberton Time setting Late 18th – mid 19th Century Mid 20th to early 21st Century Moral/theme Don’t be a Christmas humbug. Don’t be a Halloween humbug. Best line “Marley was dead, to begin with…” Remember the part in our wedding vows about until death do we part? Consider this a bonus round. Main character catch phrase “Bah, humbug.” “Pish posh & poppycock!!” Genre Holiday novella Holiday novel Cameo appearance Ignorance & Want Apathy & Greed Divided into… Staves Chapters

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September 18, 2017

Goodreads / PurdyBooks

PurdyBooks on Social Media

Follow PurdyBooks on Social Media Where would we be without social media... besides having a couple extra hours in a day that we're not tweeting, posting & Liking? But seriously, social media can be a fun and worthwhile tool for authors and bibliophiles. The literary community is very supportive on social media sites... assuming they know you're out there in the world of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. So I'd like to use this blog-post to reveal where you can find PurdyBooks on social media and what you might find in our various tweets and posts. Quick List of PurdyBooks Social Media Outlets PurdyBooks on Twitter PurdyBooks on Pinterest PurdyBooks on Facebook PurdyBooks on Goodreads What to Look for on PurdyBooks Social Media Accounts What will you find when you follow PurdyBooks on social media? We will share information about new books, booklists, writing tips, tittles in the PurdyBooks library, author interviews, book suggestions and an occasional joke or two. We'll also suggest other social media accounts or even specific pins, tweets & posts within the PurdyBooks Social Media universe. For example, we will often direct you to particularly good pins & boards from the PurdyBooks Pinterest account. Of course each of the social media accounts has its particular strengths so you'll find plenty of good book quotes in all of the PurdyBooks social media outlets, you're more likely to find images in our Pinterest and Facebook pages and book excerpts in our Twitter posts. Bottom line: Be sure to follow PurdyBooks and don't forget to Like the good stuff. Of course all retweets, repins and Likes are appreciated and welcomed. We'll do the same for you.

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September 16, 2017

A Halloween Carol / Halloween books / read aloud books

Halloween Carol at Top of Best Books List

Best Books to Read to 5th Graders The family Halloween book The Legend of Decimus Croome: A Halloween Carol has begun to appear on many "best of" lists including holiday book lists, best read-aloud books, best Halloween books and more. It's no surprise that this charming Halloween novel that is based on Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" would appear on so many "best book" lists in its inaugural year. But it was a pleasant surprise that it has already climbed to the very top of the Best Books to Read to 5th Graders list on Goodreads. A Halloween Carol is also near the top of other Best Books lists including the best 6th Grade Reading list. Best Revised Classic The Legend of Decimus Croome has also zoomed to the top of the best Classics Continued and Revised booklist on Goodreads. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Charles Dickens should indeed be flattered by this hilarious adapted version of A Christmas Carol. Speaking of Dickens, The Legend of Decimus Croome: A Halloween Carol has also risen to the top of the Sequels and Prequels to Dickens Stories on the Goodreads best books list. Future of The Legend of Decimus Croome Looks Bright The booklists shown above are mainly just the ones A Halloween Carol has moved up to #1 on. This delightful Halloween story has also appeared on over a dozen best booklists in the top ten or twenty. This is an incredible accomplishment for a brand new holiday novel. In many of the lists, A Halloween Carol appears near or above such literary masters as Stephen King, Ray Bradbury and Isaac Asimov. This is indeed high praise. A Halloween Carol Among Best Halloween Books of All Time Everyone loves Halloween and there are never quite enough really good Halloween books that can be enjoyed…

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September 14, 2017

Goodreads / read aloud books

Best Read Aloud Books List

Read Aloud Booklist This is the first in a series of recommended booklists that can be found on Goodreads. As you will see, there are many different themes for these booklists from holiday read-aloud books to read-alouds by grade level. It is important to note that reading experts agree that reading aloud to children is an extremely valuable part of the process of learning to read. Hearing other people read aloud reinforces many valuable reading skills such as fluency, intonation, vocabulary development and reading for pleasure. Reading aloud also provides a valuable bonding experience between the reader and the person being read to. Correct Ages for Reading Out Loud to Kids Okay, that was a trick headline. There is no proper age for reading aloud to children. Any age is the proper age. As long as your/a child will let your read out loud to them, then by all means read away. Many middle school & high school teachers read out loud to their students, and the students love it, whether they'll admit it or not. Best Read Aloud Booklists Without further ado, here are some suggested booklists for reading out loud: Best Holiday Read Aloud Books Fourth Grade Read Aloud Fifth Grade Read Alouds Sixth Grade Read Alouds Books Read Aloud on Captain Kangaroo Best Books to Read Aloud Best Children's Books to Read Aloud SaveSave

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September 8, 2017

A Halloween Carol / Halloween books

Read a Sample of A Halloween Carol

Tis the Season to Read A Halloween Carol The evenings are starting to get a little longer and there's a bit of nip in the air each morning. Leaves begin blushing their Autumn hues and every shop is offering pumpkin flavored... everything. I swear the local auto repair garage is offering pumpkin flavored oil changes. What can it all mean? Snuggle Up With a Halloween Book Everyone loves a good Halloween book. And I do mean everyone!! Mom, Dad, brother, sister... But it's like a Goldilocks scenario. This book is too scary; this book isn't spooky enough... Wait, here's one that's JUST RIGHT!! Here's your chance to check out The Legend of Decimus Croome: A Halloween Carol. Read a FREE sample of A Halloween Carol right here on PurdyBooks.com. Then head on over and grab The Legend of Decimus Croome on Amazon in paperback or e-book form:

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September 5, 2017

A Halloween Carol / Halloween books

Free Halloween Book on Amazon

Free Halloween e-Book for Limited Time The e-book version of the 2017 Halloween book The Legend of Decimus Croome: A Halloween Carol is being offered for free on Amazon from September 1, 2017 until September 5. After that, the price will go back up to $499 for the e-book and $9.99 for the paperback version of A Halloween Carol. Please Leave an Amazon Review for A Halloween Carol What do you have to do in order in order to get this wonderful Halloween book for absolutely free? Technically... nothing. But it would be greatly appreciated if you leave a review on Amazon after you're done with the book. If you're a newspaper or online book reviewer, a write-up on your blog, Facebook page or in your newspaper would also be wonderful!!! So far The Legend of Decicmus Croome has received fantastic reviews and, hopefully, that trend will continue.

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September 1, 2017

Read more about the article Free Halloween Book on Amazon

A Halloween Carol / Halloween books

A Halloween Carol in Bookstores

The Legend of Decimus Croome Flying Off Bookshelves I just dropped off a stack of the 2017 Halloween novel The Legend of Decimus Croome: A Halloween Carol at a local bookstore. By the time I'd left the store, one of the Samhain tomes had already sold. This speaks to the importance of authors and book distributors delivering that personal touch as well as delivering books. We can't just assume that readers are going to make a beeline toward our bookstore offerings, no matter how good they are. People won't know how good they are until they've had an opportunity to read the books. And they won't know they're supposed to read the books until we've told them how good they are... or someone else (such as a book reviewer) has told them how good they are. Seasonal Books & Holiday Books The above lesson is especially true of seasonal books or holiday books. The good news is that people are always looking for good holiday books to read around Halloween or Christmas or one of the other wonderful holidays. There's just something about curling up with a good Halloween book when those first colorful leaves begin to fall.. or cuddling under a blanket, with a good Christmas book, while those first snowflakes begin to pile up on the ground. The bad news is that the holiday season has a limited time frame, so bookstores, book distributors and authors need to make sure that they get the word out about the best holiday books during that finite window of opportunity that is known as the holiday season. During my recent visit to the local bookstore, I discovered the importance of talking directly to the bibliophiles and helping them make an informed decision about the best Halloween book on the shelves.

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August 30, 2017