For many years, Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” has taken center stage - sometimes literally.

“A Christmas Carol” takes us on a journey to the past, to the future and back to the present to find the meaning of life along the way.

It is a tale of transformation. It is probably, after the Bible gospels, the best-known of the Christmas stories. And it may well remain so.

The Christmas message has been the subject of the work of many authors, some of them literary giants. Here are some books on Christmas themes by authors we all know well.

“The Little Match Girl” by Hans Christian Anderson is the heart-wrenching story of a poverty-stricken little girl who sells matches to sustain her life. It is a story that elevates tragedy through compassion, faith and salvation.

“Christmas Day in the Morning” by Pearl S. Buck is about a boy who cannot afford a gift for his father. You will be amazed at what he comes up with.

“A Christmas Memory” by Truman Capote recounts his challenge to make Christmas fruitcakes for 30 people without money to spend and no ingredients on hand. With a whole lot of love, it’s a mission he accomplished.

The queen of mystery novels, Agatha Christie, writes about “Hercule Poirot’s Christmas.” You can be sure nothing is as it seems.

A master of fantasy, J.R.R. Tolkien, in “Letters from Father Christmas,” writes Christmas notes he sent to his children. Those notes embody all of Tolkien’s creative genius, meticulousness and whimsy.

Mark Twain, the great American storyteller of everyday life experiences, set down the stories he read aloud to his 3-year-old daughter, Suzy, in “A Letter from Santa Claus.”

All of these amazing and inspiring stories are found in books available through the Lehigh Carbon Library Cooperative, which we can access for you. Since the Christmas season lasts well into January, let us know what you want to read, and we will have it for you in no time!

The library trustees and staff wish all of you a very happy holiday season.

Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” poignantly concludes with Tiny Tim’s blessing, one that is perhaps the most famous Christmas message - “God bless us, every one!”

NEW BOOKS

Adult fiction: “Robert B. Parker’s Someone to Watch Over Me,” Ace Atkins; “Spin,” Patricia Cornwell; “The Four Winds,” Kristin Hannah; “The Lost Boys,” Faye Kellerman; “Serpentine,” Jonathan Kellerman; “The Vineyard at Painted Moon,” Susan Mallery; “Bitter Pill,” Fern Michaels; “The Red Book,” James Patterson and David Ellis; “The Scorpion’s Tale,” Douglas Preston and Lee Child; “Faithless in Death,” J.D. Robb

Adult nonfiction: “Saving Justice: Truth, Transparency and Trust,” James Comey; “Long Time Coming: Reckoning with Race in America,” Michael Eric Dyson; “The Killer’s Shadow: The FBI’s Hunt for a White Supremacist Serial Killer,” John Douglas and Mark Olshaker; “Modern Warriors: Real Stories from Real Heroes,” Pete Hegseth; “The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X,” Les Payne and Tamara Payne; “Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life,” Jordan B. Peterson; “I Marched with Patton: A Firsthand Account of World War II Alongside One of the U.S. Army’s Greatest Generals,” Frank Sisson with Robert L. Wise; “The Lost Diary of Anne Frank,” Johnny Teague; “Nazi Wives - The Women at the Top of Hitler’s Germany,” James Wyllie

Juvenile: “Countries of the World: Our World in Pictures,” DK: “Nancy Drew Diaries: Danger at the Iron Dragon,” Carolyn Keene

Children’s picture books: “Pete the Cat Checks Out the Library,” James Dean; “Winter Is Here,” Kevin Henkes; “Albie’s Adventure Through the Alphabet,” Michelle C. Jackson; “Bedtime for Superheroes,” Katherine Locke; “The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That: 5-Minute Stories Collection,” Random House; “Do Not Wish for a Pet Ostrich,” Sarina Siebenaler