The Four Chums and the Pyramid of Yule : A 1980s Christmas Adventure

My first Christmas novel 

 

The Four Chums and the Pyramid of Yule

Jeremy Trace and his three closest friends arrive on the island of Sturmfels expecting a week of Christmas markets, mulled wine, and festive mischief. Then masked thieves attack a museum and the chums find themselves chasing a mystery hidden inside the town’s beloved Christmas pyramid.

As Jeremy grows closer to the spirited Amélie Müller, clues lead them from candlelit stalls to a baron’s castle—and toward a secret someone has guarded since the war. With a ruthless Krampus gang closing in, the four friends must uncover what the thieves are really after before their holiday turns deadly.

Check out The Four Chums and the Pyramid of Yule (Kindle / Kindle+ / Paperback) the first Christmas novel in The Four Chums Mysteries series 

Christmas With Mother Goose (Four Color #172 - 1947) Festive Highlights

 

 

New Christmas Music from Alexis Ffrench, Voctive, Jon Pardi, Chris Issak, Maddie and Tae, Forest Blakk, and Lola Kirke

 

Alexis Ffrench - Christmas Piano with Alexis

Lovely contemplative solo piano takes on two dozen , mostly, holiday standards. Ffrench is described as a "Classical Soul superstar' but this album leans more on the classical/jazz/easy listening side of things, a la George Winston. An excellent album.

Voctive - It Feels Like Christmas

I was all in on the acapella boom of a number of years ago that birthed the monster that is Pentatonix but after awhile I fell off the bandwagon, and out side of classic acts like The King’s Singers and Chanticleer, I don’t have a lot of it in my seasonal listening rotation. Voctive’s new album of Christmas tunes might change that slightly. Its good old fashioned vocal harmonies, nothing genre shattering and sometimes that can be a good thing.

Chris Issak - Everybody Knows It’s Christmas (Deluxe)

One of my faves from last year adds four “new” tracks.

Maddie and Tae - We Need Christmas

This one isn’t Deluxe, but Extended (does that mean we might still get a deluxe! Oh Joy!)I thought it was okay back in 2020 and the new additions are as decent and workmanlike as the rest.

Forest Blakk - Wake Up (It’s Christmas Time)

Solid 4 track mini-album (maxi-single?)

Jon Pardi - Merry Christmas From Jon Pardi

My favorite country Christmas album of the season so far, if only because it actually wants to be a country album. Plus he does a cover of All I Want for Christmas is You that doesn’t make e feel like raming candy canes in my ears.

Lola Kirke - Hard Candy Christmas

Hard Candy Christmas is becoming a tough one to cover, there are already a few really good ones and of course the original is a classic. Kirke does a nice job here but doesn’t really make the song her own. If you don’t already have a handful of go-to covers of HCC you could do worse.

New Christmas Music from Christian Sands, David Foster and Katherine McPhee, Julie Benko & Mykal Kilgore, Tyler Shaw and more...

 

Christian Sands - Christmas Stories

Excellent jazz Christmas album from pianist Sands. Absolutely going into this year's rotation. 

David Foster & Katherine McPhee - Christmas Songs

Expanded from last years mini-album. Excellent tracks crafted by an expert producer and a remarkable singer.

Julie Benko & Mykal Kilgore -  (I Never Had a ) Christmas with You

Nice soul tinged duet. I liked this one quite a bit.

Tyler Shaw - Christmas All Over Again

Perfectly good cover of Tom Petty’s holiday hit.

Lisa Biales - At Christmas

Solid Blues rock number.

Dami Im - Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Decent jazzy take. Part of the genre I think of as Hallmark Movie opening credit songs.

Jess Moskaluke - Counting Down Christmas

Okay pop/country track.

Justine Blazer -  Joy

Uneven album veering between teenybopper girl pop, and various shades of country. The closer the songs lean towards country the better. There’s only one song here that I  thought was half decent, and judging by the name I would have assumed I’d hate it, and that’s “Kitty Kat Christmas”

The Tenors - Christmas With the Tenors

Dull, generic, elevator music for wine aunts.

Alex Sampson - This Christmas (Feels Like Love)

Forgettable, generic pop.

New Christmas Music from The Bongos, Phil Wickham, Michael Bolton and Mickey Guyton, Caitlyn Smith, Colton Dixon, A Winter Union and Chloe Flower

 

Christmas Isn’t Christmas - Michael Bolton + Mickey Guyton

I’m a fan, to some extent of both Bolton and Guyton but this generic bit of fluff, while inoffensive, won’t be finding its way into my rotation this year.

Manger Throne - Phil Wickham

Fairly standard Worship anthem. If you’re into it , you’re into it.

Rock the Christmas Cheer! - The Bongos

Generic tunes from artists who’ve done better work in the past seems to be the theme today. This time it’s generic indie/powerpop from critical darlings of a certain age, The Bongos.

 I wanted this to be so much better.

Snow Day - Caitlyn Smith

Nice gently swinging, holiday romantic number, b/w a solid, mostly,  sparsely acoustic, take on O Holy Night. 

Worth revisiting.

Home For Christmas - Colton Dixon

So, Colton decided to release a song with a title that will remind people of another song and then covers that more famous version of the similarly titled song. Interesting choice.

The cover’s better than the original and the originals OK, for a modern pop tune. 

There’s also a contemplative cover of Let it Snow.

Minstrels - A Winter Union

Right up my alley, this slice of festive folk sits comfortably alongside holiday tracks from the likes of Blackmore’s Night, Loreena McKennitt, Kate Rusby and Jethro Tull.

River - Chloe Flower

When I heard the first overly familiar piano tinkles my heart sank. Oh, no, I thought, yet another cover of River like almost every other cover of River. Fortunately it opened up into a more expansive Classical Crossover thing. I’m not adding it to any playlists but it’s fine.