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Dec 23, 2011

K.D. rated it:

James Kier is a ruthless businessman. Ruthless in the sense that what he wants is only to make money and he does not care about the feelings of his employees and their families. He also does foul business practices and he enjoys seeing his competitors close their shops. There was a time when he drove one of his competitors to bankruptcy by clandestinely buying all the materials in the market so the poor winner (his competitor) in the bidding had to close shop so James Kier got the job for his co More...

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Dec 29, 2011

Jill rated it:

This book was a Christmas present two years ago. At the time I really wanted to read it and I was reading a lot of Christmas books, and then the holiday passed and I guess it ended up on the shelf for longer than I was planning. I think though that sometimes books come to you when you need them or are ready for them, so it wasn't really forgotten there on the shelf, it was just biding it's time until it was the right read for me for right now. Maybe that sounds silly, but I know I buy books t More...

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Jul 31, 2010

Judy rated it:

Since some of my Christmas decorations are still up--hey, I think that once you reach June, you should just leave them up because December is right around the corner--I decided to read this as a "Christmas in July" treat. Not such a treat. This book is a retelling of A Christmas Carol without Jacob Marley dragging his chains and I missed that. James Kier reads his obituary in the newspaper while at a bed and breakfast several hours from home and when he logs onto the computer he fin More...

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Jan 26, 2010

Jennifer rated it:

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

James Kier is not a nice person. He's a ruthless businessman whose son wants nothing to do with him, and his wife, Sara, divorced him. So when he finds his picture attached to a news article that announces he died in an automobile crash, no one is more surprised than he. And when he reads the comments that are posted on the newspaper's website, he's livid. He's shocked at the mean things that people are saying about him. Everyone, that is, excep More...

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Dec 20, 2009

Shonda rated it:

James Kier is reading his morning paper when he reads an obituary. His obituary. Puzzled by the false report, he searches the internet and finds a story explaining his death. Even though he knows he’s very much alive, it’s the anonymous, (and not so anonymous) unsympathetic comments he reads, that cause him to re-evaluate his life.

James Kier is a shrewd real state investor. He’s richer than rich and will be the first to admit he’s taken advantage of many individuals to reach the top More...

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Dec 18, 2009

Carol rated it:

James Kier is a wildly successful president of Kier Company, one of the West's largest real estate development firms. Kier got much of his success by swindling, cheating and destroying the lives of many people.
As the story begins, Jim Kier is in the process of a divorce from his cancer-striken wife and is estranged from his only child, Jim Jr.
We learn about the lives of the people who have had the misfortune to
have been exploited by Keir in the course of the story.

T More...

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Dec 14, 2009

Mary (MrsBrownsFan) rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Dec 07, 2009

Shawna rated it:

There are some spoilers in this review.

Having had first-hand experience with a relative that died of pancreatic cancer, I was disgusted with Evans' patently romanticized version of Sara Kier's death. One does not impart declarations of love and a pithy bon mot about how heaven-won't-be-heaven-if-you-are-not-there-my-love in the final stages of death by pancreatic cancer. In reality Sara Kier would have been comatose. And the schmaltz doesn't end there...Sara dies on Christmas Day. More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Oct 20, 2009

Louise rated it:

As usual, Richard has once again written a touching and meaningful novel. We always learn a lesson with his books and lessons that are important to our own lives. Although the stories are mostly fictional, the lessons are not. I hope everyone will read "THE CHRISTMAS LIST".

From dust jacket:

"Dear Reader:

When I was in seventh grade, my English teacher, Mrs. Johnson, gave our class the intriguing (if somewhat macabre) assignment of writing our own More...

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Dec 25, 2010

Julie rated it:

This is a modern day Ebenezer Scrooge story. Kiel is a very busy business man who has left his wife and son. He and his girlfriend have plans to steal away for the weekend at a quaint bed and breakfast in the mountains. He arrives early and waits...and waits...and waits. She never comes. The morning paper arrives and he sees his obituary. He supposedly died on the trip!

Comments are pouring in from all over the world about him. Comments that you don't want to read about yourself. The More...

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Dec 13, 2009

Wanda rated it:

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Nov 26, 2011

Jackie rated it:

James Kier is a scrooge who embarks on a quest to turn his life around after seeing his own obituary . When he reads some nasty comments about him that were left online by his co-workers, it makes him realize that he didn't want to be remembered for what he was~evil . Only his soon to be ex-wife showed any sympathy at all...

His Christmas List involves 5 people to whom he feels the need to apologize to for ruining their life.

It brought tears to my eyes when his wife Sara More...

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Dec 19, 2010

Sue rated it:

Title: The Christmas List
Author: Richard Paul Evans
Genre: Holiday (Christmas), Romance

Challenges: 101 Books in 1001 Days Challenge, The Naming Convention Challenge, Book Around the States Challenge, Read and Review Challenge 2010, 2010 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge, 100 + Reading Challenge, Romance Reading Challenge 2010, Audio Book Challenge 2010, Romance Challenge 2010, Pages Read 2010, Every Month is a Holiday 2010, A to Z challenge,

Ra More...

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Nov 02, 2009

Nandi rated it:

It is hard for me to put this book in any of my categories, but I have put it towards Holiday stories; I wrote on Mr Evans' facebook page that he was probably one of the few authors left who could write some of the best writings that somehow encourage mankind to go on. I like that. In this book, although it starts us hating the man, by the end, we have a change in attitude. James Kier is a powerful businessman in Salt Lake City who isn't above doing unscrupulous things to get his way in the busi More...

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Dec 24, 2011

Elizabeth rated it:

This book was inspired in part by Dickens' A Christmas Carol, and reading it, I can certainly see the parallels. However, while Scrooge's sin was indifference to others' suffering, the miser in this story, a business exec named James Kier, is guilty of causing suffering. Instead of being visited by a ghost, as Scrooge was, his change of heart comes after his identity is mixed up with that of a car accident victim: he reads his own obituary and finds out what people really think of him.

More...

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Dec 16, 2009

Karalee rated it:

This book provides a heartwarming story that is entirely predictable but completely genre-appropriate. Seriously, if you pick up a book called The Christmas List and expect it to be anything less than heartfelt, inspirational and tear-inspiring, you picked up the wrong book. Essentially, this is a Scrooge tale. James Kier, a tough real estate entrepreneur who has lost his way, is mistaken for dead and an obituary is published. The obituary is less than kind and the follow-up commentary even More...

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Dec 28, 2009

Becky rated it:

Richard Paul Evans is famous for his The Christmas Box series. I was one of those kids who received his books for many Christmases along the way, and have almost everything he's ever written. The funny thing is, all of them were gifts, and I might not have picked them up had someone not given them to me. Why? I can't really say, but I somehow thought these were too short to really have a story I could sink my teeth into. I'm happy to say, I was wrong.

In The Christmas List, we find a More...

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Nov 28, 2010

Katie rated it:

This was an extremely quick read and a good Christmas spirit story. It is very much like Dickens A Christmas Carol, so it was pretty predictable. However it was an interesting book that I couldn't put down. I really like the idea of a character not only reading his own obituary (which are usually always positive) but that he saw a message board on the newspapers site under the article about his death (which was brutally honest and even cruel). Kier tries to make amends with people that he ha More...

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Nov 18, 2011

Michelle rated it:

This book was wonderful! I finished it in 2 days. It was one of those that I couldn't put down.

Have you ever wondered what people really think of you? What if you had the chance to see what people would say about you if they thought you were dead? That's what happens to James Kier when the paper accidentally prints his obituary. He goes to the online version and sees the comments people are leaving about him - including a co-worker, business associates, and his wife - who he is More...

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Nov 30, 2009

Jaclyn rated it:

I finished this book in one sitting today on my flight from SLC to DFW. I can't remember if I've read the Christmas Box or not, I think I have, but obviously I don't remember it well enought to make a comparison. I will say however, that I really liked this story and found myself in the embarrassing situation of crying more than once while reading this story. It is a touching story of a ruthless business man who finds his heart again after the unusual cicrumstances that lead to his reading his More...

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Oct 26, 2010

Tami rated it:

I am always on the search for a new great Christmas story every year. I was disappointed this book wasn't the one. I'm not sure what I was looking for, but I didn't find it here. I guess it bugs me how the story takes place in Utah with characters who aren't mormon and how "corporate" and cut-throat life is, as well as the drinking, etc. (yes, I do realize that half of Utah is not mormon!- but I grew up there and that lifestyle was so completely different from what it was like for More...

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Jul 11, 2010

Evelyn rated it:

Reminiscent of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, The Christmas List focuses on a greedy and greatly disliked businessman.
The book hit me emotionally and I was surprised I was so moved by it. I read this in the middle of July not feeling any of the holiday blues and just grabbed the book without knowing anything about it. Glad I did.
Anyway, I want to believe in the moving words of how our harden hearts can be soften and the regret we feel can move us to change ourselves for the b More...

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Dec 30, 2011

Darlene rated it:

This is a modern-day retelling of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

James Kier is a successful businessman, but he is as ruthless as you can get. He thinks nothing of double-crossing those who trust him and has no appreciation for his employees. He left his devoted wife when she needed him most, leaving her to battle cancer alone. He is a pretty despicable, sorry excuse for a man.

One day, James is stunned to read his obituary in the newspaper. What is more shocking is reading al More...

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Jan 01, 2010

Janetkc7wvy rated it:

This was recommended to me by the son-in-law of the author. He described it as a modern day "Srooge" story. So I bought one for each of the girls in our family and had the books personalized by the author, Richard Paul Evans. Then I read it. It is about a man who prided himself on moving to the top and even gloated on how he used others to get there.Then something happens to wake him up and he tries to make amends with those he has hurt the most.
I learned that in our lives we More...

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Dec 16, 2011

Judith rated it:

I am new to Evans' books, and this one just appealed to me as a light, easy read for the holidays. I ended up finishing it within a few hours. I am an avid reader, and this wasn't one of the most difficult books to read, but it was charming and just deep enough to hold my interest.

This book is another spin on a very common theme during the Christmas holidays, the chance for a little soul searching and then vows of change and renewal. It is a take on Dickens' Scrooge, I think. Obviousl More...

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Dec 01, 2009

Sarah rated it:

I really don't know if I should rate this book 2 or 3 stars...so I will say this book was more like 2 1/2 stars.

It was a good book to read before the Christmas Season begins and I even cried. However, it was predictable and was heavily influenced by Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol.

The book is about a ruthless man who would take candy from a baby if it would make him richer. When his wife is diagnosed with cancer he leaves her. He really is a snake of a guy.
More...

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Dec 10, 2009

Andrea rated it:

I give this 3.5 stars. Nice Christmas story. Funny side note on this book, I actually met this author when he was on his way to see his publisher in NYC. Michelle Coleman accidentally pushed me into this author's lap on our plane to NYC, ::so:: embarrassing, lol, but seriously funny. We realized who he was as we were sitting down several rows behind him and I recognized his notebook cover to be the cover of this book, confirming our suspicions that he was indeed, Richard Paul Evans, and I indee More...

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Jan 19, 2010

Maureen rated it:

This is the book about a man who leaves his family to pursue his goal of being a ruthless business man until one day he sees his obit in the newspaper and finds what his friends think of him. What they say about him is really true but he is appalled at what they say. He goes out of his way to find five of those he wronged to make it up to them. His wife all this time is bouting cancer. He goes back to her and tries to undo the wrong he has done. He is successful in his efforts. His wife dies and More...

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Oct 23, 2009

Liz rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Nov 13, 2009

Nancy rated it:

This book has the subtlety of a sledgehammer. After an unbelievable epiphany, the main character goes from being the most heartless man on earth to being the most loving. What upset me the most is that the character couldn't even make his own list. He destroyed countless lives with his greed, but looked to his secretary to define his redemption.

We all need to live the best lives we can. However, his need for external validation represents one of the main deficiencies in our so More...

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