Learn 'the stories behind 100 holiday hits' | Book Talk
It's only mid-October, and retailers are already beginning to pull their Halloween merchandise to make room for Christmas decorations. It's not too soon, then, to learn about seasonal music, with “This is Christmas Song by Song: The Stories Behind 100 Holiday Hits” by Cleveland author Annie Zaleski.
Zaleski’s list is in roughly chronological order, but the versions she cites are not necessarily the originals. Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” and Judy Garland’s “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” are obvious, but The Temptations were far from the first to record “Silent Night.”
Note that the title is “song,” not “carol.” There are only a handful of true carols here; the majority are secular. Zaleski discusses the artist, arrangements, lyrics, recording history and chart success. A few are controversial — U.K. radio stations were hesitant to play the salty “Father Christmas” by The Kinks, and “Christmas at Ground Zero” by “Weird Al” Yankovic didn’t age well.
It would be difficult to think of a Christmas pop or rock recording from the last 80 years that doesn’t appear here.
There are some novelties, obscurities and songs from TV shows (“You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”) that will live forever.
Akron’s The Waitresses show up with “Christmas Wrapping,” and Akron native Chrissie Hynde with The Pretenders contribute “2000 Miles.”
There are two versions of “Sleigh Ride,” almost thirty years apart, by The Ronettes and TLC.
“This is Christmas, Song by Song” (224 pages, hardcover) costs $27 from Running Press. The bright graphic illustrations are by Norwegian artists Ingird Reithaug and Tonje Holand.
Annie Zaleski will sign “This is Christmas, Song by Song” at 7 p.m. Oct. 21 at Visible Voice Books, 2258 Professor Ave., Cleveland.
A release from a former Ohio mayor
Former Brook Park Mayor Michael Gammella doesn’t say anything revolutionary in his small motivational book “The Few.” The Few are those who are happy and successful because they “take the time to understand life.”
The book is a set of essays on things like “knowing what you want,” “random acts of kindness,” gratitude and patience. The longest essay is three pages; many occupy only one or even half of one page. Some finish with quotes from sources like Cicero, John F. Kennedy and Confucius.
“The Few” (99 pages, softcover) costs $11.10 from online retailers.
Michael Gammella has been a union officer and is a candidate for Berea Clerk of Municipal Court.
Events
Cuyahoga County Public Library (North Royalton branch, 5071 Wallings Road): Brandon Massullo talks about “The Ghost Stories: New Perspectives on the Origins of Paranormal Experiences,” 7-8 p.m. Monday. At 7 p.m. Thursday, Kathleen Kerestman of Perry, author of “Creepy Cat’s Macabre Travels: Prowling Around Haunted Towers, Crumbling Castles, and Ghoulish Graveyards,” talks about “Salem Past and Present” and the Salem Witch Trials. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Shaker Heights Public Library (16500 Van Aken Blvd.): Shaker Heights High School alumnus Wesley Lowery talks about “American Whitelash: A Changing Nation and the Cost of Progress,” 7 p.m. Monday.
Medina County District Library (210 South Broadway St.): Wade Rouse, who writes as Viola Shipman, talks about his novel “Famous in a Small Town,” 3 p.m. Tuesday. The Northeast Ohio Sisters in Crime chapter presents a “Clues to Writing for Publication” writers conference, with participants including Shelley Shepard Gray, Abby Vandiver, Angie Hockman, Shelley Costa, Cari Dubiel, Kathryn Long, Mindy McGinnis and Anastasia Hastings, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday. See the schedule and register at mdcl.info.
Akron-Summit County Public Library (Nordonia Hills branch, 9458 Olde Eight Road, Northfield): Greg Feketik, author of “Insights into the Unknown” and “Roads into the Unknown,” talks about haunted places in Ohio, 6-8 p.m. Tuesday. Register at akronlibrary.org.
Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County (305 Wick Ave., Youngstown): Mark Oshiro, author of young adult books including “Anger is a Gift” and, with Rick Riordan, “The Sun and the Star: A Nico Di Angelo Adventure,” speaks from 6-7 p.m. Tuesday.
Morley Library (184 Phelps St., Painesville): Vince Guerrieri talks about “Weird Moments in Cleveland Sports: Bottlegate, Bedbugs, and Burying the Pennant and More!” 6-7:45 p.m. Tuesday. Register at morleylibrary.org.
Canton Palace Theatre (605 Market Ave. North): Stephanie Land, author of “Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive,” joins the Dr. Audrey Lavin Speaking of Books Author Series from 6:3-7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Register at starklibrary.org.
Mentor Public Library (8215 Mentor Ave.): Jane Turzillo, author of “Wicked Cleveland,” talks about true crime from Cleveland’s past, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Register at mentorpl.org.
Medina County District Library (Brunswick branch, 3649 Center Road): Wade Rouse talks about “Famous in a Small Town,” 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Hudson Library & Historical Society (96 Library St.): Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb talks about “Interstellar: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life and the Future of Our Stars” in a virtual appearance at 7 p.m. Tuesday. At 6:30 p.m. Thursday, retired U.S. Army Major General Mari Eder talks about “The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line: Untold Stories of the Women Who Changed the Course of World War II” in a virtual appearance at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Register at hudsonlibrary.org.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (Strongsville branch, 18700 Westwood Drive): William G. Krejci talks about “Buried Beneath Cleveland: Lost Cemeteries of Cuyahoga County,” 7-8:30 p.m. Tuesday. From 1-2 p.m. Saturday, Nina Simon discusses her debut novel “Mother-Daughter Murder Night.” Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (Berea branch, 7 Berea Commons): Kathleen Kerestman appears at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library: Ruth Ware, author of suspense novels “The It Girl” and “The Woman in Cabin 10,” joins the Online Author Talk Series, 2-3 p.m. Wednesday. Register at smfpl.org.
Akron-Summit County Public Library (Ellet branch, 2470 East Market St.): Greg Feketik appears from 6-7 p.m. Wednesday. Register at akronlibrary.org.
Akron-Summit County Public Library (Highland Square branch, 807 West Market St.): As part of the Akron Eats series, Judy Orr James signs “Akron Family Recipes: History and Traditions from Sauerkraut Balls to Sweet Potato Pie,” 6:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Register at akronlibrary.org.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (Chagrin Falls branch, 100 East Orange St.): Kathleen Kerestman appears at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Music Box Supper Club (1148 Main Ave., Cleveland): Mike Polk Jr., author of “Damn Right I’m from Cleveland: Your Guide to Makin’ It in America’s 47th Biggest City,” and John Skrtic, chief of collections at Cleveland Public Library, join the Cleveland Stories Dinner Party series 7 p.m. Wednesday. Dinner is $25; the lecture is free. Go to musicboxcle.com.
House of Blues (308 Euclid Ave., Cleveland): Danny Pellegrino presents “The Jolliest Bunch: Unhinged Holiday Stories,” 7 p.m. Wednesday. Tickets start at $47.25 and include a copy of the book.
Rocky River Public Library (1600 Hampton Road): William G. Krejci talks about “Lost Ghost Stories of Cleveland,” 7-8 p.m. Wednesday.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (Solon branch, 34125 Portz Parkway): Sharona Hoffman talks about “Aging with a Plan: How a Little Thought Today Can Vastly Improve Your Tomorrow,” 2-3 p.m. Thursday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Loganberry Books (13015 Larchmere Blvd., Shaker Heights): Donald Mengay signs “The Lede to Our Undoing,” 6 p.m. Thursday. At 3 p.m. Saturday, Vilma Seeburg signs “Family Engagements in Black Students’ Academic Success: Achievement and Resistance in an American Suburban School.”
Visible Voice Books (2258 Professor Ave., Cleveland): Carlo Wolff signs “Invisible Soul: Uncovering Cleveland’s Underground Soul Scene,” 7 p.m. Thursday.
Akron-Summit County Public Library (Green branch, 4046 Massillon Road, Uniontown): Kaylin Tristano, who writes as Cara Malone, leads a “Self-Publishing Fiction as a Career” workshop, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday. Register at akronlibrary.org.
Email information about books of local interest, and event notices at least two weeks in advance to BeaconBookTalk@gmail.com and bjnews@thebeaconjournal.com. I tweet at @BarbaraMcI.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Annie Zaleski delves into the history of Christmas tunes | Book Talk
