This book is everything you want on your shelf during the holiday season. It has amazing facts and is beautifully done. I have already read it once, and know I will be reading it every year! This is great for kids and adults!

I love Christmas Carols, they are a huge part of our family's Christmas experience. I love the idea of having a different carol to learn about and listen to each day. I especially loved that there is a link for a recording of each song!

The stories were mostly interesting to me, but would not have held the interest of my children. I appreciated that there were carols included that I had never heard, but I feel there should have been more traditional carols as well.

Overall, this would be a book I want for my Christmas collection, but I don't know that I would use it daily during December.

Thank you to Shadow Mountain Publishing, NetGalley, and Michael D. Young for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

This is an advent book for counting down the days in December for Christmas. There is a Christmas Carol for each day some of which are very familiar and others that were new to me. The lyrics are given followed by one or two pages of information about he carol. Details of country of origin, the writer, time periods etc. I didn’t realize that most carols started out and were published as poetry and then sung to familiar tunes. I found it interesting that some carols are sung to different tunes in different countries while using the same words. In my digital copy of the book a link is provided that takes you to Youtube videos or audio recordings of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square (previously called The Mormon Tabernacle Choir) performing the song. I’m not sure if the published version of the book will give the digital link or include a CD or DVD. I wish the music was provided in the book, especially for less familiar songs. But I understand that there might be copyright issues or other reasons that make that prohibitive. I think this is a unique and fun way to count down to Christmas. Thank you to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

An Advent Carols Countdown is one of my new favorites and will be front and center on my table during the holiday season. Each day in December offers a new carol to be explored and appreciated. I love that the lyrics are provided as well as link for an actual musical performance. The meaning and significance are provided for each carol which only serves to deepen my love and appreciation for so many wonderful carols. This would make an excellent gift for all music lovers and those who love learning the historical significance of songs we sing.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

I find this interesting…some history behind the carols we hear every Christmas. However, I wish they had included some carols that aren’t religious as well.

Overall an interesting read, but it leaves out a big chunk of options that could have been included if this were not so religiously focused.

Title: An Advent Carols Countdown: Stories Behind the Most Beloved Music of Christmas
Series: N/A
Author: Michael D. Young
Genre: Christmas, Christian
Publisher: Shadow Mountain Publishing
Release Date: September 6, 2022
Format: Hardcover
Pages: Unknown
Source: NetGalley
Cover: I love this cover because it reminds me of my very first Christmas Carol book given to me by my first piano teacher.

My Sketch …
From Dec. 1st to Dec. 24th, a Christmas carol lyric and a story per day of how the carol came to be. Each carol has a QR code linking to an audio or video performance of the carol performed by the Morman Tabernacle Choir. However, no music score is provided.

My Review …
While the title states “…Stories Behind the Most Beloved Music of Christmas”, personally I was disappointed that no musical notation was part of each Christmas Carol presentation since the briefing does include the tune history as well as the lyrics. The book summary (e.g. the description), which I encourage you to read, suggests An Advent Carols Countdown could be a gift. The only format is hardcover.

I thought many years ago such a book should be written and now it has been.
A few tidbits: “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” always felt English to me yet it is a German hymn dating back to at least 1599. I haven’t sung “Masters in This Hall” since I was in high school mixed chorus. It is a simple carol; Mr. Young says the music is an old French dance. The book has a bibliography for each carol.

The Christmas Carols countdown from December 1st are:
1st – The Holly and the Ivy
2nd – O Little Town of Bethlehem
3rd – Angels We Have Heard on High
4th – Carol of the Bells
5th – Good King Wenceslas
6th – Far, Far Away on Judea’s Plains
7th – O Holy Night
8th – Ding Dong! Merrily on High
9th – God Bless the Master
10th – In Dulci Jubilo (In Sweet Rejoicing)
11th – Joy to the World
12th – O Come, All Ye Faithful
13th – Mitt Hjerte Alltid Vanker (My Heart Always Wanders)
14th – Of the Father’s Love Begotten
15th – Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming
16th – Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
17th – Away in a Manger
18th – Angels from the Realms of Glory
19th – Masters in This Hall
20th – O du Fröhliche (O You Joyful)
21st – In the Bleak Midwinter
22nd – The First Noel
23rd – Infant Holy, Infant Lowly
24th – Stille Nacht (Silent Night)
Missing is a beautiful carol — “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”.

A personal note from the reviewer …
I played my first Christmas carol when I was six years old. Granted it was only the melody but it’s a lovely memory. By nine I was playing Christmas Carols for our Baptist church & hoping “O Come All Ye Faithful” wasn’t planned as it had all those sharps (# ). Recently I was an organist/pianist for a Catholic parish and was surprised to learn that many of the carols listed above could *not* be sung or played during Advent. Any mention of the birth of Jesus — the Carol could not be used during Advent.

Rating: 3.5 stars rounded to 4 for websites using only round numbers. As a musician, a one-star reduction is due to the lack of music scores. I did not know three of the carols and would love to have seen the scores. In addition, why should people have to acquire the music score? Since there are some months before the pub date of 6 September, maybe music notation will be added.

I received a complimentary e-ARC copy of An Advent Carols Countdown via NetGalley from the publisher, Shadow Mountain Publishing. A positive review was not required; the opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

#AnAdventCarolsCountdown #NetGalley #MichaelDYoung

I love this idea of having a carol countdown to Christmas. It’s always fun to find new traditions, especially ones that will help you and your family keep the spirit of Christmas alive in your hearts and minds all season long.

I really loved everything about this book. It’s nice to have the lyrics all in one place and to have such a variety of songs. There were several that I did not know. It was very helpful to have a link to watch/listen to a performance of the songs, in case you want to hear how it’s supposed to sound or to enjoy someone else singing it as well. Lastly, the history of the songs were very interesting and well researched. Some of these songs are quite old and we don’t think enough of who wrote them and where the inspiration or story behind these beloved songs came from. It can help you look at the carols with new eyes and a fresh appreciation for them when you understand a little bit more about them.

I think everyone would enjoy this book. Even if you didn’t get to focus on a song every day, it would be fun to peruse the carols and just pick a few to sing and focus on, to bring a special spirit and remembrance to the beloved Christmas season.

An Advent Carols Countdown: Stories behind the Most Beloved Music of Christmas by Michael D. Young is a wonderful book filled with Christmas Carols, their meanings, history, and all presented for any family to enjoy one day at a time during Advent. Just stunning.

This is such an amazing book. Each day of December gives the reader a Christmas Carol, its lyrics, its history, and a link to hear the carol itself.

I have heard, loved, and enjoyed each one of these songs, but one or two were lesser known to me in regards to their origins. I loved getting to know the beautiful history behind these songs.

This book is for adults, kids, families…really anyone that loves history and also Christmas. It will most definitely put any reader into the Christmas Spirit!

5/5 stars enthusiastically

Thank you NG and Shadow Mountain Publishing for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately (as of 4/3/22 no BB listing has been created and link will be updated when it is available) and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 9/6/22.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved how it was an advent of Christmas carols for each day leading up to Christmas. I loved that there were carols I knew and some I didn’t. I also liked that there was a link allowing you to listen to what the song sounded like. I found it fascinating to read about the history of each of the songs. I thought this was a great resource to help families at Christmas time to learn a little bit more about the beloved songs we sing. I would highly recommend it.

I received a complimentary book from publishers, publicists, and or authors. A review was not required and all opinions and ideas expressed are my own.

Broken down into bite-sized chunks, designed to be done one per day for the Advent season, the book covers many popular and lesser-known carols, including lyrics and the stories behind the songs. About half the book features well-known carols, but the other half featured ones whose names I'd never even heard. The stories themselves were, mostly, interesting to hear. Each of the songs came with a link to listen to them performed live, too. This would be a book I went through with my family during one season and then passed on to another family to enjoy.