Paper Angels

“Dreaming is the only way an adult can become like a child again.”Paper Angels collects many of the annual Christmas stories written by Joe Beine, who has been sending them to friends for over a decade. In “Strings” and its sequel “Dodging Snowflakes,” we watch twelve-year-old Ellen as she begins to find her way in the adult world.Two stories about whimsical goblins add a touch of laughter to the proceedings. Three angels, Arianne, Jessi and Isabelle, wander through half of the book’s stories. Arianne and Jessi transform San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge into a cathedral. Isabelle tells a mysterious tale about two children’s snowy playtime. Together these wistful tales capture the peculiar magic of the Christmas season.