Christmas Books

About this time of year I begin looking for one or two Christmas themed books that I haven't read before. I have a hard time finding those that fit my personal taste but I'll bet we could share some titles and find new ones we will enjoy.

Here's three, you know of one of them most likely but it's a reread every year for me.

1. A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote
2. Christmas Bells by Jennifer Chiaverini
3. The Christmas Tree by Julie Salamon

One evening in early December my library has a reading of A Christmas Memory and I always go to that. It's a special time on many people's Christmas activity list. The reader is a former drama teacher and he is so good! Sugar cookies made by his mother from her family receipe are always so delicious and hot chocolate and cider are also available. Its a wonderful evening and I'll greatly miss it this year.

This year I'll be getting my Christmas on early by reading Hogfather, by Terry Pratchett.

A couple of years ago I finally read A Christmas Carol for the first time and can totally understand why people make a Christmas tradition out of it!

I have the following books lined up for my Christmas reading next month:

The Bishop's Wife by Robert Nathan
Covent Garden in the Snow by Jules Wake
Alphabet of Dreams by Susan Flectcher - a YA historical story about the three Magi

I adore Connie Willis's sci-fi Christmas stories. Most of them are collected in A Lot Like Christmas, and I think she's got a new one coming out at the end of November -- Take a Look at the Five and Ten.

For classics, you can't beat A Christmas Carol or O. Henry's The Gift of the Magi. I always think of Little Women as a Christmas book, too, although it isn't really; but the first scene is set at Christmas.

Apparently Damon Runyon (of "Guys and Dolls" fame) has written a few Christmas stories!

Personally, I'd love to get some Christmas romance recommendations! I'm good with historical or contemporary, and would prefer nothing too racy. :)

Oh, and of course there's nothing like murder to get you in the holiday spirit! I always enjoy a good Christmas-themed mystery, although sadly nothing in particular is coming to mind right now!

>5 christina_reads: - A new Connie Willis story?! I’m off to order it right now.

>5 christina_reads: Perhaps the Christmas mystery murder thread from 2017 will jog your memory ;) https://www.librarything.com/topic/275975

I just finished a romance novel set on a river cruise on the Rhine--One Charmed Christmas which was really fun and light.

Another romance is Mischief of the Mistletoe which is part of the pink carnation series.

The Twelve Clues of Christmas by Rhys Bowen, a Royal Spyness mystery.

Try this thread for a similar discussion with lots of ideas: https://www.librarything.com/topic/324920

Love this idea and the recommendations! I've pulled off a handful already.

From the tags in my library it seems I only read sad books set at Christmastime with realist endings, but here they are in case they pique interest:
* Last Night at the Lobster by O'Nan (effect on community from permanent closing of Red Lobster)
* Landline by Rowell (marriage falling apart with magical realism)
These aren't quite Christmas-themed, though -- just a setting element.

I reread The Gift of the Magi by O.Henry every year. I think it might be my favorite Christmas book. And usually one of the Anne Perry Christmas mysteries.

I'm not sure how much of my Christmas line-up I will actually get to, but here's what I have:

Charles Dickens' Christmas books, including A Christmas Carol, The Chimes and The Cricket on the Hearth
A Christmas Story by Jean Shepherd
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Robert Lewis May
The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern
Afterward: A Ghost Story for Christmas by Edith Wharton

My faves for Christmas time are A Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas and Skipping Christmas by John Grisham. I have both of these on audioCD and they are wonderful. The audio version of A Child's Christmas in Wales that I own is actually read by Dylan Thomas--it is cool to hear it read by the author, to hear how he intended it to sound. I also try to read selections from May Your Days be Merry and Bright which is a book of short stories all written by women. I thought I lost it a few years ago, but it had only fallen behind the bookshelf! I also like Christmas at Bracebridge Hall by Washington Irving.

I love The Homecoming by Earl Hamner, highly recommend it.

One of my favorites is a collection of essays/memories of Christmas by Augusten Burroghs, You better not cry: stories for Christmas


I think I'm going to grab Connie Willis A lot like Christmas mentioned above from the library.

I read An Irish Country Christmas by Alice Taylor, An Amish Christmas Wedding by Amy Clipston et al, and Sailor's Night Before Christmas by Kimbra Cutlip.

My favorite it the Gift of the Magi by O. Henry

I've read The Abbot's Ghost, or Maurice Treherne's Temptation: a Christmas Story by A. M. Barnard, a pseudonym of Louise May Alcott. This is a Christmas story because it occurred around Christmas time. The book features ghosts and the telling of ghost stories in an old house. The main plot is the pairing of couples. In my opinion, this is not nearly as Christmasy as Alcott's Christmas story in Little Women.

Many versions of the story now appear under Louisa May Alcott's name although it originally appeared under her pseudonym which she used for thrillers.

>17 sallylou61: That's interesing, I had never heard about this book.

>18 clue: It is very short, probably a short novella, although it is printed as a separate publication. My copy has only 69 pages, and the text begins on page 5.

I'm currently reading A Literary Christmas an anthology of various Christmas references or poems from literature. It's definitely lends itself to picking up and reading a few passages at a time and has been enjoyable so far.

I have completed both Alphabet of Dreams which I enjoyed and The Bishop's Wife which I didn't. I love the film based on The Bishop's Wife but the book took the story in a different direction. In the future, I will stick to the film.

>20 LittleTaiko: I just got my copy of that one and the illustrations are beautiful! I also purchased A Children's Literary Christmas.

I'm reading The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries.

>23 lsh63: I'm reading the locked-room one and really enjoying it.

>24 thornton37814: I looked at that one too Lori, I was tempted, but then I figured one big book at a time!

>25 lsh63: My family got the female detectives one for me last year for Christmas. I haven't read it yet. (It was probably my 3rd choice out of the locked-room, the Christmas, and female detective ones on my list.) I purchased the locked-room one on sale this year. I want the Christmas one. Hopefully I'll get it soon. It's still on this year's Christmas wishlist.

I just finished a re-read of A Child's Christmas in Wales which is one of my yearly reading choices at Christmas. I have a CD featuring Dylan Thomas reading the story, and whenever I read it, I hear his voice in my head.

I also read Christmas in Evergreen: Tidings of Joy which is the novelized version of the Hallmark TV movie. It was cute, but often the novelized scripts become somewhat cumbersome since everything has to be described, rather than seen as a visual. Happy endings for all!

I read A Christmas Carol Murder which evokes Victorian London and Dickens and friends solving two mysteries. It is very atmospheric and the names of characters are certainly worthy of Dickens himself.

I just finished a light-hearted Christmas romance with Covent Garden in the Snow by Jules Wake that I enjoyed both for the romance and especially for the setting. The main character was a make-up artists that worked for a London Opera Company.

I read Away in a Manger by Rhys Bowen. Molly Murphy Sullivan becomes concerned about two young children, staying in a rooming house in which the owner kicks them out every day without the proper clothing or anything to eat. She discovers them when she hears the young girl singing Away in the Manger in the Irish tune. The children's mother has disappeared. The mystery is to find the mother or other members of the family. To say anything more about the plot would give away too much of the story.

I've read a couple Christmas novellas this month. Missing Christmas by Kate Clayborn was pretty good...it's a friends-to-lovers (and business-partners-to-lovers!) romance. Not as good as her full-length novel Love Lettering, though.

And One Bed for Christmas by Jackie Lau was just meh. Nothing awful about it, but nothing great either, and too racy for me.

>31 christina_reads: I do not understand why some authors feel the need to add racy scenes to their novels. Maybe to sell more books? I have read some perfectly good books that were spoiled by the addition of unnecessary intimate scenes presented in great detail, almost like they were just dropped into the book and really do not fit, such as A Wedding in December by Sarah Morgan.

>32 LadyoftheLodge: I suspect the tolerance level for such things varies widely, and most romance authors are aiming for the middle of the spectrum.

I just finished Death of an Englishman by Magdalen Nabb, set at Christmas but not a sugary "Christmassy" novel.

This mystery is set in Florence where the author lived for a long time. Marshall Guarnaccia has 'flu and the murder of an Englishman must be investigated by his superior assisted by two Scotland Yard detectives who speak little Italian and Carabineire Bacci who is able to translate. A very enjoyable mystery with well developed characters and an engaging story.

I am currently reading Mischief of the Mistletoe which has been on my TBR list for several years. I finished Jingle all the Way by Debbie Macomber which was a light romance, but it felt disjointed to me. The title seems unrelated to the book though.

I just read The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss, which was lightweight but cute. It had some good "English country Christmas" vibes and a friends-to-lovers romance.