The festive season is upon us and hopefully you’re getting in the mood for Christmas with your favourite festive read! The For Reading Addicts staff were chatting this week about our own festive reads and so we thought we’d share with you what we are reading in the run up to the big day!
If you’re stuck for something festive to read, hopefully our suggestions will prove as a bit of inspiration, if not it gives you the chance to be nosy and see what we get up to when we’re not writing for For Reading Addicts
Whatever you’re reading, we hope you all have a wonderful Christmas if you’re celebrating.
The Gift of the Magi – O. Henry
The Gift of the Magi is only a short story but it absolutely sums up what Christmas is all about, and why the fun in gifts is in the giving, not the receiving. Without spoiling the story, The Gift of the Magi is a touching Christmas story about love, with a surprising ending. ~ Kath
The Hogfather – Terry Pratchett
This year, as an alternative to some of the more sentimental Christmas-inspired stories, I am reading Hogfather by Terry Pratchett. The 20th Discworld novel features my all-time favourite character- Death- and introduced me to possibly one of the funniest deities every thought up- Bilious, the ‘Oh God’ of Hangovers. The novel never fails to make me laugh out loud, and this year my 9 year old son gets to join in as we read a few pages each night.
The story centres itself around the power of belief, with a Santa-like character of Hogfather, the Tooth Fairy, and minor deities attempting to create balance in the Discworld after the Hogfather goes missing. Of course this is not to say the book is a light and breezy children’s story- it is far darker than anything Pratchett had written before- and for me this makes it ever the more engaging. Quirky characters and almost-likeable monsters, bloody murder and kidnapping, all wrapped up in an intelligent novel that satirises the festive period to perfection. ~ Rowan
A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
I try to read Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol every December as the Holiday Season looms. You’re probably rolling your eyes, and I don’t blame you, it’s quite the cliché but I don’t care. I first read Scrooge’s story for the first time a few years ago, but of course I was very familiar with the plot, as it might just be the most adapted story of all time. I went into it with a mild curiosity, but I soon realised why this story has remained so popular for so long. The Holidays are meant to be a time of giving and goodwill, but it’s easy, especially in today’s modern world, for it to feel like a slog. Don’t get me wrong, I like Christmas, but I think we all deal with a certain amount of stress when it rolls around and it’s easy to become cynical when you see how commercialised it’s become.
I make a point of reading A Christmas Carol because it blows the cobwebs out of Christmas, leaving only the best bits, and leaving me with a strong impression about what’s important during this time of year, as sappy as that may be. Dare I say it, I don’t think it really matters whether or not you believe a certain baby was born in a manger, it’s about goodwill to your fellow man, and about taking time out in the darkest, coldest of days to remember what’s important to you. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to exchange gifts, over indulge, and drink one too many Snowballs, but ultimately I think it’s nice to be reminded that the Holidays are about getting together with the people you love, enjoying a bit of good food, and spreading warmth to one another. A Christmas Carol exemplifies that perfectly and, if it can warm the heart of a cynic like me, then it must be doing something right. ~ Thom
Christmas Days – Jeanette Winterson
“Christmas Days” by Jeanette Winterson is a fairly recent addition to my book collection, it was only published in 2016 but it quickly became a favourite when I received it for Christmas that year. Christmas Days is a collection of “12 Stories and 12 Feasts for 12 Days”.
The 12 short stories are all written in Winterson’s usual style of darkness interspersed with humour and between each story there is a recipe for some wonderful Christmas treats. These recipes are either Winterson’s own or borrowed from one of her friends, whose names you will probably recognise. There is a recipe for Mrs Winterson’s (of “Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit” fame) Mince Pies and Kamila Shamsie’s Turkey Biryani.
Christmas Days will be my “go to” book each year because the short, brilliantly entertaining stories, are easy to pick up and put down at this busy time of year. ~ Jacqui
From the whole team at FRA, a very merry Christmas!
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