Looking for a more literary Christmas read

[BaconAndAvocado]

Usually I like to curl up with a Christmas book such as those penned by the likes of Karen Swan etc.

I started The Cornish Village School,Christmas Wishes but I'm finding it too predictable and lack lustre.

Want a Christmas themed/centred story. I've already read A Christmas Carol.

Tia

Following for inspiration!

I couldn't find anything particularly literary and Christmassy when I last looked. The 'best' options I've found are:

A Good Man in Africa by William Boyd
Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons (short story)
Christmas Days by Jeanette Winterson
Christmas Pudding by Nancy Mitford
Letters from Father Christmas by JRR Tolkein
The Faber Book of Christmas
A Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas

Have you read Dickens’ other Christmas stories? The Cricket on the Hearth is festive.

Not sure it’s really literary, but I really like Mr Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva. It tells the story around Dickens writing A Christmas Carol and it’s lovely!

How about Miss Marley, a prequel to a Christmas Carol by Vanessa Lafaye & Rebecca Mascull

Following with interested! I would love something christmassy but fairly literary.

I found some good ideas here...

www.waterstones.com/writers-recommend/winter-reads

Oh, that is a good list.

There is a new winter story compilation by Eva Ibbotson - all Viennese Christmases, trees, markets, wreaths and traditions, true love, snow and the workings of fate. Her works are all so beautiful, literary and a treasure.

Oh thank you! Their 'classic Christmas" list had some great suggestions and was very bad for my bank balance. Might have quite a few books arriving next week

@stella1know oh that sounds good

what about the christmas hirelings

I really enjoyed Fannie Flagg's 'A redbird Christmas'. Not sure about literary, but I love her writing and this is a real Christmas book

I like Angela Thirkell “Christmas at High Rising”

It's a murder mystery, so am not sure it's what you're after, but I've just read Snow by John Banville (in crime mode, although written under his real name) and recommend it. Rural Ireland over Christmas in the 50s. A little Christie-esque, very atmospheric, all murder mystery tropes present and correct but with his beautiful writing thrown in too. A treat.

Christmas Days by Jeanette Winterson

There's a nice anthology called A Literary Christmas.

Christmas Days by Jeanette Winterson

Just about to say this too!

Away with the Penguins - not set around Christmas as such, but penguins feature heavily in the book.

This December I enjoyed reading a story a day - a sort of advent thing - from "The Penguin Book of Christmas Stories' . It contains a real mixture of Christmas stories some translated from other languages.