Christmas books

[Triostar]

Hi All

Can anyone recommend some good Christmas books please (for an adult)? From about December I get the urge to read festive books but haven't always been lucky with my choices! Over the last few years I read Call of the Pengiuns/Away with the Penguins which I really didn't like (not sure why I read both tbh) The Snow Child (quite liked) Christmas Carol, A Laurie Lee one and Red Bird Christmas by Fannie Flagg which I enjoyed. I am not a fan of spookiness or the Christmas-at-the -seaside-cafe/will they won't they type books. A Winter Solstice by Roasmund Pilcher is currently 99p on kindle so will buy that but I read a lot so would quite like a few to choose from....

Sorry meant to say thanks also.

Was going to say Winter Solstice. I’m reading it now, again !

My favourite Christmas book is Mr Dickens And His Carol by Samantha Silva. It’s a fictionalised story based around Dickens writing A Christmas Carol. I reread it every year.

Blatantly placemarking @Triostar as I like reading Christmas type books as well and loved the Snow Child and A Christmas Carol.

Oooh you just reminded me I bought this last year

I also read the Winternight Triolgy a few years ago which despite saying I didn't like spookiness was spookyish. Its not set at Christmas but is set in Northern Russia, so its cold and wintery.

Thank you for the recommendations @ChessieFL and @OneFrenchEgg I will look at those ones.

Haven’t read it yet but The Keepsake Quilters Kindle version is also on sale at 99p. Seems to have a festive theme. By Felicity Hayes-McCoy.

These are children’s books but are still loved by this adult and many others judging by the children’s classics thread:

The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
The Children of Green Knowe by Lucy M Boston
Come Back Lucy by Pamela Sykes
The Box of Delights by John Masefield
Cold Christmas by Nina Beachcroft

I always The Hogfather by terry Pratchett. It's fine if you haven't read any other discworld books.

Letters from Santa by Tolkien isn't aimed at adults, but I like it anyway - it's a collection of letters he wrote to his children "from Santa".

A Christmas Carol by dickens is an obvious one. I kept putting it off thinking it would be hard work, but really enjoyed it. The penguin Clothbound classics version (possibly other penguin versions as well) has some of his other rioting about Christmas which is also lovely

We've struggled to come up with Christmas-themed books in our book club, but, over the years, we have read Winter Solstice and also those compendiums of Christmas ghost or detective short stories. Those were quite enjoyable.

Is 'You & Me on Vacation' suitable for 16 year old granddaughter Pease?

Children's again, but I loved The Christmas Pig - JK Rowling

The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gaarder. It's a children's/YA book but I remember it being magical at Christmas time.

Hercule Poirot’s Christmas.

Christmas at the seaside cafe made me laugh, Facebook keeps showing me those - there seem to be loads of them, all equally badly written and with very similar storylines.

Midnight in Everwood is a nice a retelling of the nutcracker that I'm reading at the moment

Oh yes! Definitely this. I read it to DS last year - it started as a bedtime story but he kept asking me to read it during the day as well. There were points where DH would come in to find us both cuddled up together, crying in a good way!)

Same! Loved it. Although it did make me cry.

I really enjoyed India Knight's Comfort and Joy, but I know a lot of people don't like her writing - you either do or you don't, I guess. It's not one of her best but it is still funny.

I read A Christmas Carol every year.

But my favourite Christmas read is End of Term by Antonia Forest. The description of the school nativity seems to give a real feel of Christmas.

@AboutTheYoungIdea thats where I keep seeing them too. ..

@bookandabrew thanks, will have a look at that (and it is currently 99p on kindle!)

I’m reading A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote & A Village Christmas by Laurie Lee. Both atmospheric & engaging. Easy to dip in & out of too.

I’m a sucker for crap Christmas books too though & am currently rereading The Xmas Factor by Annie Sanders. Total cliché drivel but still makes me smile.

I love Jeanette Winterson's Christmas Days: 12 Stories and 12 Feasts for 12 Days, it's lovely to read over the 12 days of Christmas.

Maigret's Christmas by Georges Simenon is also very enjoyable, it has 3 short Christmassy stories in it.

Then there's Dickens and the vast number of children's books. I'll be reading The Box of Delights by John Mansfield this year.