Inspired by Katrina at Pining for the West I am joining the Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge 2016 hosted at the wonderfully festive Christmas Spirit blog.
I don’t need any encouragement to get into the Christmas spirit but I do like to focus my reading on suitably festive books during December and over the holiday period.
I have a pile ready and waiting, though I keep adding more all the time. Here is my original pile for December.
The list keeps on growing though so it’s safest to say that over the period of the challenge I shall read as many as possible of the following:
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens – annual re-read
- A Christmas Tree by Charles Dickens (which Katrina alerted me to)
- A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas – annual re-read
- Christmas Holiday by W Somerset Maugham
- Winter Holiday by Arthur Ransome
- Happy Christmas by Daphne du Maurier
- A Snow Garden and other Stories by Rachel Joyce
- Mistletoe and Murder by Robin Stevens – couldn’t resist the review of this series by The Idle Woman
- Storms in a Tea-cup (from Cornish Silhouettes) by C C Rogers (later to become Lady Vyvyan) – discovered while idling on the gorgeous blog Beyond Eden Rock
A number of these are very short – perfect for the busyness of Christmas when time may be short – and overall they cover a wide range of genre and era, just with the theme of Christmas tying them together. It’s a very satisfying list!
(I also have rather a lot more titles sitting in various virtual shopping baskets. I simply must resist!)
A Corner of Cornwall 
Interesting. I don’t think I could indulge in quite so many Christmassy books – as indigestible as too much Christmas pudding in my case. Enjoy cosying up reading them all!
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I’m not sure that I’ve ever read quite this many, Margaret. Perhaps I shall find myself with indigestion after just a few. But I doubt it!
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Good luck with this challenge. I don’t tend to read many Christmas themed books, so I don’t think I’ll be signing up, but I’m enjoying seeing what other people are planning to read. I would be particularly interested in hearing more about the Maugham and du Maurier books.
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I’ll do a brief review of all of them and a fuller review of some, Helen. I’ve started with the Maugham, which is my first foray into his work. It’s certainly not what I expected and has me intrigued at the moment.
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That looks like a great list. Depending on what you think of them, I might be adding some to my reading list for this time next year.
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I’ll do at least a short review on each of them, Katrina. As several are nice and short I hope to get through the vast majority of them before my Christmas spirit wanes!
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This list looks as delicious as Scrooge’s prize turkey – what fun you are going to have 😀🎄
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Ha ha doesn’t it just, Liz! And I’ve already added another to the list… oh dear! (At least it is a free download so not costing me anything but time…)
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Lol! 😀
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What a nice collection! We have the family here at Christmas this year – so no time for reading (except for the days before (preparations allowing!) and after, when there will be all the time in the world to relax – and read!!! Maybe I’ll look out some Christmassy reading, but it may just be A Christmas Carol.
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We have family for New Year, Margaret, and we’re away for the Christmas holiday itself, so I probably won’t get much reading done then either. But I do love the build-up with all its busyness and preparations … and reading! I can always squeeze a little in here and there 🙂
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For those with little time-here’s a good cheat:
A Literary Christmas: An Anthology , pub by British Library.
Something for everyone and easy to dip in and out as time dictates.xx
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Ah Pat, that’s one of the many choices I have on my list – which I’m trying not to buy (at least not this year!) It sounds ideal! xx
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Love the Christmassy movoes, but hadn’t thought about what that might mean in terms of literature. Happy Reading, I hope you find a gem in there!
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I meant ‘movies’
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I hope so too, Claire!
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Great snow effect! I’ve just read the first book of the Cazalet Chronicles and loved it. Thanks for the reading tip!
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The snow is fun isn’t it! I need a snowy header – but the temperatures are soaring in double figures at the moment! Glad you’re enjoying the Cazalets – my favourite family saga 🙂
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Good luck with your challenge and let us know which book you enjoyed most.
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