It's December, so I have decreed that it is now ok to discuss holiday stuff. One of my favorite things to do at this time of year is read old Christmas favorites as I gear up for Yule. These books are always on my December reading list.
Chris Moore's The Stupidest Angel is one of the funniest, most ridiculous, and yet most delightful books you'll ever read. Moore is a favorite of mine, though not always an auto-buy. I'd say 85% of his stuff is genius. The rest is sort of... all over the map. But The Stupidest Angel is just an absolute romp... yes, I said ROMP. Trust me. You don't often get angels, dead-zombie-Santas, and labradors packaged quite like this.
My absolute favorite author of all time is Terry Pratchett. Hogfather is a brilliant look at the origins of Christmas and/or Yule. It challenges our notions of belief while, in typical Pratchett style, reinforcing them at the same time. If you have never read Pratchett's Discworld novels you may get a teenie bit lost, but it is more likely to hold up as a single read than most of the others. One of my all time favorites.
If classics are your game, there isn't anything more Yuletidey Yummy than Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I think most women who write are all secretly channeling Jo, one of the first role models for us. It is a beautiful novel for almost all ages... and can touch even the coldest heart. Hey, Joey Tribiani had to put it in the freezer!
So those are my favorites. What books do you reach for at this time of year? Dickens? Or something I may not know and want to add to my own list?
so, this is me. Commenting....
ReplyDeleteOk. I'm not good at being a smarty pants.
I can't say that I do have a particular re-read at this time of year. I'm wondering, should I? Mebbe...
I only wish I had time to read. Seriously. I feel like I've been writing this book for 3 year years.
ReplyDeleteI love Little Women. This year, I've been reading new holiday books instead of rereads.
ReplyDeleteI can't say I have any must-reads for this time of year, but read A CHRISTMAS MEMORY by Truman Capote this week. Good book! It's a collection of three short stories - two Christmas and one Thanksgiving - easily read in one evening. Though I'm sure I have never read any of these before, the two Christmas stories both seemed familiar.
ReplyDeleteI love Hogfather. That may be my favorite Pratchett Novel. REALLY.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the first 2...I definitely need to check them out!!
ReplyDeleteI have a bunch of Christmas anthos I like to reread. They're nothing special, but they make me smile.
ReplyDeleteI also can't wait to dig into the new HQN Regency Christmas antho...my buddy Courtney Milan has a novella in it. The cover is GORGEOUS.
And even though I'm not really an Insy reader, I always reread Randy Singer's "The Judge Whoe Stole Christmas." Mostly because I'm a First Amendment junkie, but the story is quite moving, too.