The 12 days of Christmas reading

What *actually* is the season for Christmas-themed books?

Hi Stackers!

If you’re anything like me, you like reading Christmas-themed close to Christmas. But it can sometimes be difficult to get Christmas-themed books in that window of time close to Christmas, or any holiday or observation, especially if you’re primarily using library resources. Sometimes, you have to request something and wait in line and sometimes there’s just sooo many Christmas-themed books you want to read that you have to extend your reading season beyond Christmas itself.

Since I work at a library, I’m always recommending books to others and often creating displays of themed books. I generally start reading Christmas-themed books in late Nov/early December and keep reading them through most of January. Unconsciously, I’ve been observing Lunar New Year as the end of the Christmas-themed book season.

What about you?

There’s something really cozy and fun about Christmas-themed books. It helps if it’s cold - snuggling into blankets and shawls captures that Christmas mood.

So here’s some of the Christmas-themed books I’ve read in my holiday reading season.

A Kilt for Christmas by Tricia O’Malley - This was a cute holiday romance with paranormal elements - a ghost cow (or “coo” as the Scots characters say). I listened to the audiobook via Hoopla digital on my drive to visit family for Christmas.

Twelve Days of Murder by Andreina Cordani - This one is a Christmas mystery novel with locked room elements and connections to to the Twelve Days of Christmas song. College friends who had murder mystery themed parties gather twelve years after one of them disappeared during one of their parties. I listened to this one, also via Hoopla, while visiting with family.

Most Wonderful by Georgia Clark - This one was a clean contemporary romance and, as I described to a friend when I recommended it, very gay. The three children a famous film and tv star gather at her home during the Christmas seasons to sort out the messes each of their lives have become and find love. Reminds me a bit of the movie The Family Stone. I listened to this one, again via Hoopla after Christmas and around the end of the year, still feeling the Christmas spirit.

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter - Another holiday mystery and very meta - an illusive mystery writer invites several mystery authors to her home for the holidays, along with her family, and then disappears. More locked room intrigue - very fun. I read this one in the new year and it revived my love for Ally Carter - whose YA books I read when I was younger.

Five Gold Rings by Kristen Bailey - A friends-to-lovers Christmas quest story as two co-workers spend a Christmas weekend delivering five gold rings to various couples across town and bonding.

I wrote short reviews of the last two on Goodreads and while I’m trying to update my Goodreads and start writing reviews more often, I’m also planning to start a StoryGraph account - as an alternative to Goodreads, which is owned by Amazon. I try to purchase books at local indie bookstores and online at Bookshop, which I’m an affiliate for, rather than Amazon. I’ve always been wary of the chokehold that Amazon has on book sales, authors and publishers, so I was happy to make that switch, especially since Bookshop raises money for indie bookstores. StoryGraph is an alternative to Amazon that was founded by a Black woman, so I look forward to checking it out. For now, many of the links I provide are either affiliate links to Bookshop, Hoopla Digital links, or occasionally Goodreads links.

Before I go, I’d love to know if you read any great Christmas-themed books recently, or if you’d like to recommend any to me or others. Comment in the chat!