Planning out my holiday-themed reading is one of my favorite annual traditions – I love a mix of re-reads and new discoveries at any time of the year, and Christmas is no exception. There are a few books that I always read (or always in the past few years, anyway) – namely The Twelve Days of Christmas on Christmas Eve, A Country Doctor’s Commonplace Book on Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day on, obviously, New Year’s Day – but I’ve always got some new-to-me favorites-to-be on deck in the runup to the holiday. I’m waiting a bit later this year to start my Christmas reading bonanza, because last year I devoted all of December to holiday reading and overdosed a bit. But for all that, I do have some big reading plans ahead for the next couple of weeks.
First up, I pre-ordered this gorgeous edition of Tied Up in Tinsel, by Ngaio Marsh, from Hatchards. (I also ordered Thou Shell of Death and The Case of the Abominable Snowman, both by Nicholas Blake, from the same collection – but I’m not sure they’ll arrive in time to be 2021 holiday reading; they may be waiting for 2022.) Marsh was one of the Queens of Crime during the golden age of detective fiction, alongside luminaries like Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, but I’ve not yet read many of her books. Really looking forward to this one.
Nigel Slater loves winter – by reports, it’s his favorite cooking season. I’ve heard wonderful things about The Christmas Chronicles, his Christmas and winter collection of recipes, notes and stories, and can’t wait to curl up with this and a steaming cup of cocoa.
It’s been quite a few years since I read No Holly for Miss Quinn, my favorite of Miss Read‘s holiday stories – but last year, I was lucky enough to find a gorgeous vintage hardback copy. It was too late to work it into my Christmas 2020 reading, so I’ve been saving it for 2021. I can’t wait to reunite with the devastatingly efficient Miss Quinn and watch her holiday spirit grow from a tiny spark to a full glow.
I have plenty of other Christmas reading plans, too. I’d like to finally get to The Penguin Book of Christmas Stories, and to A Literary Christmas and A Children’s Literary Christmas, both from the British Library publishing imprint. And I have a copy of The King and the Christmas Tree on order from Hatchard’s – I hope it arrives in time to read by the light of the tree – and I’m hoping to find time to get back to my last year’s favorite, The Twelve Birds of Christmas, too. Think that’s enough to keep me busy?
What’s on your holiday reading list?
covered in flour 
I’m currently reading The Twelve Birds of Christmas, and it is just as delightful as you promised last year. So glad I got a hold of a copy! Also reading The Christmasaurus by Tom Fletcher, which is Frankie’s holiday read aloud this year. I was considering a re-read of Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris, but I don’t know if I’ll get to it or not. December is often a low reading month for me, too much other nonsense competing for attention. Two might have to be enough! I’m kind of a Scrooge by nature but try to stifle that for the kid. We’ve also got a nutcracker jigsaw puzzle going to embrace the holiday spirit. Fa la la la…
I’m so glad you’re enjoying The Twelve Birds of Christmas! That was a favorite find last year and I don’t know if I’ll have time to re-read it this year, but I hope so. I hear you on stifling the Scrooge tendencies. I used to be ALL IN on Christmas (my mom always made it magical) but as it’s gotten to be more and more work for me over the years, I’ve gotten Scroogier too. We’ve trimmed our holiday back to really just the few things that we’re unwilling to give up, and I barely decorate, but it still seems overwhelming. This year would have been better (less stressful job ahoy!) but for the fact that we’re traveling and I have to figure out how to transport Christmas from Great Falls to Albany and back. Bah. Humbug.