Welcome to day one of the Virtual Advent Tour thank you for dropping by. I would like to wish you all a heartfelt “Merry Christmas’ and I hope that some of you maybe lucky enough to receive books for Christmas.
Every year from the end of November I read Christmas books. I don’t care about genre my only ‘rule’ is that the plot is set around Christmas.
All through the year I watch out for, and collect, any books that are Christmas focussed – the sale boxes outside bookshops are a good source – as are second hand book shops. As it nears to Christmas , I take notes of suggestions from my friends on forums, blogs and discussion groups for any possible book candidates to go on my wish list for future reads. I also regularly check the local library catalogue for new Christmas additions, and take note – marking in my diary for October to start requesting them.
Then comes the end of November and the Christmas reading frenzy begins only pausing for Christmas card writing and decoration donning.
So for this first day of the 2010 Christmas season – I thought I’d share with you the books that I have read over the past few years, the books I am presently reading, as well as give you a peek at those to be read in the future.
Christmas Books Past:
Water Like a Stone by Deborah Crombie – B – Mystery
Hot for the Holidays Lora Leigh et al – B– Paranormal
The Christmas Thief: A Novel Mary & Carol Higgins Clark – C – Mystery
An Aussie Christmas carol by Kel Richards – B – General Fiction
Agatha Raisin and Kissing Christmas Goodbye by M.C. Beaton –B – Mystery
A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg – A – General Fiction
A Cedar Cove Christmas by Debbie Macomber – B – Romance
Santa, Baby by Jennifer Crusie – B – Romance
We Three Dragons by Ed Greenwood et al– C – Fantasy
All I Want for Christmas Is a Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks – B – Paranormal
The Christmas Pearl by Dorothea Benton Frank – D – Paranormal
Death in Store by Jennifer Rowe – B – Mystery,
How Still We See Thee Lie by Allana Martin – C – Mystery
Holidays Are Hell by Kim Harrison et al – B – Paranormal
A Soldier’s Christmas by Rachel Lee – C – Romance
The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore – B –Horror
How to Survive Christmas by Jilly Cooper – D – Non-Fiction
The Shadows of Christmas Past by Christine Feehan – C – Paranormal
He Sees You When You’re Sleeping by Mary Higgins Clark – B – Fantasy
Holiday in Death by J.D. Robb – B – Mystery
The Twilight Before Christmas by Christine Feehan – B – Paranormal
The Christmas Basket by Debbie Macomber – B – Romance
The Snow Bride by Debbie Macomber – C – Romance
A Mum for Christmas by Joan Kilby – C – Romance
The Present by Johanna Lindsey – C – Historical
The Man Under the Mistletoe by Muriel Jensen – D – Romance
A Family Christmas by Carrie Alexander – D – Romance
A very Gothic Christmas by Christine Feehan et al – B – Paranormal
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens – A – Paranormal Classic
Hogfather by Terry Prachett – A – Fantasy
The Act of Roger Murgatroyd by Gilbert Adair – B – Mystery
A Highland Christmas by MC Beaton – B – Mystery
A Proper Family Christmas by Jane Gordon-Cumming – C – Chicklit
Skipping Christmas by John Grisham – A – General Fiction
Merry, Merry Ghost by Carolyn Hart – B – Mystery
Christmas Letters by Debbie Macomber – B+ – Romance
A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas – C – General Fiction
Christmas Books Present:
An Irish Country Christmas by Patrick Taylor – General Fiction
A Simple Amish Christmas by Vannetta Chapman – Romance
Christmas is Murder by CS Challinor – Mystery
Christmas Books Future:
Christmas Odyssey by Anne Perry – Historica
lThe Gift: A Novel by Cecelia Ahern – General Fiction
You Better Not Cry: Stories for Christmas by Augusten Burroughs – Non-Fiction
A Country Christmas by Miss Read – General Fiction
Christmas at Thrush Green by Miss Read – General Fiction
Christmas Scandal Not! by Jeanne Savery – Romance
The Nights Before Christmas by Kerry Allen – Paranormal
Blood on the Holly by Peter Robinson et al – Mystery
The Purpose of Christmas by Rick Warren – Non-Fiction
Let it Snow by John Green et al – Romance
Now you have finished looking at my blog – please make your way over to the Virtual Advent Tour blog and visit the other bloggers who have chosen to share their festive season with you.
The other blogs to visit today are:
Thanks for sharing this list. Great idea. Seems as if Debbie Macomber was loads into Christmas 🙂 I got the M.C.Beaton book A Highland Christmas. Your post puts me in the mood to read it. There is another of my favourites on the list, Deborah Crombie.
This is a great book list. I’m a fan of Christmas books too. Recently I reviewed “Christmas Is Murder” which I see is on your current shelf. I look forward to reading your thoughts on it. Take care and wishing you the best holiday season, “downunder.”
Aloha from Rob
I must confess that I don’t read a lot of holiday books, although I do seem to have a few of them on my TBR list at the moment. I just read a Harlequin with a Christmas theme, and I have another one called A Perfect Love Song to read too. I am not sure that I don’t have another too.
Thank you for kicking off the tour this year! I can’t wait to see everyone’s posts!
what a great idea.
I think I will look for a few of these in my library catalogue.
Merry Chirstmas.
Wow, I didn’t know there were so many Christmas books around! I tend not to read them (at least, not yet, maybe closer to Christmas). In the Netherlands, Christmas is not so big, so we get into the mood at a slower pace.
I noticed there aren’t any Science Fiction Christmas stories in your list. I wonder if they exist. 🙂
How cool is that, to only read X-Mas books from November on! In January this year I won The Christmas Quilt by Thomas J. Davies in a giveaway and I’ve been saving it until now! I plan to read it during the Christmas holiday. 🙂
It’s not on your list, but that doesn’t have to mean you haven’t read it… I hope you did not decide to exclude it because it is trash! LOL
BTW Where’s Dickens’sA Christmas Carol?
And that we’re slow in getting the X-Mas spirit in Holland has mainly to do with the fact that we celebrate Sinterklaas on December 5th! Everybodey complains when the shops start selling Christmas decorations before Saint Nicholas has gone home to Spain.
Ah Sinterklaas! I will tell you all about Sinterklaas on December 4th in the Virtual Advent Tour and Iris from IrisonBooks will continue the story on December 5th.
DOH!!!! I have, of course, read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens many times – I have updated my post to include it 🙂
What a lovely idea! I have trouble finding Christmas books to read so I may have to reference back to this list.
For me The Christmas break is a time to catch up with all the crime novels that I’ve missed out on during the year while I’ve been busy with more academic . Given that we’re snowed in at the moment I think Christmas is going to be coming a little sooner than expected and I shall be breaking into my pile very shortly.
I, too, love holiday-themed books, so thank you for this list (and the grades). There are definitely a few in there I’m interested in.
I read Let It Snow last year and really enjoyed it. I’d definitely recommend moving it up in your future reads.
Oh, and in answer to leeswammes’ query in the comments, Miracle and Other Christmas Stories by Connie Willis would be a good place to start. It’s a collection of sci-fi holiday tales. Not all of them are great, but I read it two years ago and some of the stories have stayed with me this whole time, which meets my definition of a successful tale.
Thanks for the suggestion, Sprite! I’ve read one book by Connie Willis which I loved. I’ll see if I can get hold of this one.
Thanks for the suggestion – I ordered Miracle and Other Christmas Stories by Connie Willis today – ready for next year 🙂
I didn’t know there were so many Christmas-themed books out there! I knew of some authors who always seem to have a festive tale this time of year, but this list is amazing!
I have never thought of this kind of tradition, which is odd being such a bookish person myself. Thanks so much for sharing!
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What a great list. Thank you so much for the Christmas gift of book titles to help enjoy the season.
May you have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Oh! I am SO bookmarking this post and coming back when I have the time to add all of these books to my TBR list! I haven’t read many Christmas themed books, but have thoroughly enjoyed the ones that I have. And I noticed you don’t have Terry Pratchett’s The Hogfather listed here – highly recommend that one!
Another one i have read and forgot to put down – i have watch the mini-series they made of the books too – is very good!!!
How wonderful to see your list. Something hit me this year and I can’t do anything but read Christmas books. Now I’m so glad to see I am in good company and not loony. The only problem with looking at your list is that it makes me want to read more. Oh well, it’s a good problem to have. Merry Christmas.
Not loony – normal – LOL!!!
I love Christmas books, too! thanks for such a great list of them! 🙂
I’m a sucker for any book with a Christmas theme – any time of year. I see lots of good ones on your list. Happy Reading!
I listened to The Stupidest Angel last year and loved it. Thanks for such a comprehensive list!
OH MY GOSH!!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, I have always wanted a list just like this one. Every holiday I want to find holiday books and just enjoy the holiday through my reading. Now I have a whole list of books to dive into. This year I did discover Debbie Macomber’s Christmas books but I love that you have all kinds of genres.
Merry Christmas!
Krissi
I’ve only read two books on your list! Then again I read mostly romance anthologies–that’s my thing for the Holiday season. I own enough now to read three books a day for the 25 Days of Christmas (and still have several left over…).
Thank you!! I found a few to add!
Lexie
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Great list! Enjoy your Christmas books!
What a great list and a lovely idea. I hope to have a good look through it and maybe choose one for this year. Thank you.
Wow! Thank you for a great list of holiday books. I agree with you on the ones I’ve read from your list….A Christmas Carol and Skipping Christmas are fantastic.
What an incredible list!! A week or so ago I was particpating in a a weekly meme for which the instructions were to list your favorite holiday themed books…the only one I could think of was A Christmas Carol. I have been curious since then as to just how many Christmas themed books there were (I wasn’t the only one who had trouble making that list).
I also decided to try and read some myself this holiday (if I could find them)…THANKS SO MUCH FOR THIS COMPREHENSIVE LIST!! I’ll just follow your lead!!
Thanks for this list. I think I might create some sort of a mini challenge for myself – around Christmas books. Interesting idea… Maybe Christmas in July Challenge? I think I might do that… again, thanks!
I love this tradition and find myself reading Christmas stories each year. I also love collecting children’s Christmas books. I have a boxfull that stays in the Christmas closet all year and then I get it out just for Christmas. The kids love it. I enjoyed browsing through your book list and picked out a few I’ll check into. I just read a great little Christmas story call “The Paper Bag christmas” by Kevin Alan Milne. It was one of the best I’ve ever read.
That is a great list of books! If I look too closely I will end up with a very large list at the library. lol I always plan to read Christmas books and then it doesn’t always work out as planned… Thanks for joining in for the Advent Calendar Tour, though, and Happy Holidays to you and your family!
I missed visiting on 1 December, so I’m catching up now. What a wonderful list of books that is, I’m going to bookmark it so that I can add more Christmas books to my reading this year and in future. Right now I’m reading The Stupidest Angel – it’s great fun!
Great list! What a resource – thanks for putting it together.
Christmas means books for us, too – I love the quiet time between the hub bub of unwrapping and getting ready for dinner, when I can look through my books and anticipate the great reads to come.
Merry Christmas!
What a great list of Christmas books! I’m going to have to print the list for future reference. I love to read Christmas books, but I also only limit them to the Holiday season (I start after Thanksgiving).
Wow, what a list! Thanks for compiling it.
Hey! I was looking for a list like this! I’m bookmarking this page. Rachel Cohn and David Levithan’s latest collaboration novel, Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares, happened during Christmas break. It’s my Christmas read this year.
I love the snow in your blog!!
Happy Holidays! 🙂
Wow, that’s a lot of Christmas books!
The last one I read was LET IT SNOW by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle–back in July. I’m so out of the Christmas loop, literarily!