The most inspiring classics to read at Christmas
...that aren’t A Christmas Carol or Little Women.These seasonal tomes are sure get you picking up your pen come 1 January, says Rosalind Moody
The UK’s second national lockdown may seem like the The Nightmare before Christmas come true, but in my opinion, as long as there are books, copious amounts of tea and those tartan biscuit tins, Christmas cannot be cancelled. This month I spoke to fellow festive book lovers to see what they read come 1 December (okay, maybe 1 November) every year. So, pull on your embarrassing, Mark Darcy-style Christmas jumper and take your pick from these comforting reads, filled with all the familial warmth so joyfully reminiscent of traditional festive literature. In these strange socially-distanced times, they’re truly like a hug in a book...
The Time Traveler’s Wife
by Audrey Niffenegger
‘As a teenager, I started rereading this every Christmas because I loved it so much,’ Olivia Rosenthall, owner of Maldon Book Shop, Essex says. ‘Both for its warmth as a story and for its visceral representation of an awkward family Christmas, where Clare brings her time-traveller boyfriend home. You can see Clare and her sister battling with the rest of the family, both inwardly and outwardly.’ Well, who said Christmas was traditionally fight-free? This fantastical
because they had been working so hard! Christmas day seemed the loveliest thing they had known. Their stockings bulged when they woke, and besides all the usual things in them, there were large white sugar pigs with pink noses and wool tails.’ But, if that’s too sickly sweet for your taste, you might like...
Bridget Jones’s Diary
by Helen Fielding
Who can forget the hilariously ill-fated Bridget opening her new diary on New
Years Day, privately declaring: 129 lbs.
(but post-Christmas), alcohol units 14 (but effectively covers 2 days as 4 hours of party was on New Year’s Day), cigarettes 22, calories 5424? Though we continue to welcome Bridget’s comedy relief all year round, we revel in a scene the following Christmas where Mark Darcy finally confesses his love to the heroine. Shout-out to Bridget’s Singleton friends this Christmas, and co-presenter of the popular Literally Gagging podcast, Hannah Simpson, for recommending it for this round-up.
Hercule Poirot’s Christmas
by Agatha Christie
Sarah Thrift from Agatha Christie Ltd (yes, there’s a company dedicated to everything AC) is a big lover of Christmas ‘Christie’. ‘Hercule Poirot’s Christmas is a classic worthy of investigation each year,’ she says. Following the fractured Lee family spending a Christmas together at the invitation of cruel patriarch Simeon Lee, we witness him being brutally killed the night before whilst alone in a locked room... Luckily, Poirot is staying nearby, and he’s determined not just to find the killer, but to embrace a good old-fashioned English Christmas, too. ‘For anyone struggling with their concentration right now, and I know I am,’ Sarah adds, ‘I would also recommend the Queen of Crime’s latest seasonal collection of short stories, Midwinter Murder. It’s perfect for dipping into when you need a boost only a great piece of fiction can deliver.’
Harry Potter by JK Rowling
Let’s face it, it’s not Christmas without visiting Hogwarts. Who can forget Ron’s home-made burgundy jumper, Harry’s invisibility cloak gift, the Triwizard Tournament’s Yule Ball (and Ron’s questionable dress robes), the ever hollyladen Great Hall, the carolling suits of armour, smoking puddings, Wizard crackers... I’d spend every festive run-up there if I could, but I make do with the first in the series, The Philosopher’s Stone. by Judith Flanders
If that’s too much fiction for your festive taste-buds, look no further than this charming myth-busting book from social historian and bestselling author Judith Flanders. See how the Romans decorated their Empire, meet Santa Claus in Switzerland and get ready to impress your household or social bubble with all the trivia you’ve learnt along the way from across your Christmas feast table.
by Sophie Kinsella In this bestseller published last autumn, enjoy poking fun at the commercialism of Christmas. Revisiting the popular Shopaholic series’ protagonist Becky Bloomwood in married life, get set for a festive bang and all the drama of a pantomime. For more chick-lit, Josie Silver’s One Day in December is the book form of Love Actually. The will-they-won’t-they central storyline keeps us on our toes and swooning with each page. We’ll be hanging around under the mistletoe for our own festive meet-cute...
Christmas Shopaholic
• If you do feel like tucking into A Christmas Carol or Little Women, you’ll hear no judgement from me – they’re classics for a reason. This year, I’m ecstatic to say we’ve seen the example set by the March sisters (who gifted their Christmas breakfast to a less fortunate family at Marmee’s request) played out across the country, as communities all over came together to face the pandemic. Why not continue to give back, but in a way only a book lover can: by avoiding Amazon and buying your books from bricks and mortar bookshops. Or, if you’re online, go to the new indie directory uk.bookshop.org or buy directly from independent publishers. Merry Christmas!