As the Holidays dawn, it’s time for the first term’s reading list to be put away, but it’s not quite early enough to brave seeing what the second term has in store yet, making it the perfect time to rediscover reading for pleasure. But after a long term of being told exactly what to read by when, the luxury of choice can feel a little overwhelming, leaving you unsure of what to pick up first. So to help get your festive reading binge off on the right foot (or should that be hand?) here are five reading recommendations for the festive season, ranging from Christmas classics to thought-provoking non-fiction, meaning there’s something for everyone.
The Christmas Classic:
‘Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without -’ No. Not Little Women. Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without me placing Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol on a list of festive recommendations. The overwhelming majority of us are familiar with the story of Ebenezer Scrooge being shown the error of his ways and learning the true value of Christmas, however, a lot less of us have actually read the novel itself. Contrary to what might be expected with Dickens, A Christmas Carol is actually a relatively quick read, coming in at under one hundred pages, making it much less daunting than some of his other work. The novel is grounded in Christmas traditions and festivity that will leave you in a mood to go out and buy extra presents for the whole family. It also has the added bonus of giving you extra appreciation and insight when you embark on the annual viewing of The Muppet Christmas Carol.
The Childhood Favourite:
Set in a land blighted by eternal winter (feeling a little too close to home) C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe from the Chronicles of Narnia series is best enjoyed around this time of year. Christmas itself is a hugely nostalgic period, marking a return to childhood traditions and the abandonment of adult responsibilities, which makes it a great time to revisit a childhood favourite. In the novel, young evacuee child Lucy Pevensie accidentally happens across the mythical land of Narnia at the back of a wardrobe and with the help of her three elder siblings, they battle to save the land from the White Witch’s spell. The book transports you back to an age of the childhood magic of Christmas and what could you in a better festive mood than a book where Father Christmas himself is one of the characters?
Fiction for the Family:
Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club is a decidedly less festive option, but is crime novel that has been hugely popular ever since its release late last year. As you might expect coming from a producer of daytime TV hits such as Pointless, Osman’s book isn’t a tough read, making it ideal for sporadic reading amidst a mass of festive commitments. The novel centres around The Thursday Murder Club, a group of four unlikely friends in a retirement village who embark on an ambitious quest to solve a local murder. The book captures the quirks and habits of the older generation fantastically, something which could prove to be particularly entertaining when spending time with older family members around Christmas. Thanks to its fluid, easygoing style, the book has universal appeal, meaning that once you’re finished with it, it can easily be passed around the rest of the family to enjoy before everyone heads back to work.
Non-Fiction:
It’s undeniable that as soon as we reach December all conversation seems to turn to Christmas. Shops, adverts, and even Spotify, are all pushing us in the direction of Christmas cheer, leaving little room for anything else and often ignoring the existence of other religious festivals and cultural celebrations altogether. With this in mind, over the holidays it seems like the right time to redress that balance and take a step back with David Baddiel’s Jews Don’t Count. In short, Baddiel explores some of the struggles endured by the Jewish community, highlighting how they often go unnoticed and ignored. His book serves to educate and challenge preconceived notions and ideas, asking us to reconsider our personal positions and how understanding we really are. Most of us have a little more time over the Christmas period, affording us the perfect opportunity to invest some of that time into others and bettering our own comprehension of cultural concerns.