festive fiction and other stories {blogmas day 19}

Every year, The Minister and I set ourselves a little challenge. In fact, it’s so entrenched in our routine we don’t even ask if we’re doing it any more, we just kick off and swap book recs.

After I finished my first book this year, I struggled to get into another. I tried a physical book I borrowed from the library. Couldn’t do it. I tried an ebook on my phone, also from the library. Also nope. The three other books on my IndyReads list were still on hold. I grabbed one on BorrowBox and it wasn’t the worst but also it wasn’t grabbing me.

Then I remembered this month’s bonus Amazon First short story was a Christmas story, and by an author I had read previously. I pulled it up on my kindle, and 48 hours later I was back in the game with a second festive finish under my belt – and nothing on my radar. In desperation, I took to Threads.

Of the sixty two responses, the vast majority seemed to think I was just wanting a random book for reading over the holidays, rather than an actual Christmas themed book. Which, I mean, isn’t the worst thing ever – I have a huge selection of books to look over for next year. It didn’t help my advent read along though, and I took to amazon, throwing search terms into the bar in the hope of finding a book I’d seen once and had forgotten to bookmark. I managed to get lucky and found it, and one click and $4.99 later, I had it direct to my kindle. This morning over my coffee, with a small boy curled against my side, I finished it, and with five days remaining, I have three of my four books finished. Book four is underway, as an audiobook so it’s taking a bit longer.

I did get a couple of suggestions of festive reads, though, and January is always a bumper month of reading for me, so for fear of the list being lost in the ephemeral tide of social media, I hereby present Book Recs From My Replies!

All links will take you to the kindle version, and are affiliate links, which means if you click this link and make a purchase, I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog!

If you would prefer to buy hard copy books from an awesome indie bookshop, might I suggest you start with Readers Companion, one of my faves in the New England/North West, and they post Australia wide!

CHRISTMASSY BOOKS

Everyone This Christmas Has A Secret – Benjamin Stevenson
Christmas Actually – Lisa Darcy

OTHER BOOKS FOR READING OVER THE HOLIDAYS

Graft – Maggie Mackellar
The Lieutenant – Kate Grenville
The Season – Helen Garner
The Lost Flowers Of Alice Hart – Holly Ringworth
Love Just In – Natalie Murray
The Ledge – Christian White
The Dressmakers of Yarrandarrah Prison (editors note – the audiobook is excellent)
The Art of Friendship – Lisa Ireland
Tiddas – Anita Heiss
The Wedding Forecast – Nina Kenwood
Rust Red Land – Robyn Bishop
The Good Sister + Darling Girls – Sally Hepworth
Homecoming – Kate Morton
Tuesday Evenings With The Copeton Craft Resistance – Kate Solly
Lola In The Mirror – Trent Dalton
Dusk – Robbie Arnott
The Friday Night Knitting Club – Kate Jacobs
Stone Yard Devotional – Charlotte Wood
Gunnewah – Ronni Salt
The Players – Deborah Pike
Eucalyptus – Murray Bail
The Bell of The World – Gregory Day

AUTHORS OF NOTE

Sally Hepworth
Jane Harper
Kate Morton
Vanessa McCausland
Miles Franklin
Henry Lawson
Barbra Jeffris
Banjo Patterson
Oodgeroo Nunuccal
Colin Thiele
Ruth park
Tim Wonton
Colleen McCollough
Meg Bignells
Richard Flanagan