With Christmas right around the corner. Here are 3 book recommendations to read this Advent season.
#1 A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Before someone scream that this book is too cliche and predictable. I would beg to differ.
It may be overdone in our culture. I’ve written about how many movies, TV series, podcast ect., have been produced on this classic novel. However, it’s always a shock to me when I hear someone say they’ve never read the original source material.
Is this book overrated?
Yes and no.
Yes, because it is being overproduced in every form of cultural media available. At the same time…
No, because it’s a period piece that’s short, witty, and a genuinely good story of metania. So, this Advent season instead of consuming any modern adaptation, go straight to the source material.
It’s the shortest and most approachable Dickens novel.
According to publication the Guardian:
“A Christmas Carol was Dickens’s most powerful influence on the cult of Christmas because the very experience of reading it concentrated time. The whole book might take two hours or rather less to read. A one-reading experience lends the narrative an intensity that is the special property of a novella.”
#2 The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries Edited by Otto Penzler
Is it cheating to list a book I haven’t read? Absolutely. This is on my current reading list for this Advent. I’ll be updating this blog post soon with more a more detailed review. However, I didn’t feel I could possibly keep this gem off my list. I’ve only just recently heard of this book and it inspired me to put together this blog post. As I mentioned, I’ll update this portion of my post soon.
Why? For 3 Reasons:
- Iconic Authors
- Cozy, Christmas/ Seasonal Reading
- Vintage Cover
The authors included in this book are: Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, Sara Paretsky, Peter Lovesey, Ellis Peters, O. Henry, Ellery Queen, Isaac Asimov, and many more.
#3 When Christmas Comes (Cameron Winter Mysteries Book 1 of 3) by Andrew Klavan
This was my Christmas reading last year. There are three books in the mystery series. I’m conflicted if I should call this a cozy.
Why cozy? It takes place in the winter. In the first few chapters it read like a Hallmark movie – that’s how I imagined the scenes in my mind.
Why definitely not a cozy?
After the first initial chapters it gradually becomes a thriller. Perhaps, it’s the way I was interpreting the story. I was at first expecting a cozy seasonal winter mystery and I was in a shock when it turned out differently. I am planning to revisit it and write out a better review. There are also two more books in the series. I’ll definitely be exploring those two books as well.
I enjoyed this book. Even if it did subvert my expectations.