7 ideas for books to read over Christmas
Iceland publishes more books per capita than any other country in the world, and the majority of those books are sold between late September to early November. The tradition of giving books to loved ones at Christmas is known as ‘Jolabokaflod’ or the ‘Christmas book flood’. Books are gifted on the 24th and many Icelanders go on to read through the night. What a truly lovely tradition!
Whether you spend Christmas Eve night reading, or you manage to steal a few hours throughout the Christmas holidays, there’s never a better time to escape the cold and settle down with a good book and a cuppa.
We’ve put together a list of books you might like to get your nose into this festive period. Some will get you nicely into the Christmas spirit, others may help you in your job, and a few are just for fun!
1. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
A Christmas Carol is Charles Dickens’s exploration of the true meaning of Christmas. If you’ve ever read a Dickens before, you’ll know his detailed descriptions help the reader to feel like they are truly part of the narrative. A solid classic and the perfect Christmas read for anyone looking to get that warm fuzzy feeling.
2. The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking
It’s raining heavily outside and the wind is blowing a gale. You’re sat inside cuddled up in some ridiculously oversized fleece and fluffy socks. You’ve got a brew in your hands and you’re surrounded by your family; you feel hygge. Pronounced ‘hyoo-guh’, hygge is a Danish and Norwegian way of living that makes you feel cosy, comfortable and generally focuses on wellness. We all need a bit of that! This gorgeous book is a guide for how to bring a bit of Hygge into your own life.
3. One More for Christmas by Sarah Morgan
If you love to get your nose into a contemporary fiction novel over the festive period, One More for Christmas is a Sunday Times bestseller and follows the story of sisters Samantha and Ella Mitchell as they have a festive reunion with their mother. After 5 years of not seeing their mother, a trip to the Scottish Highlands is put into motion and the girls find themselves battling with the past to move forward.
4. 10% Braver edited by Keziah Featherstone and Vivienne Porritt
10% Braver: Inspiring Women to Lead Education addresses the gender gaps that appear throughout education leadership and encourages women to be 10% braver to tackle pay gaps, imposter syndrome and push forward in their careers. The perfect book for a bit of festive gumption!
The follow up to this book, Being 10% Braver is due for release in December 2020 and contains the inspiring stories of women in education who have taken on battles associated with their gender, featuring one of our favourite SBLs, Hilary Goldsmith.
5. Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie
If crime is more your thing, the queen of crime novels, Agatha Christie did us all a festive favour and wrote Hercule Poirot’s Christmas. One in a long line of books about the beloved Belgian detective, as he investigates the death of Simeon Lee, a multi-millionaire who had unexpectedly invited his family to gather at home for Christmas.
6. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Take some time out this Christmas to indulge in this novel from Matt Haig, released in 2020 and a Sunday Times bestseller. The story follows Nora Seed as she finds herself in The Midnight Library, a place where she is given the opportunity to make things right. The books in the library allow Nora to live life as if she had done things differently, tackling her great feelings of regret and misery. But things weren’t always what she thought they were.
The Midnight Library is a celebration of all of life’s possibilities, and what better time to celebrate life than at Christmas?
7. The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern
If you like Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life (and who doesn’t?), you will love the book the film is based on. Written in 1943, The Greatest Gift is a short story that follows the life of George Pratt who is unable to find a publisher for his first book. As dark thoughts begin to fill his mind, he is provided with the opportunity to see what life would have been like without him. Van Doren Stern sent the short story out as a Christmas card, Frank Capra got hold of a copy, shared it with James Stewart, and the rest is history.
We hope you enjoy at least one of these fantastic books over the Christmas period. If you have a book you love to read over Christmas, we’d love to hear all about it @gls_ed. If you’re looking for a shorter read, we can highly recommend these SBM embarrassing stories, sure to make you giggle.
