Some Decembers are really good for reading. But this was not one of them. Most of the family members were home more of the time, some noisy house building going on. So I didn’t do a lot of decking the halls and all was not calm. It was still a wonderful time of the year.

After personal success with the Fall Reading Inspiration, I was so excited to do something like it for the Christmas season. But when it came down to it, the prompts for the Literary Christmas didn’t inspire me. It was too easy to find books to fit the description, but seemed hard to find books I felt excited to begin reading. Having them listed out like this actually looks better than it felt in the reading of them. I dipped into other books that weren’t about Christmas which tended to water-down the day-to-day Christmas-y feel of it.

I do love a good Christmas story, though. You could argue they are all the same and everything turns up perfect on Christmas morning. But I think that’s why I like them. At Christmas time, I want to believe in the magic that things will turn out, people will do the right thing, and hearts will be full of love. Here are reviews of the books we read in December. I would give them all three or four stars.

Liz’s Reviews

Winter weather: A Red-Bird Christmas by Fannie Flagg. (6 hours) We listened to this while traveling. The winter weather sent our hero out of Chicago to a little town in Mississippi to escape the cold and enjoy some quiet in the last months of his life. But in his new community he made new friends, found restored health and reasons to go on living. And it snowed for the first time in many years the day after Christmas when all the redbirds…. oops you will have to read it yourself.

Classic: Christmas with Anne. (211 pages) A collection of short stories by L. M. Montgomery. Most of them are stand-alone stories that were published in magazines. It was just what you would expect – sweet heroines that choose the right way and find meaning in helping others at Christmas. One of the stories may have brought a tear to my eye! Included is the chapter from Anne of Green Gables where Matthew insists on puffed sleeves.

Devotional: Practicing the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. (112 pages) I am still reading this one. It doesn’t have a Christmas theme, but was one I had been meaning to read for some time. It describes, in conversation and letters, how Brother Lawrence, a 17th century French Monk, experienced the presence of God in his life.

Picture book: The Baby Born in A Stable by Janice Kramer. I read this to the little boy my daughter babysits. This rhyming story of Jesus birth has been my favorite to read to my children.

Humor: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Johnson. (1 hour) It’s about the worst kids on the block and how they came to be Mary, Joseph, wise men and shepherds in the Christmas pageant. And when I saw a status with a program by the same title, I listened with interest, since I knew all the parts they left out. For middle grade or older readers. We listened to it while traveling during Thanksgiving and all ages enjoyed it.

Bonus: Midwinter Murder by Agatha Christie. A collection of short stories by the Queen of Cozy Mystery. The chill in the air might match the chill on your spine, if you are into that sort of thing. Featuring Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, dangerous gifts, mysterious guests and poisoned pudding, this is a book to curl up with in front of the fire.

Eva’s Minimal Christmas Reading

Winter Weather: The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan This book is about snowy weather, family angst, a bookshop, and a wee bit of romance mixed in. It was the perfect read right before Christmas, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Carmen is laid off from her department store job, has little cash and even fewer options for a new job. She hates the thought of spending Christmas with her perfect sister Sofia, in her perfect house with her perfect children. (The feelings are returned. Sofia doesn’t want her there, either.) Enter Mr. CcCredie’s ancient bookshop. He needs help, and Sofia offers Carmen. Carmen agrees because she doesn’t know what else to do. She finds out she loves selling books. Decorating for Christmas becomes a bit of an obsession, and she find she truly likes Mr. CcCredie. It helps that there are a couple men that frequent the store that seem like real options for her loveless life. A sweet story that takes place on the snowy streets of Edinburgh. Worth reading!

A Picture Book: Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl Buck. Emma read this book to me one evening while I was making supper. I enjoyed listening to her read the story in her sweet childish voice. The story is told from the standpoint of an old man remembering a Christmas of long ago when he gave a gift to his father because he suddenly knew he loved his father. The obvious thing to do was to give a gift from his heart. This book is worth reading and re-reading. Get a copy if you don’t have one!

Christmas Humor: An Irish Country Yuletide by Patrick Taylor This book belongs in a set that is a favorite of mine. The books are about Dr. O’Reilly and his young doctor helper Barry Laverty. Technically this isn’t a humor series, but lots of funny and interesting things happen in these books, so I bent the rules a bit to include it. This is just a continuation of life in Ballybucklbo with Christmas as the focal point of the book. I am still reading this one, but I’m at a standstill because I seem to have lost it over my Christmas vacation. It may still be at my mother-in-law’s house. This set of books is worth a read! Start with An Irish Country Doctor.

We would love to hear from you. Have you read any of these books? What books have you been reading this holiday season? Share the titles in the comments even if they aren’t about Christmas.

–Liz and Eva