I wanted to only read Christmas themed books for the month of December and it was so fun! I’ve never done an exclusive theme before in my personal reading and I enjoyed it a lot. I had to put other books on pause (talking about you Dune) but it helped create an atmospheric season in my home and heart! I think it will be a tradition I continue years to come!
Let me know if you have any Christmas suggestions, I’ll add it to my Goodreads and make sure to put them on hold at the library EARLY! There are some books I really wanted to read in December but the wait was too long at the library to get in time. I still was able to read a stack of holiday books and it was a Merry Christmas all around (even though some of these books were not very good 😉 ) HAHA!
A Holiday by Gaslight by Mimi Matthews
5 Stars: A wonderfully festive historical fiction! I loved Sophie’s character as she tried to navigate the world she lived in. I thought I caught some nods to North & South (which I read earlier in the year) and I was happy to see that I was right about that reading the Authors note in the end. I thought the characters were great, the story was sweet, and I got the ending I wanted! It is a quick read – perfect for cuddling up by the fireplace or next to the light of the Christmas Tree!
Comfort & Joy by Kristin Hannah
4 Stars: This is my first Kristin Hannah book and while it is unlike her other historical fictions, I thoroughly enjoyed this fable! And yes, know that it is a fable going into it or you might end up being one of these 2 star reviews saying “that could never happen!” It starts off as a basic Hallmark Christmas Movie and then the plot twist hits you like a ton of bricks (or at least it did me!) I stayed up too late finishing the book to figure it out! It was festive, fun, and interesting! I was relieved it didn’t follow the traditional Hallmark movie troupe all the way!
A Christmas Hope by Anne Perry
4 Stars: The title makes you think you are about to watch a Hallmark movie but quickly the storyline turns to murder and deceit. I love the amatuer sleuthing of the main character as she works with others to solve the case. It isn’t a true mystery in the sense there is not much to figure out as the reader, but you do want justice to be served and it is engaging seeing it all unfold. It is interesting how Claudine does find hope through this whole ordeal and looks at her life with new eyes.
Carols and Chaos by Cindy Anstey
4 stars: I assumed by the title of this book it would be a Christmas murder mystery – like clue at Christmas – but I was wrong! HAHA. The first chapters were essentially the downstairs scenes of Downton Abbey, and I thought I needed to change my expectation to a downstairs love story. Thankfully (I guess) some drama (aka disappearance) happens in the middle to really add some mystery and chaos to the carols (like the title)! I enjoyed the pick up in the story and following to the conclusion. The main characters are very young and I think it makes this book feel like a younger read but I didn’t mind it that much! It is a clean, festive, suspenseful, Christmas tale!
Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas by Stephanie Barron
4 Stars: I’ve never read a Jane Austen Mystery book and I found it so fun. I kept googling things to see if they were real facts about Jane Austen and enjoyed this bit of fan fiction/ historical fiction about this author! I suppose I should read some of the other books in the series now that I’ve discovered them. I really enjoyed all the Christmas traditions woven into the storyline as well as her sleuthing as everyone was trapped in a gorgeous ancestral home during Christmastide with a murderer! I did not see the ending coming (in some ways) and I wish there was more closure and justice for goodness sake – but maybe that makes it feel more authentic! Either way, a fun Christmas read!
The Advent of Glory: 24 Devotions for Christmas by R.C. Sproul
4 Stars: I very much enjoyed reading this daily during advent. I wish it was a bit longer each day to feel more hearty, but it was nice to be able to easily read it at the dinner table and talk about the prompt at the end. Maybe it was the prompt questions that felt more simple in hindsight, because some of the days readings really challenged me or taught me something new. I adored the prayers that were added at the end of every chapter! It was great to read out load over the family or just to myself as I meditated on the devotion that day. This isn’t something that replaces your daily Bible reading, but it was something fun to read additionally. I’ll probably read it again next advent and maybe make it a family thing! I think it was more fun the days we read it as a family than the days I read it alone.
The Christmas Boutique by Jennifer Chiaverini
3 Stars: I started this book listening to the audio version, but got very confused a couple chapters in. They way this book is written is by switching characters/ storylines/ perspectives every chapter. Since the chapters are very long (and I listen to audiobooks in 5-10 minute spurts often), I never ended when a chapter ended and was always lost on whose story I was in. Every character has a whole backstory that brings them up to the current task of putting together a “Christmas Boutique” but I didn’t really get the point of the story. Also the characters are somewhat loveable in ways but all do annoying things and some are just straight up petty and unlikable. So much pettiness really with “some” hope at the end of growth. way too many characters to know or keep track of and lots of lack of communication. Overall, it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t good.
Christmas Uncut by Carl Laferton
3 Stars: This was a very quick read of the Christmas story. It feels like it is written for people who have never read the Christmas story in the Bible or know much about the Christian story at Christmas time. He refers in each chapter to Christmas pageants that don’t tell the real story of the Bible in school or church situations, which wasn’t as relatable to my experiences. It is engaging enough and some things stood out to me to consider, but overall nothing new for a practicing Christian who has read the Bible and attends a Bible believing church. I think it could be a great resource for those interested in the Christmas story as it points people to the Word and to Truth.
Christmas Card Murder by Leslie Meier
2 Stars: Just okay. I did not realize going into this book that it was three independent, unrelated stories written by three separate authors. That threw me a little as I wanted a big complex Christmas murder mystery story and instead got three, smaller “cozy Christmas” murder mysteries. I’ll review each story because they were nowhere near equal:
CHRISTMAS CARD MURDER by Leslie Meier
3 Stars: It is not bad, but there really is no murder solved so that was disappointing. I liked the characters, I liked the mystery, I didn’t like how the title makes it sound like a different story than the one it told. The idea could have been way more interesting and the storyline way more intriguing. It was a bit of a disappointment.
DEATH OF A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Lee Hollis
1 Star: I skipped chunks of this one. NO one is likable. Everyone is catty, selfish, unkind, treat their spouses poorly (both the husbands AND wives) etc. The main character of petty older ladies all think their husbands are cheating on them and the whole story is about trying to find out who is having an affair with the girl who was murdered (who they also talk bad about the whole time.) Spoiler alert, some of them ARE having affairs (I’m shocked!). And they have unhealthy family dynamics/ interesting parenting skills. And of course, our favorite ending, “I’ve never been happy my whole life so now I am finally empowered enough to get a divorce!” YAY. I really hate that storyline.
DEATH OF A CHRISTMAS CARD CRAFTER by Peggy Ehrhart
4 Stars: I really liked this story. It was way to short and I wish they involved the police in it a bit/ we got more depths and background on the characters, but you miss all that in a short story. The characters got a little confusing to me (a lot of them with similar names) but I did like the characters I got to know! It felt the most like a real Christmas murder mystery story and I liked it for that reason.
Hiddensee: A Tale of the Once and Future Nutcracker by Gregory Maguire
1 Star: I was instantly drawn into the story and captivated by the fairytale elements of it all, but it quickly went downhill. The plot lost itself, the main character was not very likable and pretty annoying, in fact all the characters are meh (or just very unlikable.) I did not like at all the weird sexual moments thrown into the story – they felt out of place and I skipped huge chunks of the book. It takes so long for the Nutcracker connection to be shown and it is not worth the build up. I didn’t even like Drosselmeier in the end. I love fairytales and I love the Nutcracker – there surely was a way to make this magical and festive and still filled with fairytale lore while not making it so bleak. Skip this book and read something else.
That’s all for now! As always, 4/5 stars are added to my Amazon lists here where you can look for even more recommendations. Follow me on Goodreads to see what I am reading, what I want to read, some of my favorite books, and every review I write! Any other books I should add to my list? Leave a comment and let me know!
