Okay, here we are at the Christmas edition of the book post.
As heralded last month, in the lead-up to Christmas I only read Christmas-themed novels, so here we go …
The Book Club Hotel, by Sarah Morgan
A few of my favourite authors publish a Christmas novel annually – something I’ll be doing going forward as well – and Sarah Morgan is one of those.
Here’s the blurb:
With its historic charm and picture-perfect library, the Maple Sugar Inn is considered the winter destination. As the holidays approach, the inn is fully booked with guests looking for their dream vacation. But widowed far too young, and exhausted from juggling the hotel with being a dedicated single mom, Hattie Coleman dreams only of making it through the festive season.
But when Erica, Claudia and Anna—lifelong friends who seem to have it all—check in for a girlfriends’ book club holiday, it changes everything. Their close friendship and shared love of books have carried them through life’s ups and downs. But Hattie can see they’re also packing some major emotional baggage, and nothing prepares her for how deeply her own story is about to become entwined in theirs. In the span of a week over the most enchanting time of the year, can these four women come together to improve each other’s lives and make this the start of a whole new chapter?
A Country Christmas by Veronica Henry
Veronica Henry’s books are always a tad deeper than the covers would imply and this is no different:
As Lucy Liddiard plans the festive lunch for her nearest and dearest, she has little idea of the dramas about to play out before the crackers are pulled and the corks popped. She knows the family brewery, Honeycote Ales, has seen better days. She knows her husband, Mickey, is an incorrigible flirt. But does she realise how close both are edging towards disaster?
As the nights draw in, garlands deck the halls and the carols ring out, there are secrets and lies, love and lust all waiting to be unwrapped.
To be honest, I wasn’t sure I loved the resolution in this one, nor was I sure I liked the characters, having said that, it’s a good, well-paced read.
Christmas at the Crescent, by Veronica Henry
I didn’t realise this was a novella when I first picked it up, but set in Bath I didn’t care.
One Christmas Eve, by Shari Low
The Christmas edition of her “One” series, where the whole story is set within a single day, this was (by a slim margin) my read of the month.
On Christmas Eve, 1968, Cathy McLean receives a surprise visit from the lost love of her life and is forced to choose between the one that got away and the one that stayed.
On Christmas Eve, 1993, Cathy’s daughter Helena is overjoyed to hear that her boyfriend is about to propose, until a devastating encounter threatens to bring her heartbreak instead of diamonds.
On Christmas Eve 2023, a shocking discovery rocks Eve Quinn’s world. The only gift Eve wants this year is the truth. But will it take a Christmas miracle to unravel generations of secrets?
When Christmas Comes, by Debbie Macomber
Debbie Macomber fans will be astounded, but I’ve never before read one of her books. This one has been made into a Hallmark Christmas movie (Trading Christmas) that (surprise surprise) I haven’t seen.
A pleasant holiday read.
Countdown to Christmas, Keeping a Christmas Promise and Finding Love at the Christmas Market by Jo Thomas
Jo Thomas is a new-to-me author but I love how she works food and travel through her books in the way I do. There were times in each (in particular the latter two) where I felt as though a good edit was needed (I could almost picture my copy editor’s notes in the margin “we know – you’ve already told us”), but I inhaled these three Christmas novels and will be searching out more titles from her in the future.
Book Club News
Since we last spoke, our book club has (finally) finished reading and discussing Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. Going into the book I wasn’t sure if I’d read it before, but a few chapters triggered memories, so perhaps I had read it as a young girl. Anyways, I know this is a much-loved children’s classic, so I won’t go into too much detail about my thoughts on the book, other than to say I didn’t enjoy it as an adult - the first half, in particular, felt way too preachy. The second half where the girls had grown and were making their lives happen was much easier going. It’s definitely a book that’s better read as a girl than as a 56-year-old.
Anyways, it did inspire a book club bake – which we did yesterday.
This is a novel where food is mentioned a lot – my particular favourite scene is the one about pickled limes – something that sent me way down a google rabbit hole. In this passage, it’s not just about the pickled limes (sort of like a preserved lemon, but lime) but about social currency, poverty, shame, desire, guilt and so much more. While Meg hates to be so poor she can’t buy a new dress, for Amy it’s about, at least in this passage, not being able to afford pickled limes.
As tempting as it was to use pickled limes (or preserved lemon) to inspire our bake, it is, however, Christmas and I was after a more festive bake … so gingerbread it is – and it’s something that’s mentioned a lot in this book. There’s plain gingerbread (which I think was ginger cake), cards of gingerbread (something that sent me down another google rabbit hole and refers to a flat slab of gingerbread cut into postcard-sized “cards”), hard gingerbread (ginger biscuits), gingerbread nuts (which are tiny, crunchy gingerbread cookies) …
The gingerbread we chose was Nigella’s Chocolate Gingerbread… and here we all are.
Our next read is Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities.
A Christmas movie update …
Since I posted my Ultimate Guide to Christmas Movies, I’ve watched more (of course I have!).
Of the batch below, The Rooftop Christmas Tree (Prime) was a standout, and I also enjoyed Your Christmas or Mine and Your Christmas or Mine 2 (these last two had a cracker of a soundtrack too… no pun intended).
Your turn…
Thank you to everyone who has linked up with our monthly book posts or left a comment – it’s been great having you in our reading circle.
Deb, Donna, Sue, and I would love you to share what you’ve been reading…the linky is below.
And Anyways... 
Hi, Jo – Your post has confirmed it. I do live under a rock! Other than ‘Little Women’ I have not read any of the books that you featured here, or watched any of the movies. And the only author that you mentioned that I’ve read (other than Louisa May) is Debbie Macomber (and I have only ever read two of her books — one last Christmas and one this Christmas). Thank you for the recommendations! ❤
For some reason, we haven’t seen any Christmas movies yet. The Rooftop Christmas Tree may be our first this season. Thanks for the tip!
I haven’t read any of the holiday-themed books that you listed so I enjoyed your honest reviews (including the one about Countdown to Christmas needing an editor). I think I’d like The Book Club Hotel.
Have a fabulous holiday season, Jo!
Hi Jo, I am in absolute awe of your Christmas watching and reading! You are fabulous in sharing the reviews and titles. I’m not that into Christmas themed books or movies but may look at a few you’ve mentioned :). Thanks for another fabulous cooking session – the slice is tasty and so easy to make. It’s so much fun cooking and reading with you all!
Hi Jo. I haven’t read any of these Christmas books. I’ve only read two this year, including Mannus. I’ve created a want to read christmas list so a couple of these books will start it off, probably next christmas as I a bit christmas’d out at the moment. Your bookclub cookup looked like fun again.
Isn’t it interesting how books affect us so differently depending on where we are in life? I haven’t read Little Women since I was a young girl either (I liked it then), so you’ve convinced me to not try again. I’ll just let it live as a happy memory and not ruin it. 🙂 Thanks for sharing about this!
I’m read The Book Club Hotel right now!
Thanks Jo for putting me into the Christmas spirit! I’ve not been able to read any Christmas books yet but after our family get together tomorrow I will be indulging in Christmas books and maybe that gingerbread we made! Thank you for co-hosting #WOYBS and I love our Stunning Book Club group!
I had planned to watch some Christmas movies but haven’t started yet. Time just keeps getting away from me at the moment…. I’ll check out your recommendations though!
Well you certainly knock it out of the park when it comes to Christmassing up the reading and watching list! I don’t know how you keep track of the plots because they all seem so much the same to me – especially the movies! Still, they’re great for feel-good vibes, and we all need as many of those as we can get these days. Merry Christmas to you xx
I used to focus on Christmas-themed reads during December, and this year I’ve only read one Christmas themed book! Your collection looks really good!
The only Christmas movie I got to watch in full is Klaus. An animated film on Netflix. It was a pretty cleave kids movie that had a good message about doing good for others.