Favourite Festive Reads

 I feel as though it has been ages since I last wrote a book-related post. If you've kept up with my blog over the years, you'll be well aware that I'm a self-proclaimed bookworm and very much enjoy sitting down and getting lost in the pages of a good book. I'd never really been much of a 'seasonal reader' however, this year I have felt myself more drawn to books that suit the time of year it is. For example, over the summer I read a bunch of books set during summertime, and at autumn I gravitated towards the spookier, thriller books. During this month, I've wanted to read more Winter/Christmas themes books and thought I would share some of my favourites here on my blog! I've chosen different books to suit all ages.

 

 

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! - Dr. Seuss

"He hates Christmas and the whole festive season. But when he hatches a wicked plot to steal Christmas, he's in for a big surprise! With hilarious rhymes and beautiful illustrations, this classic seasonal story has become a favourite for good reason and teaches readers the true meaning of Christmas."

With the 2000's live action movie being my number 1 all-time favourite Christmas movie, it's actually quite surprising that the first time I read the actual book from which the movie was inspired was last year to my class😄. I had to fight the urge to read it in the style of Anthony Hopkins who narrated the movie! I enjoyed the book very much and read it aloud to another class I was teaching this year and they all enjoyed it too. It was quite interesting seeing how many children didn't know that The grinch was a book before anything else. 

 

 

The Polar Express - Chris Van Alsburg

"Late one Christmas Eve, a boy boards a mysterious train that waits for him: the Polar Express bound for the North Pole. When he arrives, Santa offers him any gift he desires. The boy modestly asks for one bell from the reindeer's harness. It turns out to be a very special gift, for only believers in Santa can hear it ring."

This is another story for which I had only ever seen the movie and not actually read the book until very recently. In fact, until last year, I didn't even realise The Polar Express was a book!

 

 

Starring Tracy Beaker - Jacqueline Wilson

"Tracy Beaker is back . . . and she's desperate for a role in her school play. They're performing A Christmas Carol and for one worrying moment, Tracy thinks she might not even get to play one of the unnamed street urchins. But then she is cast in the main role! As Tracy prepares for her big moment, Cam is the one helping her learn her lines. But all Tracy really wants to know is if her film-star mum will make it back from Hollywood in time to watch her in her starring role?"

Jacqueline Wilson was my favourite author as a child and I remember getting this book as part of a free gift in a magazine. I used to really enjoy the Tracy Beaker TV series (which I would sneakily watch in the morning before school because my mum hated it😄). But 'Starring Tracy Beaker' was always a perfect read foe this time of year as it's set at Christmas time. I recently re-read this for the first time in years, and I finished it in just over an hour! A festive, little read. 

 

 

Angel Cake - Cathy Cassidy

"Anya used to dream of moving to Britain to start a brand-new life. But as she sits in a school where nobody understands her, she dreams of Polish summer skies and the place where she once belonged. Then Anya meets bad boy Dan. He's no angel but she's sure there's a sweeter side to him."

After my Jacqueline Wilson phase, I moved onto Cathy Cassidy books. ‘Angel Cake’ is one of my favourites – probably due to the fact that it’s set at my favourite time of year. It’s also quite a short book and a fairly quick read but it’s festive plus it taught me about some other Christmas traditions from Poland which I found interesting when I was younger, and which inspired me to find out about other Christmas traditions from around the world. 

 

 

Girl Online - Zoe Sugg

"Penny has a secret. Under the alias GirlOnline, she blogs about school dramas, boys, her mad, whirlwind family - and the panic attacks she's suffered from lately. When things go from bad to worse, her family whisks her away to New York, where she meets the gorgeous, guitar-strumming Noah. Suddenly Penny is falling in love - and capturing every moment of it on her blog."

But Noah has a secret too. One that threatens to ruin Penny's cover - and her closest friendship - forever."

This has been one of my favourite reads for this time of year ever since I received this book as a Christmas present back in 2014. I’m actually currently reading it right now! I really like the story and characters. It almost feels like a Hallmark Christmas movie in book form which I love! I think I’ve read it almost every Christmas time since I got it. It’s a perfect little easy, festive read!

 

 

The Christmas Bookshop - Jenny Colgan

"When the department store Carmen had worked in for years closed its doors for good, her sister, Sofia, mentions an opportunity in Edinburgh - a cute little bookshop, the spare room in her house. Carmen is reluctant but short on options, she soon finds herself pulling into the snowy city just a month before Christmas. What Sofia didn't say is that the shop is on its last legs and that if Carmen can't help to turn things around before Christmas, the owner will be forced to sell. Can Carmen help save the bookshop?”

I chose to read this book because it’s set in a place I’ve visited – Edinburgh – which is a festive place to be at this time of year. This story had such a cosy feel to it, and I felt as though I could really picture the setting of the story. 

 

 

A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

"To bitter, miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, Christmas is just another day. But all that changes when the ghost of his long-dead business partner appears, warning Scrooge to change his ways before it's too late."

A Christmas classic. This story has been told and retold and made into a variety of different movies over the years (my favourite is still ‘A Muppet Christmas Carol’😄). A great book for this time of year. 

 

 

The Night Before Christmas - Clement Clarke Moore

As per Christmas tradition, ever since I was young, on Christmas Eve my dad would read this poem aloud to my brother and I. I pretty much know it all by heart now, but I’ll still always continue to read this every Christmas Eve - it's a classic!

Classic Christmas Tales - Various Authors

This is one of my all time favourite Christmas books as it's a collection of different festive stories. My favourites are 'The Little Angel With Silver Hair' and 'Santa's Weighty Problem'.  There are 15 short stories in total within the book and the book itself is stunning with gold edging on the paper.

 

What are some of your favourite reads for this time of year?

 

Bye for now, xo