I hate to let you think I am entirely curmudgeonly about the holidays. I do like the idea of them, of the true meaning behind them, though it seems that aspect of the season tends to get buried under all the commercialism. So, is it too late to pick a holiday read and get to the heart of what this time of year really should mean? The classic, or one of them anyway, is Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. I have only read the novel once, though I have seen the movie (or a number of different adaptations of the book) quite a few times.
I recently spotted this lovely hardcover edition of the novel, and decided it was worth splurging on as it contains such beautiful illustrations. The paintings are by Connecticut artist Yelena Bryksenkova. They seem sort of folksy to me, which I very much like and they seem to fit the story quite well. I am not sure I have time to read the book (along with the pile of my own 'in progress' books I am still optimistically trying to finish before the end of the year), but I might give it a go--dip into it each night before bed and read half a chapter or so.
I'm sure I have read from this collection of The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries edited by Otto Penzler (okay so there is a different spin on the holiday, right?) before. There are only three more short story Sundays left and I hope to find some good stories in the pages of this book to finish out the year with. It contains stories by mystery authors from Agatha Christie to Mary Higgins Clark.
It's this slim little book by Susan Hill, Lanterns Across the Snow that I am most keen to read. I have had it in reserve for some time and finally pulled it off the shelf in anticipation.
"From a century ago comes a memory of a childhood Christmas in Wessex, seen through the eyes of one enchanted little girl."
"Joy, hope, fear and sadness, the beauty of the landscape and the bitter cold winter--Lanterns Across the Snow evokes these things with a sure and knowing touch that will appeal to readers everywhere."
It sounds like just what I need about now. Hopefully I'll be writing about this lovely little book closer to the holiday. Do you have any favorite holiday/seasonal reads? Some special book or story you like to revisit this time each year?