Christmas Fiction
If you’re looking for some seasonal reads but need inspiration, then let Bookmarked guide you to some Christmas gems. Here is a selection to appeal to all sorts of tastes and all available from Gloucestershire Libraries – borrow don’t buy this Christmas.
Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
Let’s start with the vintage novel by Stella Gibbons - Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm. This tale takes readers back to Cold Comfort Farm before the arrival of Flora Poste and perhaps the parody of the worst family Christmas!
The Gingerbread Cafe, Anita Faulkner
Bringing a cosy glow to the festive season is the latest book from local author, Anita Faulkner – The Gingerbread Café. Find out if Gretel can make a success of the café when Lukas, joint owner, is putting every barrier in her way in this delightful, uplifting rom-com set in the Cotswolds.
A Snow Garden and other stories, Rachel Joyce
Another Gloucestershire author, Rachel Joyce presents a clever collection of seven linked stories in A Snow Garden and other stories.
The Haunting at Holkham, Anne Glenconner
Be transported back to Christmas in Scotland in 1943 in Anne Glenconner’s historical mystery, The Haunting at Holkham. Lady Anne Coke has returned to Holkham Hall but when mysterious events lead to a murder and disappearance, Anne is determined to uncover the truth.
The Railway Detective’s Christmas Case, Edward Marston
Continuing the murder mystery theme, how about this absolute masterpiece from the Railway Detective series by Edward Marston, The Railway Detective’s Christmas Case. In December 1864, a murder takes place on a cold night in the Malvern hills beside a railway line, but can the detectives solve the case in time for them to be with their families for Christmas?
Also available as an eBook from December.
Midnight at Everwood, M. A. Kuzniar
Let yourself be lost in the magical world of Everwood in Midnight at Everwood by M. A. Kuzniar. A fantasy set in 1906, where Marietta Stelle longs to be a ballerina and new toy maker, Dr. Drosselmeier makes an elaborate theatrical set for her final ballet performance in a land of snow-topped fir trees and a frozen sugar palace.
The twelve topsy-turvy, very messy days of Christmas, James Patterson
Last of all, something a little bit different. The twelve topsy-turvy, very messy days of Christmas by James Patterson takes us to Christmas with the Sullivans where there are no stockings, no gifts, no tinsel and no tree. That is until someone starts sending strange gifts to the family. Before they know it, their home is full of boisterous animals and house guests, all demanding their attention. The next 12 days turns the family upside down in ways they never could have imagined.