TOP TEN TUESDAY | FAVOURITE HOLIDAY READS

There’s something about the lead-up to Christmas that makes cosy something that comes from the inside and makes magic feel real. So I generally love to read anything that has one or both of those elements around Christmas.

The Harry Potter Series. Because of course. I don’t even care that it’s a cliché, because these books are chock full of cosy, seasonal, entertaining and heart-warming. Exactly what everyone needs for the holidays!

   

I Capture the Castle is one of my all-time favourite books. It’s a sweet, simple story, but somehow it just gets under my skin every time I read it. It’s special and the characters in it feel as real to me as the friends I grew up with (and have definitely lasted longer in my life). It’s understated, but full of charm and whimsy.

The Storied Life of AJ Fikry is such a sweet book, all about family (found and made). It takes place in a bookstore, which is my favourite setting, and it just fills me with joy. And isn’t that the whole point of this time of year?

       

I only recently discovered The Time of Green Magic, but it has stuck with me. It’s not perfect, but it’s got a great feel to it. I love that it has a diverse cast of characters, and that they are in a modern blended family trying to find a way to feel like one. I think it’s got a lot of important access points for today’s kids, and it’s one I’ll definitely put on my daughter’s shelves when she’s a little older!

A Christmas Carol and ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas are both classics for a reason. They conjur up the warmth and positive emotions of the season, and are chock full of atmosphere.

   

Though The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society might not be an obvious choice, when I think back to how it felt to read it, I think all the truly important parts of the holiday season are here. Finding a way to celebrate even when you have nothing, putting your family before everything else, adopting those in need, and sharing even when there’s not enough to go around. This made me feel like it was full of love, and that’s all I really ask for at this time of year.

There’s a part in 84, Charing Cross Road where Hanff sends a care package to her friends in the UK during wartime rationing. That scene, when they open up the box and ecstatically share out simple provisions that we all have in our cupboards, but that they hadn’t seen – let alone eaten – in years just made my heart happy. There are some other parts of this book that evoke the holidays too, but that scene is the one that always comes back to me.

I also love to read any immersive long book that will really let me escape to another place. Cosy reads are good too, as are any books that will make me feel big emotions. Happy endings are a firm favourite too. And finally, whichever big releases I didn’t get to in the past year. I never get through all of them, but this is the final chance to try to fit one more in. This year, one of them will be:

Most of these aren’t specific to Christmas, but have some kind of association or theme that just feels, to me, like a good one to visit around the holidays. What about you guys? Are there specific books you like to get to every year? Any you are saving for this Christmas?

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly link-up feature created by The Broke and the Bookish and hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Every week TTT has a different topic, and everyone who links up has to create a link of ten items that fit that topic. To see past and upcoming topics, go here.