My online stories
There's a lot of pressure on what to do with my down time. Do I read a book? Or catch up on my blog reading? Maybe I'll watch a YouTube video (my current obsession). Or I could watch TV with my family, play a board game, write, sew my daughter's labels on her uniform, do an online shop, wash up, tidy and so on and so on...
Sadly, for me, books have gone to the bottom of the pile this year. Which, for a former avid reader, is all a bit odd. And mildly disconcerting.
They're sitting in a pile on my desk next to me as I write this. One is quite literally falling apart. One is very pink and about sex. Another is a book for children and the fourth a women's fiction novel with Brownie Guide badges on the cover. As innocent as these four books look sitting quietly on my desk, they all have one thing on common.
They have all had a profound impact on my life. They've shaped my life, helped create the person I am and have led me to this writing/mentoring career. Which, quite frankly, I find fascinating.
It's coming up to that time of year. And, from December 1st, I like to start my Christmas reading. Last year I read, The Santa Klaus Murder and enjoyed experiencing Christmas at the same time as the characters. (Though, thankfully, the real Father Christmas was not suspected of murder!)
This year I've a few more books to read and all of them are collections of short stories. Perfect for dipping in and out of as you have a cuppa and a breather.
I decided to chat about them and show them in more detail on my YouTube channel. If you'd like to subscribe to my channel I'd be most grateful!
The five books are:
Sir Osmond Melbury, the family patriarch, is discovered - by a guest dressed as Santa Klaus - with a bullet in his head on Christmas Day.
Christmas Days by Jeanette Winterson
Quite possibly my favourite Christmas book - ever. This is a gorgeous book of recipes, short stories and beautiful illustrations.
A Merry Christmas by Louisa May Alcott
A beautiful selection of Christmas stories, from 19th century America, from the author of Little Women.
A selection of stories from well-known authors including Kenneth Graham, John Cheever, Sue Towsend, Nancy Mitford, Dylan Thomas, Charles Dickens, John Julius Norwich, P.G. Wodehouse and Stella Gibbons.
Six wonderful Christmas stories.
To find out more about these books then watch my YouTube video below:
If you'd like more Christmas book ideas then you might enjoy:
With the fire being lit earlier and earlier in the day, table lamps being switched on to light up dark corners and cosy rugs bought for sinking toes into as well as furry throws to tuck ourselves into the settee, it looks like we're coming to the end of autumn. Winter is making itself heard through the wind, the rain and the icy bite of the wind. Books are always important to me during these months. More so than summer - except for when I'm lying on a sunlounger. And the book I'm enjoying at the moment whilst tucked into my blanket in front of the fire, is Angela Thirkell's High Rising. It is such a deliciously gossipy novel. I am loving it. Thank goodness Angela Thirkell has lots more books to read because I'm going to be adrift when this one comes to an end.
If you follow me on Instagram you'll know I started a #bookishhygge hashtag a few months ago (see this post). I love seeing pictures of old books, new books, books that comfort and books that give joy.
These three stood out for me this month:
Nicki, of The Little Green Door, was starting Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire. This is from the same author who wrote Wicked and once again tells the story of the bad character from a well known tale. In Wicked it was the Wicked Witch of the West. And in Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister it is the stepsister from Cinderella.
Niki, of Niki at the Cottage, has a Christmas present she's not allowed to read yet. It is the late P.D James' The Mistletoe Murder with four Christmas mysteries. And the cover is beautiful.
Cate, of Cate Butler, showed us this beautiful edition of 84 Charing Cross Road. This edition pictured is by Foxed Quarterly, a subscription service where you receive a magazine and hardback book once a quarter.
What books are you reading? Any recommendations?
Oh there is nothing more lovely than sitting down on your favourite settee, pulling a cosy blanket around your shoulders (making sure you're feet aren't poking out) and reading a book in the flickering fire light. October, for me, has been all about books. Writing one, reading them, and writing about them. Novelicious.com, a website I've written for for a number of years about books and food, is coming back, after a few months offline, with me as editor. I am overjoyed and very excited.
So, with busy days at my computer, in the evenings I'm trying to spend a bit of time reading for the complete pleasure of it. Of being cosy, of being with my family, and immersing myself in the words of someone else.
So these are my October reads. Some I'm reading cover to cover. Some I'm dipping in and out of.
A Poem for Every Night of The Year - I received this as a birthday gift. From the front cover, to opening it and hearing that crack of the spine, to reading yesterday's poem last night for my birthday to my husband and children. I am in love.
Midwinter by Fiona Melrose - this has been sent to me by the publisher for review on the Novelicious website. It is utterly gorgeous. The cover, the feel, and the premise. It is about Suffolk farmers: father and son, Landyn and Vale, who struggle with guilt, blame and lost opportunities.
My Life in Houses by Margaret Forster - I wrote about this in my September newsletter. Then, funnily enough, it arrived as a birthday present. It looks at the meaning of home through the houses the author has lived in.
The Book of Hygge by Louisa Thomsen Brits - this is a beautiful book that looks at the simple pleasures in life. I keep dipping in and out of this one.
Hygge by Charlotte Abrahams - again a gorgeous hardback book. I received this one from the publisher and am finding it fascinating. The author is weaving in the Danish art and history of hygge with her own attempts to embrace it.
Norwegian Wood by Lars Mytting - who'd have thought a book about chopping and stacking wood could become a bestseller? I was loading up our woodstore at the weekend which made me think about this book, which I bought for my husband last Christmas. With a slightly sore back, and a few bashed fingers, I sipped my coffee and recovered, immersing myself in the words. It's a stunner.
Autumn: An anthology by Melissa Harrison - again this is one I'm dipping in and out of. It is a lovely anthology of autumnal prose and poetry. It is one of four. The winter one is being published soon.
Rhapsody in Green by Charlotte Mendelson - I am simply adoring this beautiful book. With gorgeous illustrations on the outside and in, this is the story of how Charlotte created a garden in six square metres of grotty urban soil. Can I just say I bought this on the strength of the cover alone. But the inside is just as stunning.
For more book recommendations, links to inspiring or interesting articles, and lots more, subscribe to my monthly newsletter. The October newsletter will arrive on Sunday 16th October.
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