Leading up to Christmas, I love having a pile of books ready for those rainy, cold days on which I love to snuggle up with a fluffy blanket. To stick to the theme, I picked out a couple of works of literature which are perfect to get into the Holiday spirit:

• Charles Dickens – A Christmas Carol

When you think Christmas books, you think A Christmas Carol. Although it might be a somewhat obvious choice, it is a classic for a reason: the combination of a Grinch-type old man, a divine intervention and a happy ending makes it thé best Christmas story. Perfect for anyone in need of a heartwarming story with a sprinkle of magic to get that warm and fuzzy feeling just in time for Christmas.

• Rainbow Rowell – Almost Midnight

This book contains two feel-good short stories: ‘Midnights’ and ‘Kindred spirits’ are both rather romantic wintery tales. I’d call it an easy read to warm up your heart for the upcoming Holidays. If that wasn’t reason enough to include this on your Christmas list: it also contains illustrations in black and white from Simini Blocker.

• Ali Smith – Winter

One of the greatest Scottish writers of our time delivers another masterpiece: Winter is the second novel in her Seasonal quartet. This follow-up to Autumn talks about the season which teaches us survival, Winter. The novel “casts a merry eye over a bleak post-truth era with a story rooted in history, memory and warmth, its taproot deep in the evergreens: art, love, laughter.” In other words: perfect for Christmas.

• Pen Vogler – Christmas with Dickens 

A fan of both literature and cooking? This is thé book for you: learn to cook all the Victorian dishes which appear in Dickens’ works: From Mrs Cratchit’s plum pudding to Mr Pickwick’s ‘mighty bowl of wassail’,… there’s something for anyone. If you want to impress your dinner guests on Christmas Eve, this is definitely your book!

• Josie Silver – One Day in December

This romantic story makes you believe in love at first sight. On a snowy December day, Laura and Jack meet eyes and fall in love instantly. After searching for each other for years, they meet again but under very different circumstances: Laura’s best friend is Jack’s new girlfriend. They all become friends at first, but true love always finds a way…

• Emily Dickinson – Selected poems

This leather bound book is such a beautiful gift for Christmas. It consists of more than 150 poems of Emily Dickinson, on different themes such as love, nature, life and death. The poetry of Emily Dickinson belongs to the English canon and by reading these poems you can discover for yourself that she rightfully deserved her place among the greatest who walked the earth.

• Madeline Miller – Circe

One of 2018’s must reads is the novel Circe by Madeline Miller. This book doesn’t just look magical on the outside with its shiny copper front, but the story is equally magical. Step into the world of ancient Greece where Circe gets rejected by the Gods and finds out her secret power: witchcraft. She is banned to a deserted island where she learns exactly how to harness her power… This story of female power couldn’t be retold at a more perfect time.

• Esi Edugyan – Washington Black 

Shortlisted for the 2018 Man Booker Prize, this amazing novel brings the story of Washington Black, a young enslaved boy, who escapes a Barbados sugar plantation with the help of Christopher Wilde. From that moment on, he is assigned to himself completely and encounters many adventures. Based on a true story, this beautiful hard cover is an amazing present to put underneath your Christmas tree.

• Scott, F. Fitzgerald – Flappers and Philosophers

For the 70th anniversary of Fitzgerald’s death, this collection of short stories was reprinted in this wonderful black and gold hard cover edition. This is a lovely collectors item for Fitzgerald devotees: these short stories cover his entire career from his early stories to his latest. Even if you don’t read as much, this work is a show stopper among coffee table books. The cover of this beautiful edition reminds me of the glittering jazz stories of which this book partly consists.

Do you read a lot of books in winter? Which works are your favourites around Christmas? Are you reading anything now? Tell me all about it in the comments!

If you need some more information or want some more recommendations, please ask me below. I hope you enjoyed this post!

Love, Sofie

Naboekov is an independent book store, based in Sint-Truiden. It is a webshop where you can order your favourite books and bookish gadgets: New and second-hand books, poetry, English literature, book markers, bookish mugs and art. Everything book- related you can imagine, you be sure they have it! Even when you can’t find it on the website, they are able to provide it for you in no time. Every Sunday of December, they also open their doors for anyone who is looking for the perfect gifts for Christmas. Find their website here, but also take a look on their Facebook page and Instagram here and here.