2019 Christmas TBR

This is, I think, the first time I’ve chosen not to combine my winter and my Christmas TBR. That’s to say – for once, I’m choosing to focus on just holiday-inspired books. Cosy, romantic, classic or informative – Christmas-books they are!

The classic

I guess you could call these the children’s classics as well, but – let’s be honest… Is there anything better than the kind of nostalgia that comes from rereading an old favourite Christmas children’s book? That’s what I thought.

The Chronicles of Narnia

This is one of those classic Christmas stories, even though it’s not actually a Christmas story. If anything, it should be an Easter tale, considering the fact that the Narnia-series was originally a retelling of the Bible meant to be more approachable for children. However, the fact that Aslan is the one to finally bring Christmas after an endless winter? Well, that just makes you want to curl up under the Christmas tree – doesn’t it?

A Country House Christmas

This is the only non-children’s book, but the premises is pretty amazing none the less. If, like me, you find yourself quite enamoured by the idea of an old-fashioned Christmas, this book is basically the thing for you. That’s to say: it will give you the actual, complete reality of such a thing. And the best thing? Well, that you can still visit the house which this is all set in, of course!

Christmas fairy tales

Whether it be The Night Before Christmas, The Little Match Girl, Beatrix Potter’s The Tailor of Gloucester, or The Nutcracker, you know the type: those stories that, in just a couple of pages, manage to transport you to a holiday feeling. The type that require a blanket, a roaring fire, and preferably a cup of hot cocoa thrown in for good measure. And here’s a fun tip for you: on Amazon, you can find quite a couple of editions that collect all of these fairy tales, as well as Christmas-y scenes and poems from other poems for *next to no* money! (This is the edition I bought myself!)

The romantic

If you’re not in the mood for nostalgia for your Christmas TBR, but you still want those warm, fuzzy feelings and Christmas spirit? Then these romantic Christmas stories might just be the thing for you. And, as I’ve come to realise, you can generally divide the Christmas-stories into two categories: the “complete focused on food”-category, and the “only slightly less so focused on food”-category. Hey, it’s Christmas – food was bound to be a thing, right?

Christmas love and Christmas food

In general, Jenny Colgan and Carole Matthews should be your first go-to’s if you want some yummy Christmas reading. Jenny Colgan’s Rosie Hopkins’ Sweet Shop-series features Christmas in 2 out of 3 books, while Matthews really knows her cakes – and also has a sequel that is filled to the brim with friendship, Christmas, cakes – and of course: a good bit of romance.

In all honesty, foody Christmas books are probably the most lucrative book genre out there – or at least, that’s what going through the offerings (from Christmas Cookie Clubs to entire Christmas Kitchens!) has made me believe. And let’s be real – there’s a significant chance I’m responsible for a good percentage of that “lucrative” 🙂

Christmas love and slightly less Christmas food

Luckily, if cooking isn’t your thing or – as has been the case for me – you just don’t want to get hungry from your reading – there’s also a significant non-food-based Christmas romance market out there.

Carole Matthews, again, features on there pretty high for me, with Wrapped Up in Me, although Nancy Naigle has some pretty fun reads in there as well. And of course – there’s all the Christmas books I’ve read and reviewed throughout the years. There’s a bunch more coming this year, but while waiting for that – well, why don’t you go check out the previous years’ editions?

Anyways – that’s it for my Christmas TBR. As I mentioned in the beginning as well: there’ll be a winter TBR coming up as well, but this year… I want to actually focus on some real (I know – what even does that mean?) Christmas reading!

What’s on your TBR this holiday season? Be sure to let me know below!

-Saar