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Meme: Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Holiday Books

The Top Ten Tuesdays meme is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Do head on over there and visit some of the other participating blogs.

I don’t have 10 favourite holiday reads, but here are some I love and have read many times over:

1. Jólin Koma by Jóhannes úr Kötlum. This is an Icelandic book of Christmas poems, as beloved by Icelanders as ‘The Night Before Christmas’ is by Americans. First published in 1932, it is now in its 24th printing, the most popular children’s book ever published in Icelandic. A must Christmas read in my home.
2. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. No need to explain this one. I read it in December about every other year.
3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss. One I reread occasionally. No need to explain this one either.
4. The Father Christmas Letters by J. R. R. Tolkien.I have only read this once, but I loved it and I want a copy of my own!

Apart from these, I try to read something new with a holiday theme each year, usually including at least one mystery and one romance. The ones I have already read this year are The Gift by Nora Roberts, A Gift to Last by Debbie Macomber, and Santa, Baby! by Jennifer Crusie, Lori Foster and Carly Phillips. I also plan to read Tied up in Tinsel by Ngaio Marsh, and I will probably read The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens and All Through the Night: a Troubleshooter Christmas by Suzanne Brockmann.

Some of my past Christmas reads I can recommend are:

5. The short story The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
6. A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg. A sweet, corny Christmas tale that will warm the cockles of your heart.
7. Miracle and Other Christmas Stories by Connie Willis. A collection of sci-fi and fantasy based short stories with Christmas themes.
8. The only one of the Christmas books I have read so far this year that I can unequivocally recommend is A Gift to Last by Debbie Macomber, which consists of two heartwarming Christmas novellas, one with a fantasy theme (three angels with a taste for trouble are sent to help a man see the error of his ways), and one about a group of people stranded in a train depot in the middle of nowhere over Christmas.


Since several other participants in this meme have mentioned Christmas movies, I will add my favourite two to make the list up to ten:

9. The Nightmare Before Christmas
10. The Muppet Christmas Carol
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Comments

Irena @ This Miss Loves to Read said…
What a great list! I totally have to read The Father Christmas Letters by Tolkien. I can't believe I still haven't.
November 23, 2010 1:10 pm
Deb Nance at Readerbuzz said…
I searched for your Icelandic Christmas classic and could not find it widely available. Why is that? Frustrating. I will continue to search.

I could write a dissertation of great holiday books! Here is my list of 10 Books to Read During the Holidays.
November 23, 2010 1:23 pm
Unknown said…
Nice call with the Muppets Christmas Carol! Great movie! I had a hard time writing a top ten list as well. I haven't read an Xmas book in ages! All of my list consists of children's books. Oh well! Check out my Top Ten Tuesday when you get a chance!
November 23, 2010 1:37 pm
Hilde said…
I love A Christmas Carol too, and A Muppet Christmas Carol is my favourite movie adaption (along with Mickey's Christmas Carol). A Christmas book by Tolkien? I need to find a copy!
November 23, 2010 2:31 pm
Bibliophile said…
Readerbuzz, here is a link to the publisher's website: http://www.forlagid.is/?p=1527

and to three of the poems:
http://johannes.is/jolasveinarnir/
http://johannes.is/grylukv%C3%A6%C3%B0i/
http://johannes.is/jolakotturinn/
November 23, 2010 3:18 pm
Red said…
The Muppet Christmas Carol is my favorite Xmas movie!
November 23, 2010 4:02 pm
Unknown said…
I'd never even heard of a Tolkein Christmas book. I'm a huge fan of his Middle Earth books, so I am going to need to find this book! Great list!
November 23, 2010 4:40 pm
Anne@HeadFullofBooks said…
I have never even heard of The Father Christmas Stories by Tolkien. I will definitely look for it. Thank you for this list. It is nice to see some different recommendations than just the typical American fare. I added first lines so people could get a flavor of what the books are like.
-Anne
http://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com
November 23, 2010 4:54 pm
Jamie said…
Somebody else listed A Nightmare Before Christmas and I can't believe I forgot that one! LOVE that movie!
November 23, 2010 5:28 pm
danya said…
Hey, the Father Christmas Letters made my list too! *is surprised* Good choice :D
November 23, 2010 7:04 pm
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