I think this edition of Birdwatching is pretty self-explanatory, eh? I like reading books set during Christmas, but I don’t really go for the typical gushy holiday cheer stuff. If we were watching a movie, I’d prefer The Ref, not It’s A Wonderful Life, right? Right. So here’s a list of Christmas books that are a bit…unusual.
- Murder for Christmas ed. by Thomas Godfrey (1994). A great collection of murder mysteries set around Christmastime. I think this is the book that introduced me to Inspector Maigret.
- The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson (1972). Well, duh.
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr Seuss (1957). Also duh. Although it does get quite mushy at the end.
- The Haunted Tea-Cosy: A Dispirited and Distasteful Diversion for Christmas by Edward Gorey (1997). Again, I feel a bit like the benefits of reading this book are a bit too obvious.
- Christmas Curiosities: Odd, Dark, and Forgotten Christmas by John Grossman (2008). Includes a bit about Krampus, who’s guaranteed to scare the holiday cheer right out of you.
- Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Cristie (1938). A bit of a repeat from number one, but still very good.
What are your favorite holiday books?
Thanks to Once Upon a Bookshelf for the list-y inspiration!
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I haven’t read any of these though they all sound like a lot of fun. Merry Christmas to you!
Another great Christmas-with-a-twist book that I would recommend is The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore. It’s hilarious! Have you ever read it? I read it for the first time three years ago and it’s become a bit of a tradition for me to read it every year around this time.
I’ve been hearing a bit about The Best Christmas Pageant Ever for the first time this year. I may have to give that one a try, as well as the Christie book. I’ve only read And Then There Were None by her so far, and that was years ago.
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