Well, you didn’t really think I’d complete one this week, did you?
No, it’s another week of not reading enough. I am getting some reading done, a chapter here and a chapter there, but not enough to actually finish anything.
So instead I thought I’d highlight some famously Christmassy stories which have a significance to me for one reason or another:
1. A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. Pretty much every year, a version of this is on TV. We probably all know the story, whether we have read the book or not; it has to be one of the most adapted stories I can think of! This is on my to-read pile but I don’t generally enjoy Dickens so it keeps slipping to next year, and next year, and next year… Maybe I’ll read it between Christmas and New Year. Next year!
2. The Little Match Girl, by Hans Christian Andersen. I read this when I was a child and re-reading the synopsis for today brought back the chills it sent down my spine. This is a story to remind people to be kind to each other, and is particularly relevant at a time when more and more people are homeless, without basic necessities, without a place of safety to stay.
3. The Snowman, by Raymond Briggs. This isn’t a reading book; it’s a picture book – and probably more famous for its animated film than its original incarnation now. I love the film, it’s really part of Christmas here in the UK now, I think, along with the song made famous from the soundtrack!
4. The Dark is Rising, by Susan Cooper. This is a book set from midwinter through Christmas, so it snuck in 🙂 I loved, loved, loved the Dark is Rising series as a child. When I lent my battered copies to my niece, she and my sister could see how they had shaped my thinking on certain aspects of myth and legend, so they obviously had a profound impact on me! I think everyone should read them because they are fabulous!
Well, that’s a few that have meaning to me – what about you?
Happy reading,
EJ
🙂
Becoming a writer 
Leave a Reply