
Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by thatartsyreadergirl with a new topic every week. This week is a freebie so I’m choosing Christmas books that I still haven’t read from last year or before. Let’s not even talk about the ones still on my list from this year 😉 Ready for Christmas book reviews in March? Christmas books are great to read any time of the year though in my opinion .

I have tried reading this because everyone should read this classic, right? It’s just can’t get into the writing style.
A Christmas Carol was first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843. It has become a Christmas classic and has been continuously in print since its first release, as well as being made into numerous plays and movies. It tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. After their visits, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man. It explores themes about the treatment of the poor and the ability of people to reform themselves. It is worth reading every Christmas.

Twenty tales for the holiday season selected for their spiritual value and literary quality.
They are some of the warmest childhood memories, those unhurried evenings around the fireplace, Christmas tree, or dinner table, when there was time for a story… Now, with this collection, you can keep the story-telling tradition alive in your family, and pass it on to your children or grandchildren.
Home for Christmas includes twenty time-honored tales. Several are by world-famous authors; others are little-known treasures translated from other languages. Selected for their literary quality and spiritual integrity, they will resonate with readers of all ages, year after year.
With original woodcuts by David Klein

Tucked away inside an old lighthouse in Beacon Harbor, Michigan, bakeshop café owner Lindsey Bakewell is ready to make her first Christmas in town shine bright. But her merry plans crumble fast when murder appears under the mistletoe…
With the spirit of the holidays wafting through the Beacon Bakeshop, Lindsey thinks she has the recipe for the sweetest Christmas ever—winning the town-wide cookie bake-off. Unfortunately, striving for a picture-perfect December in Beacon Harbor is a lot like biting into stale shortbread. Low on staff and bombarded by visits from family, Lindsey can barely meet demands at work, let alone summon the confidence to face fierce competition…
Self-appointed Christmas know-it-all Felicity Stewart is determined to take the top spot in the bake‑off, and she’s not afraid to dump a little coal in everyone’s stocking to do it. Just as the competition heats up, everything falls apart when the judge is found dead—and covered in crumbs from Lindsey’s signature cookie!
Solving a murder was never on Lindsey’s wish list. But with her reputation on the line during the happiest time of the year, she’ll need to bring her best talents to the table in order to sift out the true Christmas Cookie culprit.

I like the simplistic cover, but I’ve heard this one is a bit of a downer. Anyone have any thoughts on this one?
Every December, Josie posts a letter from her home in London to the parents she lost on Christmas night many years ago. Each year, she writes the same three words: Missing you, always. But this year, her annual trip to the postbox is knocked off course by a bicycle collision with a handsome stranger–a stranger who will change the course of Josie’s life.
Josie always thought she was the only one who avoided the Christmas season, but this year, Max has his own reasons for doing the same—and coincidence leads them to spending the holiday together. Aglow with new love, Josie thinks this might be the start of something special.
Only for Max to disappear without saying goodbye.
Over the course of the next year, Max and Josie will find that fate continues to bring them together in places they’d never expect. New York City. Edinburgh. The quiet English countryside. And it turns out, Max had every reason to leave and every reason to stay. But what does fate hold for Josie and Max as Christmas approaches again?
A devastating, romantic, life-affirming love story, Always, in December will stay with readers long after they’ve finished the last page.

The brand new romantic Christmas read from Alex Brown –the Queen of Feel Good Fiction and #1 bestseller!
Bridget smiled to herself, certain she could see one of the stars twinkling extra brightly in that moment as if to acknowledge her wish and convince her that, yes, Mulberry-On-Sea was just the place they all needed to be. Surrounded by those happy memories of holidays and special times where nothing bad ever happened…
Finding yourself without a home in the weeks before Christmas would break most people, but for Bridget Carrington it’s a chance to start again. Mulberry-On-Sea has always been her happy place and she’s hoping it can work its magic this festive season and heal her family after a difficult year.
Now, as the community wraps Bridget and her children in its warm embrace, she starts to feel like herself again. With a new business, kids who are starting to smile, and the promise of a second chance at love, Bridget’s holiday season might just be a happy ever after…

He’s willing to risk his life to save others.
Is she willing to risk her heart on him?
Morgan’s late husband was a daredevil…and now she’s a widowed single mom. All she wants now is to set up a stable life for herself and her son in the small town of Pine Hill, Kentucky.
Andrew’s a firefighter who thrives on the rush of saving others. His secret dream is to become a smokejumper and fight raging wildfires across the country. But it’ll mean leaving his hometown and the people who rely on him.
Morgan and Andrew are drawn together as they both volunteer to make quilts for veterans at the local quilt shop. Morgan’s son looks up to Andrew, and Morgan can’t help but notice how good Andrew is with him. Meanwhile, Andrew’s torn between his ambition and his growing attraction to Morgan. They both have choices to make about their future…and about each other.

Christmas has come early to the beautiful Poconos resort that’s the setting for the American Baking Battle’s holiday special, where chef Courtney Archer is on hand to sample festive fare—and lift the lid off a killer…
Six ambitious bakers are competing for glory and a grand prize, showcasing their most delicious candies, cookies, and desserts. Courtney detects some on-set grinchiness from her coworkers, especially judge Shannon Collins, but she’s hoping the sweet treats will restore everyone’s festive spirits. That Christmas wish swiftly fizzles when assistant director Kinzy Hummel is found strangled—with an apron from Shannon’s new product line…
Shannon insists she’s innocent. Meanwhile, Kinzy had been under pressure from a disgruntled attorney to settle her late grandfather’s estate. But could that be a motive for murder? The show must go on even as Courtney sifts through competitors and crew for likely suspects. But unless she can quickly get to the truth, there’ll be another helping of homicide amid the pinwheel cookies and fruitcakes…

In The First Christmas, Stephen Mitchell brings the Nativity story to vivid life as never before. A narrative that is only sketched out in two Gospels becomes fully realized here with nuanced characters and a setting that reflects the culture of the time. Mitchell has suffused the birth of Jesus with a sense of beauty that will delight and astonish readers.
In this version, we see the world through the eyes of a Whitmanesque ox and a visionary donkey, starry-eyed shepherds and Zen-like wise men, each of them providing a unique perspective on a scene that is, in Western culture, the central symbol for good tidings of great joy. Rather than superimposing later Christian concepts onto the Annunciation and Nativity scenes, he imagines Mary and Joseph experiencing the angelic message as a young Jewish woman and man living in the year 4 bce might have experienced it, with terror, dismay, and ultimate acceptance. In this context, their yes becomes an act of great moral courage.
Readers of every background will be enchanted by this startlingly beautiful reimagining of the Christmas tale.

The brand new seasonal romance from the author of Duvet Day. Escape to the Arctic Circle and fall in love under the Northern Lights . . .
All it takes is one moment to change your life . . .
When a cleverly edited video of radio host Lucy Fairweather goes viral, she knows she needs an escape. And preferably somewhere far away.
Where better than Wild Zone – a destination for people who want to experience the Arctic Circle? Owned by the gorgeous but brooding Tommi, Lucy agrees to help with the guests in return for her stay. But getting to grips with her skis is proving harder than it looks.
Far from home and in a winter wonderland, will an encounter with the breathtaking Northern Lights change her luck, in both life and love?

Can neighbours become more than just good friends this Christmas?
Bella Moore is excitedly counting down the days to Christmas. That is until she arrives home one evening to find her boyfriend leaving her for another woman. Completely heartbroken, Bella is left wondering if Christmas can still be the same this year.
Next door, Bella’s neighbour Nick is facing his first Christmas as a single dad and doubting whether he can make it the magical time his son Freddie deserves.
Determined to fix both Christmas and their broken hearts, Bella comes up with an idea: a Christmas giving tree for the whole village, where the community can unite and secretly give each other the Christmas presents they truly need.
As Bella becomes chief elf, taking donations and delivering gifts with much-needed help from Nick and Freddie, the two neighbours grow closer and start seeing each other in a whole new light.
But when Nick’s estranged wife returns just before Christmas, is their budding romance over before it’s begun? Or will love be Nick and Bella’s perfect gift this Christmas?
Have you read any of these or plan to? What are your thoughts on them?
Thanks for stopping by, have the best day ever.


I was always intimidated by A Christmas Carol because of the fact it’s a classic. But once I started reading it, I loved it! I found the beginning to be quite funny, actually.
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/ten-favorite-holiday-reads-2022-edition/
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I know what you’re saying. I think I should probably just go for it. I’ve seen the movie and it’s not overly long.
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I clicked the wrong spot to comment on this post! So, if you see this twice, I promise I’m real…
A Christmas Carol can be a bit off-putting — it’s one of my favorites but I also find Dickens can take a bit more effort. Which is why I listen to a different audiobook version every other year (or so). There are some solid takes out there, most of which stick to the original text fairly well. (Check run time as your mileage may vary.) Tim Curry is good and the actor to play the fourth Doctor, Tom Baker’s, is a good one. Hope you enjoy it!
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Thank you for the great recommendation, Michael. I hadn’t thought of an audiobook version but now that you mention it I think that’s a great idea. I’m going to check and see what my library has.
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Fun idea for todays list! I don’t think I have any actual Christmas book on my TBR. Just wintery/snowy books. Hope you’ll love all of these!
My TTT:
https://cozymoonatelier.wordpress.com/2022/12/06/top-ten-tuesday-47-end-of-the-year-book-tag/
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Christmas, winter, snow books. I lump them all in together as Christmas book and enjoy them all. I hope you enjoy all the wonderful books on your list as well.
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A Christmas Carol has many excellent film adaptations if you’d like to experience it that way instead. (but no pressure intended! There are other classic novels like The Great Gatsby and Pride and Prejudice that I’ve never been able to get into myself.)
My post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-what-books-should-actually-be-about-based-on-their-titles/
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It’s not just this one I can’t get into its other classics as well. I do feel kind of guilty as we should all read classics, right? At least that’s what we’re told, I’m not too sure about that though. I have enjoyed the film adaptations of it though and for now that just may be enough.
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LOL, this is a GREAT topic! I haven’t read the first Christmas book this year and I have SO many on my TBR from previous years, I have not added any this year.
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Unfortunately, this isn’t all of my Christmas books on my backlist but it’s a start. I can’t help myself and have added more this year as well. Something about Christmas books I just can’t pass up. I do like your way of thinking though and not adding any new Christmas books this year. You’re stronger than I am, lol.
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No, not stronger, LOL, just overwhelmed with all the things. We are still trying to get unpacked and settled in our home, have a trip back to NC tomorrow, and it’s just a lot. No time, or desire to add anything else right now.
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Oh my goodness, you HAVE to read A CHRISTMAS CAROL. It’s one of the few classics that I love and have re-read many times (every year, actually). The writing style is definitely old-faschioned, but it’s also a novella so it’s short. You can do it!
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
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Thanks for the encouragement, Susan. Yes, I can do it. I need to dive right it. Couldn’t be too bad especially with-it being novella length.
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Lots of good looking books on your list! Hoping you can get to them soon.
Here is our Top Ten Tuesday. Thank you!
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Thank you, yes, I am hoping to have them all read by February at least, lol.
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I’ll happily read a Christmas book at any time of the year. I hope you enjoy all these!
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Thank you. Yes, I agree I can read Christmas books any time of the year. We all need more uplifting books like them.
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I try and read Christmas Carol every year. It is a short one and there are a few versions, including illustrated ones. I try to watch a few versions of the movie as well. I have read a few of these, but several I am not familiar with. Good luck reading them all, Deanne.
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I have heard it’s a novella length so I probably should just dive right in. I have watched different movie versions of it several times and liked it, so it shouldn’t be too bad. Thanks, I sure hope to get to them all.
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