Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Books At Christmas


Books At Christmas

In recent years Americans have become inundated with television ads for new cars during the festive season.  We'll see at least three in any one-hour program.  In these colourful little ads, delighted flannel-clad family members rush to their kitchen windows on Christmas morning to gape at a brand-new car, shiny and beribboned, parked in their snow-covered drive.  A lot of grinning and jumping up and down with glee then ensues.  The car companies seem bent on convincing the public that giving people expensive new cars at Christmas is a holiday tradition not to be ignored.  Frankly, I don't buy it.  And yes, the pun was intended.

There are all sorts of gift-givers during holiday time, from those who decry materialism and refuse to participate in any sort of festivity that requires legal tender to those who lavish the best of everything on offer for their friends and family.  Personally, the practice of following the Magi's lead and giving gifts to those we love is one I hold dear.  But I'm not a person who stands in the cold outside the local big box store on the morning after Thanksgiving, pawing the ground with the rest of the herd as I wait for the doors to open.  No, I prefer quieter gifts.  I make things, I bake things.  And best of all, I give books.  Lots of books.

When you tie a ribbon round a book at Christmas you are giving so much more than words printed on paper.  You are giving a ticket to other worlds.  You are giving magic.  You are setting a spark to imagination and encouraging empathy to bloom.  Inside that rectangular box is travel and knowledge, laughter and tears.  It's my belief that every book we read changes us, just a little bit.  We see a bit clearer, we feel a bit deeper.  Our hearts, and sometimes even our minds, open just a crack wider.  Now seriously, what new car can do that?

So in the spirit of the season, here are some book ideas for this year.  I do hope you find one you'll want to wrap up for somebody else.  And maybe one, or two, for yourself. 
As usual, just click on the picture and you'll be whisked away to read more about each book.  And though these links take you to Amazon, I would encourage you to purchase from your local bookshops.  You'll find even more wondrous ideas there, I promise!
Merry Christmas to all of you.
xx, 
p

Where the Crawdads Sing
by Delia Owens

Carnival of the Animals
by Elizabeth Varadan

After the Party
by Cressida Connolly

All the Queen's Corgis
by Penny Junor

The Secret Gardeners
Britain's Creatives Reveal Their Private Sanctuaries
by Frances Lincoln

Ocean Meets Sky
by The Fan Brothers

A Place For Us
by Fatima Farheen Mirza

The Faber Book of Christmas
from Liberty of London

The Ghost Stories of M.R. James

The Light in the Dark
A Winter Journal
by Horatio Clare

Buckingham Palace
The Interiors
by Ashley Hicks

Grace
Thirty Years of Fashion at Vogue
by Grace Coddington

Good Rosie!
by Kate Dicamillo
pictures by Harry Bliss




8 comments:

  1. Thank you for the wonderful gift of these book titles! I have already ordered two of them--one a gift and one a personal indulgence.
    Kiss the pups and enjoy the season!

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  2. Just this morning I thought, where is Pamela's Christmas book list. And here it is! Thank you!

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  3. There must have been thought-transference here Pamela. Earlier today I thought 'Pamela hasn't published her Christmas Books yet'. I really look forward to it. Happy Christmas to you both and to your four-footed friends.

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  4. A wonderful list! off to shop.....

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  5. What a sweet and charming picture at the top of your post, Pamela, and lots of yummy books to read, too! Thank you for the post.

    Merry Christmas to you too!

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  6. Pamela, thanks so much for including my book in your Xmas list. In addition to the happiness at seeing my own included, I saw two others that promise to be on my reading shelf soon. I hope you have great holidays. Elizabeth

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  7. Thanks so much for including The Carnival of the Animals in your Xmas list. I spied a couple other books I definitely want to read. Hope you have wonderful holidays.

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  8. Hello Pamela ~ I just read "Where the Crawdads Sing", and found it to be one of the best books I've read this year. I love nature, and that probably helped in making it a favorite. Elizabeth's book looks enchanting. Thanks for taking the time to share your books again. Lots of us are always looking for recommendations. Wishing you and your family a Meaningful Christmas Season, filled with Love and Peacefulness.

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I love to read your comments! Each and every one! Though I'm always reading your comments, I may not respond in the comment section. If you want to write me directly, you may do so at pamela@pamelaterry.net. Thank you for reading!