Top Ten Holiday Books

Ten books to read for the holidays? Well! I don't know ten Christmas-themed books, so I'll also tack on a few books I may read during the next month.

1. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens

RUN, WESLEY!

This story is one of my very favorites. I watch the Patrick Stewart version every year (several times) and last year read the novella for the first time. I plan to do so this year and every year hereafter.

2. Skipping Christmas, John Grisham

Luther Krank is starting to believe this whole Christmas thing is one big racket. Why on earth should he spent thousands of dollars on banal gifts and parties, or put himself through hours of stress decorating and throwing said parties, for the sake of a single day? Shouldn't he enjoy the season? And so Luther Krank blows seasonal madness a raspberry,  arranges to go on a cruise, and happily spends November and December working on his tan and preparing himself to look good in a speedo while his neighbors fume. And it almost works...until the phone rings.

3. The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror,  Christopher Moore.

Moore wrote Lamb and A Dirty Job, both of which were riots, so I'm expecting good things.

4.  Santa & Pete: A Novel of Christmas Present and Past, Christopher Moore.

Didn't know this was even in the library. Maybe I'll read it. I have no idea what it is about, but as mentioned prior I like Moore.

5. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, David Sedaris

Sedaris' essay collections are always good for a laugh, but this book contains a section ("Six to Eight Black Men") about Christmas in the Netherlands which is seasonally appropriate and hilarious of course. Listen to him read it here. ("Wait, St. Nicholas would kick you?")

6. Holidays on Ice, David Sedaris

Home of the SantaLand diaries!

7. The Grand Design, Stephen Hawkings

Science is awesome.


8. The Kobayashi Maru and The Romulan War: Beneath Raptor's Wings by Martin & Mangels

I've had these for going on a month now, but I'm still waiting on another before starting in.

9. The Age of Faith, Will Durant

I have fallen right off the Story of Civilization treadmill, but I aim to get back on.

10. Typhon Pact: Zero Sum Game, David Mack

I did it! I said I'd catch up with the Relaunch books this year, and here I am planning to read a book released just in October.

Honorable mentions: Isaac Asimov's Christmas and his Twelve Frights of Christmas. These are not by him, but edited. I've never read them, but I found their book covers when googling for a picture of him dressed as Santa Claus.

(I was, alas! Unsuccessful.)