Hey guys! Doing things a little backward this month. You probably heard me talk about it a lot in the last two months that I was cranking through the Harry Potter series in October and November, and in case you’re wondering, I didn’t even come close to finishing. I finished up Goblet of Fire and maybe I’ll pick up where I left off next October. Who cares (!) because I am PUMPED to start reading something new again. I went to the library for the first time in two months last week and it felt like a little endorphin boost. 

I love reading Christmas stuff in December and so this month, instead of reporting out what I did read, I’m coming at you with some of my tried and true recommendations for holiday reading. And you know, I’ll probably be re-reading most of these, too.

And as a side note, I decided that this year, everyone on my Christmas list is getting a book. I’m considering myself a book evangelist. Readers are leaders, ya’ll.

1 || Wishin’ and Hopin’ by Wally Lamb

Hands-down, my favorite holiday read. I think I’ve read this every December since it came out in 2009. And fun fact! Upon googling it, I just found out there’s a movie. I’ll just add that to my list of things to watch that I’ll never actually get to.

This is a hilarious quick read about Felix Funicello basically preparing for the 5^th grade Christmas pageant, but the timeline is a few weeks out, so the scope of Felix’s day-to-day in a Catholic elementary school is nice and full. Featuring nuns and celebrity cousins, a very extra substitute teacher, and the insufferable know-it-all classmate that probably has a character description, but you’ll just envision the one from your childhood because obviously.

Wally Lamb is one of my favorite writers and this one is a true gem. Please please read it and report back.

2 || Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris

Classic holiday read. If you’re not familiar with David Sedaris, this is a nice place to start. He’s an essayist and listen, I know that’s not everyone’s jam, but the commitment is low and you will laugh. I promise. 

The standout essay here is SantaLand Diaries which recounts Sedaris’ one-time job as an elf in a Macy’s Department Store.  It is not politically correct in a lot of ways, but there are enough people who pee in Santa's lap to and this closing line to help you kind of overlook it:

"Don't tell the store president that I called you a bitch. Tell him I called you a fucking bitch because that's exactly what you are."  

Sedaris' fiction never does it for me, so I skip over those. Dinah The Christmas Whore and Us and Them are two other essays in the book that are worth a read if you're skipping around. 

3 || The Mistletoe Murder: And Other Stories by P.D. James

Full disclosure, I picked up this book because it had the word "mistletoe" in it and I figured 'tis the season after all. 

If you're into My Favorite Murder, this is essentially four episodes more eloquently told (that's not shade, K&G don't try to be eloquent) and without the banter and correction's corner. You will laugh, you will say what the actual fuck? and the red herring will catch you the first two times, but then you'll pick up the writing style.


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I also scooped up a few other not-so-Christmas-ish books from the library last week, so I won't be 100% steeped in holiday tidings, but I'll report back on those later this month. What are you reading lately?