My Festive Reads: Guest Post by Raven McAllan

 

When Jennifer gave me some suggestions for this blog, which revolved around Christmas reading, I panicked.

I love reading and I love Christmas, but I don’t seem to have anything that links them together. I read all the time. Whatever takes my fancy. After all it might be snowy here and sunny on the other side of the world, so it makes no difference to me what I read when.

I love Christmas. I can spend happy hours decorating the house, choosing and wrapping presents and listening to ‘Carols from Kings’, and the all time top Christmas song 50 or some such thing.

But festive books or favorite childhood festive reads stumped me.

Oh I read Little Women, who didn’t, and mourned with Jo over the Christmas won’t be Christmas bit, but I read it on holiday in the summer. I was always allowed to choose three new books for our annual holiday, and I remember that was one of them.

As for books for the season?

Nope, I read them when I want to.

With a Birthday in December you’d think that well, you get books in December so what’s the problem? Well yes I did, because books were always my request if I was asked what I wanted. I’d have a list and cross them off. The Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer, and all of Arthur Ransome’s books , were top of the list for years.

Were any of them Christmas stories? Not that I can remember.

So you can imagine I was thinking, well what can I write about?

Then I remembered something, and I’d guess to anyone outside of Scotland or anyone not an expat Scot somewhere in the world, this will mean nothing. But even today in my 60’s, I insist on the Oor Wullie or The Broons annual. ( Year and year about) D C Thomson’s comic strip that appear n the Sunday Post, and make it into a biannual book. Wullie and his bucket, The Bairn and her dictatorial ways… Ah the memories.

So I guess you can say, as long as I have a new book be it on paper or on my eReader, and the annual, I’m happy.

That I guess is my Festive reading ritual… Which reminds me I must make my Santa list.

But… Isn’t there always a ‘but’?

I have Christmas stories all with www.evernightpublishing.com

A Dom for Christmas (out now)

Holly’s Christmas Dom ( December 11th)

The Dukes’ Christmas Abductions (December 7th) With Doris O’Connor


Where ever you are and whatever you celebrate, have a great time,

Love Raven x

www.ravenmcallan.com