Tuesday 3 January 2017

December Reads

December is always my month for reading Christmas stories. This year I bought the Dreamspinner Advent. I don't always buy it because I find I can be very hit and miss with the stories and I've yet to finish the entire set. This year I managed to read 25 of the 31 stories.

These were my favourites: 


Analog to Digital by Posy Roberts - Very cute Christmas story. I knew where things were heading early on but the getting there was cute as hell.


Teddy Bears by Brandon Witt - Adorable and nerdy bears. And how many Christmas stories are set in a bathhouse?


How the Supervillain Stole Christmas by Charles Payseur - If you watched the kids cartoon Phineas and Ferb then you know what I was thinking when I read this. A different take on a Superhero story.


Cursed Miracles by Meg Harding - This short story could have been heartbreaking as a longer novel.


Popcorn Garlands by Ariel Tachna - A cute story that truly reflects the sentiment of the season.


Krampus Hates Christmas by Andi Van - Loved Karl, the Krampus that needed to find his holiday spirit.


Simple After All by Yolande Kleinn - As sweet as gingerbread men, even zombie ones :)


Ranger Station Haven by SA Stovall - I'm not normally one for established couple stories but I love a grumpy MC and this has one of the grumpiest, yet most endearing that I've read for awhile. 
Adorable, funny, and achingly sweet in the best way.

Bite Night by Clare London - Clare London has a way with certain phrases that just make me howl with laughter. This was a funny short story set on Christmas Eve, when 22 year old Benny walks in on Santa's little helpers dropping off some presents around the tree. Only this isn't Santa, or elves, or even reindeer. Have you heard the one about a vampire, a werewolf, and an alcoholic sprite walk into...


For me the rest of the stories ranged from okay to instantly forgetable to meh. Not a great rate of success for the money spent but equally there are stories that I loved in the list above that I wouldn't have looked twice at if I'd been picking and choosing what to buy.



I didn't get to read much else (that wasn't a comic) but I did read a Josh Lanyon I'd had hanging around for several years that I didn't even realise was a Christmas story: The Dickens with Love. Rare books, a mysterious backstory, shady characters, an ocelot, the threat of snow in LA, a descendant of a Dickens character. It's all going on behind a beautiful love story. My only complaint is the sex scenes are a touch OTT (and all the more obvious when you listen to the audio, which I did after I'd finished the read through). As usual with Josh's books the ending it quite abrupt (85% if you're wondering) but there is a glorious coda on their website.






4 comments:

  1. Hmm glad you enjoyed all these Christmas books :D I read a few of my own, I may have to post about them LOL. We'll see if I ever get around to it!

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    1. Haha. It's a bit late to rec Christmas stories but I figure people can add to their wishlist for next year :)

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  2. Thank you for this. These lists help me find new authors I would never read otherwise. Even more helpful would be your DNF list.

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    1. Hey I'm glad I can help. :)
      The reason I only list my favourite reads is multilayered.
      I want to spread the love for books I enjoyed. If you buy just one of the books I've mentioned then I'd be happy for that author.
      Writing is a joy but selling books is hard and for some authors is their only means of support.
      Stories I don't necessarily enjoy or rate highly are quite often loved by others. People's mileage on writing quality/plots vary, who am I to say you shouldn't read it.
      I've taken to marking my DNFs as dnf on my Goodreads shelf so you can see the books I really couldn't finish. If I've read something and not rated or reviewed it then it's probably somewhere between a one and a three.
      If you really want to know what I thought of a particular book I haven't reviewed PM me.

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