Books for Christmas

 

Christmas is a time for family, friends and togetherness. Sometimes (though not necessarily here in Australia) it is about snow, fireplaces, love and ... unicorns.

people who enjoy Christmas, get excited over the season, or want ideas for the holidays can prepare with resources from the library! There are all kinds of books that can be borrowed to show and share that holiday cheer and spirit that comes around every December 25. 

Picture books:

Timothy Knapman's and Ada Grey's picture book is the magical unicorn version of the Twelve Days of Christmas. There is counting, humour and Christmas wishes everywhere!

You can find this book here.

This is an interesting Aussie tale (or should I say tail) about a sugar glider competing against other bush animals to help pull a sleigh. Alexa Moses and Anil Tortop write a book filled with Christmas magic; that centres around Australian animals. The best of both worlds for Christmas!

You can find this book here.

Adult fiction:

"For as long as Christmas has been celebrated, poets and writers have sought to explore every aspect of it, whether the story of the nativity, gatherings with family and friends, or the festive traditions that have grown over the centuries. And such works have forever changed the way we think about the holiday. A Literary Christmas is a seasonal anthology collecting poems, short stories and prose extracts by some of the greatest poets and writers in the English language. Like Charles Dickens's Ghosts of Christmas past and present, these texts represent times old and new ..." cover insert. 

Compiled by the British Library; it contains many of the best classic Christmas moments from English poetry and literature. The cover just screams English Christmas too, doesn't it?

 You can find this book here.

This book has two short stories in it by Debbie Macomber: Christmas wishes and Rainy Day Kisses (though the second is possibly far less Christmassy than the first). Full of romance and light-heartedness, these stories may just make you feel all warm all over as love stories around Christmas create joy, longing and a special kind of romance for the season. 

You can find this book here. 

And, seemingly Macomber loves Christmas just as much as others! She has written multiple romance fiction novels around Christmas, if you would like to have a peek here.

Stop! Grammar time.

 

Time for two more punctuation marks: semicolons and colons.

The resource can be found here. It is "Good grammar for students" by Howard Jackson.

Semicolons ( ; )

The semicolon is a stronger pause than the comma in a sentence. It is used mostly to separate clauses (smaller sentences) that are not as related to each other as they would be if you used a comma. The example in Howard's (2005) book is:

(p. 118)

While the paragraph is technically about the same topic, the two clauses are not as connected as they change from having a human subject to an environmental one. Also, be aware that if you have a semicolon there, a joining word (or conjunction) like "and" will not (the semicolon replaces it).

Semicolons can also be used to separate lists. For example, if the list is rather detailed (almost like sentences themselves); then a semicolon can be used:

We visited Thailand and Singapore in spring; Germany, France, and Italy in summer; and Argentina in autumn.

You can also use semicolons for words that join two clauses together. These particular words are called conjunctive adverbs and include: moreover, nevertheless, however, otherwise, therefore, then, finally, likewise, and consequently:

The shop was open Monday; however, every day after that it was closed for refurbishment.

Colons ( : )

Colons also separate sentences; however, it might not be a whole sentence, but just one word! It is all about the impact when it comes to a colon to make a strong point. For example:

We have two options: stay and fight, or run like wild horses.

The research is conclusive: climate change is a reality.

And then I had a single thought: stop!

Colons can also introduce lists or quotes (which are important for assignments so you do not plagiarise). 

And that are two more punctuation marks! They can be tricky if you are not used to them; but, they can be fun for writing with more impact. They also make the sentences stronger when you read them. They are also good for faces:

A smile:  :) 

or a wink:   ;)

    

Essie Fox's "Somnambulist"

 

You can find this book here.

First, let's learn some things!

A somnambulist is a sleepwalker; or, someone who walks in their sleep. 

If you want to know a little bit about the actual painting in the story (and shown next to the title page); here is the auction page that shows a catalogue of the item and hands it has been through. There is also a rough guide on the painter here at a general art history site. Both sites I would use for interest only (just in case). 

Now, for the novel ...

The novel is set in the late 1800s (which matches the time of the painting by Millais). It centres around Phoebe Turner a young girl who lives with her strictly religious mother Maud and her aunt Cissy who lives for performing on stage. One night, Phoebe is able to sneak out of her house to watch her aunt perform. There, she is drawn to a strange man, Nathaniel Samuels, who impacts all their lives when he hires her to be the companion to his reclusive wife.

This plot seems straightforward. But I have missed a lot of what is happening within this novel: the main theme of secrets. This is a big deal. And, obviously, if the members of these families communicated at all properly with anyone, there wouldn't be such haunting horrors and tensions between characters. 

Horrors, though, might be too strong a word. It is a gothic novel, which leads to the idea of horror elements; but don't expect gore or monsters. It is more a slow with tensions you possibly see coming. Maybe this is where the horror lies, because characters cannot see what their choices, or lack thereof, have led to. 

I found the settings to be strong and the feel of places in England for the time to be fitting. The atmosphere also was very full. The characters may go either way for you: you may find Phoebe more passive and frustrating, you may not. This could be how youth related historically, it may not. Perhaps read it and decide for yourself. Probably more for an historical fiction reader than a horror reader though. 

Links for you

Author read-a-likes:

Wuthering heights

Emily Bronte

The gothic elements and characters' emotional pulls are stronger here; but the setting, time period, genre are similar.

Picture book

Jo Baker

The time period is different; but the focus on historical fiction and secrets is similar.

Staff pick: James Swallow's "Rogue"

 

You can find this book here.

First up; I didn't know this book was part of a series when I began reading it. Whilst I think it won't matter if you read the books out of slight order (it references past books), below is the list of books in the series and links to the ones in our library:

Nomad

Exile

Ghost 

Shadow (includes print and eBook format).

I guess if you like 'Rogue', you should request the other two novels; particularly since next year another is coming out!

So anyway, back to this book ...

Marc Dane is a former MI6 operative, working with The Rubicon Group. Until an enemy (or enemies) decide to bring to ruin both the private intelligence agency and others, like MI6. What you have here is your action-packed spy thriller, even if the main character isn't your regular spy. Even Swallow argues this as in the notes from the author he classes him as an inversion of "the bloke in the van" and who isn't your toughest guy in the room. The author is right: Dane's not Bond, but he is good. 

The book has diverse characters who appear well-rounded (probably more so the more books you read in the series) and it has an international cast and scope to it (like all could spy work should). it moves quickly and has some strong moments of wit and warmth, aside from solid action. 

It is a quick read, and just from the notes at the back, Swallow sounds like an author who loves his characters, writing and his fans. So, I will even highlight his webpage here in case you want to have a look around.

It is probably true that reading the books in order will offer more fullness and connection to the characters; but this book does link back across them well enough so that if you read this first (like me) you won't be too lost. Though, you will want more details!

You should borrow this book regardless 😀

-- SB