Whether you’re going on holiday for the first time or you’re an old hand at it, there are plenty of books to read. Whether you’re looking for a Christmas romance or something more serious, we have some recommendations.
If you’re going on a solo trip, it can be difficult to connect with others. That’s why it’s important to make some new friends while you’re away.
Little Women
Little Women is one of the most popular books for girls, a work that inspired a generation to dream big and be free. It questioned why girls had to marry, and it showed them that they could be writers as well as wives and mothers.
In her novel, Louisa May Alcott wrote a story about four sisters living in the 1850s in Concord, Massachusetts. She based the characters on her own siblings.
The Marches’ spirited friendship is the heart of the story, and it’s their charitable work that helps them earn the respect of a wealthy neighbor, Mr. Laurence, who sends them a feast during Christmas.
When shooting Little Women, director Greta Gerwig stayed loyal to the book’s New England setting and filmed it in the author’s hometown of Concord, Massachusetts. She even asked her cast to read Marmee and Me, a collection of letters that Alcott and her mother wrote to each other.
For some key scenes, Florence Pugh and Saoirse Ronan needed to exert physical aggression. As Gerwig explained, that allowed the actors to be honest with their characters in a way that made them seem real.
Skipping Christmas
For some people, a holiday isn’t a holiday without a Christmas book to read. These books, which are perfect for book clubs, can be a fun way to discuss the festive season.
Skipping Christmas, by John Grisham is a hilarious novel about a couple who decides to skip the whole Christmas thing this year in favor of a Caribbean cruise. It’s a quick and humorous read that will make you laugh out loud while reflecting on the true meaning of the holidays!
It’s a good choice for book clubs that want to talk about Christmas in a lighter, more comedic way. It’s also a great book to share with friends and family during the holiday season.
The Kranks are fed up with the chaos and hassle that comes with Christmas, especially with their only child away in Peru for the Peace Corps. So they decide to completely skip the holiday in favor of a cruise, and it turns out to be an unexpectedly fun adventure!
Last Christmas in Paris
Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb is a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that will take you on a journey of friendship, love, and hope. The epistolary story is set during WWI and explores the power of letters during troubling times.
It begins with Thomas Harding visiting Paris for his last Christmas. He brings a cherished bundle of letters with him and settles into his apartment to reminisce over them.
But, when Thomas’s health starts to deteriorate, he knows that his time is short and he will soon be leaving this world. As he reminisces over the past, he discovers that his life was not as he thought it was.
This beautifully written novel is part classic romance and part historical fiction set during WWI. It’s a moving story about friendship, love and fate over time, grueling to the heart yet so addictive. It’s a must-read this winter.
Mr. Dickens and His Carol
This is a wonderfully imaginative take on how Charles Dickens came to write the classic Christmas story we all know and love. There are a few factual elements here and there, but this is fiction, meant more as a tribute than a real account.
When Dickens’ latest novel Martin Chuzzlewit is a flop, he finds himself under tremendous pressure from his publishers to write a Christmas book or lose his reputation and finances. Against his wife’s wishes, Dickens heads back to his old rooming house and begins work on the tale.
His muse, Eleanor Lovejoy, helps Dickens overcome his writer’s block and embark on a journey of self-discovery. But as time dwindles, Dickens becomes increasingly apprehensive about his future. And when three specters show up, will he finally be able to turn his life around? Will he find the inspiration he needs to create the Christmas tale we know and love?
