It’s near
that time of the year again…. Christmas—the jolliest and merriest of all time
of the year! It’s also the only time I regret of being born in Indonesia. Here,
Christmas is not celebrated much in public (except in malls—with huge discount,
or in Hotels). I can do decorating at home, of course; however, living in an
apartment has its limitation. To compensate, I always try to fill my Decembers with
Christmas-themed readings. Maybe I can’t see much of Christmas trees or lights
around me, but I can certainly experience it through books! :) So, this is my
Christmas reading plan through the coming December:
Dombey and Son
I am now in
one third of the book (p. 277) and plan to finish it through December. This
will also be my last entry for my 2018 reading challenges.
A Christmas Carol
What is
Christmas without A Christmas Carol?
We are indebted too much to it to not reading it every year (or two)! A
bookstagrammer @dickens.and.docks is hosting an interesting event:
#DickensDecember with readalongs and photo challenge. I am interested mostly in A Christmas Carol
readalong, which begins at December 3rd, one chapter a day, and ends
with Discussion Day at December 8th. It looks really fun; but I have
not decided my participation yet. Should I??
Dickens at Christmas
This beautiful
book has been my Christmas “bible” (along with A Christmas Carol, of course) since last year. I have enjoyed
reading slowly The Chimes and The Cricket
on the Hearth, and planned to read some (or all – but maybe I better leave
some for next years) of the rest after finishing A Christmas Carol:
The Battle of Life
The Haunted Man & The Ghost’s Bargain
From
Household Words:
A Christmas Tree
A Christmas Dinner
What Christmas is, as We Grow Older –
hey, this must be interesting!
The Seven Poor Travelers
From A
Round of Stories by the Christmas Fire:
The Poor Relation’s Story
The Child Story
Form
Another Round of Stories by the Christmas Fire:
The Schoolboy’s Story
Nobody’s Story
Anthony Trollope
I have yet
to get acquainted with Trollope. His Christmas stories should be the best way
to begin. Plus the edition is so lovely!
It consists
of:
Christmas at Thompson Hall
Christmas Day at Kirkby Cottage
The Mistletoe Bough
The Two Generals
Not If I Know It
Have you
read any of them? And how will YOUR Christmas reading be?
How fun, Fanda, that you can experience Christmas through books. Here in America...well, you may not agree...but some people go overboard with Christmas. But being so far removed from it, you'd probably appreciate it. It can be such a joyous time, I agree.
ReplyDeleteI am planning to read A Christmas Carol w/ my kids again -- one chapter a day. That sounds like a good plan b/c there are only 4 major chapters anyway. But that Dec. 3 date is too early or else I'd join you (if you decide to join). I'm starting mine December 17th.
Anyway, enjoy your reading!
I know, Ruth, but still, you can "feel" Christmas in the air almost everywhere. That's what I miss here. Anyway, thanks to Dickens, I can at least imagine it from afar. And I am almost sure I'd join the A Christmas Carol readalong anyway.
DeleteHave fun in the readalong with your kids too! :)
I didn't know about those Trollope books so thanks for the heads-up! I'm going to check them out. It looks like you have lots of fun reading ahead. Enjoy yourself!
ReplyDeletePenguin Classics have that Christmas series (six books, I think) from different authors: Trollope, Dickens (obviously), Alcott, Gogol, and 2 others (Baum?). They have really gorgeous covers! But I have read someone's review that Gogol's is quite dry and the least Christmas-y.
DeleteEnjoy your Christmas readings too, Cleo!
I read the Trollope collection a few years ago and enjoyed it. Hope you do as well.
ReplyDeleteDickens at Christmas is a must—I still think the Christmas chapter in Pickwick is one of his best Christmas works. I read Dombey and Son a few years ago and thought it good but frustrating—elder Dombey is so narrow minded and misogynistic!
You're right, Jane, about the Christmas chapter in Pickwick. Apart from A Christmas Carol, of course! ;)
DeleteAgree, too, with Mr. Dombey; also Carker the senior, and Mrs. Skewton. Dickens is never half-hearted when creating his antagonists (and his protagonists too, in that matter).
I should do some more holiday themed reading. Dickens is such a good writer to be reading for the season.
ReplyDeleteI love Anthony Trollope yet I have not read his Christmas stories. I really need to give them a try. Maybe I can sneak them into my reading before the holidays.,
Yes, indeed. I always read Dickens on December. And his Christmas stories is treasure!
DeleteHave fun, Brian, and happy holiday! :)