With
Halloween behind us and the Big Unmentionable approaching much more
quickly than I'd like to acknowledge, it's time to look at another
one of my reading quirks. This is all about holiday reads!
A necessary accompaniment for holiday reads. |
Let's
start with the closest one, the one we know as Joulu, Yule,
Christmas... call it what you will, I'm going to claim that books are
an important part of the holiday spirit. For me, they might even be
the best part: to have several days when you don't have to do
much, when you can just sit back and relax and read, read, read.
Candles, the tree, a good book and, another essential, plenty of
chocolate. Yes, that is indeed the best part!
And to
thoroughly enjoy that, you need a good book. You need a great book. A
really wonderful book. Which is why I always start the selection
process well in advance. Or started, anyway... it has become much
easier over the years, because I've decided to always go for certain
favourites, something I can trust to be good.
My choice
is usually something by Guy Gavriel Kay, who has let me down only
once (with “Ysabel”). If he's published a new book that year, I
save it (it's hard but hey, iron will... ;)) until I can open
it on the 23rd of December. If there isn't anything new, I
re-read one of the older ones. Kay is one of the first fantasy
authors whose work I ever read
and it looks like he'll
be the last one as well.
I've always been a very selective reader of fantasy, and lately I've
only read works of a few authors... and since
I keep dropping names
off my list, there will
soon be no one left!
But I'm
not giving up on Kay,
his novels
are everything I can
wish for: they're
entertaining but thought-provoking, there's history
with just a bit
of fantasy (the settings
are fictional, but they are inspired by real
places/locations/cultures),
intriguing
characters, epic events,
a bit of romance, and stunningly
beautiful writing. Yes,
I am a big fan of his style, rather (melo)dramatic and poetic though it may
be. These are books to get lost in, the sort where the
story, the characters, the mood haunt me even
when I'm not reading.
They're the right books
for Midwinter, when the world
lies in darkness, when the wine
is spiced and the candles glow.
Hefty
tomes though most of Kay's books are, one isn't always enough to tide
me over the holidays. Kaari Utrio's novels are also excellent
choices, especially the ones set in Medieval times, or her great
Viking/Crusader trilogy that
takes you on a thrilling
adventure from the pagan
Finland through early
Medieval Europe and
the Byzantine court to the
Middle East and even to
Vinland. These are also
books very rich in detail, in colour, and
that just seems like a perfect fit for the holidays.
And
what about the other holidays? For
Midsummer, I like to choose something set in the pre-Christian
times – it just seems
to suit the magical feel of the Summer Solstice.
And though Halloween hasn't yet established its place in my reading
routine, it has done so regarding the bedtime stories I read
to my daughter. Every year around Halloween we read “The Witch's
Handbook” by Malcolm Bird. What is truly special about this
hilarious book (try reading it and not wanting to be a witch!)
is that I used to adore it as a child – and now my daughter is also
a fan!
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