A few holiday titles that I found to be fun reads…
I recently reread Sophie Soames’ In This Bed of Snowflakes We Lie and found it to be just as heartwarming as it was on the first read. The story is set in Norway and just the descriptions of the holiday food made me want to plan my next Christmas in Norway. But the characters are endearing and imperfect. Virtually experiencing this warm accepting family’s embrace of the young man their son is interested in… well it was beautiful.
Planes, Trains, and Hurricanes is a holiday roadtrip by Eli Easton. And although it could have simply fallen into formula, it took a metaphorical left turn and became something more. I’d hate to spoil anything, so I’ll not say too much. I’ll just say the book surprised me by capturing what the holidays should be about. The book became bigger than its parts.
Tomte by Jamie Fessenden is a holiday fantasy. Although the magical world was not developed quite as much as I craved, what is there is wonderful and worth a visit if you enjoy books about the Faerie folk.
If Only In My Dreams is another holiday roadtrip. Keira Andrews is prolific and has a wealth of holiday themed gay romances (in addition to her regular gay romances). This one is perhaps a little atypical from her… maybe. She knows her way around a formulaic gay romance and how to make it fresh. I initially read this book when it came out, but listened to it a couple weeks back and it held up fine. (Her books usually hold up to multiple reads), Lumberjack Under the Tree is another fun holiday romance from Keira Andrews.
Whistling In The Dark by Tamara Allen is not specifically about Christmas, but it is set in NYC just after WW1, and beautifully captures the city as it heads into winter and the holidays. She captures the struggle to survive in tough times and how created family can change our lives. It is a touching story and extremely successful in capturing a time and place. Her other period books: Invitation to the Dance, and The Only Gold are also great reads.
There are many great gay-centric books out there which are themed around the winter holidays. For those of you who have been raised (like me) to think that being gay is not acceptable, the holidays can be a minefield of complicated emotions. Reading an engaging gay romance at this time of year can be centering. A useful reminder that not everyone thinks the same way as those loving family members who fear that you are probably going to hell. Of course you aren’t.
You are not alone. A good book can be a useful tool to stay sane.
