News room: The Twelve Books of Christmas

The Twelve Books of Christmas by Jessica Barrah

Bored of reading ‘A Christmas Carol’ at this time of year? Here are some new reading suggestions, very tenuously linked to Christmas via the lyrics of ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’.







1. A Partridge In A Pear Tree

I, Partridge: We Need To Talk About Alan

What other book could we suggest for a partridge themed book? "The autobiography of (fictional) broadcaster Alan Partridge is even funnier when you hear the audiobook, read by Alan’s alter ego, Steve Coogan.










2. Two Turtle Doves

Two Turtle Doves: A Memoir of Making Things

Two Turtle Doves by Alex Monroe apparently “traces the intimate journey of how an idea is transformed from a fleeting thought into an exquisite piece of jewellery.” So that’s nice.








3. Three French Hens

You could go for the magnificently named How to Raise Chicks, Including Revision of Facts About White Diarrhoea: A Practical Book That Tells How to Select and Manage Breeding Fowls by Prince T Woods. Or for a more continental experience, read about hens in French (and English) with Handa’s Hen.







4. Four Calling Birds

Apparently it wasn’t always ‘calling birds’ but perhaps ‘colly birds’ which are in fact, blackbirds. So how about getting back to nature with The Blackbird Diaries: A Year with Wildlife.










5. Five Gold Rings

We could venture to suggest Pride and Prejudice, as “it is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” There are five daughters in the Bennet family who will all eventually be ‘in need a husband’ – and therefore five gold rings. This is the children’s ‘Seek and Find’ version, where you need to search for characters illustrated in the book – a kind of ’Where’s Mr Darcy?‘. If that doesn’t take your fancy, then how about The Lord of The Rings?








6. Six Swans A-Swimming

Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova is a beautiful picture book biography perfect for aspiring ballerinas of all ages.










7. Seven Geese A-Laying

The classic The Snow Goose by Paul Gallico is set in the Essex marshes, and is the story about the relationship between a hunchback and a small girl. A bit different from to the other classic from that county, the ITV show, ‘The Only Way Is Essex’.










8. Eight Maids A-Milking

Another classic from Thomas Hardy – Tess of The D’Urbervilles tells the tragic story of a beautiful young girl, who, essentially for our purposes, is at one point a milk maid in a dairy. The tale may not be so jolly, but the good news is, it’s on sale on Amazon for £0.01. Happy Christmas!











9. Nine Ladies Dancing

We could refer back to number six, the book about Anna Pavlova, or the Strictly Come Dancing Annual, but you could also read the many volumes of Antony Powell’s A Dance to the Music of Time.










10. Ten Lords-A-Leaping
Who can resist the flashing legs and mahogany skin of Irish dancer, Michael Flatly? Find out more than you probably want to know about him by reading his autobiography The Lord of The Dance.

Leaping can be a leap of faith, as well as a physical leap, and so if for some bizarre reason Michael Flatley holds no attraction for you, then we suggest The Leap: The Psychology of Spiritual Awakening.








11. Eleven Pipers Piping

Read about Scotland’s magical sprites as well as those droning pipes, with Bagpipes, Beasties and Bogles. with charming Quentin Blake-esque illustrations.








12. Twelve Drummers Drumming

If you’re feeling like a more high-brow read, then how about The Tin Drum by winner of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Literature, Gunter Grass? Or if you fancied something different, then may we suggest The Little Drummer Girl by John Le Carré


We hope you have a wonderful Christmas and look forward to seeing your new books published with us in 2018!


Further reading:

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Written by
Jessica Barrah
Published on
19/12/2017
Tags
Publishing, Self-publishing, Books, and Christmas
https://www.completelynovel.com/articles/the-twelve-books-of-christmas
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