Felixstowe Book Festival

Book Advent – December 22nd

By

Hello booklovers,

Our guest writer, Anna, brings us today’s Advent treat – a childhood favourite for many and a Christmas classic for all. We are delighted to present The Snowman by the late, great Raymond Briggs.

The Snowman by Raymond Briggs. The beautiful animated film shown for 40 years on channel 4 has become for many an essential part of their Christmas celebrations.  Our dvd version has David Bowie introducing it, adding to the charm.

The book upon which it is based is somewhat different from the film. Ever since my brother got Fungus the Bogeyman in his stocking one year, we have been huge fans of Raymond Briggs. Father Christmas, Father Christmas Goes on Holiday, and The Snowman, quickly followed that wonderful irreverent green snotty book onto our shelves of favourites. Sorting our Christmas books this year, I actually read The Snowman for the first time in awhile. As usual I was surprised by my reading being solely of the stunning succession of pictures, with no accompanying words, the film acknowledging that with its silent animation. But this time I also realised that the book is much less festive than the film. There is no Christmas tree, no Snowman party, no Father Christmas…

Essentially this seems to be a story of friendship, encapsulating the wonder and magic of childhood, but with an edge of things to come in its depiction of loss. Raymond Briggs at his best, never cute or sentimental with his readers however young they maybe. Despite this, the book remains cheek by jowl with all our Christmas titles, it’s message clear as a Christmas bell without the tinsel. And there’s always all that snow to fall back on.

Festive wishes,

Anna x

Book Advent – December 21st

By

Hello booklovers,

Welcome to the solstice – the shortest day of the year. We are in the midst of the darkness, but from tomorrow, little by little, the light will return. With lights in mind, today’s Advent offering will shine through on a gloomy day: The Lights that Dance in the Night by Yuval Zommer.

In this luminous picture book, Yuval Zommer imagines the journey of the northern lights all the way from outer space to earth, and the creatures and people that they meet along the way. From bringing joy to polar bears and intriguing seals and puffins, making whales sing and reindeers shimmer, the lights bring hope to everyone. Stunning illustrations and lyrical verse makes for a beautiful book for families to share over Christmastime when homes are filled with joy and light. May it bring brightness to you in these dark times.

Christmas wishes,

Imogen x

 

Book Advent – December 20th

By

Hello booklovers,

Prepare yourselves for today’s Advent treat, which never fails to bring a tear to my eye. You can peek behind today’s door to find Father Christmas’s Last Present by Marie-Aude and Elvire Murail and illustrated by Quentin Blake.

Father Christmas is all that Julien ever hears about at Christmastime – he is Julien’s parent’s main topic of conversation for months, despite the fact that Julien doesn’t actually believe in him anymore. This doesn’t stop him writing to Father Christmas asking for an expensive present, because he’s fairly sure that good ol’ Saint Nick can afford it. Lo and behold, come Christmas morn, there it is beneath the tree. But there is also another gift tucked away under the tree – it doesn’t look terribly exciting and no one knows who it is from; and yet this present turns out to be the very best present of all.

Take your time over this sweet story, mulling on childhood and Christmastime, and what happens when you eventually grow up.

Yuletide best,

Imogen x

Book Advent: December 19th

By

Hello booklovers,

Christmas is a time steeped in tradition, whether that be reading the same books, listening to festive music or displaying time-old decorations. Our capital city also embraces many traditions, one of them being the beautiful Christmas tree on display in Trafalgar Square. A.N. Wilson’s charming story, The King and the Christmas Tree, is today’s Advent offering, and tells the story of how this tree came to be.

It’s a frosty night in 1940 and German U-boats have reached Oslo. Norway is on the cusp of falling foul of the Nazi regime; but King Haakon VII of Norway refuses to surrender. He escapes to safety in the United Kingdom, becoming a bright beacon of hope and a symbol of resistance for the Norwegian people. As a token of gratitude, Norway have gifted the people of Britain a Christmas Tree – a reminder of kindness, bravery, and the enduring power of Christmas even in times of great challenge for all. This short, sweet story is a great read for children and adults alike, telling a fascinating true story.

Festive wishes,

Imogen and the festival team x

Book Advent: December 18th

By

Hello booklovers,

‘Be gay, spawn! Laugh, stuff yourselves, gorge and forget.’

Thanks to Stella Gibbons, I need no further instruction! Sometimes the only thing that will do at Christmas is snuggling down with a festive classic – with that in mind, we bring you the eye wateringly entertaining Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm. 

Christmas brings utter mayhem and uproar at Cold Comfort Farm. Grim gifts are distributed, turkeys are compared to the insalubrious vulture, and the Starkadders see portents of doom within their own Christmas pudding. One unlucky individual finds the ‘bad sixpence’ – which means he will be penniless by the end of the new year – but another’s fate hangs in the balance as the coffin nail has yet to be discovered.

A quirky, witty and overall sweet selection of stories from the sheer madness of life at Cold Comfort Farm, made even madder at Christmastime, is well worth hunkering down with of a festive afternoon, with a cup of tea and a slice of Christmas cake (hopefully minus the coffin nail…)

Yuletide wishes,

Imogen x

Book Advent – December 17th

By

Hello booklovers,

‘One Christmas was so much like another, in those years around the sea town corner now…’

Hiding behind Advent door number 17, we bring you A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas, a hearty slice of nostalgia for what is a very nostalgic time of year.

This magical account of Dylan Thomas’s own childhood, and of Christmas Day in a small Welsh town has become a modern classic. Featuring tales and rememberings of Christmastime in the valley, of wolves, bears, hippos and Mrs Prothero’s cat, this lyrical piece of prose captures the wonder of Christmas for children and reminds grown ups of that wonder. Wonderful festive bedtime reading for little ones and big ones alike!

Christmas wishes,

Imogen x

Book Advent – December 16th

By

Hello booklovers,

Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel are two of my favourite novels. Atmospheric, evocative stories that keep their reader guessing until the end. So it’s no surprise that her festive short story Happy Christmas, written in 1943, is equally as excellent and affecting- so we were delighted to hide it behind our 16th Advent door.

In Happy Christmas, we meet the Lawrence family – Mr and Mrs Lawrence and their children Bob and Marigold. They live traditional, comfortable, happy and peaceful lives and are looking forward to spending the festive period in their traditional, comfortable, happy and peaceful style.

But all is not so – on Christmas Eve, two Jewish refugees, a man and a woman, turn up on the doorstep with no where else to stay. And the woman is pregnant. The Lawrences do take them in, but ungenerously and ungraciously for a family with so much to offer. The couple ask for very little and, given their reception, eventually disappear as quietly as they arrive. The effect of this on the Lawrences, the guilt and regret it causes them, is a clever dismantling of middle class apathy. Happy Christmas is also a powerful play on the nativity story, conveying the mystery of this time of year, made even more powerful by the current global situation surrounding refugees.

Bookish best,

Imogen

Book Advent – December 15th

By

Hello booklovers,

Today we bring you a magical story of the night before Christmas, brought to us by author Katherine Rundell and beautifully illustrated by Emily Sutton.

It’s Christmas Eve and Theo waits at home with his baby sitter. Gazing out of the window, he sees an unfamiliar star and, as is only right when one sees a strange star, he makes a wish. Now, most children would wish for a present they particularly want, or for a particular festive treat to find upon the dining table on Christmas Day. But Theo -heartbreakingly – wishes for friends, so that he is no longer alone. Sob.

Suddenly, four Christmas decorations come to life, a robin, a fairy, a horse and a drummer boy – four ready made friends for Theo, who each want something different for Christmas. And so, on this Christmas night, Theo goes about making their wishes come true. What follows is a sweet and mischievous series of events after which Theo’s life is never the same again, thanks to the magic of Christmastime.

A glorious festive story to savour.

Bookish best,

Imogen x

Book Advent – December 14th

By

Hello booklovers,

Another tasty treat in stall for you today – dig your teeth into The Little Library Christmas by Kate Young.

I first came across Kate Young as she was interviewed in a food magazine, discussing recipes inspired by her favourite books, and felt an instant connection. I’ve always been interested in how food is portrayed in literature, specifically children’s fiction (I blame a childhood obsession with Turkish Delight on The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe). Kate’s cook books, The Little Library Year and The Little Library Cookbook, are the perfect combination of elements for me: food and books. Her Christmas recipe book is no different. Salivate over meringues and cream, as consumed by the Fossil sisters in Ballet Shoes; slurp away on some eggnog as prepared by Moominmama for fellow moomins in Tove Jansson’s The Fir Tree; prepare Christmas Puddings to put in ones’ hat for emergencies, just as Paddington Bear does on Christmas night.

A tempting concoction of tasty recipes and luminous food writing, which would make a lovely gift to be treasured and read cover to cover every Christmas.

Festive best,

Imogen x

Book Advent – December 13th

By

Hello booklovers,

Behind today’s Advent door we have hidden the festive stories of literary gem, Michael Morpurgo, with Michael Morpurgo’s Christmas Stories.

Michael Morpurgo is a giant of children’s literature and has spent the last 40 years writing thought provoking, imagination igniting novels. His Christmas stories are no different – you can lose yourself in faraway lands and times gone by at Christmastime. In this compilation you can enjoy…

The Goose is Getting Fat

The Best of Times

The Best Christmas Present in the World

On Angel Wings

Each story features illustrations from fantastic artists such as Quentin Blake and Emma Chichester Clarke, which enhance these glorious stories no end.

A bookish treat to curl up with over the holidays.

Yuletide wishes,

Imogen x

Join the conversation…