Hello booklovers, Behind today’s Advent door we bring you a slice of festive non-fiction in the form of Merry Midwinter by Gillian Monks. I came across this delightful and unusual little book last year in an independent bookshop and haven’t looked back since. Gillian provides her reader with a facsimile of facts, hints and tips you could […]

Hello booklovers, The story of the Nativity itself is of course a central tenet of the Christian belief system and provides a background that we may take for granted as we prepare for the feast of Christmas. The solid presence of the stable and its familiar occupants is so strong as both a visual and […]

Hello booklovers, ‘Jo was the first to wake in the grey dawn of Christmas morning. No stockings hung at the fireplace, and for a moment she felt as much disappointed as she did long ago, when her little sock fell down because it was so crammed with goodies. Then she remembered her mother’s promise, and, slipping […]

Hello booklovers, Behind today’s Advent door I present you with a very special book of mine. Given to me by my grandparents the Christmas after I returned home from my first term at University, A Literary Christmas is very precious to me. This anthology is to all intents and purposes a literary Christmas stocking, full to the […]

Hello booklovers, All hail the magnificent Michael Rosen who has been bringing joy, fun and a great deal of common sense into the literary world for many years. His impact on the literary diet of generations of children, from the wonderful ‘Chocolate Cake’ to the brilliant ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ and so very […]

Hello booklovers, Our outgoing Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy is behind today’s Advent door, bringing with her one of her magnificent festive poems, Pablo Picasso’s Noel. Throughout this charming little book, beautifully illustrated by Léa Maupetit, we follow Pablo Picasso and his dog on an artistic journey around a small town in France on Christmas Eve. […]

Hello booklovers, What is it about Christmas and night time? Despite the darkness and cold which would usually induce grumbles and misery, Christmas evenings are my favourite time of the day. I love seeing Christmas lights brighten up dark windows as the sun goes down, and the beauty of a cold starry night is a […]

Hello booklovers, All hail Shirley Hughes, providing the most decorative of bookish back drops to my childhood and that of my children,  whose literary and illustrative genius definitely comes to the fore at this time of year. Her Christmas treats – Alfies Christmas, Lucy and Tom’s Christmas, The Christmas Eve Ghost to name but a […]

Hello booklovers, I am thrilled to bring you festive literary fans a Christmas anthology from one of my all time favourite writers, Jeanette Winterson. Christmas Days is an anthology with a tale and a recipe for each of the twelve days of Christmas. A lovely celebration of the period of time after Christmas day where traditionally […]