Monthly Bookish Blog

Hello booklovers, On the 7th day of Advent, we give those needing an escape from all this merriment a tale from one of our most prestigious crime writers, P. D. James. The Mistletoe Murder is a wonderfully self aware collection of four short crime stories with a festive theme threaded through each. The eponymous The Mistletoe Murder is a […]

Hello booklovers, There appears to be an inadvertent feline theme to this year’s festival Advent calendar – we will try and introduce some other species into the mix at some point, but for now it seems that cats are winning the day. Which brings me to a certain literary cat whose antics usually involve her […]

Hello booklovers, Two stories for the price of one today. Rumer Godden wrote so beautifully, and was a particular favourite of mine, as a child. Her tales set at Christmas are a particular joy. The Fairy Doll and The Story of Holly and Ivy feature two small girls and two dolls, none of whom are […]

Hello booklovers, Behind Advent door number four, we bring you a story which, whilst not necessarily classed as a piece of Christmas literature, certainly has its festive associations. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first tale in The Chronicles of Narnia, tells the story of the four Pevensie siblings, Lucy, Peter, Susan and Edmund. Evacuated from London […]

Hello booklovers, At this time of year, I am reminded of a conversation that took place over 30 years ago, between my mother and my soon to be father in law. Reminiscences about their respective childhoods revealed a shared Christmas experience. In the late 1940s, young Ken and even younger Dorothy were both glued to […]

Hello booklovers, Behind Advent door number two you will find a family literary favourite – Cat in the Manger by Michael Foreman. This sweet story involves a rather grumpy mog who frequents a manger in a stable. From the offset it is clear that this particular feline is not keen on anything disrupting his cosy set- up, […]