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Hello booklovers,

Behind today’s Advent door we have hidden another festive scene from a classic novel – today we bring you Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

The Brontes do not scream Christmas, more the gothic – novels crammed with bleak and windy moors, ghostly figures and women hidden in the attic don’t necessarily make a reader feel festive. However there is a short passage in Jane Eyre where our eponymous heroine prepares her new home for guests at Christmas – a moment of rare simple pleasure for Jane.

‘Happy at Moor House I was, and hard I worked; and so did Hannah; she was charmed to see how jovial I could be amidst the bustle of a house turned topsy-turvy – how I could brush, dust, and clean, and cook. And really after a day of two of confusion worse confounded, it was delightful, by degrees, to invoke order from the chaos ourselves have made.’

I write this as our family have just decorated our Christmas tree – as with Jane, our house is indeed ‘topsy-turvy’ with the preparations, covered in boxes, tinsel and treasures waiting to be put on display for the festive season – we do the same thing every year and, amidst the mayhem, makes me feel truly festive. When Jane is finished she sees her home as ‘a complete model of bright modest snugness within, as it was, at this season, a specimen of wintry waste and desert dreariness without’. Here we get a taster of the Bronte home at Christmastime, acknowledging the joys that the lights and the routines of Christmastime bring to the bleakest of midwinters.

Why not hunker down with Jane Eyre over the holidays?

Yuletide wishes,

Imogen x

Hello booklovers,

Behind today’s Advent door we indulge in some festive poetry by the one and only Carol Ann Duffy.

My Christmas has been wildly improved by the knowledge that Carol Ann Duffy has brough out a new festive poem this year. Advent Street, like our own bookish advent calendar, invites readers to open each window in Advent street – and hiding behind each is a precious gift.

I have been the lucky recipient of Carol Ann’s festive poems at Christmastime for years, and the news of her new work made me want to revisit my collection. Each is a delight – Dorothy Wordsworth’s Christmas Birthday captures the waiting and the wonder of Christmas Eve; The Christmas Truce  imagines that infamous Christmas of 1914, where peace ruled the day over war; The Wren Boys takes us to an Irish Boxing Day, where out into the cold and the wind come the Wren Boys on their hunt for the eponymous bird. There are plenty of others to choose from, all beautifully formed in square tomes with gorgeous illustrations. I look forward to adding the latest poetic offering to my treasured collection, and I hope you will too.

Bookish best,

Imogen

Hello booklovers,

Today we indulge in a rather gorgeous picture book by Zeb Soanes and James Mayhew – Gaspard’s Christmas.

Gaspard’s Christmas has the look and feel of a classic festive story – yet it was only published this year! Perhaps it is the marvelous combination of sweet central characters, timeless themes and beautiful illustrations that makes this feel like a traditional part of my festive bookish repertoire already.

Gaspard the fox is on his nightly roam around London when he discovers an old man asleep in a bus stop. He is freezing, homeless and not very well. Gaspard rallies his animal pals and together they get their new friend – Nikolas – to the safety and warmth of a local centre for homeless people where he is cared for. A hot shower and a hot meal restores him and access to the internet means he can contact his family. Thanks to Gaspard, he won’t spend Christmas alone.

Whilst this is a playful read, it still packs a punch. Access to hot water, hot food, the internet, spending time with my nearest and dearest at special times of year – these are all things I take for granted and yet for so many they are a rarity, or not accessible at all.  Given current circumstances, and the suffering and sadness experienced by so many at the moment, this feels even more stark. However the kindness of Gaspard and his friends shows the common thread that runs through us all in the tough times and the good: kindness.

Bookish best,

Imogen and the festival team x

Hello booklovers,

We treat you today to some historical fiction set during the Christmas season, The Silent Stars Go By by Sally Nicholls. 

Sally Nicholls is one of the finest historical writers for children and young adults out there. I love her ‘A Christmas in Time’ series, but have chosen the thoughtful and nuanced ‘The Silent Stars Go By’ as todays choice.

Set in the immediate aftermath of the First World War, this book conveys with painful clarity the scarring effect of war on communities and families, with the festive season bringing this to the surface. Painful secrets have been buried in shallow graves and the awful ramifications of what were good intentions are brewing. Three years ago, Margot’s life was turned upside down when her fiance, Harry, went missing in action on the Western Front, leaving her with a dark secret, difficult to conceal from her family. Christmas 1919 has wheeled round and all the family return for Christmas for the first time since the end of the war. It is not only a family reunion for Margot, but a romantic one, as Harry reappears once more, hoping to rekindle their relationship.

An interesting historical need, revealing fascinating details about the lives and roles of women in post-war society, with some lovely period details about Christmases past to boot.

Festive wishes,

Imogen and the Festival Team x

Hello booklovers,

Today’s merry offering is The Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater. Sit back and relax for some meditative, seasonal food writing.

A delightful compendium of wintery musings, recipes and anecdotes in Nigel’s trademark thoughtful writing style. He takes us from Autumn to March with a potent mix of family stories, seasonal observations topped off with ideas for tasty treats and delicious recipes for Christmastime. You can also enjoy listening to Nigel’s mellifluous narration via audiobook. Enough to cheer even the most world weary, offering a fresh perspective on a special time of year.

Bookish best,

The Felixstowe Book Festival Team x

Hello booklovers,

Advent treat number 7 is here – today we are delighted to bring you Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May. 

You can’t escape the fact that times are tough at the moment, both globally and locally, sometimes made all the harder at this time of year where jollity pervades every aspect of daily life, on the radio, in the shops and on the TV. Christmas is a nice escape from reality but real life does go on – and for anyone living through testing times, Wintering by Katherine May should be prescribed reading. Using the metaphor of the seasons, Katherine gently suggests how the ‘winters’ of our lives – the aftermath of testing times – should be filled with moments of rest and repair so that we can come back anew, like flowers, birds and animals do as Spring rolls around once more.

Comforting and soul nourishing, this is a book for anyone who needs to retreat from normal life and from the festivities for a while.

Wintery best,

Imogen and the Festival Team x