It’s December already! Can you believe it? December also means, it’s time for this year’s Dear Santa post featuring books I would love to find under the Christmas tree. Ok Santa, are you paying attention?
1. Diary of a Young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty
Even if being a city girl at heart, I still love wildlife and nature. And everyone seems to be absolutely gushing about these nature chronicles written by the 15-year old, autistic Dara McAnulty. Sounds like a must read to me.
2. Burntcoat by Sarah Hall
Is it too soon to read pandemic themed novels? Well, I already acquired Sarah Moss’ The Fell, so I might as well go full in. In Sarah Hall’s Burntcoat the sculptor Edith has reached the last days of her life. She looks back on her life, which has partly been spent in isolation due to a dangerous virus. Apparently, Hall started to write this haunting novel on the first day of lockdown. I am intrigued!
3. Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
I seem to enjoy food related memoirs. Hopefully, this will also be the case for Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner, who is a Korean-American singer, musician and author. The book focuses on her split identity betwen two different cultures, her grief after the death of her mother and lots of food related memories.
4. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
There are certain authors, I think I ought to read. Not because they are famous or influential, but because I think, I’d enjoy their books. Kurt Vonnegut is one of them. Slaughterhouse-Five about war and its effect on humans is probably his best known novel. Like with Murakami, I have a feeling this could go either way – love it or hate it – but I am willing to give it a try.
5. The Appeal by Janice Hallett
I often find modern crime fiction rather generic and I struggle to distinguish one book from another. From what I’ve heard, Janice Hallett’s The Appeal is quite unique. It mainly consists of emails and letters and the reader is encouraged to guess along as more clues are provided. Perfect cosy crime for the Christmas holiday!
These were some of the many books, I would be happy for Santa to deliver. Have you read any of them? Which books are on your wish list?
I’ve read the first and last books on your list. The first I’d highly recommend. The last? I change my mind about it on a frequent basis, which means it gives you plenty to think about! My own must-have list changes so often I’m going to let serendipity take charge..
Good to hear you recommend Diary of a Young Naturalist, I really look forward to reading that. Regarding the last one on the list: I like books which make me think – let’s see what happens, maybe I will enjoy it more than you did. It’s a lovely idea to let serendipity take charge. Maybe Santa can come up with an unexpected gem for you?
I hope so – but not TOO many – my shelves are already too full of TBRs.
Fair enough!
Oh, The Appeal sounds quite interesting, I am craving a good crime novel that forces me to connect dots and clues!
I think The Appeal might be good fun. I am terrible at solving fictional mysteries, so there are no guarantees, I will guess the solution, but I will hopefully enjoy it nevertheless.
I’m not great at it either (at least so far), but I do enjoy a good riddle or a mystery π
Me too! I also liked to be surprised, so I don’t mind that I rarely guess the solution.
Loved Diary of a Young Naturalist and I have The Appeal somewhere on my kindle app!
Yay, glad you loved Diary of a Young Naturalist! I don’t think, I’ve read any negative reviews of it yet.
Great list. I havenβt read any of them but they sound very interesting. Iβve some Christmas themed horror novels I want to give myself this year. They look like fun to read over the holiday.
Thanks Iseult! Hope you are doing well. I’ve heard of Christmas themed cosy crime and romance, but I didn’t know that Christmas themed horror was a thing as well. Hope you enjoy them and I will look out for your reviews.
Thank you! Iβll post my Christmas horror reviews over the holidays.
Excellent!
I haven’t read Kurt Vonnegut in so long. He’s a very interesting writer. Excellent wish list!
Yes, my impression of Vonnegut’s book is that they are interesting and rather unusual. I may not get on with his style, but I feel I need to give it a try! Thanks!
Great selection! Iβm hoping to pick up Burntcoat soon, and I keep hearing very good things about Zaunerβs book, too.
Thanks Callum! Let’s hope we will both enjoy Burntcoat and I agree, I’ve mostly seen very positive reviews of the Zauner memoir.
I’ve not read any of these, but will look into them! Personally, I’d to see the newest Diana Gabaldon and Kelley Armstrong under my tree, or some good Victorian reference novels. Heck, just give me a B&N gift card and we’ll call it at day.
Haha, yes a gift card would definitely be a good general solution, but I fear the post would not have been very interesting, if I opted for that! π I too would enjoy a good Victorian novel. Do you have any special recommendations?
Hi. I was talking with a friend about Vonnegut two days ago. I remember liking Slaughterhouse a lot. He had a distinctive outlook and writing style.
That is good to hear. I look forward to try his writing. It’s definitely my impression that he has quite a distinctive writing style.
I’m intrigued by H-Mart and have heard about it on multiple sites/podcasts, so will probably pick it up at some point. I read Slaughterhouse years ago – it does tend to be a book you love or hate, without much in between, but definitely an author that you should try at least once. π
I’ve heard a lot about H-Mart as well and really look forward to reading it. Someone recently said its subject matters are relatively heavy, so maybe not the obvious book for the Christmas holiday. Haha, yes can easily believe Slaughterhouse is a hate or love it type of novel. Hope I belong in the latter category.
I haven’t read any of these but agree with you about Vonnegut, he’s someone I must get around to too!
Absolutely! I will let you know, how I get on with him, once I’ve tried his writing. It feel a bit like an experiment, which could go horribly wrong! π
The Appeal sounds particularly intriguing.
I think so too! I’ve seen a lot of people loving it!
Haven’t read any, but Crying in H Mart sounds fab! Is it OK if I do a post like this as well on my blog?
I hope it is good, I’ve seen lots of positive reviews! Oh yes, please do! It isn’t my concept, a lot of bloggers do this type of post. I would love to see your wish list! π
I hope so too, here is to hoping we both like it~ Thanks! I have seen similarish book posts, but nothing this specific, so I thought I would ask. Haha. Then I will get to planning the post and having it up in time. π
Great, I will look out for your post!
Well, I hope you’ve been good π
The Appeal is appealing! I love the idea of the reader being part of the story by guessing along.
Now you have me worried – hadn’t really thought of that. π Hope I’ve been good! Most often I am terrible at guessing the solution to fictional mysteries, so I don’t have high hopes for solving The Appeal. But I will give it my best try! (And it was only a matter of time before someone mentioned The Appeal being appealing…π )
I know, my joke was corny! But it appealed to me π
To me too! π
Well… Let me tell you, Stargazer, I just added 5 new books to my wishlist! Great post!
Ah well, sorry about that π€£ Hope you will enjoy, if you get some of them. Thanks!
Do you read ebooks? Because I know a Santa who could send you some of these.
I recently added your #1 to my TBR and also think I should really try #5!
I’d like to get Let’s Eat France!, but my Santa usually doesn’t really visit the house, lol
No, only on rare occasions unfortunately. Great to hear you also want to read #1, I have high hopes for that one and haven’t seen a single negative review. The same goes for #5 although some people have been more reserved in their praise. Oh, I hope Santa will find your house this year (and mine) – alternatively we will just have to buy these books ourselves! π
Slaughterhouse-Five is great. I hope you’ll like it!
I hope so too!
I just added one to my list that I saw on someone’s Instagram feed: Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? They’re fun questions about death and I’m interested to learn things I didn’t know yet (apparently there’s a question what happens when you die in a plane but I’m not sure I want to know the answer as the reviewer was kind of horrified). There’s also a book about what happens in a crematorium, so maybe that one too ;-). As for other, normal books, I think I’d love reading The Appeal as well, so I look forward to your thoughts if Santa brings it to you!
I think, Ive’ heard about Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs, but I am not sure, it’s something for me. I do like to learn new things, but it does perhaps sound a tad morbid? I really hope, I’ll get The Appeal as well, I’ve heard so much about it already and I am starting to fear, it won’t live up my high expectations.
Hope you are doing well and are getting ready for Christmas. I will only have one more week of work, before I start my Christmas holiday. Can’t wait!
Yes itβs definitely a little morbid but itβll answer all the questions you ever had (and those you didnβt know you had yet). Iβm already going to instruct my cat not to eat my eyeballs now just in case π
Wonderful news that you have time off soon! It sounds like you love Christmas (or only the holidays). Personally Iβm not big on Christmas anymore even though I was way back and as a child too. I donβt even have any Christmas decorations now! I got rid of the tree as well when I moved since I hadnβt put it up in years; I wished my cat would find it exciting but even she ignored it that one and only time. π
The eyeball thing sounds pretty scary. Of course, in theory it doesn’t matter if it happens after one is dead, but still…. The thought of if!
I am not a big Christmas person either! I love to have days off work and I love the Christmas food, but other than that, I keep it low key and like you I don’t put up decorations (in any case, I normally spend Christmas in Denmark). Haha, I like that your cat has a similar attitude! π
Yes I’d like to read Burntcoat too. I missed Sarah Hall’s last novel The Wolf Border that I wanted to read so I need to get to this one … which sounds interesting about a similar pandemic. I will see what you think of the Naturalist book. Enjoy these 5 ! I hope Santa hears you … loud & clear.
I have never read anything by Hall, but I’ve heard many people admiring her writing, so I quite look forward to try one of her books. Will (hopefully) write a review of The Naturalist if/when I read it.
Slaughterhouse-Five is very unconventional but I think you will love it. I first read it at 18 and is stayed with me ever since. It had such a powerful effect on me then that I am even afraid to re-read it (so as not to spoil the “magic”). If Vonnegut ever wrote a really really great book, it is this one.
Thanks Diana. It must stand out, when you still remember it today. I know the feeling of not wanting to ruin the fond memories. Some books still hold up many years after, others don’t…