Wanted: Christmas book suggestions

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This holiday season I find myself craving Christmas and wintery books. I've been saving Strangers at the Feast by Jennifer Vanderbes to read during the week of Thanksgiving, when the book is set, and I'd like to continue that tradition for Christmas. I'm not the kind of reader who wants to read a book simply because it's about Christmas. I want to stick with the genres that work for me: literary fiction, literary mysteries and historical fiction. I began asking around, and the one suggestions I keep hearing is Wally Lamb's Wishin' and Hopin',which I requested from the library. There have to be other books out there, right? I'm hoping you all will wow me with wonderful suggestions.

Here's what I'm looking for:
The books don't necessarily have to be about Christmas or include Christmas in the title, but if part of the story happens to take place around Christmas, I'm in favor of it. As a Midwesterner turned Northeasterner, Christmas is so attached to winter that books featuring winter and snow feel Christmas-y to me too. Feel free to leave a comment or email me with you suggestions. I'll compile a list and post it next Monday. Thanks!

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Comments

  1. (Diane) Bibliophile By the SeaNovember 8, 2010 at 7:41 PM

    Well, my all time favorite was Fannie Flagg's A Redbird Christmas, but I've also enjoyed many of Donna VanLiere's holiday books, and Cleo Coyle wrote a fun mystery last year called: Holiday Grind or and another great mystery (holiday) was Slay Ride; Grabenstein.

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  2. AmusedNovember 8, 2010 at 9:58 PM

    Oh I am so excited to see your list because this is the first year I've been wanting to really read some Christmas themed books too :)

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  3. ZibileeNovember 9, 2010 at 10:17 AM

    I really liked the new Gregory Maguire book, The Next Queen of Heaven. It's not focused on Christmas, but it does have a really funny Christmas scene and has a nice winter feel to it. It's a mixture of comedy and pathos as well, which is something I have always liked.

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  4. Julie P.November 9, 2010 at 3:45 PM

    Loved WISHIN and HOPIN, but I'm a huge fan of Wally Lambs! I enjoyed THE MISCHIEF OF THE MISTLETOE -- part historical fiction, part mystery, part romance and very funny. I also just finished THE PERFECT LOVE SONG which was a sweet romance -- not my usual fare but okay for Christmas.

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