Reading Festive Books: Abby Clements and Dave Cornmell

I decided I’d only read festive books between now and Christmas, I asked you what I should read, some of you recommended (thank you!). Here’s what I’ve been reading, so far, PLEASE DO keep those festive read ideas coming…

Childhood friends Laurie and Rachel used to be inseparable - but their lives have taken very different paths since they picked up their A-level results together. Now thirty-five, they have all but fallen out of touch; glamorous single girl Laurie is based in London and dedicated to her career in fashion; Rachel seemingly living the family idyll in Yorkshire. But when Rachel’s mother-in-law needs urgent treatment in London, and disasters at work and in her love life mean Laurie needs to flee, a house swap falls into place.

Soon gentle Rachel is far from the village bake sales, braving the city’s mean streets while trying to keep her marriage and family together; while Laurie attempts to work an Aga, befriend the wary village locals - and forget the man who seems intent on breaking her heart.

Will their relationships survive this test? And will they make it home for Christmas?

Glitter! Baubles! Snowflakes! The cover of ‘Meet Me Under the Mistletoe’ made me prepare a huge mug of hot chocolate (and cream) and open a box of After Eights. This was a ‘read in two sittings’ kind of book (meaning the box of After Eights took just two sittings too), largely involving my ignoring everyone else and escaping into a countdown to Christmas.

With two characters (one character single, one married), two voices and two settings (London and Yorkshire), the narratives contrast and compliment. We all know the Christmas film ‘The Holiday’, well the house-swapping in this narrative happens before Christmas, isn’t at all Hollywood and has a truly British feel to it. Darker subject matters are touched on, fleetingly, but there is no dwelling because ‘Meet Me Under the Mistletoe’ is about overcoming, not sinking.

Each chapter begins with a date, showing the reader the distance to Christmas. The two characters have their own storyline, but it is the community that they step into that allows the two threads to loop together. There are twists, there is emotion, there is snow. I especially liked that the married couple were shown to love and desire each other, even after years of being together. That was refreshing.

‘Meet Me Under the Mistletoe’ is a light, fun, feel-good Christmas read. It explores the importance of friendship and community, it looks at parenting (and how hard it is), it considers that one love that you can’t ever seem to get over. Oh yes, and throw in the gingerbread stars recipe at the back, this one is ideal for the dark nights. And the message delivered, because every good Christmas book has one, well ‘Meet Me Under the Mistletoe’ talks about the importance of reassessing and focusing on what’s truly important. Life flashes away, people work too hard, we miss all that we have, we’re not brave enough to grab opportunities, we let true love walk away… I guess, maybe, this Christmas, it’s time to reassess…

And, I blogged about ’364 Days of Tedium: or What Santa Gets up to on his Days Off‘ a couple of years ago, but now it’s out in paperback and I’ve revisited and feel the need to blog about it again.

Have you ever wondered what Santa does on his days off? After all he only has to work one day a year, giving him 364 days of leisure. Well, that was the question that the twisted genius mind of Dave Cornmell set out to answer in a rather hilarious book aptly titled ’364 Days of Tedium: or What Santa Gets up to on his Days Off‘.

I guess I should also offer a word of warning, this is not a book to read to your kids on Christmas Eve! Cornmell is not afraid to push the limits with images of Drunken Santa, Sexually Compromised Santa and Obese Santa littered throughout the book. One of my favourite strips is the naked elf dream and Santa’s inappropriate relationship with one of his reindeers has left me cringing and chuckling, in equal measure.

Some of the cartoons are stand alone, delivering a single joke or pun, yet others build on unfolding narratives which hold the book together. One nice feature of Cornmell’s book is that Santa is not the only character. The writer has worked hard to build a world with elves, reindeers, Mrs Claus and even a rubber Mr. Whale and Ducky adding to the rich tapestry of cartoons. Another of my most favourite strips (on 17th February) involves Mr Whale and Ducky and an eye spy game… “Something beginning with ‘P’.” (Really, I am still chuckling about it)

Cornmell sets the bar high with his jokes, but maintains a constant level of comedy and cringe worthiness. Yet, for me, what absolutely made this book was that every few pages I stumbled on an absolute gem, a short comic strip that I was still giggling about a few hours or days later.

I’d absolutely recommend ’364 Days of Tedium: or What Santa Gets up to on his Days Off‘ to anyone with a slightly dark and warped sense of humour. It is a definite gift for the festive season.