What I'm Reading
"This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England."
- Richard II, William Shakespeare
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1/11/2018 Christmas: A History by Judith Flanders
This book attempts to look at all aspects of the festival of Christmas, starting with the problems of the dating of Jesus' birth to the modern Christmas in Japan being a twentieth century 'holiday of consumption'.
The celebrations surrounding the winter solstice have always existed even before the 'Christmas' of Christianity, and these are covered too. How easily all of these gift-giving and gluttony traditions have been absorbed into Christmas by just about every culture. All the features are there: Christmas trees, tinsel, cards, Charles Dickens, Yule, carolling, turkey, elves and Santa Claus. The history and folklore, what was allowed and what wasn't. The book is packed with facts and theories with appropriate sketches and makes a good reference bank. With this in mind it would be better if each of the thirteen chapters had a title showing what was contained within it instead of a number. It would also have made a change from the usual historical Christmas books if cultures outside of Europe and America had been included more significantly. Besides the final chapter covering Japan, there is very little about African and South American traditions, for example, and they have large Christian populations. Written like a text book this is a brilliant source of information. ajsefton.com/book-reviews
Published by Picador on 1 November 2018.
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Book Search
A
Abbott, Rachel The Sixth Window
Abdullah, Kia Truth Be Told
Adams, Max The King in the North: The Life and Times of Oswald of Northumbria; In the Land of Giants: Journeys Through the Dark Ages
Adams, Richard The Plague Dogs; The Ship's Cat
Alexander, Claire Meredith, Alone
Amherst, Michael The Boyhood of Cain
Amory, Cleveland The Cat Who Came for Christmas
Andrews, Jessica Saltwater
Andrews, Rosie The Leviathan
Atherton, Carol Reading Lessons: The books we read at school, the conversations they spark and why they matter
Atwood, Margaret Cut and Thirst
Austen, Jane Emma
B
Baddiel, Skinner & Lightning Seeds Three Lions: Football's Coming Home
Bainbridge, Beryl Every Man for Himself
Banville, John Snow; April in Spain; The Lock-Up
Barber, Antonia The Mousehole Cat
Barclay, Linwood Take Your Breath Away; I Will Ruin You
Barker, Pat The Ghost Road
Barnes, Julian The Sense of an Ending
Barrie, J.M. Peter and Wendy
Barstow, Stan A Kind of Loving
Beard, Mary Emperor of Rome
Benchley, Peter Jaws
Benedict, Alexandra Murder on the Christmas Express
Berneries, Louis de Light Over Liskeard
Bennett, Robin Fantastic Football
Benson, Jen and Sim Great British Walkies
Berridge, Vanessa Garden Heaven: Inspiration and Escapism for Every Gardener
Bilston, Brian 50 Ways to Score a Goal and other poems
Black, Maggie The Medieval Cookbook
Bloomsbury Yearbooks Writers' & Artists' Yearbook
Blatty, William Peter The Exorcist
Blyton, Enid Five Go To Smuggler's Top
Bolton, Sharon Little Black Lies; The Dark
Bond, Michael A Bear Called Paddington
Borgh, Kate van der And He Shall Appear
Boyd, Douglas Plagues and Pandemics
Bradbury, Ray Fahrenheit 451
Bradford, Phil The Best Kings of the Middle Ages
Bradley, Nick The Cat and the City
Brandon, Nathaniel The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem
Bridges, Chris Sick to Death
Bronte, Charlotte Jane Eyre: An Autobiography
Brownlie, Ali & Woolf, Alex Why Do People Fight Wars?
Brown, Michael A Guide to Medieval Gardens: Gardens in the Age of Chivalry; Medieval Plants and their Uses
Budewitz, Leslie The Christmas Stranger
Bukszpan, Daniel Rush at 50
Burgess, Anthony A Clockwork Orange
Burns, Anna Milkman
Butterworth, Nick One Snowy Night: A Percy the Park Keeper Story; Amanda's Butterfly
C
Campbell, Michele A Stranger on the Beach
Camus, Albert The Outsider
Candlish, Louise The Swimming Pool
Carle, Eric The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Carrisi, Donato The Whisperer's Game
Carver, Martin Sutton Hoo: Burial Ground of Kings?
Castillo, Javier The Snow Girl
Clark, Anne Wyn The Shadows of Hill Manor
Cleeves, Ann The Heron's Cry
Cline, Ernest Ready Player One
Coeur, James Dance of the Rainmakers
Coleman, Keith J. The Afterlife of King James IV
Colgan, Jenny The Christmas Book Hunt
Colister, Linda National Trust Book of Pies
Collins Michelin I-Spy Guides I-Spy Castles: Spy It! Score It!
Compton, Benjamin The Retreat
Conrad, Joseph The Heart of Darkness
Cornwell, Bernard The Last Kingdom; Sword of Kings; Uhtred's Feast: Inside the World of the Last Kingdom
Cowper, Frank Christmas Eve on a Haunted Hulk
Cox, Tom Everything Will Swallow You
Cummins, Fiona When I Was Ten; Into the Dark
D
Dalgliesh, J.M. Homewrecker
Dean, Abigail Girl A; The Death of Us
Dean, Will First Born
Deary, Terry Terrible True Tales: Romans; Terrible True Tales: Egyptians; A History of Britain in Ten Enemies; Terrible True Tales: Stone Age
Denzil, Sarah A. Silent Child
Diamond, Katerina The Teacher
Dickens, Charles A Christmas Carol; The Signalman; The Chimes; The Cricket on the Hearth; The Haunted Man
Dolman, Gary The Eighth Circle of Hell
Dorricott, Fran The Lighthouse
E
Eastham, Kate The Liverpool Nightingales
Edwards, Mark The Magpies; What You Wish For; Follow You Home; The Devil's Work; Killing Cupid; Here To Stay; The House Guest; The Hollows; Keep Her Secret; The Wasp Trap
Eisler, Barry The Killer Collective
Elborough, Travis Atlas of Vanishing Places
Ellis, Bret Easton American Psycho
Ellis, Joy An Aura of Mystery
Esiri, Allie (Editor) A Poem for Every Night of the Year
F
Farrell, Matthew I Know Everything
Faulks, Sebastian Birdsong
Fenton, Reuven Goyhood
Fielder, Hugh Pink Floyd: Behind the Wall
Figes, Orlando The Story of Russia
Filer, Nathan The Shock of the Fall
Finn, A.J. The Woman in the Window
Finney, Clare Hungry Heart
Fitzharris, Lindsey The Facemaker
Flanders, Judith Christmas: A History
Flynn, Gillian Sharp Objects; Dark Places; Gone Girl; The Grownup
Ford, Richard Sorry For Your Trouble
Franchetti, Livia Shelf Life
Frances, Michelle The Girlfriend
Frank, Anita The Lost Ones
French, Dr. Ryan The Sun: Beginner's Guide to Our Local Star
Friend, William Let Him In
G
Garcia, Miki The Caribbean Irish: How the Slave Myth Was Made
Galvin, Anthony Death and Destruction on the Thames in London
Gennoe, Dan All Neon Like Love
Glasfurd, Guinevere The Year Without Summer
Gold, Robert Ten Seconds
Goldin, Megan The Night Swim
Golding, William Lord of the Flies
Gray, Daniel The Silence of the Stands
Gray, Philip Two Storm Wood
Gresham, William Lindsay Nightmare Alley
Griffiths, Elly Now You See Them
Groves, Anna Britain's Ghosts: A Spine-Chilling Tour of Our Most Haunted Places; Hidden Treasures of the National Trust
H
Haddon, Mark The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Hadley-Pryce, Kerry Lie of the Land
Haig, Matt The Midnight Library
Halsall, Rona The Ex-Boyfriend
Hammad, Isabella The Parisian
Hanington, Peter A Single Source
Hardinge, Francis Deeplight
Hardy, Thomas The Mayor of Casterbridge; Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Hart, Andrew The Woman in Our House
Hawkins, Paula The Girl on the Train
Healey, Emma Sweat
Healey, Jonathan The Blazing World: A New History of Revolutionary England
Heap, Joe Life Number Nine
Hemingway, Ernest For Whom the Bell Tolls
Henriquez, Cristina The Great Divide
Hickey, Christine Dwyer Our London Lives
Hill, Justin Shieldwall
Hislop, Malcolm A Guide to the Medieval Castles of England
Holmes, Marianne All Your Little Lies
Horst, Jorn Lier Dregs
Hubbard, Ben Lost at Sea! Shipwrecks
Hunter, Megan Days of Light
Hurley, Graham Limelight
Hutchinson, Gillian Sir John Franklin's Erebus and Terror Expedition
Huxley, Aldous Brave New World
I
Iggulden, Conn Wars of the Roses: Stormbird; The Gates of Athens
Irving, Washington The Legend of Sleepy Hollow; Old Christmas
J
Jackson, Shirley The Haunting of Hill House; We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Jacobson, Howard The Finkler Question
James, Henry The Turn of the Screw
James, Linh Le #Toots
James, Maggie Blackwater Lake
Jensen, Louise All For You; The Intruders
Jewell, Lisa Watching You; The Family Upstairs; The Night She Disappeared; The Family Remains; None of this is True
Johnson, Alex 100 Words for Rain: And everything else you need to know about British weather; While There is Tea, There is Hope
Jones, Terry Terry Jones' Medieval Lives
K
Kabler, Jackie The Vanishing of Class 3B; The Life Sentence
Kane, Ben Spartacus: The Gladiator; The Shrine; Lionheart
Katz, Ani A Good Man
Kaufman, Andrew E. Twisted
Kawaguchi,Toshikazu Before the Coffee Gets Cold
Kay, Adam Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas
Kay, Susan Legacy
Keegan, Claire Small Things Like These
Kelly, Erin He Said/She Said
Kent, Anna The House of Whispers
Kern, Adam I Am the Secret Footballer
Khan, Vaseem The Girl in Cell A
Kindelsperger, Kim Creepy Kitchen
Kinsella, Patrick 100 Secret Walks
Koepp, David Aurora
Koontz, Dean The Bad Weather Friend
Kostova, Elizabeth The Historian
Kuang, Rebecca F. Yellowface
Kunzru, Hari Red Pill
Kwon Yeo-sun Lemon
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Lake, Cathy The Country Village Allotment
Lanchester, John The Wall; Reality and Other Stories
Lawrence, D.H. The Rainbow
Lea, Zoe The Secretary
Lefteri, Christy The Beekeeper of Aleppo
Leitch, Fiona A Cornish Christmas Murder
Leky, Mariana What You Can See From Here
Levy, Deborah The Man Who Saw Everything
Leyser, Henrietta Beda: A Journey Through the Seven Kingdoms in the Age of Bede
Leyva, Jasmine The Invisible Vegan (documentary)
Linford, Jenny The Great British Food Tour: A Journey Around Britain's Best Dishes and Iconic Ingredients
Linley, Sarah The Wedding Murders
Logan, T.M. Lies; Trust Me; The Curfew
Lonely Planet Your Trip Starts Here: Journeys of self-discovery
Lonsdale, Kerry Last Summer
Lowe, Katie The Furies
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Maalouf, Amin On the Isle of Antioch
MacBride, Stuart The Tasting Menu
MacDonald, Elizabeth A Matter of Interpretation
Mackintosh, Clare I See You; Other People's Houses
MacLean, Alistair Athabasca
Maginn, Simon Sheep
Mancini, Ruth The Woman on the Ledge
Mark, David Suspicious Minds
Marquez, Gabriel Garcia One Hundred Years of Solitude
Marshall, Laura Friend Request
Marston, Edward The Railway Detective's Christmas Case
Martel, Yann Life of Pi
Martia, Astron Del One Against Time
Martin, Claudia Ancient Rome: Visual Explorer Guide
Matthews, David Voices of the Windrush Generation
Mayhew, Mickey House of Tudor: A Grisly History
McCann, Colum Apeirgon
McDonald, Helen H is for Hawk
McGowan, Claire What You Did; The Other Wife; The Push
Melville, Herman Moby Dick
Meredith, Harry Marcus Rashford: Football Rising Stars
Michaelides, Alex The Silent Patient; The Maidens
Michallon, Clemence The Quiet Tenant
Miller, Suzie Prima Facie
Mills, Colin Bitter Passage
Minix, Sue A Murderous Plot
Moncrieff, Ada Murder at the Theatre Royale
Moore, Inga Six Dinner Sid
Moreton, Cole The Light Keeper
Morgan, Sarah The Christmas Escape
Morrison, Dorothy Yule: A Celebration of Light & Warmth
Mosse, Kate The Taxidermist's Daughter;
Mulrooney, Greta Never Came Home
Murray, Paul The Bee Sting
Myers, Benjamin The Gallows Pole; The Offing; The Perfect Golden Circle; Male Tears; Cuddy; Rare Singles
Myers, Dr. Rebecca Inside Job
N
Nancollas, Tom The Ship Asunder: A Maritime History in Eleven Vessels
Napolitano, Ann Dear Edward
National Geographic [Kids] Everything Anglo-Saxons: Unearth History with Facts, Photos and Fun
National Trust Britain's Landmarks and Legends; The Shell Spotter's Guide; 100 Words for Rain; National Trust on Screen: Discover the Locations that made Film & TV Magic; Garden Heaven; Great British Walkies; Book of Pies; The Great British Food Tour; Hidden Treasures of the National Trust; 100 Secret Walks; Britain's Folklore Year
Natsukawa, Sosuke The Cat Who Saved Books
Netley, Rebecca The Whistling
Neuvel, Sylvain Only Human
Norman, Mark Britain's Folklore Year
Norman, Philip Shout! The True Story of The Beatles
Nugent, Ashleigh Locks
Nuttall, Alice The Zombie Project
O
O'Brien, Anne A Tapestry of Treason
O'Farrell, Maggie Hamnet
Osman, Richard The Thursday Murder Club
Oyeyome, Helen Gingerbread
P
Parker, Philip History of Cities in Maps
Parsons, Tony #Taken; The People Next Door
Patchett, Ann The Dutch House
Patterson, James Criss Cross
Paver, Michelle Wakenhyrst
Peers, Chris Offa and the Mercian Wars
Pert, Rebecca Still Water
Pinborough, Sarah Insomnia
Pine, Alex The Killer in the Cold
Pobi, Robert City of Windows
Post, Andrew Chop Shop
Postorino, Rosella The Women at Hitler's Table
Potter, Beatrix The Tale of Peter Rabbit; The Tailor of Gloucester
Pratesi, Matilde Pig
Price, Rosie What Red Was
Pride, Christine & Piazza, Jo We Are Not Like Them
Q
Quinn, Anthony The Mouthless Dead
Quinn, Frances The Smallest Man
R
Raisin, Ross God's Own Country
Ramos, Joanne The Farm
Ramos, Kate Plant Powered Mexican
Rashford, Marcus You Are a Champion
Reagon, Carly Hear Him Calling
Reeve, Alex The Anarchists' Club
Reid, Iain We Spread
Remarque, Erich Maria All Quiet on the Western Front
Rennison, Nick 1922: Scenes From a Turbulent Year
Richardson, Nigel The Accidental Detectorist: Uncovering an Underground Obsession
Richardson, Tim The English Landscape Garden: Dreaming of Arcadia
Rider, Claire E. & McDonald, Neil A-Z Liverpool Hidden Walks: Discover 20 Routes In and Around the City
Robertson, C.S. The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill
Rooney, Sally Normal People
Roper, Richard Something to Live For
Rosen, Michael Many Different Kinds of Love
Rouda, Kaira What the Nanny Saw
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone; Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix; Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Royce, Deborah Goodrich Finding Mrs Ford
Rudd, Alyson The First Time Lauren Paling Died
Russell, Kate Elizabeth My Dark Vanessa
Ryder, Richard D. Victims of Science: The Use of Animals in Research
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Sacks, Michelle The Dark Path
Sadler, John & Serdiville, Rosie Cromwell's Convicts: The Death March from Dunbar in 1650
Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye
Samuels, Robert & Olorunnipa, Toluse His Name is George Floyd
Sapkowski, Andrzej Blood of Elves.
Scales, Dr Helen The Shell Spotters' Guide
Scott, Anika Finding Clara
Sefton, A.J. Growing In Damp Places
Selman, Victoria Truly, Darkly, Deeply
Shabata, Motoyuki & Goossen,Ted & Taylor, Meg (editors) MONKEY Volume 2 by Shibata, Kawakami, Ito, Murakami, Matsuda, Furukawa, (authors)
Sigurdardottir, Yrsa The Absolution
Simmons, Dan The Terror
Singer, Brett The Petting Zoo
Skalietska, Yeva You Don't Know What War Is
Slater, K.L. The Silent Ones; The Apartment; The Girl She Wanted; The Evidence; Deleted Message; The Lucky Winners
Slaughter, Karin False Witness
Smith, Scott A Simple Plan
Smith, Wilbur Call of the Raven
Smith, Zadie Grand Union
Sphere (publisher) The Winter Spirits: Ghostly Tales for Frosty Nights by Collins, Bridget; Hermes Gowar, Imogen; Pulley, Natasha; Kidd, Jess; Michael Hurley, Michael; Macneal, Elizabeth; Purcell, Laura; Millwood Hargrave, Kiran; Turton, Stuart; Ward, Catriona; Shepherd-Robinson, Laura; Stokes-Chapman, Susan
Stevenson, Benjamin She Lies in the Vines
Stockham, Alison The Cuckoo Sister
Stoker, Bram Dracula
Stokes-Chapman, Susan The Shadow Key
Stonex, Emma The Lamplighters; The Sunshine Man
Strang, Em Quinn
Strauss, Barry Ten Caesars
Stuart, Amy A Death at the Party
Stuart, Douglas Shuggie Bain
Swanson, Louise Lights Out
Swift, Graham Last Orders
T
Tan Twan Eng The Garden of Evening Mists; The House of Doors
Tartt, Donna, The Goldfinch
Taylor, Pamela Pestilence
Thaine, Craig Teaching and Developing Writing Skills
Tierney, Marie Deadly Animals
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings; Letters From Father Christmas
Trafford, J.D. Without Precedent
Travers, P.L. Mary Poppins
Turow, Scott The Last Trial
Tyce, Harriet A Lesson in Cruelty
V
Valentine, Danielle Delicate Condition
Vatner, Jonathan Carnegie Hill
Vaughan, Sarah Anatomy of a Scandal
Vegara, Maria Isabel Sanchez Jurgen Klopp
Venning, Timothy Royal Mysteries of the Anglo-Saxons and Early Britain
Vintage (publisher) A Scandinavian Christmas by Andersen, Hans Christian; Knausgaard, Karl Ove; Lagerlof, Selma; Hjorth, Vigdis
Vonnegut, Kurt Slaughterhouse Five
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Walker, Nico Cherry
Walker, Rosie The House Fire
Walsh, Colin Kala
Ward, Catriona The Last House on Needless Street
Ware, Ruth The Tale of Mrs Westaway; The Woman in Cabin 10; The It Girl
Watson, S.J. Before I Go to Sleep; Final Cut
Weston, Kate Murder on a School Night
Wetherell, Sam Liverpool and the Unmaking of Britain
Whitehead, Colson The Nickel Boys
Whitehead, Richard The Times World Cup Moments
Wildwood, Rob Magical Britain: 650 Enchanted and Mystical Sites
Willder, Louise Blurb Your Enthusiasm: An A-Z of Literary Persuasion
Williams, C.K. The Woman at No. 13
Williams, J. T. Portraits and Poison
Williams, Ursula Moray Gobbolino the Witch's Cat
Wilson, Antoine Mouth to Mouth
Wilson, Ryan Let That Be a Lesson
Wimpenny, Jo Aesop's Animals
Wise, Frances The Book Game
Wood, Benjamin Seascraper
Wood, Michael The Mind of a Murderer
Wood, Naomi The Hiding Game
Woods, Evie The Lost Bookshop
Woods, Hannah Rose Rule Nostalgia: A Backwards History of Britain
Woolf, Jo Britain's Landmarks and Legends
Woolf, Virginia A Room of One's Own; To the Lighthouse; How Should One Read A Book?
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Yuzuki, Asako Butter
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Zephaniah, Benjamin Talking Turkeys
Zimbardo, Philip G. & Johnson, Robert L. Psychology According to Shakespeare: What You Can Learn about Human Nature from Shakespeare's Great Plays
Zusak, Markus The Book Thief
Books are listed by publication date. Number of reviews available: 511.
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