Christmas reads 2017

This December I have decided to read Christmassy novels for the whole month. Some were good, some were not, but overall feeling very Xmassy indeed!!!

Merry Xmas everyone! 

Seven days of us - F. Honrak 

A lot of secrets for such a small family! A pleasant read, very interesting to snoop a "posh" London family Christmas traditions.

Rating:  7 out of 10

The Mitford murders - J. Fellowes

A mix between and "old fashioned" crime story and an upstairs/downstairs one. Pleasant enough, interesting characters, a lovely cover!

Rating:  7 out of 10

Kissing Christmas goodbye - M.C. Beaton

Novel number 18 for Agatha Raisin, who always entertains me. Not the best of the serie, but nice enough.

Rating:  `6 out of 10

A redbird Christmas - F. Flagg

The idea behind the plot is interesting, however I found it quite dull.

Rating: 5 out of 10

The sense of Smilla for snow - P, Hoeg

I was really looking forward to reading this, having heard good comments over the years, but I couldn't get into it at all...

Rating:  Abandoned

Crime at Christmas - C. H. B. Kitchin

A good, old fashioned British crime novel set at Christmas. Very enjoyable.

Rating:  6,5 out of 10

Winter Street - E. Hildenbrend

A great Xmassy read, cozy, cheesy but not too much, a warm family saga.

Rating:  7,5 out of 10

The Santa Klaus murder - M. D. Hay

Another classic crime novel, another problematic family with a lot of secrets. A bit too slow in my view.

Rating;  5 out of 10

Winter stroll - E. Hildenbren

Book 2 of the Winter Street Inn serie. Again very pleasant, enjoyable and Xmassy.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Mystery in white - L. J. Farjeon

Third classic crime novel for this Xmas and again, really enjoyed it, loving the old school crime writers!

Rating:  6,5 out of 10

Book Review: Seven days of us - F. Hornak

A very Christmassy book. Firstly I so love this cover, I love the colours, the title, the little house.
A posh family, mother, father and two daughters in their thirties, are to spend a whole week in their family house in Norfolk with no external contacts as the eldest daughter Olivia is in quarantine after volunteering to cure Haag in Africa as a doctor.
But this is not a normal family, it's a family where almost everybody as a big secret which it is going to come out, in a way or another, during this forced cohabitation.
I loved "spying" into the holidays of a upper/middle-class London family, even if a very unusual holiday, and see their Christmas and New Year traditions, and the dynamics of the family life.
I really liked Olivia, albeit her coldness and snobbishness to begin with.
I found the father, who I liked at the beginning, becoming weaker and weaker as a person through the novel and I quite dislike him towards the end.
Despite being an unreal setting, and a lot of secrets for such a small family, I really enjoyed this book, witty, Christmassy, engrossing.
A very nice read for the holiday season!


Overall rating: 7      Plot: 7     Writing style: 7      Cover:  9

Title: Seven days of us

Author: Francesca Hornak
Publisher: Piatkus
Pages: 384
Publication year: 2017

Plot:

It's Christmas, and the Birch family is gathering for the first time in years.Emma is elated at having everybody under one roof, but her oldest child, Olivia, is only home because she has nowhere else to go. She's just returned from treating an epidemic abroad and must stay in quarantine for a week - and so, too should her family.For the next seven days, no one can leave the house and no one can enter.It doesn't sound too hard. But a week with your nearest and dearest can feel like an eternity, especially when they're all harbouring secrets. One of whom is about to come knocking at their door...

The Author:

Francesca Hornak is a journalist and writer, whose work has appeared in newspapers and magazines including The Sunday Times, The Guardian, Marie Claire, Red, Grazia and Stylist. Her column History Of The World In 100 Modern Objects first appeared in The Sunday Times Style Magazine in 2013 and ran for two years, later becoming a title with Portico. Francesca is also the author of a second non-fiction book, Worry with Mother.