Good morning friends. This is my return to the blog in quite some time, my last post being the end of January. It has been the longest time off and honestly was due to a 'case of the blahs'. Too much pressure I had put on myself at a wintry time of year, coupled with world events meant I wasn't reading as much and didn't feel the urge to blog. But I had a word with myself, discovered some rather lovely reads and realised, I love sharing good books with you on this blog.

It got me thinking. We all need a bit of cheering up, especially at the moment. So over the next couple of months I'm going to be subtly changing a couple of things I do on the blog. Some things will definitely not change....reviews of books I have enjoyed, especially those cosy reads, a bit of book chat and sharing of things going on in our little North Yorkshire Village.

I'm sat writing this with a cup of coffee, (no cake it's a little early in the day, but am hoping for a slice of millionaires shortbread from our local shop which is so good. Out of 36 pieces delivered to the shop, 20 of them are pre-reserved (by others, not just me!).

So, as a bit of a soft first post back I'm going to tell you all about my Jolobokaflod book from Christmas 2024. As many of you know, my dear husband and me celebrate Jolobokoflod, the wonderful Icelandic tradition of giving a book on Christmas Eve, and spending the rest of the day, when not involved in Christmas preparations or watching Home Alone, curled up reading it, cosiest lamp on, cuddled up in the softest blanket.

My gift this year was the beautiful 'A Book for Christmas'. The book is a small hardback, covered in grey linen with blue foiling on the letters and a picture 'In the Snow' by Carl Larsson, a picture I have fallen in love with. The picture represents the book beautifully, sparing with the detail, but look again and you will find something to absorb your attention. Look closer and the detail is underneath.

The Plot

In this enchanting selection of winter stories, the beloved writer Selma Lagerlöf, winner of the Nobel Prize in 1909, weaves together magic and miracles, Swedish folklore and timeless fable, darkness and light.

My Thoughts

My husband said he was initially drawn to this choice of book because of the first story - a girl worries that she will not receive a book for Christmas. Panic sets in as gifts are handed out with no book in sight, until a parcel is spotted at the back of the tree and the girl receives a most unexpected book about fairy tales written in French. But she does not speak French!

Receiving a book she can not understand, the girl believes is worse than receiving no book at all, but then her eye is caught by a beautiful illustration, then another, and another. She takes out her French dictionary and starts to translate each individual word painstakingly after the other. Sometimes a literal translation makes no sense but a meaning is held. Over the Christmas holiday, she learns more French than she ever has done.

And so, in conclusion, this is gorgeous, a beautiful collection of short stories, perfect for Christmas and winter.

I have missed you dear reader. Thank you for visiting the blog, and staying with me. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. I will be back next week with maybe another post, but definitely a To Be Read pile post. My To Be Read Pile is currently staggering. Have a great weekend!