Jólabókaflóð

One of my new favorite traditions, both personally and at the store, is Jólabókaflóð – the Icelandic tradition of giving books to your family on Christmas Eve and curling up with warm socks and hot chocolate and spending the evening reading together. Below are my suggestions for your own personal Jólabókaflóð, and are also on display at the store.

Diary of a Bookseller, Day 7

Where I’ve already done a review, I’ve linked to it below. If I haven’t yet done a review, I’ve included a very brief synopsis. Both picture and lists are in alphabetical order by title.

• Always Look on the Bright Side of Life by Eric Idle
• And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
• Beartown by Fredrik Backman – The only Backman I’ve read because it has ice hockey – it’s a beautifully written story and I now understand why he is beloved worldwide.
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
• The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
• Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown
• City of Dark Magic by Magnus Flyte
• Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
• A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab
• Dear Mrs. Bird by A. J. Pearce
• A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
• The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen
• The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig & Karen White – An historical and contemporary fiction novel with three protagonists, one written by each of the three authors – focused on the Lusitania, and has an author named Sarah so I’m a bit biased!
• The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
• Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows

• It’s What I Do by Lynsey Addario
• Jell-O Girls by Allie Rowbottom
• Kick Kennedy by Barbara Leaming
• The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell
• Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson
• Matilda by Roald Dahl – The classic kids book inspired the film – I love both dearly!
• Moriarty by Anthony Horowitz
• Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
• The Royal Runaway by Lindsay Emory
• The Royal We by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan
• Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
• Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
• The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
• Trouble Brewing by Suzanne Baltsar – Feminist microbrewing contemporary romance? Who would a thought it’d work out as well as Suzanne makes it work!
• The Woman Who Smashed Codes by Jason Fagone
• The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell – One of the few books assigned while I was a history major that I actually enjoys – focuses on the Puritans and one of the first permanent colonies here in the states.