The Christmas Reading Challenge

Now I know exactly what you're gonna say: Somebody who's still struggling to finish this year's reading challenges really shouldn't be looking around for MORE challenges to join. That's what I've told myself, too. But see, this one just looks like so much darn fun. And it'll give me incentive to read a couple of books I already wanted to read. And it just makes me feel so Christmas-y and festive, and all.

So call me crazy, but I'm signing up for the Christmas Reading Challenge hosted by Michelle of The True Book Addict. The challenge runs from Thanksgiving Day, November 26 through New Year's Eve, December 31, 2009. The books have to be Christmas books – either novels with a Christmas theme, or books of Christmas short stories, or nonfiction books about the holiday (no children's books, but YA is allowed). And participants only need to read one book (or more, of course) – which is great, since this is such a busy time for everyone.

At the moment, I'm thinking of going with Christmas-themed mystery novels. There are a lot of those I want to read, but the two I've pretty much settled on are Santa Clawed by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown, and Crewel Yule by Monica Ferris. Those are both entries in series I've been reading, so they seem like perfect choices for me. However, I've got a list of possible alternates, too – partly gleaned from the lists of other challenge participants. I'll never get all of these read, of course, but some of the titles are:

• A Christmas Guest, or A Christmas Secret, both by Anne Perry (or any of the other "Christmas Stories" novels by Perry)
• A Rumpole Christmas: Stories, by John Mortimer
• The Body in the Sleigh, by Katherine Hall Page
• Christmas is Murder: A Rex Graves Mystery, by C.S. Challinor
• Christmas Stalkings, or Mistletoe Mysteries, by Charlotte MacLeod, et al.
• Hercule Poirot's Christmas, or The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding, both by Agatha Christie
• Mistletoe Murder, or Christmas Cookie Murder, both by Leslie Meier
• Plum Pudding Murder, by Joanne Fluke
• Shivers for Christmas, edited by Richard Dalby
• The Twelve Deaths of Christmas, by Marian Babson

Sounds like fun, right? Well, if you think so, why not head on over to Michelle's challenge announcement page, and sign up. And then go read yourself a merry little Christmas book!