{"id":4615,"date":"2016-12-19T20:36:46","date_gmt":"2016-12-19T20:36:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/?p=4615"},"modified":"2021-08-18T11:36:22","modified_gmt":"2021-08-18T11:36:22","slug":"festive-reads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/parents\/a-level\/festive-reads\/","title":{"rendered":"Our top 5 festive reads"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the Christmas holidays here, it’s the perfect time to get cracking on a new book. Whether you’ll be living the dream by curling up on the sofa next to a roaring fire, or coughing and sneezing amidst a mountain of tissues with a badly-timed cold, hopefully one of these Christmas-themed books will catch your fancy…\u00a0<\/p>\n

A Christmas Carol<\/u><\/em> by Charles Dickens<\/u><\/p>\n

A classic. Short, spine-chilling and with an ending to melt the coldest of hearts, A Christmas Carol<\/em> is the quintessential festive novel.\u00a0On Christmas Eve, the greedy banker Ebenezer Scrooge receives a visit from the ghost of his business partner, who aims to open Scrooge\u2019s eyes to his vices before it is too late to make amends.\u00a0 Part ghost story, part fable, it is also a harsh critique of the living conditions of the working class in Victorian London, and the middle-class masters who increased their misery instead of using their wealth for good. Inspiring on every level.<\/p>\n

\"dickens\"

Little Women<\/u><\/em> by Louisa M Alcott<\/u><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Christmas won\u2019t be Christmas without any presents,\u2019 grumbled Jo\u201d \u2013 and so begins a story of the March family, struggling to make their way in the world whilst their father is away fighting in the American Civil War. Little Women<\/em> is about four sisters: beautiful Meg, tomboy Jo, kind Beth and the charming but slightly spoilt Amy.\u00a0 It\u2019s a family drama, telling the stories of the girls as they grow up and make choices in the world in order to develop into strong, independent women at a time when women were expected to serve quietly as the \u2018angel of the house\u2019. Funny and warm, you\u2019ll definitely recognise yourself in one of the sisters.
\n\"little-women\"

The Hogfather<\/u><\/em> by Terry Pratchett<\/u><\/p>\n

The Hogfather<\/em> is a Discworld novel, set in the bizarre fantasy universe Terry Pratchett created. The Hogfather is the universe\u2019s equivalent of Father Christmas, giving presents to children on Hogswatchnight.\u00a0 However, the Hogfather is in trouble: the Auditors want him dead and are looking for an assassin!\u00a0 But what happens in a world without Father Christmas? And how can the heroine, Susan, get him back, to restore peace upon earth and goodwill to all men? Mad, and brilliant.<\/p>\n

Carol Ann Duffy\u2019s Christmas poems\u00a0<\/u><\/p>\n

Poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy has spent the last few years publishing a new poem every Christmas.\u00a0 Recent poems have been entitled \u2018Bethlehem\u2019 and \u2018Wenceslas\u2019, and each features Duffy\u2019s characteristic upturning of everything we thought we knew and understood about key Christmas stories and traditions.\u00a0 Sensuous and cunning, they\u2019re a thought-provoking read.
\n<\/u><\/p>\n

\"santa\"

Letters from Father Christmas<\/em> by J R R Tolkien<\/u><\/p>\n

Lastly, many of you will have read Tolkien\u2019s more famous works, The Hobbit<\/em> and The Lord of the Rings<\/em>, but I think my favourite has to be this hilarious collection of letters. Tolkien started a family tradition of writing a letter from Father Christmas every Christmas Eve to his eldest son, Christopher. The letters detail the daily life of Father Christmas, the preparations for his annual delivery marathon, and, my personal favourite, the trials and tribulations of living with the North Polar Bear, a clumsy, dense but loveable creature. The collection of letters, written in spidery handwriting and accompanied by magical illustrations, is entertaining and more festive than a glass of mulled wine, but it\u2019s also a sneaky peek into the private life of the Tolkien family. You\u2019ll love it.<\/p>\n

Written by Laura C, one of our English tutors<\/a>, who read English at Oxford.<\/em><\/p>\n

Buzzing about one of your festive reads? Share your page-turners with us on Facebook <\/a>and Twitter<\/a>: ’tis the season!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the Christmas holidays here, it’s the perfect time to get cracking on a new book. 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