The Night Before Christmas - Nikolai Gogol

Publication Date: 1st edition 1832
Publisher: Penguin (2007)
Genre: Classic
Pages: 65 pages
Goodreads

This Christmas, I'm reading the Penguin Christmas Classics. Just like last year, I'll use a special rating system to give you an even better idea what this story is about and if it's for you.

CHRISTMAS FEELS: ★★★★★/5

ROMANCE FEELS: ★★★★★/5

CHARACTERS: ★★★/5

HUMOUR: ★★/5

ORIGINALITY: ★★★★★/5

Merry day of Christmas Eve! Christmas is finally almost here and what better book to review on the 24th of December than The Night Before Christmas by Nikolai Gogol. 

This is another classic that I've heard so much about, but never really knew exactly what the story was. As expected, the story takes place on the night before Christmas. The devil decides to steal the moon to take revenge on the citizens of the small Russian place Dikanka. When all the citizens try to make their way home, or to the town tavern, on Christmas eve, they are surrounded by blackness and a lot of confusion takes place.

Like The Nutcracker, The Night Before Christmas reads like a fairytale. All the characters are types, the narration is quick and beautiful and the story doesn't count more than 60 pages. Combined with some amazing drawings, this book is indeed the perfect read for Christmas Eve. It again touches upon themes like forgiveness and love and what it really means to celebrate Christmas with each other. It is not a really memorable read, but very enjoyable with a cup of hot coco and a Christmas tree with lots of presents underneath it.

And that's my very last review of the year. I'm taking the rest of the year off to celebrate Christmas with my family and to finish an essay (ugh). I want to wish you a very merry Christmas and a wonderful 2016. Thank you so much for reading and supporting this blog and I can't wait to see you all again next year! 

A Merry Christmas & Other Christmas Stories - Louisa May Alcott

Publication Date: 8 November 2014
Publisher: Penguin
Genre: Classic
Pages: 160 pages
Goodreads

This Christmas, I'm reading the Penguin Christmas Classics. Just like last year, I'll use a special rating system to give you an even better idea what this story is about and if it's for you.

CHRISTMAS FEELS: ★★★★★/5

ROMANCE FEELS: ★★★/5

CHARACTERS: ★★★/5

HUMOUR: ★★★/5

ORIGINALITY: ★★★/5

Just like Trollope's book, this one is also a collection of several of Louisa May Alcott's stories. Though I reviewed each story separately before, these stories are all so similar that I'll post one big review.

The first short story, and the title of the book, is not as much that than it is an excerpt out of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. This is by far the most known story in the book and, though I don't think it works perfectly well without the Little Women background, I loved reading it so I could revisit that world. It also sets the tone for all the other stories; this book is a collection about giving, caring and charity.

Almost all of the stories feature a young, unprivileged girl that gets her Cinderella ending. Rosa's Tale is told from the perspective of a horse, who can speak for one hour right before it becomes Christmas each year, and Mrs. Podgers' Teapot features an older and rich woman, but even the horse and the lady find true happiness at the end of their tales. 

The cors of Louisa May Alcott is simple writing and a moral that pushes hard work and kindness upon the reader. While this is enjoyable to read (I loved Little Women), it does get tiresome after short story three. You always knows it's going to end happily and the seemingly interchangeable narrators who all want the same thing makes the story uninteresting. The main thing for me was that these stories feel very dated due to those two elements - I can imagine 19th century children loving it, but in the 21st century, there's just a little more that I want.

However, all stories do scream Christmas. They take place on Christmas day and really talk about how Christmas is more about kindness than presents and wealth. If you are able to share whatever you have, you will have a merry Christmas, regardless of where you come from, which is a beautiful message.

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus - L. Frank Baum

This Christmas, I'm reading the Penguin Christmas Classics. Just like last year, I'll use a special rating system to give you an even better idea what this story is about and if it's for you.

CHRISTMAS FEELS: ★★★★★/5

ROMANCE FEELS: ★/5

CHARACTERS: ★★★★★/5

HUMOUR: ★★★★/5

ORIGINALITY: ★★★★★/5

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus is written by one the most well known children's author; the man who created the world of Oz. L. Frank Baum is a household name, but I had never read any of his stories before. This book chronicles the life of Santa from his birth to the iconic figure we know today. How does one become Santa Claus? Is he human or some sort of God? L. Frank Baum is able to answer all those questions for readers in a way that both appeals to young children and adults.

As a non-American, I never really grew up with the idea that Santa Claus was real, but reading this book made me wish that I did. L. Frank Baum is so creative and original with his take on Santa and somehow, even though it involves magic and fairies, it seems to make so much sense. As a child, I would have believed this whole story and as an adult, I just fell in love with the easy way of reading it and the creativity on every single page. Baum knows how to entice an audience and how to keep throwing in unexpected plot turns.

This book is the definition of Christmas in my opinion; there is Santa, snow, reindeers, happy children, magic, toys, forgiveness, love,... Absolutely everything you can expect from a traditional Christmas story. There is no romance technically, but the love Santa has for making children happy is more beautiful than any romance storyline could be.

I absolutely adore this book and I can't wait to make it a tradition and read this story every single year - and urge everyone I know to do the same. If you read this, I guarantee you'll feel like Christmas has really started. 

Christmas at Thompson Hall by Anthony Trollope

This Christmas, I'm reading the Penguin Christmas Classics. Just like last year, I'll use a special rating system to give you an even better idea what this story is about and if it's for you.

CHRISTMAS FEELS: ★★★/5

ROMANCE FEELS: ★★★/5

CHARACTERS: ★★/5

HUMOUR: ★★★★/5

ORIGINALITY: ★★★★/5

This Christmas book by Anthony Trollope exists of several short stories; the main one being Christmas at Thompson Hall. Though all five stories are slightly different, they are all in a very similar style and very distinctively by the same author. To review the book, I'll discuss each short story briefly.

Christmas at Thompson Hall

This is the main story of the collection and also by far the most original and funniest one. Though not very closely related to Christmas, it tells the journey of a married couple from their way to the south of France to their relatives in England to spend the holiday. They stay over in a hotel in Paris and what ensues is a collection of events that I can only imagine inspired Faulty Towers in a great deal.
This short story is quintessentially British and the very "proper" way the upper-class characters try to respond to the worst misunderstandings would make anyone laugh. It is a very Dickensian story, as I actually think all of them are, connected by coincidences and plots driven by misunderstandings. Though the ending is fairly predictable, it added to the fun to know more than the characters do and to anticipate all the future misunderstandings they will endure.

Christmas Day at Kirkby Cottage

This might be my favourite story of the collection. A British family have a young neighbour staying with them and something grows between him and the eldest daughter. As expected, no one says anything about it and the two quarrel quite a bit while also trying to hide their feelings.
I thought this story was very Christmas. Not only are there great descriptions of Christmas decorations in it, the idea of people confessing their true feelings during Christmas always makes me a little gushy. I enjoy the fact that the romance and the atmosphere of the holiday were so beautifully interwoven by Trollope's writing and I really enjoyed every single character in this short story. 

The Mistletoe Bough

The Mistletoe Bough is very similar to Christmas Day at Kirkby Cottage. We encounter a similar family and again see them through Christmas with the necessary romantic complications. The story revolves around the daughter and the impending Christmas visit of her former fiancé. They haven't seen each other since the engagement ended and are now reunited in the family home.
Again, there are mixed feelings and misunderstandings between characters. This story was really very Christmas like and I enjoyed reading the descriptions of an English Victorian mansion during Christmas. However, the characters weren't as memorable as those in the previous two stories and the ending wasn't really that surprising at all.

The Two Generals

This short story was my absolute favourite. Maybe it's because I was getting a bit tired of British people and their weird coincidences, or maybe it was just because it's an amazing story. The Two Generals takes place in Kentucky during the American civil war. Two brothers join the army; one on the Northern side and one on the Southern side. As you can expect, this causes a lot of tension in this household. Every Christmas, the brothers are home with their father and confronted about their differences. Add to that a woman they both love, and it's not exactly a merry Christmas each year. 
This story has some amazing storytelling and Trollope is really able to take a big historical event and make it more personal to the readers. You learn about history, while at the same time encountering my favourite characters from this collection of short stories. It didn't feel very Christmas like, probably because of the war situation, but the end does fill your heart and there's a great lesson about forgiveness and family in there.

Not If I Know It

Not If I Know It is the shortest story of the collection and also the one that has least impressed me. It's about a British family that comes together for Christmas (I know, again) and a fight between two brothers-in-law whom are arguing about money - or at least one of them thinks they are, the other one thinks they're fighting for another reason. Thus story was only twenty pages long and again based on a misunderstanding that could have been fixed quite easily. Though it takes place on Christmas, the whole arguing about money put me straight out of the Christmas atmosphere. The ending is once again happy, but I really didn't relate to any character to be bothered about that. Compared to the other short stories, this one is definitely the one I'll forget.
 

The Nutcracker - E.T.A. Hoffmann

This Christmas, I'm reading the Penguin Christmas Classics. Just like last year, I'll use a special rating system to give you an even better idea what this story is about and if it's for you.

CHRISTMAS FEELS: ★★★/5

ROMANCE FEELS: ★★★★/5

CHARACTERS: ★★★/5

HUMOUR: ★★★★/5

ORIGINALITY: ★★★★★

Like a lot of people, I only know The Nutcracker from the famous ballet. I've seen it once when I was younger and I have to admit that what exactly the story was has remained a mystery ever since - until now.

The Nutcracker is a short story, only 120 pages in this Penguin edition, and is all told from the view point of Marie. Marie and her brother Fritz are celebrating Christmas Eve and that night, magical things start happening. Marie witnesses her nutcracker, her favourite toy, coming to life and fighting off the Mouse King. Is it real? Is it just her imagination? And how can she help the Nutcracker defeat his enemy?

What I loved about this story is the fairytale quality of it. This is clearly a story for children and it is written in a way very reminiscent of the Grimm brothers. There's some great description and though we never really get to know the characters all that well, something else that is very fairytale like, the storytelling still drags you into this tale.

Is it a very Christmas like story? Not directly. The first part takes place on Christmas Eve and there are some other references to it, but the rest takes place after Christmas. The thing that makes this a great holiday read was the magic and the idea that at Christmas time, everything is possible for everyone. 

The Nutcracker is a classic and reading it I can definitely see why. The story reads easily and it is by far one of the most original Christmas classics. Plus now I know exactly what the ballet is about, which will help me in the future.

The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer - Laini Taylor

Until Christmas, I will be reviewing the short stories from My True Love Gave To Me. There will be a review every other day. These will be shorter than the usual reviews and will always include the same criteria on which they will be graded.

Find it on bookdepository here. 

CHRISTMAS FEELS: ★★/5

ROMANCE FEELS: ★★★/5

CHARACTERS: ★★★/5

HUMOUR: ★★/5

ORIGINALITY: ★★★★/5

What did I just read?

For my final story of the collection, I was so excited to be really be in the Christmas mood. Tonight is my family's big Christmas celebration and I want to feel that cheer.

Instead I got something confusing. I don't really know what happened in this story nor what it really had to do with Christmas (besides the fact that it took place in December).

The main character Neve lives on an island as a poor girl. It is a tradition that on the first day of December male suitors put something on the porch of the girl they like. That girl can accept his offer, which means he'll keep leaving things until the 24th of December when they are really together, or she can put a dried rose on her porch so the guy knows she's not interested. The mean island pastor puts something on Neve's porch and even though she tries to deny it, he refuses to listen. Then Neve gets some spiritual help.

Look, I'm not big into the spiritual flowy stories. I like my stories to be semi-realistic and don't believe in "earth forces" coming in and changing the arc of a character. It's unrealistic and just annoying. Neve was in a tricky situation and I would have loved to have seen how she would have escaped that. Instead, Laini Taylor used a Deus ex-machina to create a happy ending.

The writing was good, it read pretty quick, but I just knew from the first paragraph that this story wasn't for me. It was the only short story that felt like a chore to read and I hate that I have to end the collection on this note.

Review aside - I want to wish everyone great holidays. I'll be offline until after Christmas and then I have some more reviews lined up for you guys! Enjoy Christmas and hopefully you'll get lots of books!

Star of Bethlehem - Ally Carter

Until Christmas, I will be reviewing the short stories from My True Love Gave To Me. There will be a review every other day. These will be shorter than the usual reviews and will always include the same criteria on which they will be graded.

Find it on bookdepository here. 

CHRISTMAS FEELS: ★★★/5

ROMANCE FEELS: ★★★★★

CHARACTERS: ★★★★/5

HUMOUR: ★★★★/5

ORIGINALITY: ★★★★★

Are these reviews just getting shorter and shorter? As Christmas is approaching, I'm spending more time wrapping presents and reading then actually writing, but I guess that's what Christmas is about.

But Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter is a great story to actually write about, because it was so unexpected. And the most random plot ever.

Lydia is ready to board her plane to New York when she sees a girl who desperately wants to exchange her ticket to NYC. She decided to help the girl out and switch tickets, though she has no clue where she is going, for how long and who the girl was (What?). Lydia ends up in Oklahoma, where she is confused for Hulda - an Icelandic exchange student. Everyone believes the identity switch, except for Ethan, who was the boyfriend of Hulda. And then at the end, there is a huge secret revealed about Lydia.

So what I loved about this story is how complicated the plot is and how it somehow still just works. I don't think any person would just switch their ticket, especially right before Christmas and to an unknown location, but when you are reading the book, you believe it. Ally Carter writes it in such a believable way that you are just sucked into the story.

But it wasn't very Christmassy - the story ends on Christmas Eve so we don't really get the Christmas experience. This was on the one hand a let down, because I would have loved to have known how these characters spend Christmas day. On the other hand, it worked because they are living through the exact same days as I am right now, which means we share the anticipation of Christmas, the present buying,... It helps to relate to the story. 

The one thing I adored about this story was the romance. I'm not going to say who is going to fall in love with who (though you can probably guess), but I love their relationship. They don't instantly fall in love or move crazy fast, but have a realistic relationship that takes both of them by surprise.

So overall this was a good story, with a great plot twist in the end, but it just wasn't as memorable as some of the other short story in My True Love Gave to Me, so it's in the middle of my ranking right now.