For the first time ever, I am dealing with a severe case of bloggers block here at Romancing the Genres. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is entering my fogged brain.
I know this is supposed to be the happy time of the year. I should be decking halls, spending all my money and preparing for a family get-together. But this has simply not been a normal season, in any sense of the word normal. The world has become a scary place. Add in that I suffer from that winter curse known as Seasonal Affective Disorder or
I absolutely understand the allure of a good holiday related romance this time of year. Especially for those in the Midwest of the US like me, where snow is already piling high and a good fireplace is almost a survival necessity in winter. And nothing goes better with a fireplace than a glass of wine and an story with a Happily Ever After.
I'm using this all too short blog post to ask readers for their help. Usually I mention some of my favorite reads here. This time, I ask you guys to name some of your favorite holiday reads for someone who is only looking forward to the winter solstice - turnaround day, when days begin growing longer. This is the time of year when numerous people of various faiths hold holidays and festivals.
I could use some recommendations of books for the holidays. I bet some of you readers could use some additions too. So I'm hoping people will put some of their favorite holiday reads in the comments. I could use some recommendations I can use to help dispel my depression. An HEA, or even a HFN would go far to help me make it through the long nights of December and January.
Love, a very hopeful B A Binns
6 comments:
I, too, suffer from SAD, B.S. - and I have one of those lights, too. And the antidepressants!
An old favorite of mine is an anthology called Santa Baby that includes a hilarious Jenny Crusie novella and two other stories.
The always-funny Robin Weaver has a new holiday book, The Gingerbread Skirmish.
Marcia King-Gamble and Bettye Griffin have a quartet of holiday novellas out in a series called Get Your Sparkle On.
Kristin Wallace has plenty of humor in her books. Her latest is Falling for You at Christmas. Last year's holiday book was Finding You at Christmas.
Enjoy!
Thank you Sarah. Bettye Griffin and I had so much fun writing The Holiday Sparkle Series. My contributions are Naughty in New York and Loose in Las Vegas. Naughty is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Think holiday season in New York City and a company party that went awry!
YUCK! I am a SAD sufferer too, something I didn't know I had until we moved from Santa Barbara to Albuquerque, NM. It went away when we had a job transfer to Florida, then came back when we moved to Tucson, AZ. Tucson is hot in the summer, but it's high enough in elevation to get snow every winter, and it's bone chilling cold and cloudy and dreary...
Two and a half years ago we were lucky to get another job opportunity, this time in San Diego and we JUMPED on it! I haven't felt any of the SAD effects since we moved!
Some books that I love with great HEAs are the Bridgerton series from Julia Quinn. The MacKenzie series from Jennifer Ashley is wonderful and makes you sigh and feel great when you close the book. The Lei crime series by Toby Neal has some heavier issues, but is well written and set in Hawaii so you feel warmer just by reading. She has a stand alone FBI/Honolulu PD book (with character tie ins,) called Stolen in Paradise with a satisfying HEA. For a really different twist on classic fairy tales, try the YA book Cinder by Marissa Meyer. She has others in the series, (I just started book two Scarlet.)
Good Luck!!! The only thing that worked for me was being in warmer, beachy climates.
My heart goes out to all SAD sufferers. Fortunately, I have never had that problem. However, I have lots of suggestions for Christmas Cheer across many genres.
Very Merry Christmas Bundle - 20 Christmas tales across genres from action, urban fantasy, FS, women's fiction, crime and romance. Lots of silly fun and heartwarming stories.
The Santa Series - Trilogy bundle of holiday romance by Kristine Grayson. Focus on the elves and humans of Claus & Company. Really fun.
Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithin - Well-written YA tale of adventure and transformation
Looking for a Graphic Novel? Try Blankets by Craig Thompson - A beautifully illustrated novel with a coming of age romance that will melt your heart.
I could go on and on. But I'll stop with a collection of stories from Windtree Press in The Gift of Christmas. Some romance, some mystery, even a children's story. Every one heartwarming and celebrating. I'd also be happy to send you, or anyone reading this blog, one for free from me if you drop me a line at maggie AT maggielynch.com with the Subject Line "Free Holiday Story"
Hang in there B A Binns. The good news is the days will get longer and spring will come.
Solstice is in less than a week! I've compassion for SAD folks. I'm on the opposite side in the sun and heat are my Achilles Heel. I do not have the energy from June - mid-September that I do when the weather is cooler.
Thanks to everyone. A good book/story can really make a difference. (Although my favorite Christmas movie is Die Hard, if that tells you anything about how I feel this time of year, I am preparing to watch it yet again.)
The collections sound good, I don't think I'm in the mood for a major novel for awhile, but I can get some joy out of shorter stories, so thanks Sarah and Maggie, especially. And for every other SAD sufferer out there, thank God this too shall pass.
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