Holiday spirit is a thing. And it doesn’t always strike at the most opportune times. Have you ever had that longing for gingerbread and a crackling fire…in July? Instead of firing up the oven, perhaps a book might help transport your mind while the world swelters. And while we are at it, why not throw a little history in there as well? The holidays mean different things to different people–whether it is Christmas or Diwali, Hannukah or Eid–celebration days can mean family or found family; fasting or feasting; gifts or gratitude.This list of Holiday Historical Fiction is a jumping off point for you. And please, add your suggestions in the comments below!
- Beneath a Midwinter Moon, by Paper Lantern Writers. Naturally I put this first because every story is a holiday historical fiction!
- In the Money with You by Edie Cay. Again, I put this second because I can tell you for a fact that I enjoyed writing a Victorian Christmas decorating montage, guided by the wish-she-was-widowed intrepid Mrs. Moon.
- Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. I adored this book, and as it is both speculation fiction and historical fiction, the winter holidays play a large part in this novel. Content warning, though, it also contains a pandemic and a plague, which might hit too close to home these days.
- Upon the Midnight Queer by Nathan Burgoine. This short story collection features LGBTQ stories, and in particular a story set in Toronto 1981. While not all the stories are historical in nature, they are all holiday centered and queer centered.
- The Box of Delights by John Masefield. A children’s fantastical English romp, this book is rated for children nine to twelve years in age. Warning however, this was published in 1935, written by a man who attended boarding school in the 1800s. Things are not of the modern world.
- Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel. The perspective of the “evil stepmother” from the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, this novel is about the much maligned woman of the story. I am no expert, but regionally, it appears that Diwali (a festival of lights) is intertwined with this epic story of light vs dark.
- Christmas with the Queen by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb. Set in 1952, Olive is a reporter wanting to cover the young Queen’s Christmas address, and Jack is a widowed chef from New Orleans, set to cook for a monarch. Christmas ensues.
- The Pearl of All Brides by Sara Adrien. Set in 1813, this Jewish Regency Romance features a handsome jeweler who is hiding his faith, and a Rabbi’s daughter who is not. Purim plays and challah-braiding give the holiday feels.
- The Twelve Days of Christmas series of novellas by Emily EK Murdoch. These Regency-set romances cover everything from Twelve Drummers Drumming to a Partridge in a Pear Tree.
- Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Pickens. Following Charles Dickens’ flop, Martin Chuzzlewit, his publisher demands a Christmas novel, or they will call in his debts. Described as “sentimental” and “charming,” if you are a Christmas Dickens reader, this seems like a go-to.
What is your holiday historical fiction read? Let us know! I am most interested in non-Christmas titles, just because there are so many Christmas ones!
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Edie Cay writes award-winning feminist Regency Romance about women’s boxing and relatable misfits. She is a member of the Regency Fiction Writers, the Historical Novel Society, ALLi, and a founding member of Paper Lantern Writers. You can drop her a line on Facebook and Instagram @authorediecay or find her on her website, www.ediecay.com
Yes for holiday reading – TY.
Regarding the plot summary for “Mr. Dickens and His Carol,” I’m afraid Ms. Pickens is relying on Dickens’ lies about how he supposedly wrote “A Christmas
Carol.” After 15 years of rigorous lay research, I can confidently conclude that the original co-authors of the “Carol” were an American couple named Mathew Franklin Whittier and Abby Poyen Whittier. Dickens merely dumbed it down within six weeks to make quick cash, when he was in a financial bind.