Winter Edition: Festive Special
Dear friends,
Welcome to my winter newsletter! And a particular welcome to all the new subscribers who have joined since the last edition. This newsletter goes out about four times a year: it usually includes news about my books and events and of course, lots of reading recommendations.
This festive edition of the newsletter is always my favourite one to write. It may be only the start of December, but I'm fully embracing the season - the tree is up, the candles are lit, the fairy-lights are twinkling and the Christmas books are on the shelf. (Christmas isn't Christmas until you've got out Nigel Slater, Shirley Hughes, The Dark is Rising and Alex T Smith's Winston, in my view).
I've also been busy in the studio working on a new and exceptionally festive writing project, which has been a real joy - I hope I'll be able to share more details about it before too long.
Books for Christmas
A quick reminder that if you'd like a signed copy of one of my books to give as a gift, you can can contact either Waterstones Lancaster or Storytellers Inc, who usually have a good range available.
Alternatively, you can email me to request a signed and dedicated bookplate which I can post out to you, so you can stick it into a book. If you’d like to do this, make sure you contact me by latest Monday 11th December, so that I can get the bookplate to you in time for Christmas. In your email, please let me know how many bookplates you would like, the name(s) for any dedication(s), and your full postal address. (I'm afraid this will be available for UK addresses only, because of postage costs.)
And if you've already requested a bookplate, but haven't received it yet, don't worry! I'm sending them out in batches with more going out this week.
Of course, you could give any of my books as a Christmas gift, but I'd particularly recommend:
A Dancer's Dream - Go behind the scenes of the first ever production of 'The Nutcracker' in snowy 1880s St Petersburg with this picture book about a young dancer playing the role of Clara. Ideal for little readers who are taking a trip to the ballet this year, it has the most beautiful illustrations by Lizzy Stewart. Perfect to share alongside some homemade gingerbread angels and tea with jam (see my recipe here).
Winter Magic, a collection of lovely snowy, frosty and magical short stories aimed at readers aged 8-12, including contributions from the likes of Abi Elphinstone, Emma Carroll, Jamila Gavin, Piers Torday, Michelle Magorian - and me! Ideal reading for cosy winter nights.
The Midnight Peacock - my most festive Sophie and Lil story takes our intrepid young lady detectives from the snowy streets of 1900s London to solving a strange mystery at a grand Christmas country house party - and then back to the glitter and glamour of Sinclair's department store for a New Year's Eve party full of thrills and excitement.
More Christmas gift ideas
If you're looking for more ideas for great books to give this Christmas, then here are a few recommendations from me. Don't forget to check out my Bookshop.org.uk page for lots more book suggestions, or take a look at this list of all the books I've recommended previously in this newsletter.
Picture books: A favourite in our house this year was Sam Francisco, King of the Disco by Sarah Tagholm and Binny Talib, from new imprint Rocket Bird Books. Fabulous artwork, a rhyming text that's really fun to read aloud and a story about dancing cats - what could be better? My daughter is a big fan of anything cat- themed, so I'm planning to get her Helen Hancocks's I Really Want to be a Cat. Also featuring a (slightly more sinister?) cat, my personal favourite picture book discovery this year was the delightful and very funny Mina by Matthew Forsythe.
Early readers: I've already recommended the Adventuremice series recently - this is absolutely my top pick of the year for anyone looking for first 'chapter books'. My daughter has also really enjoyed The Secret Beast Club series by Robin Birch and Jobe Anderson - exciting, inclusive and fun. Adults and kids alike will love the quirky and spooky The Skull by Jon Klassen. And in my opinion, you couldn't get a better gift for this age group than The Complete Brambly Hedge - 'The Secret Staircase' in particular is a key part of our winter reading traditions.
Older readers: A special poetry book is always a lovely present, and A Whale of a Time ed. by Lou Peacock and illustrated by Matt Hunt is a really fabulous one - an anthology of funny poems, with one to read for every day of the year. (I think even kids who think they don't like poetry might be won over by this!) Graphic novels and comics are also SO popular with this age group, and there are lots of great ones out there, but one you might not have encountered before is Drawn to Change the World which tells the true stories of 16 amazing young activists from around the world. Finally, for readers who love adventure: as well as Katherine Rundell's multi-award-winning smash-hit Impossible Creatures, my must-read is the brilliant City of Stolen Magic by Nazneen Ahmed Pathak.
Teens and young adults: I haven't read as much YA as usual this year for some reason, so I'm struggling to give many recommendations. But my personal favourites were Laura Wood's The Agency for Scandal, Sally Nicholls's Yours From the Tower (both delightful historical novels) or for slightly younger teens, Never Trust a Gemini by Freja Woolf (a fun contemporary LGBTQ+ romance).
Adults: For lovers of historical fiction: In Memoriam by Alice Winn. For fans of fantasy or dark academia: Babel by RF Kuang. Something to make them smile: Went to London, Took the Dog by Nina Stibbe (think Diary of a Provincial Lady meets Adrian Mole, but set in contemporary London literary circles). A beautifully-written, and subtly seasonal novella: Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan. My top recommendation, though, is to check out Manderley Press - they are a wonderful independent publisher with a small but growing selection of beautifully-packaged books. (I've recommended their edition of The Armourer's House by Rosemary Sutcliff here before). Try Letter from New York by Helen Hanff or their newest title China Court by Rumer Godden.
Other gifts on the bookish theme: You can't go wrong with a Women's Prize for Fiction t-shirt (I have the Virginia Woolf and Agatha Christie, but also have my eye on the Nora Ephron and Daphne Du Maurier). A Rare Birds candle. Anything from Persephone Books. Personalised book subscriptions from Mr B's Emporium. And as always, don't forget to check out your favourite illustrators' websites for beautiful cards, prints and other goodies - I like Lizzy Stewart's cat cards and prints (I recently bought this one for myself), Helen Hancocks's prints and cake paintings, or Harry Woodgate's prints and Grandad's Camper inspired camper-van pin.
Giving: There are lots of places that you can donate to help children this Christmas, including of course Save the Children's Gaza Emergency Appeal and Oxfam's Gaza Crisis Appeal. Two more to mention are BookTrust's Christmas Appeal and Knights Of's campaign Gift a Story That Matters.
New Year, new book!
In case you missed it, a quick reminder that I have a new book out early in 2024 - Lottie the Little Wonder illustrated by wonderful Ella Okstad. This book, which is part of Barrington Stoke's Little Gems series, is inspired by the story of real-life athlete Lottie Dod, who was the youngest ever Wimbledon Ladies Singles tennis champion. She first won in 1887 aged just 15. But Lottie wasn't only a tennis star - she also played hockey for England, was a champion golfer and even won an Olympic medal for archery.
Lottie the Little Wonder takes us back to Lottie's childhood to find out how her love of tennis and her amazing sporting career began. It's published on 14th March, and if it sounds up your street, you can preorder a copy now from Waterstones.
Finally, for teachers and librarians: I am currently booking in school events for the spring and summer term, and my diary is already getting quite full, so if you are interested in enquiring about an event for the current school year, please do get in touch asap.
That's all for now! I hope you've enjoyed this edition of the newsletter. I'll be back in the spring, when I'll also be moving this newsletter over from its current platform TinyLetter (which is about to be discontinued) over to Substack. You don't need to do anything - if you're already signed up, you'll be automatically added to the new email list (and the newsletter will remain free!)
Until then you can find me on Instagram, that place we used to call Twitter, Pinterest, TikTok, and Threads. You can also find out more on my website katherinewoodfine.co.uk and of course, you can contact me here.
Happy reading - and wishing you a very merry Christmas!
Katherine
Header illustration by Karl James Mountford