Cramped Christmases & Krampus

Cassidy Moore
7 days ago
2 min read

Thanks for listening to Bibliophage and checking out the expanded show notes!

Books recommended this week:

As a reminder, all the links provided here are a part of our Bookshop.Org Digital Bookstore. Purchases you make from these link benefit the authors, the podcast, and independent bookstores owners.

Untangled by Mallory Thomas

A gloriously spicy and hopeful novella following one couple making their way through a doldrum of a long-term, committed relationship. Molly Hayes is in a happy marriage but the demands of a new baby and the dullness of day in-day out grind is wearing on her and her marriage with Daniel. There's a disconnect she can't quite put her finger on. When she finds a Couples Holiday Advent Challenge, she thinks that might just help them reconnect as a couple. Equal parts spice and touching emotional work means this novella hits all the right spots in more than one way.

The Fright Before Christmas by Jeff Balinger

A nice little factoid anthology of some of the darker, more disturbing creatures of Christmas. Of course we've got Krampus but did you know about the Yule Cat?

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett

Christmas but make it dead. A comedy of errors from the Discworld series, this feels like it could have been the precursor to Nightmare Before Christmas. Dead toothfairies, boogiemen haunting Christmas, and Santa's sleigh is pulled by pigs.

NOS 4A2 by Joe Hill

A sauve man with a sexy car and a vampire who feeds on children's souls rather than sanguine. What remains of his victims go to Christmasland where everything is perfect and no one ever leaves. Except Vic. Vic escaped. But Vic now has children of her own and the suave man with a sexy car as a score to settle and an open space in Christmasland.

Red Wings of Christmas by Wesley Eure

*This is an Amazon link provided as Bookshop.Org doesn't carry the physical copy however they do have the ebook available. A beautifully illustrated story of an orphaned boy named Albert who finds himself inside the magical world of Santa's Sack. He meets the toys, learns of the magic, and must defeat a sad, bitter toy named No Name who wants to ruin Christmas for everyone.

The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clark

A whimsical, ethereal short story with talking animals, feminine mystique, prophecies, and the desires of women versus the expectations society place on them. It's quick. It's beautiful, It's moody. It's wonderful.