Welcome to Day 8 of #12booksofchristmas!!! I cannot believe how fast this is all going. Today I have a book for you by an author I have read quite a lot this year - Miss Read. In case you've missed them, them below is the books we've already covered so far this month....

• Day 1 - Winter Storms. by Elin Hildebrand
• Day 2 - The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S.Lewis
• Day 3 - Midnight in the Snow by Karen Swan
• Day 4 - Darkest Evening by Ann Cleeves
• Day 5 - Wintering by Katherine May
• Day 6 - The Red Button by Keith Eldred
• Day 7 - Finding Love at the Christmas Market by Jo Thomas

What memories do you have of Christmas as a child? For me, we always knew the Christmas Tree was going to be decorated as soon as my mum did her 'Christmas Clean', sharing a room with my sister and being allowed to stay up to watch 'Flash Gordon' complete with Brian Blessed in his tiny pants. I still love this film. My Dad's boxing day meal of proper cooked chips, corned beef and marrowfat peas. And the year I received a doll's house made by my Grandad. It was beautiful, wallpapered and with a switch that would turn on a set of tiny lights in each room.

In the book today, there is a lot about memories of Christmas' gone by and it is a lovely, heartwarming read.

Plot (from the Back of the Book)

Miss Quinn liked being left to her own devices, especially at Christmas. So it was with some foreboding that she agreed to look after her brother’s three young children whilst his wife was in hospital. However Miss Quinn soon finds her own sense of duty undermined by the preparations for Christmas, the infectious enthusiasm of the children and the unexpected arrival of an old flame.

My Thoughts

I’ve read this novel so many times and very much enjoyed reading this again. I have also treated myself to an audio book read by Carole Boyd (aka Linda Snell in The Archers) I'd definitely recommend the audiobook as well as the book if you are short on time. It comes with a bonus Miss Read story and the reading is lovely.

The book can be read as a standalone novel. There is something cocooning about these novels and I like to think of reading this by a log fire with a Grandfather Clock gently ticking in the corner.

The story is very sweet. Miss Quinn is a very organised and precise character, quite solitary and choosing to forego the Christmas decorations so that she can decorate her living room. We learn that she feels sadness at not being as close to her brother as she once was and finds her sister-in-law slightly frustrating.

But of course this all changes when a call comes out of the blue as her brother needs her.

We see Christmas through his childrens’ eyes. The excitement about Santa Claus, a typical Christmas Day in their lives. - waking at 5:30am and becoming slightly fractious as the day goes on.

Best of all Miriam Quinn remembers her own Christmas memories - a cold house, nipped toes, a pillowcase left for Santa and best of all time with her brother. At the end of the visit she has cemented her relationship with her brother and has a new appreciation for her sister in law. This promises more shared time together, holidays and visits and Miss Quinn feels lighter! It’s all heartwarming stuff.

And so, if you fancy a gentle, cosy read this Christmas than I’d definitely recommend this. It made me feel all aglow!

I'll be back tomorrow with a book from a series that inspired the entire #12booksofchristmas