English writer Hannah Beer's debut novel, I Make My Own Fun, is a romp through fame, obsession, and fandom following the descent of the world's most beloved movie star. Here she discusses her literary obsessions, the book she wholeheartedly adored as a child, the novel that inspired her to write her own "truly heinous narrator," and the "gorgeous, triumphant" story she compulsively read on vacation with friends... (continued)

Mental Floss remembered "when J.R.R. Tolkien posed as 'Father Christmas' for 23 years."

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Guardian illustrator Tom Gauld's cartoon "on a Christmas advert plot generator for bookshops."

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"In Victorian England, ghost stories were a beloved Christmas tradition," Mental Floss noted.

British author Madeleine Wickham, better known for her pen name Sophie Kinsella and bestselling novel Confessions of a Shopaholic, died December 10. She was 55. The Guardian reported that Wickham, "dubbed 'the queen of romantic comedy' by novelist Jojo Moyes, wrote more than 30 books for adults, children and teenagers, which have sold more than 45 million copies."... (continued)