I doubt many book people watch Hallmark movies during the holidays. But that doesn't mean we're anti-holiday. My own version of binge-watching Hallmark Christmas movies was reading gobs of British novels, hopefully set at Christmastime, like Angela Thirkell's High Rising or Nancy Mitford's Christmas Pudding. I want to sit by the fire with my pile of dogs and read about quaint old houses with big fireplaces. This year, maybe more than ever, I want quirky village characters, a vicar, a local gossip, and a cranky cook. Luckily there are plenty of them.
I have never admitted this in public, but I love Mary Stewart. She got a bad rap being described as a romantic suspense writer. What even is that? It sounds like men on horses and swanning women. No, Mary Stewart is instead a great storyteller. Stewart writes stylish mysteries with clever dialog that are a little like Nancy Drew for grown-ups. Her books are set in lush locales, and she has a travel writer's gift for geographical description. As for romance, there is usually a plucky heroine who pairs up with someone, but this is a minor byproduct of some mutual sleuthing. Her books have all been rereleased by the Chicago Review Press as part of its Rediscovered Classics imprint, so they have more traditional fiction covers. These books are perfect for 30- or 40-somethings (or 20- or 60-, come to think of it) who want a cozy escape this winter. Airs Above Ground, set in the Austrian countryside, has one of the most heart pounding train scenes in literature, and This Rough Magic set on the Greek island of Corfu takes its title, its geography, and its themes from Shakespeare's Tempest. These are both good places to start. I promise you will remember this holiday season as one of your cheerfullest ever if you dig into Mary Stewart.
Then there's Angela Thirkell. She wrote some hilarious novels portraying a pretty nuanced version of English country life. What captivated Thirkell was conversation. She understood that our conversations reveal us. Thirkell will make you laugh, and she'll teach you exactly what your mother-in-law really means when she asks if you are staying over. These books are not nostalgic, but they are reassuring. Thirkell will remind you that no matter what else is happening you will still need to feed yourself and take some soup to your grumpy neighbor too. We all have to live together, and Thirkell pokes fun and espouses tolerance all at once. Remember when we knew how to do that? The new edition of High Rising, part of the classy Virago Press reissues catalog, is the right beginning. Her protagonist is a writer who writes "good bad novels." She describes her work as "second rate but as good as second rate gets" Autobiographical? Too much high literary can be wearying this time of year. Thirkell got that.
John Mortimer created Rumpole of the Bailey just for the Christmas season. He said he'd been to so many parties he needed cheering up. He'd been a member of the bar long enough by the time he started writing these charming books to know that even the worst criminals have redeeming points, and the best lawyers have their own little evil streaks. He could make you laugh about all of them. Horace Rumpole is one of the most beloved characters in modern literature. How long has it been since you've read one of these? The Penguin Reprints have friendly beautiful covers. Do your kids know about them? Then neither do your customers, and we need to change that fast because Horace Rumpole can probably save us. He's an ample lovable man. He swigs claret, quotes Wordsworth, goes to the theater, defends men accused of rape, and gets a little brokenhearted when a friend turns out to be an embezzler. He stands for all the right things, per Mortimer himself, "for our great legal principles--free speech, the idea that people are innocent until someone proves them guilty to the satisfaction of twelve ordinary members of a jury, and the proposition that the police should not invent more of the evidence than is absolutely necessary." The dialog is quick, and all the stories are good. This time of year, we can all use a little more Rumpole. --Ellen Stimson