Curling up with a book at Christmas
It’s December! Deck the halls with boughs of holly. Tra la la la la, la la la la.
Curling up with a book in the winter holidays, perhaps in front of a logfire and the glinting Christmas tree, and/or in your Christmas jumper and socks, or with a glass of port – whatever appeals to you – is another of the familiar holiday tropes and one I enjoy myself.
The ‘curling up with’ part of the equation evokes the idea of Immersing yourself in a story that is a respite from feasting and partying with family and friends, a withdrawal from here and now and an escape to elsewhere and elsewhen, with a cast of imaginary friends and foes.
Here are the opening lines of my novels to whet your appetites, in case one of them might appeal to you as your Christmas read.
Love’s Knife
A murder occurs in the castle wine cellar and Beatriz, a female troubadour, must solve the mystery.
‘The undercroft swam woozily back into view. His head was pounding. Huge, dark barrels stacked on their sides loomed around and above him.’
https://books2read.com/u/3JqAKE
The Viking Hostage
Three young women struggle with slavery, Viking raids, unwanted marriage, and the End of Time in the French Limousin and on a Welsh island at the end of the 10th century.
‘A list of items for sale was called out in the marketplace. I was described as one female Northchild, but my name is Sigrid Thorolfsdottir. I am for sale along with my brothers, Thorgils and Olafr, who stand either side, holding my hands.’
https://books2read.com/the-viking-hostage
Almodis the Peaceweaver
Almodis was a scandal in her lifetime. She was married three times and excommunicated. She was an Occitan female lord, active in politics and rule in Toulouse and then in Barcelona in the 11th century. She negotiated her way through a male-dominated world and created her own dynasty.
‘I stand on the precipice wrapped in bulky grey and silver furs. My eyes are trained, like a hawk at hunt, on the steep road snaking up the mountain toward me.’
https://books2read.com/Almodis
Daughter of the Last King
The first book in the Conquest trilogy centring on the turbulent life of the Welsh noblewoman Nest ferch Rhys during the Norman conquest of Wales at the end of the 11th century and the beginning of the 12th century.
‘I was on the beach at Llansteffan with my brother Goronwy, watching the sunlight winking on the water.’
