Today's blog post is a light-hearted A to Z for the holiday season with a reading and writing theme and lots of reading recommendations!

If you think people don’t already know that more books, or the means to buy more books, is all you want for Christmas—make sure you drop plenty of hints. Otherwise, if you unwrap a scarf on Christmas morning, you’ve only got yourself to blame.
B is for Books 📚
Is there a better word in the alphabet that begins with B?
C is for Chocolate 🍫
Or cake, or candy, or chips! Make sure you start the holidays with a plentiful supply of your fuel of choice. I rely on eating dark chocolate at regular intervals when I’m writing or reading (my justification is that I use up a lot of mental energy).
D is for Dragons 🐲
Just because every A to Z should include a dragon somewhere, especially if it’s an A to Z about books and writing. Also, I would love to see Santa’s sleigh being pulled by dragons instead of reindeer one year.
E is for Elf 🎅 (not just for Christmas)
There are a lot of elves at this time of year, particularly Santa Claus himself, who is often described as the Head Elf. However, if you like the fantasy genre, there are amazing elves (good and bad) waiting to be discovered all year round. It’s difficult to pick just one example, but I do love the character of Natalie, the half-elf in the Royal Institute of Magic, by Victor Kloss. Royal Institute of Magic (Amazon US)
F is for Fairy tales 👸
One of my favourite reimagined/retold fairy tale series completed this year. The Land of Stories, by Chris Colfer was brilliant. Land of Stories book 6 (Amazon US)
G is for Gifts 🎁
Everyone I buy a gift for usually ends up with a book. I love having a legitimate excuse to go to a bookshop and spend ages browsing the shelves. OK, I often end up with an additional book for me, but surely that’s just a perfect example of win/win?
H is for Haven 🏖
At this time of year, it’s even more important to have somewhere to write that’s not part of the craziness of everyday life. I struggle to keep my desk free from clutter at the best of times and I’m trying not to let cards/wrapping/decorations take up residence next to my laptop.
I is for Illustrations ✍
There have been some amazing book covers this year. I am definitely the kind of reader who is more likely to try a new book if I like the cover. For example, Emily R. King’s The Hundredth Queen series has incredible covers, don’t you think? Hundredth Queen Series (Amazon US)
J is for Joy 😍
The holiday season is nearly here. Do something that makes you happy, just for the sake of it. Today some of my family and I went to see Thor Ragnarok ⚔. It was brilliant!
K is for Kindle 📖
Don’t forget to check out the top 100 free Kindle books in your favourite genre over the holidays. You can read for free on the Kindle App, and there are often some great choices available. Here are three free books I really enjoyed:
The Game, by Terry Schott The Game (Amazon US)
Open Minds, by Susan Kaye Quinn Open Minds (Amazon US)
Gone, by Christine Kersey Gone (Amazon US)
L is for Library 🏫
If you haven’t visited your local library recently, maybe you can find time before it closes for the holiday season. Libraries lend you books to read for free… need I say more?
M is for Music 🎶
Reading, and writing, and music are so closely linked for me. I love making different playlists to write and read to, and I love coming across lyrics that describe what my characters are going through. End of year awards and top ten lists can be a great way to discover new music.
N is for New Year 🎉
And New Year’s resolutions! I try not to make too big a deal out of setting myself targets because I think it’s important to allow things to happen naturally rather than to feel down about something you didn’t achieve. However, that said, my two resolutions are to finish the final book in the Legacy of Androva series and to launch a new series as well.
O is for Older (and Wiser) 🦉
Reading isn’t just for entertainment. Whatever you read in 2017, you’re bound to have learned something new.
P is for Perseverance 🙂
If you’re a writer, the most important thing is to keep writing, year after year. Don’t worry about how much or how often, just don’t give up!
R is for Recommendations 👍
Help other bookworms by letting them know about any great books you’ve read this year. Recommendations are never more helpful than when you have some Christmas cash in your pocket. Here are some 2017 favourites of mine:
The Summoner Series, by Taran Matharu Summoner Series (Amazon US)
The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas The Hate U Give (Amazon US)
They Both Die at the End, by Adam Silvera They Both Die at the End (Amazon US)
Magnus Chase, by Rick Riordan (I read book three this year, but the whole series is great) Magnus Chase book 3 (Amazon US)
S is for Snow ☃
Here’s hoping… Although it’s unlikely where I live, I’d love to be able to curl up and read a book, by the window, with the Christmas tree on one side and a snowy landscape on the other.
T is for Tradition 📕
Congratulations to all the new authors whose dreams of being traditionally published have come true in 2017, and good luck to anyone wishing to pursue that route in 2018 😊. There is so much amazing writing talent around these days that us readers are spoilt for choice!
U is for Unique 😝
We all are. And that’s a good thing, which should be celebrated. Hopefully, old-fashioned stereotypes will continue to be challenged in 2018 and diversity in fiction will increase.
V is for VIP 👭
Take a moment to tell the person or people in your life how much you appreciate them. Don’t assume they know already. There are very few people in my life who know that I write, but I definitely couldn’t do it without their support.
W is for Wish 🤞
If you can’t make a wish at Christmas, when can you? If I were to make a wish related to reading and writing, it would be to have time to do more of both.
X is for eXperiment 🔬
A new year can be a good time to try something new, like reading or writing in a new genre, or perhaps trying poetry, or short stories. There are no rules, after all!
Y is for Young Adult Books Becoming Movies 📽
(OK, so that’s a bit of a fudge for the letter Y!). I am looking forward to: Ready Player One, Maze Runner: The Death Cure, and Love, Simon.
Z is for 💤
I have a tendency to get so excited by the fact I don’t have to go to work over Christmas that I stay up really late reading and writing, and end up exhausted by the time work starts again. This year, I’m going to strike more of a balance. At least, I’m going to try…

I hope you enjoyed my A to Z, and if you have any recommendations for books I could read over the holidays, please let me know! And, as always, thank you for reading 😊