Festive Reads

Helle Norup, author of The Missing Barbegazi
“I’ll be snuggling up with hot chocolate this Christmas and reading some snowy middle-grade novels: The Eye of the North by Sinéad O’Hart, Brightstorm by Vashti Hardy and The Legends of Podkin One-Ear by Kieran Larwood.”

Alice Clarke-Platts, author of The Flower Girls
“My top Christmas reads are The Corset by Laura Purcell, a spooky story about a woman who commits murder with her sewing needle. Or does she? Graham Norton, the popular TV host has written a mystery set in his native Ireland called The Keeper. Ruth Jones, the creator of Gavin and Stacey has written a novel about marriage, love and everything else in between in Never Greener. And don’t forget The Trailing Spouse by Jo Furniss. Set in Singapore, it’s a thriller mystery about the eponymous wife of an expat with many secrets to tell. For the kids, my daughters love Chris Colfer’s The Land of Stories series, so they’re on the list.”

Stephanie Suga Chen, author of Travails of a Trailing Spouse
“A Yellow House by Karien van Ditzhuijzen, a story told from the point of view of a ten year old in Singapore. Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win by Jo Piazza, about an accomplished woman who decides to run for political office. Finally, The Leader in Me by Stephen Covey, it’s about raising kids abroad. I recently picked up this book on how to help our children be more effective, goal-oriented and successful in life.”

Jo Furniss author of The Trailing Spouse
“Louise Beechs’ The Lion Tamer Who Lost. I enjoyed her previous novel called Maria in The Moon. She’s really a great writer, especially if you’re looking for a character-driven story with lots of imagery. I also just read a book called The Promise by Teresa Driscoll which is out next year, a fast read, intense thriller, which seems to be popular right now. Finally, Bitter by Francesca Jakobi.”