Do you like holiday-themed books?

Cathy C · Dec 17, 2007

I'm working on a book right now that was originally going to be Christmas themed, but then they decided on a December release (holiday themed books are put out in October or November). At RWA National, in the PAN session, the booksellers said that holiday themed books (whether Christmas, or New Years, or Valentines) are some of their best sellers. Yet, everyone I know who reads romances HATE themed books.

Apparently, I'm not keyed in on where the sales are coming from. Maybe it's a contemporary versus romsus or pararom issue (since that's primarily what I read.)

What say you all? Do you have a favorite holiday, if you like themed books?

Let's talk BOOKS!

Chasing the Horizon · Dec 17, 2007

Count me amoung the many people you know who HATE holiday themed books, lol. Even if they're themed around the holidays I like (New Years, 4th of July, etc.), the whole idea is just too cheesy. I mainly read historical and write fantasy/futuristic and won't touch contemporary, though, so maybe that's why.

smlgr8 · Dec 17, 2007

I don't mind them. I don't go out of my way to look for them but if I come upon one that sounds interesting I'll get it. As long as the story is a good one I don't care at all about what time of the year it is set in. Holidays are cool just like any other.

kristie911 · Dec 17, 2007

I don't care if the book is holiday themed, but very seldom would I pick up a Christmas themed book near Christmas. It's just a bit much for me. I have no problem reading one in July, or a 4th of July themed one near Christmas.

Sassee · Dec 17, 2007

I haven't read any yet. Mostly because they seem too short for me - a bunch of authors crammed into one volume with a mere taste of their characters (or a half sized story from one author). I already have issues with wanting to buy up books that aren't written yet just so I can keep experiencing other people's characters. Shorts just seem too cruel!

(But I'll probably end up buying one anyway)

Stlight · Dec 17, 2007

I tend to stay away from Christmas books because they are way too heavy on the warm fuzzy or tear-jerks and just make me feel too manipulated. (BTW that goes for all tear-jerks. It just seems to get worse at Christmas) But then I don’t like a good cry.

Stlight

AllieB · Dec 18, 2007

Actually, I read three holiday-themed romances in the last couple of months, for a review site I read for, and I was pleasantly surprised. The only one I didn't like (Janet Evanovich's Thanksgiving) was so cliched in every respect that it wouldn't have mattered what holiday it was about.

The other two I read, incidentally, were Halloween Knight , a historical by Tori Phillips and Scenes from a Holiday, a trilogy of chick lit novellas. I liked the holiday connection in both.

Irysangel · Dec 18, 2007

I normally am ambivalent, but this year I've gone out of my way to grab Christmas-theme books. Must be me getting all maudlin.

Sonarbabe · Dec 18, 2007

I don't know, I kinda like them. Most of the ones I've read have been pretty funny. There were a couple that were meant to be tear-jerkers and I rolled my eyes at them, but in general I like Christmas themed stories. Harlequin Blaze put one out (last year I think?) that was an anthology and though the stories were SHORT, I still thought they were pretty good. If each of them had been full-length they would have been 10x better. The one that sticks out in my mind is one Debbie Macomber did last year. It had 2 stories in it and the first one was a riot. (Sweet romances aren't my thing, but it was funny)

Susan Gable · Dec 19, 2007

I like them.

Susan G. - with a stack of holiday Supers to read soon.

Susan Gable · Dec 19, 2007

Oh, the other thing is, I've actually used a lot of holidays in my books, but they weren't holiday books.

For me, when writing family drama-type stories that take place over a longer span of time, touching base with the characters on a holiday seems to be the right thing to do, oftentimes. Not always. But often.

Susan G.

Crinklish · Dec 19, 2007

From the other side of the desk, I can tell you that we do something Christmas-themed every year, because they're guaranteed sellers. Now that paranormal's so hot, we've also had decent luck with Halloween anthologies in that vein. Someone must be buying them. (I wonder if some of the Xmas success is increased sales from bewildered friends & family groping about the romance section? "I know she likes romance, but who the heck are all these people?...Ooh, Christmas!")

kristie911 · Dec 19, 2007

Crinklish said:
(I wonder if some of the Xmas success is increased sales from bewildered friends & family groping about the romance section? "I know she likes romance, but who the heck are all these people?...Ooh, Christmas!")

This is totally how I pictured my ex-husband shopping when he used to buy me books. He tried hard to find something I would like but was just so completely clueless.

The last few years, he just bought the B&N gift card.

choppersmom · Dec 19, 2007

kristie911 said:
This is totally how I pictured my ex-husband shopping when he used to buy me books. He tried hard to find something I would like but was just so completely clueless.

The last few years, he just bought the B&N gift card.

SMART man!

choppersmom · Dec 19, 2007

I have read many Christmas romances, and I have enjoyed them for the most part. Debbie Macomber does a great job with them, and there are others who do them that I can't think of right now, but who generally succeed in entertaining without too much sap oozing out from between the pages.

Josie · Dec 19, 2007

Never bothered much with holiday themed especially Xmas in reading material but because I enjoy paranormal romance I have ordered SNocturne "Holiday with a Vampire"
A little different

job · Dec 19, 2007

I hate holiday themed books. Especially collections. Especially Christmas.

Bah Humbug.

That said, if one of my favorite authors does one, I buy it and always enjoy it.

Fr'instance, I'm meandering my way by fits and starts through Eloisa James' An Affair Before Christmas. right now. Jayne Ann Krentz did a Halloween short that I adored. And Jo Beverley's Christmas Angel is one of her best.

Robin Bayne · Dec 20, 2007

Love to buy them and go buy a bunch every year based on the cover art. I know, it's nuts, and I am usually disappointed in the story but I still think it's fun.

justme · Dec 21, 2007

I enjoy Christmas themed books. Call me cheesy, but I like them.

Susan Gable · Dec 21, 2007

rosepressey said:
I enjoy Christmas themed books. Call me cheesy, but I like them.

Good. Someone to share the cheese with me.

Susan G.

JudyThomas · Dec 24, 2007

I don't go out of my way to get them. I know some people who stock up on Christmas stories to read during the holidays. I was sent A Perfect Tree (Roz Denny Fox, Tanya Michaels, Ann DeFee) to review, though, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Arisa81 · Dec 24, 2007

I can only say I haven't gotten into them yet. I have thought about reading them, when in July I see a holiday themed book. I tell myself if I see it in December, I will check it out, but of course it's gone by then. Our library puts out all the Christmas non-fiction books in a special section, they really should do the fiction too. It would help me out a bunch. I just can't go looking through everything for them

Nicole_Gestalt · Dec 30, 2007

I don't mind them really although I have to say that I tend to read them out of the season they contain - so I'll happily read winter themed holiday stories in the summer but tend to stay away from them in the winter. The only holiday that goes against this is Samhain (Halloween) I don't mind reading those at the 'right' time.

Heather Lewis · Dec 31, 2007

I like them, especially Christmas ones (which I read at any time of the year). I kind of expect the cheese factor, but sometimes I'm in the mood for triple-cream brie, you know?

MR

Do you like holiday-themed books?

Ooo! Shiny new cover!

Blowing in the Wind

Eternal Lurker

Happy to be here

Momma Wolf

ideas are floating where they will

She of Many Names

Working In A Coal Mine...

Dreamer of dreams, teller of tales

Dreamer of dreams, teller of tales

Happy to be here

---

---

In the end, it's just you and the manuscript

~writes for Him~

Well butter my biscuit!

Dreamer of dreams, teller of tales