Merry Christmas to those who are celebrating! To those who are not, happy holidays!

While browsing through the Internet, I came across this book tag at Words About Words. It piqued my interest. I did the same book tag in 2019 and in 2021. I guess this is going to be a bi-annual tradition. However, this year’s version is going to be different as I will only be featuring books I read during the year. Without more ado, here is my 2023 Christmas Song Book Tag.

“All I Want for Christmas Is You”: Favorite bookish couple.

Honestly, I rarely take note of the bookish couples. As such, it was quite a struggle to answer this question. When I am reading, I rarely focus on the romantic angles. However, if I had to pick a couple that captured my interest, it would be William and Sylvie from Ann Napolitano’s Hello Beautiful. Sure, the circumstances surrounding their relationship are rather weird but they made their love story work. They went against the odds and supported each other and each other’s endeavors.

“I’ll Be Home for Christmas”: Name a book where a character is away from home (school, vacation, etc.).

Nobel Laureate in Literature Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain is set in the decade before the First World War. It charted the story of Hans Castorp, the only son of a Hamburg merchant family. He was an orphan and was raised by his grandfather and, following his grandfather’s death, by his maternal uncle James Tienappel. He was in his early twenties and was studying for a career in shipbuilding. The crux of the story was when he decided to take a break from his engineering studies to visit his cousin, an officer in training named Joachim Ziemssen who was suffering from tuberculosis. He was convalescing in the International Sanatorium Berghof in the Swiss Alps near the town of Davos. What was supposed to be a couple of weeks’ stay for Hans turned into years.

“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”: Name your favorite “little” book (children’s book, short story, novella, etc.).

One of my shortest reads this year, Satoshi Yagisawa’s Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is his first to be translated into English. The book was also ubiquitous, instantly piquing my interest. Surely, the blurb around the book is well-deserved as this slice-of-life reminded me of the pleasures of plowing through book offerings in quaint book shops. There are several heartwarming elements to the story as well. However, I felt like there was more to the story; I eventually learned it was a part of a series. I just hope the rest of the series will also be translated into English.

“Santa Claus is Coming to Town“: What book(s) do you hope Santa brings you this year?

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”: Which book turned your nose red (made you cry)?

I was on board an airplane from Tokyo to Manila when I started reading Hiro Arikawa’s The Goodbye Cat. Although it was a collection of short stories, I was still looking forward to the book because I loved Arikawa’s The Travelling Cat Chronicles. The short stories comprising the book grappled with fatherhood, death, and family dynamics. These are typical subjects so there wasn’t much emotional welling. That was what I thought. Toward the end of the book, Arikawa brings back Nana and Satoru, the characters in The Travelling Cat Chronicles. Before I knew it, I started getting emotional.

“The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”: Your favorite book/kind of book to read during the holidays.

I guess books about families such as Ann Patchett’s Tom Lake. The holiday season, after all, is about family reunions and reconnecting with loved ones. At least that is how it is in the Philippines. Happy Holidays everyone!

“We Three Kings”: Your favorite trilogy.

Because I am featuring books I read this year, I am naming Nobel Laureate in Literature Naguib Mahfouz’s The Cairo Trilogy. Although I have had the first two books in the trilogy for quite some time, it wasn’t until recently that I read the books. I read the first book last December 2022 while the last two books I read this year. The trilogy being called Mahfouz’s magnum opus is well-deserved.

“Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow”: A character you would love to be snowed in with.

Just like how I rarely notice the romantic angles in books, I rarely have literary crushes. As such, there is no literary character I can think of that I would want to be snowed in with.

“Last Christmas”: A book that seriously let you down.

Kim Edwards’ The Memory Keeper’s Daughter has been gathering dust on my bookshelf. This prompted me to include it in my 2023 Beat the Backlist Reading Challenge. I liked the book’s premise, to be honest. It had promise. However, the character I thought would be the center of the book wasn’t. Too bad.

“White Christmas”: An upcoming release you’re dreaming about.

This one is a timely question. I have recently been taking note of 2024 most anticipated book releases. These are just some of the titles that have piqued my interest. They may or may not form part of my 2024 Top 10 Books I Look Forward to List but I am still looking forward to their releases.

And that’s it for this version of Christmas Song Book Tag. As always, I am not tagging anyone. However, if this book tag interests you, feel free to do your own version. However, don’t forget to tag me so that I can also check out your answers. For now, happy holidays! And as always, happy reading!