You don’t need me to tell you that this has been a weird and sad year, and it’ll be a weird Christmas. I don’t know what the restrictions are where you are, but this will be the first Christmas I haven’t spent with my parents – though thankfully only because of the restrictions. I know there are others who have a much sadder reason.
I will be able to spend it with my brother, though, because bubbles are still a thing – and the main thing is that we all stay as safe as possible. And we can celebrate the birth of Jesus every day of the year!
I know Christmas isn’t just about gifts, but I thought I’d put something on the positives scale for 2020. You probably know that 2020 has seen the launch of the British Library Women Writers series, for which I’m the series consultant. And I’d like to offer a British Library Women Writers title as a Christmas present to three people!
In the comments, just let me know which of these you’d pick if you won (it is one each for 3 people) – and I’ll draw three names out the hat.
O, The Brave Music by Dorothy Evelyn Smith
Dangerous Ages by Rose Macaulay
Tea Is So Intoxicating by Mary Essex
Father by Elizabeth von Arnim
Chatterton Square by EH Young
My Husband Simon by Mollie Panter-Downes
The Tree of Heaven by May Sinclair
This is open around the world! I’ll be off the blog for a few days – have a very lovely Christmas, despite the circumstances.
I’d love the Rose Macaulay.
Happy Christmas Simon. xx
It’s got to be Tea! What a title 🤩
Father by Von Arnim.
O, The Brave Music would be fun to get in the mail.
Happy Holidays to you and your family🎄Tea is so Intoxicating
I would love the Elizabeth von Arnim. Happy holidays!
Merry Christmas, Simon. And thanks for Stuck in A Book—always a happy thing to find waiting in my inbox or on Facebook during this insane year.
How nice of you to have a giveaway! Good luck to everyone, and blessed Christmas to all.
Tea Is So Intoxicating.
Chattertin Square because I know nothing about the book or the author and want 2021 to be a year if discovering new things.
Ooh Simon, what a generous gesture! I’d like any of them! But perhaps especially O, The Brave Music or Tea is So Intoxicating.
Enjoy Christmas with your brother (and Hargreaves?) Much as I would like things to be different, I must say I feel a little bit liberated from the burden of all the usual runabout. Time again for that next year.
Happy Christmas!
Tea is si Intoxicating
I would love Chatterton Square!! All good wishes to you and your brother.
Dangerous Ages by Rose Macaulay – have a good Christmas!
I would love to have Tea Is So Intoxicating by Mary Essex. And thank you for this — it’s a bright spot in an otherwise ghastly Christmas!
I would pick Dangerous Ages by Rose Macaulay. Happy Christmas!
I would love The Tree of Heaven.
Season’s Greetings to you Simon.
Lovely you get to spend it with your brother.
Could I please change my choice to Father .
This is so lovely! Thank you for hosting this giveaway, Simon, and for bringing these authors back to print. If I had to choose, I’d love to win Dangerous Ages. But all of them are brilliant!
Merry Christmas for you and your family :)
What a lovely competition! Thank you dearly!
Father by Elizabeth von Arnim.
Merry Christmas.
Happy Christmas, Simon! I’d love to read Tea Is So Intoxicating.
Merry Christmas!
I would adore O, The Brave Music!
I would chose O, the Brave Music.
Merry Christmas, Simon!
I would love Tea is So Intoxicating! Thanks for the chance and happy Christmas.
Merry Christmas! I think I would pick the Tree of Heaven. Enjoy the holidays.
Dangerous Ages by Rose Macaulay
Father by Elizabeth von Arnim
Tea Is So Intoxicating by Mary Essex
Thank you, Simon
“Tea is so Intoxicating” Sounds absolutely delightful. I once bought myself a gift of a year’s worth of tea samples. I love tea.
It’s got to be Tea! What a title 🤩
Chatterton Square, because I have been wanting to read Young. They don’t have any of hers in our library. I’ve not read any of the books on offer, so any of the titles would be welcome! Thank you!
I would only pick Father and The Tree of Heaven, because I have the others!
A lovely gesture. Chatterton Square for me I think, as Harriet loved it.
Hi Simon! My three picks would be Dangerous Ages, Father, and Tea is So Intoxicating. What a nice thing for you to do, a Happy Christmas to you and your brother, and to Jesus!
“Tea is so Intoxicating”: What a title! What a premise! And as someone who has experience bouts of hys-TEA-ria (my term for a quest to find the most invigorating… yes, perhaps intoxicating… tea – which, by the bye, is Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Organic Fairtrade Kenyan Tea), I rather think this book will be a delight!
Merry Christmas and thank you for the continued wonderful work that is this blog!
I would love Tea Is So Intoxicating by Mary Essex; when I read, I always have a cuppa at hand, so
this book seems appropriate.
Wishing you and your family a healthy and blessed Christmas!
Tea is so intoxicating !
I would love to read O, The Brave Music. Merry Christmas!
What a terrific idea! I adore Mollie P-D, so it would have to be My Husband Simon. Even if, as you say, it’s not her best work, I’m pretty sure I’ll still love it!
What a wonderful giveaway! I’ve heard great things about Rose Macaulay, so I’d choose her book Dangerous Ages.
Because of you, I read “One Fine Day” and loved it. So I would like “My Husband Simon” to continue reading Mollie Panter Downes.
Thanks.
What a wonderful idea – so hard to choose! I would love the Rose Macauley, even though I’m an Elizabeth von Arnim fangirl. Rose also makes me laugh and I haven’t read Dangerous Ages and the title seems appropriate for our times.
Gabrielle
So kind and thoughtful, Simon! Have a very Merry Christmas and enjoy time with your brother.
I would love to win O, the Brave Music.
Ooh, a competition that’s open to us in the Antipodes, yay!!!
I’d love Dangerous Ages by Rose Macaulay.
Have a great Christmas, stay safe and well,
Lisa
Well, I already bought Tea is so Intoxicating and I’ve read Chatterton Square. O,The Brave Music is my next to buy so I would love to receive it. Then I can buy another one! These are lovely copies, Simon.
Merry Christmas and may 2021 be a much better year!
I would be happy for any one of these but okay if I don’t win the draw. Just lovely you are offering worldwide. I look forward to another year of your posts and I hope you and your brother have a wonderful Christmas and a healthy new year. 🐧🎄🎁
Merry Christmas to you and thank you for all the book chat this year.
Rose Macaulay’s Dangerous Ages would be my choice if I am lucky enough to win.
What a lovely idea! I have started to collect and read these beautiful novels and would love “O The Brave Music “ .
I‘d love to read ‚Chatterton Square‘… have a Merry Christmas. 🎄🎅🏻
Best regards, Julia
These editions look lovely. Rose Macaulay’s Dangerous Ages sounds good.
Love books by Elizabeth von Arinim.
Merry Christmas!
Tea Is So Intoxicating! Fun storytelling sounds like just the thing right now. Merry Christmas!
All of these look so good, but I was immediately drawn to My Husband Simon. I’ve always wanted to read Mollie Panter-Downes!
Thank you for this lovely offer. I am tempted by O, the Brave Music.
I would pick O, the Brave Music because I’ve heard it is good!! Also, my niece is an Evelyn and I love that name! Merry Christmas!!! I hope you get a lot of good books! :)
What a lovely thing to do! I got my mum the Mary Essex book for Christmas, so I think for myself I’d choose the Mollie Panter-Downes. Hope you have a very happy Christmas.
How generous! I’d love the Mary Essex. Happy Christmas, Simon!
Thank you for this. I would choose O The Brave Music.
Happy Christmas and Best Wishes for a (hopefully) better New Year.
O, the Brave Music would be my choice too. I’m reading Tea is So Intoxicating at the moment and really enjoying it. Best wishes for 2021.
What a lovely and generous offer – I’d like to have a go please! I started off by looking at which of these my library holds, having decided all the books definitely looked interesting. I’ve read a few reviews of Chatterton Square, including yours, so I’d like to throw my hat in the ring for that one please. Have a good Christmas, and I look forward to more of your reviews in the new year
Hope you have a very happy Christmas! I would love “O the Brave Music” because I adore coming of age stories and I’ve heard so many good things about it!
Either the Macaulay or the von Arnim – hard to choose! What a generous offer, thank you.
Merry Christmas and stay safe –
Merry Christmas! This was a tough decision but I think The Tree of Heaven sounds very interesting so I would go for that one if I happen to win.
Hopefully you and your brother have a lovely Christmas and you are able to have a belated celebration with your parents soon.
The Tree of Heaven by Mary Sinclair. Dangerous Ages and Tea is So Intoxicating also appeal, Happy Christmas to you!
Father by Elizabeth von Arnim please. I have the others, per your recommendation and am about to read Dorothy Evelyn Smith for my holiday selection. Happy Christmas, Simon, and thank you for all the excellent book recommendations.
Thanks Simon, and Merry Christmas! ‘Oh, the Brave Music’ is the one I’d choose, as I have already read or bought the others.
Tea is so Intoxicatingnplease. Christmas will be sad too for me without my parents but like you say, at least we are well and it’s only sad because we aren’t together. Merry Christmas and have a fabulous 2021! And hopefully Nicolette won’t have that baby 😉
Seonad x
Father by Elizabeth von Arnim. I just read about the book on Rohan Maitzen’s site, and it sounds like a good one.
What a nice thing to do. I would choose Chatterton Square!
I would choose My Husband Simon, as I love her work, and a new book by this writer is a very cheering prospect. Thank you for introducing me to so many wonderful writers and wishing you a very happy and peaceful Christmas.
What a nice idea! They all sound delightful but the one I am most eager to read is O, The Brave Music.
Merry Christmas!
Constance
Blessings to you at Christmas. I would LOVE O, The Brave Music. Many Thanks
Definitely Father by Elizabeth von Arnim. One of my favourite authors, but I’ve not got this one yet.
I would love to read ‘O, The Brave Music.’
Thank you for bringing cheer to this reader, Simon! Your blog and podcast have been a great help in 2020.
Thank you Simon for making this world-wide. we all need some cheer. Being a tea lover how can I not choose ‘Tea is so intoxicating’? Would love to have a copy of it. Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones.
Oooh Dangerous Ages by Rose Macaulay!
Happy Christmas! Lucy
Thanks for your informative and interesting blog post.
I chose Father be Elizabeth von Arnim please.
How lovely! I just received Tea is So Intoxicating and My Husband Simon as Christmas gifts (huzzah!) so if I were a lucky winner, I would choose Dangerous Ages by Rose Macaulay. It’s very kind of you to share.
Thanks again for your delightful blog and I hope you have the best possible Christmas with your brother and Hargreaves.
Dangerous Ages by Rose Macaulay. Merry Christmas!
Tea is so intoxicating please! What a wonderful idea – good luck to all! Merry Christmas!
My Husband Simon, please. These are lovely. Thank you for your many recommendations over the years.
Merry Christmas, Simon! And send along warm wishes to Colin, as well.
Mary is enjoying Tea is So Intoxicating and says I would enjoy it….who wouldn’t be drawn to a book title like that? And O, The Brave Music has some very good reviews so I’m intrigued by that one.
Take care, have a lovely festive season, and stay healthy!
Merry Christmas Simon and may 2021 bring joy and hope. All of the books sound fascinating and interesting. I like Tea is so Intoxicating and shall be researching the other titles.
Fondest wishes
It would have to be “tea is so intoxicating”. I hope you’re well and have had a fabulous Christmas! Xx
I’ve read, and loved, Chatterton Square, but the others are all new to me. I’d love any of them. Stay safe and look forward to the new year. Thank you for your blog.
All of them sound amazing – these are all new titles to me. If I have to choose just one, I would pick CHATTERTON SQUARE. But I am also happy to take an orphaned title, from any that are undersubscribed in the drawing. Thank you, and I look forward to reading your blog.
Merry Christmas! I’d love to read Chatterton Square.
I would love the Elizabeth Von Arnim (I have all the others – what a brilliant selection!)
Wow! The Rose Macauly please, though truthfully, I’d read any of them!
If I were lucky enough, I’d love to receive Dangerous Ages, please!
Tea is so intoxicating sounds brilliant!
The Tree of Heaven by May Sinclair please.
Tea, please, or any. Thank you !
Tea is so Intoxicating!! Love your podcast from Dallas, TX! 💖💖
I’d like “Father” please. I read “Enchanted April” earlier this year.
Happy Christmas to you, Simon, and to your readers.
I’d like to have the Molly Panter-Downes, please!
Happy Christmas, Simon. I’d choose O, the Brave Music. My first thought was ‘that’s a writer I’ve never even heard of,’ then I googled and found your review from a couple of years ago – think I’ll have to buy it now, if I don’t win!
My Husband Simon by Mollie Panter-Downes sounds awesome! Happy New Year!
Hello Simon
Would love a copy of Father by Elizabeth von Arnim as I have the others – love the series.
Wishing you all the very best for the new year.
I’d like Dangerous Ages please.
Happy New Year.
Father by Elizabeth von Arnim – the moment you compared it to Lolly Willowes it went on my wish list. Thank you for your posts; they’re a delight.