If you are looking for a sweet, holiday read, then you can’t go wrong with Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva. 

Imagine if you will, a prominent writer of his day, recovering from a ill-received work, newly minted father of 6, hounded by charities, publishers, and children dealing with the newfangled idea of a Christmas tree and the resurgence of carols at every corner. Being commissioned to write a Christmas story just weeks before the blessed day is the final straw. He bah humbugs himself back to his bachelor’s quarters, donns a disguise and fails miserably at evoking any sense of Christmas in the story he’s written.

Faithful readers, friends, a crew of ragamuffins headed by David Copperfield, and a mysterious theater seamstress in a purple cloak haunt his every step. Walk along with Mr. Dickens as he rediscovers the joys of Christmas and finally gets that blasted Christmas story written. A prickly writer with an eye for the ladies, laboriously described scenes and characters, and the interweaving of other works by Dickens make this a worthy read this holiday season. In fact, it’s so rich you may need to read it twice just to savor the decadent details.