Last year I read When Elves Attack by Tim Dorsey and loved it. From another recent request on this sub, I’ve got library requests in for The Stupidest Angel, Wishin’ and Hopin’, and P.S. Your Cat Is Dead.
Any others that you all know of? Googling isn’t giving me too many. I’m up for almost anything short of totally and completely gruesome, but I’m okay with horror, too.
Edit to say some of my favorite Christmas movies are slightly more in the realm of dark comedy, like Mixed Nuts and Scrooged. Yeah, they do technically have happy endings, but I don’t necessarily need that.
by CalamityJen
5 Comments
I’m currently reading The Old Magic of Christmas by Linda Raedisch. It covers the mythology of Yuletide characters that are darker, more ambiguous, spooky, weird, etc. It also includes some activities you can put together to celebrate each figure or celebration. Most of it seems to be pagan so far. I’m enjoying it. It’s not a novel, though.
“Skipping Christmas” by John Grisham. It’s kind of a sideways move for Grisham but it’s a worthwhile read and listen, and something different, although not weird but more along the lines about an attitude we’ll all have about Christmas, sooner or later, even if only one season that catches busy adults in a blue mood
You Better Not Cry by Augusten Burroughs
It’s a memoir with long short stories on topics including: “when children are left unattended in front of baking shows”, “what happens when you confuse Jesus and Santa”, and “you know that pervy old guy in the bar in a Santa costume? Have you ever wondered if he scores at that bar?”
Hogfather by Terry Pratchett might be a bit deep into the Discworld series to stand alone. The fantasy world equivalent of Santa goes missing, so Death is delivering presents while his adopted granddaughter is trying to find out what can even happen to an anthropomorphic personification. The excess belief spilling out from the change leads to all kinds of odd things wandering around, like the creature that eats missing socks and the Oh God of Hangovers.
Hogfather by Pratchett. Great take on the holidays and belief in general