Have you ever heard of the Icelandic tradition of Jolabokaflod (the Christmas Book Flood)? This tradition of buying books for Christmas presents began in Iceland during WWII. Supply chains were cut off, and paper was one commodity Icelanders could get their hands on, so publishing became a large part of their workforce. As soon as gifts are opened on December 24th, you’ll find the recipients curled up, reading their new books, while sipping on hot chocolate or an alcohol-free Christmas ale (malt mixed with orange soda).

When I heard about Jolabokaflod, I immediately knew this was a tradition my mom, sister, and I needed to adopt. Three years ago, we had our first book gift exchange.

We girls have a tradition that started many years ago, where Mom, Frieda, and I will get together either the Saturday or Sunday before Christmas or Christmas Eve. Whichever works out best for us. My sister and I spend all day wrapping our family’s gifts – and wrapping Mom’s for her. Mom cooks and feeds us while we labor over matching gift wrap, stickers, and bows. And then, at the end of the day, we gift each other books.

Careful Choices

We don’t just grab any ol’ book and throw some paper on it, though. Weeks before, on Thanksgiving Day, we each write a list of five books we’d like to have. We fold up the index cards, put them into a bowl, and draw. If we get our own name, we put the card back and draw again until we each have one another. Surprisingly, we don’t always know who we each drew.

My list typically starts one way and ends up another. I have a habit of wandering Barnes & Noble with my phone out, snapping pictures of the covers of books I want to add to my To-Be-Read Shelf. You read that right. Shelf. I’m one of those readers who has the FOMO. Fear Of Missing Out on obtaining books, despite Amazon. So, I have TBR shelves. To top it off, I’m a s-l-o-w reader. I do not skip words. Even “the” or “and.” Nope. I read every.single.one. My justification for my TBR shelves? If the world ever goes dark (a.k.a. no more internet/social media/television/movies to entertain me), I will be prepared!

Now, my mom, sister, and I have yet to curl up on Mom’s couch and start reading right away once our new books are unwrapped. We’re usually too tired to do so after a long day of wrapping, and my hubby is usually texting and asking how much longer I’m going to be. So, we usually pack up and go home.

The TBR

Remember my TBR shelf? Yeah, I know of at least two of my books from the past three Jolabokaflods are still waiting for me to get to them. But here are a few I’ve been gifted:

Sky of Seven Colors by Rachelle Nelson

Secrets in the Mist by Morgan L. Busse

The Third Path by Eva Marie Everson

Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte

Which leads me to another bit about my reading life: I buy books based on recommendations I see from other writer and reader friends on social media. Which is how I came to ask for Four Dead Queens, which is one of the first books I received when we girls decided to jump in on this new tradition. And it’s one book still waiting to be read.

Despite our book gifting before Christmas Day, I still ask my husband for books for Christmas. And sometimes my daughter will get me one, as well. Or I ask for a Barnes & Noble gift card, so I can have the pleasure of wandering the aisles, touching the books, looking at all the pretty covers, and flipping through the pages if one catches my interest. Plus, there’s that glorious smell, and I’m not talking about the Starbucks café at the front of the store. Last December, I used my gift card to buy a reading log for the first time. I decided it was time to start tracking the books I read in a year, as well as having a space to take notes for leaving reviews.

New Reading Method

And this year has been the first year I’ve dipped into listening to audiobooks. Again, FOMO. How am I supposed to know whether or not the entire book was recorded? I thought I’d listen to a nonfiction book while following along in the paperback version of it. See if my brain would retain it better that way. Only to be disappointed that the audiobook version left out a lot. I didn’t let that stop me for long, though. I maintain my Spotify subscription just so I have access to the audiobooks.

In 2024, I’ve listened to 1984 by George Orwell. It was painful. AI read. The cadence was all off. But I finished it! Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry. Eh. Don’t recommend it. Like a River by Granger Smith. Loved it! He went above and beyond, not only reading his memoir, but also adding commentary along the way. And I’m part of the way through Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story by Bono (U2). He includes their music in every chapter. It’s really cool. I think I’ve discovered that I really enjoy memoirs on audiobook, especially if read by the author. Fiction, not so much. I’d take the paper copy over the audio any day.

Now, to come up with my wish list of books for this Christmas!

Learn about a lovely holiday tradition that includes buying books on today's My Reading Life with @alyciamorales Share on X

Meet Alycia

Alycia Morales, author of Surviving the Year of Firsts: A Mom’s Guide to Grieving Child Loss, has been writing for over a decade and has been published in multiple compilations, devotionals, and various online and print publications. Her mad editing skills have helped hundreds of clients win various awards. In her role as book coach, she loves helping authors improve their writing craft and polish their manuscripts for publication.

She also teaches at writers conferences across the United States. She lives in South Carolina with her husband and is adjusting to an almost empty nest. When she makes the time to do so, she enjoys hiking, taking scenic rides (with camera in hand), painting, reading, and binge-watching favorite shows. Although she loves sweet tea and sugary coffee drinks, she’s given up sugar and switched to unsweet tea and black coffee. The brain fog is lifting …

Find out more via her author profile or website.