It’s barely November. The plastic purple and black pumpkins are in sales bins at the grocery store as palettes of cardboard brown precariously teeter over shoppers, waiting to spring open with a gush of red and green and gold to fill the gaping sadness of empty seasonal shelves.

Wrapping paper of cutesy Santas and penguins, of fragile ornaments in shapes of pickles, pizza slices, and 1950’s trailers with a tree on top. Gingerbread house kits of various difficulty and flavors, like Starburst or candy-cane flavored everything.

The candy cane selection used to be simple. White-and-red stripes of a strong peppermint that cleared the sinuses. Kids and adults alike sucked and slurped as a still partially plastic-coated end stuck out of corners of mouths like holiday cigarettes.

But now there are rainbow-colored candy canes that taste like cherry. The always appetizing look (*sarcasm*) of brown-and-white striped canes that taste like root beer. Green-and-white stripes of a cooler spearmint flavor to offset the fire of the peppermint original. And brands other than Starburst have gotten into the candy-cane flavor world. Sweetarts, LifeSavers, Skittles, Oreo and even Fruit Loops.

Then of course, since Harry Potter tried his first every flavor bean, there are the every flavor of candy cane, from ketchup to gravy to…clam flavor candy canes. Yep. Clam. Because nothing says the holidays like clam candy.

(*more sarcasm*)

But what does this have to do with holiday books?

Storybook flavors, dear readers!

Like an assortment of crazy holiday candy flavors, books are coming out in all the flavors of the rainbow as well!

The holidays touch every genre.

Though the romance genre has set up to be a near North Pole City of holiday reading cheer, like the holiday episodes that pop-up in near every one of your favorite TV shows— from the lightest, fullest house of family TV shows to the darkest, after the kids are asleep, let’s mute for all the swearing police-murder-paranormal-splatter mystery shows—at some point there will be a golden retriever puppy with antlers on its head stealing a turkey leg, or Christmas lights will reflect off the blade of a knife just before a spray of blood rains down on a shadowed Christmas ornament hanging innocently upon a pine bow.

As for reading, there are books sometimes smattered with the holidays. And sometimes just full-on cannonballed right into the deep end of all things Christmas spirit.

So if you like the holidays and reading, whatever your holiday tastes, there is something quite delicious in your favorite reading genre.

And if you like many genres, well you have a smorgasbord. Loosen your reading belt, my friends. You’re gonna need to make room, cause your selection is vast and you’ll likely go back for seconds, and thirds.

More holiday reading blogs to come! I mean, we’ve just touched into the holiday season, and I am amped and ready to jingle, be merry AND bright.

Happy Holidays, dear readers!