Cover Image: The Six Tales of Christmas

The Six Tales of Christmas

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Member Reviews

A wonderful festive read
The book is written so well and told a good story
The book had a predictable happy ending

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I received a copy of this book to read and review from Netgalley.
This book is a fantastic reminder of the power and joy of books as well of the small acts of kindness that add up.
I particularly enjoyed the small easter eggs throughout the books about books and reading, see how many you can spot whilst reading!
A perfect read for a chilly evening in the run up to Christmas and a must read for book lovers!

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The Six Tales of Christmas by Anne Marie Ryan

Nora and Simon own a bookshop in the Cotswolds that is on the verge of closure. This is a beautiful book about journey to save the bookshop in the village and the strange way Nora finds to try her best in the strangest ways.

The characters and the journey with the community coming together can they save the bookshop.

A lovely book beautifully set at Christmas and Cotswold’s everything you want in a Christmas read.

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Nora and Simon own a bookshop in the Cotswolds, Nora is hiding a secret that the bookshop is failing and fears they will lose the bookshop.
After meeting Arnold in the shop and hearing his story, Nora is moved. Sending out 6 different books to 6 different people their stories become intertwined but will it be enough to save the bookshop?
A truly wonderful Christmas read

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Unfortunately I couldn't get into this one. It was ok, and I could have perceivered with it but when there are just so many great Christmas books out there I just couldn't

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Really enjoyed this book. It was a fun, lovely and cosy read. I really enjoyed seeing how the bookstore brought everybody within the community together and the ending was very heart-warming.

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I really enjoyed this book which I read over Christmas time. I liked the variety of people, how the bookshop brought everyone together and helped each other. The outcome was lovely too.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for a review. I will be putting this on Amazon too.

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Enjoyable cosy read, but if I'm honest I felt like I'd read it before the story feels like it was just thrown together, but it was a cosy read, pretty cover

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Please note that this book is not for me - I have read the book, However I had to DNF and because i do not like to give negative reviews I will not review this book fully - there is no specific reason for not liking this book. I found it a struggle to read and did not enjoy trying to force myself to read this book.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for the opportunity to read this book

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A beautiful read set in a bookshop. For all those bookshop lovers out there this story is a must. The bookshop is in dire need of saving and it appears an unusual way of saving it is on the cards. People buy books for different reasons so the owner decides to take action and give surprises to various local people in order to bring them together. A cosy read that will stay with you.

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This was a truly delightful festive story set in a small, village. in the Cotswolds.
Following the story of an older couple who have been running the bookshop that she had inherited from her mum many years ago. It has been a long standing love of theirs, however, she has now discovered it is seriously struggling on a financial level. Not wanting to worry her husband, who has been suffering with several health problems and doesn't need the stress. And this is when they hatch up a plan - they decide to send six books out to people in the local community who need something to pick them up a little.

This story is truly beautiful from the start. I love how it shows a real sense of community spirit, and how the locals all pull together to support one another. The characters were realistic and so loveable, it was impossible to not fall in love with this beautiful book.

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A Christmas book set in a small town/village (I never can keep this small town versus village thing straight) in the Cotswolds. The main characters are an older couple, she inherited the bookshop they owned and ran from her mum, and loves it, but it’s in dire financial straits. She’s been hiding this fact from her husband – that the bookshop’s under threat -because he’s had health problems and is meant to avoid stress. Meanwhile, they decide together to send six books out to people in the local area who really need a book to cheer them up…it’s a really cute Christmas story about a local community coming together, battling isolation, and loving books.

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Lovely feel good seasonal book. It was just lovely. Romantic book you dream about. Great plot and characters. Perfect for reading over the festive period. Or at any time if the year. Christmas books can be enjoyed anytime anywhere. Very well written and flowed well.

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It's almost Christmas and snow is falling in the Cotswolds. Simon and Nora are gearing up for the festive season – but their bookshop is in trouble.

Nora is delighted when a customer buys a book that's been on the shelves for years, but that won't be enough to keep the bailiffs away.

Fuelled by mulled wine and mince pies, Nora and Simon hatch a plan to rouse community spirit, sending out six books to lonely villagers. The books change the recipients' lives, but is it too late to change the bookshop's fate?

I loved this book!! The description of the book shop made me want to go and curl up by the fire there with a cuppa and some of Nora's biscuits.
The characters are well thought out and fallible (which I loved) and all interlinked throughout the community, having sent out 6 books to random people the story follows their reactions to receiving them. The story is incredibly well thought out and flows as a good book should. The story also tackles some essentially taboo subjects including death of a young girl, bereavement and mental health, however, the author hasn't shied away or paid lip service to any of these subject she has shone a spot light on them. That in itself has made me want to read more by Anne Marie Ryan. I wont leave any spoilers but suffice to say if you pick this book up you will laugh, you will cry and you will be in for a well deserved treat I am sure. I devoured this in about 24 hours as I couldn't put it down.

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Honestly, I finished The Six Tales of Christmas a few days ago and I’m still glowing from the lift it gave me. Do you know that feeling when you can actually feel your heart physically grow with love? That’s exactly what happened when I read this. It made Christmas last just that little bit longer and was a wonderful first read of the year.
Nora and Simon own a beloved bookshop in a quiet Cotswold village, but takings are low and debts are mounting. As they face the prospect of closing permanently, Nora and Simon offer out six book gifts to the community in a hope to lift some spirits. What they don’t bank on is just how much their gifts will mean.
I love the setting of an independent bookstore. It just feels so welcoming and cosy and is filled with books about everything. The way the fire is on and there are always some homemade sweet treats, the though of story times or just sitting in the big chairs flicking through a book fills me with warmth. If I was lucky enough to own a bookshop – this is how I’d want to to feel.
Nora and Simon are such a delightful couple. Really supportive of each other and caring to everyone around them. Despite being under so much pressure themselves, they still manage to put others first. The other villagers are wonderful too and their individual stories all combine to create a magical tale of love, hope, grief and self-discovery.
Go on – I know you can squeeze one last Christmas story in.

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An enjoyable Christmas read.
Some topical themes and plenty of Christmas different issues covered but within a heartwarming Christmas storyline.

Thank you to Netgalley for an early review copy

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This title was featured in Pretty Books '8 festive books to take you back to Christmas'. If viewed, the publisher/author will be tagged!

The Six Tales of Christmas by Anne Marie Ryan
It’s almost Christmas and snow is falling in the Cotswolds. Simon and Nora are gearing up for the festive season – but their bookshop is in trouble.

Fuelled by mulled wine and mince pies, Nora and Simon hatch a plan to rouse community spirit, sending out six books to lonely villagers. The books change the recipients’ lives, but is it too late to change the bookshop’s fate?

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Nora and Simon run a cute little bookshop in the Cotswolds but as the festive period approaches, it may be their last as their financial troubles seem to stick around just as much as the snow that blankets the streets around them. After one of their original book purchases for the shop finally finds a new home, the pair hatch a plan to send a book gift to six members of their local community who may need a little joy or perspective.

The story gives the perspective of both Simon and Nora, and reading how the six recipients of their book giveaway react is a lovely touch. This is a charming festive read and whilst there isn’t heaps of depth or hidden meaning it is a cosy Christmassy read.

The random acts of kindness deliveries and the selection of books chosen (plus Nora and Simon’s reasons for choosing them) are lovely elements to the story, and there’s also deeper themes including death and depression which help to balance out the other somewhat happier moments.

There’s a certain warmth and sense of community to the characters and the story, and really reminds me of the kind of tale that would feature in a Netflix Christmas film. The perfect thing to read in the run up to the big day.

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A lovely little festive read told from different POVs across the story, it’s a delightful addition to your festive reading and although I could see what was coming, didn’t detract from my enjoyment at all. Wonderful writing and a great cast of characters, fabulous festive reading

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

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There are some festive books that are all-singing, all-dancing gliterry extravaganzas, that pack tinsel and mince pies into every page. Don’t get me wrong, I love them! But I also adore the gentle, genuinely warm tales that sit in your heart, and this story was certainly one of them.

If ever there was a book to compare to Love Actually, it would be this one. Except instead of creating the perfect Christmas for each individual, this festive season changes their lives for good. Six strangers, who are nominated by their loved ones to receive a book from the local bookshop, unaware of the implications a simple delivery will bring.

Books are central to this novel, and as someone who works in the publishing industry, having independent bookshops on our high streets and access to literature is something that is very close to my heart. I could also tell almost straight away this was written by someone in the industry! The accurate information on booksellers, the all-too-familiar consumer move to Amazon once taking advantage of local bookseller, and even the fact that the right person (a publicity executive) turned up to the book launch. This is probably a very nerdy thing to say, but it is so exciting to see our industry represented properly (and not some Bridget Jones-esque plot where an assistant can afford a flat in central London).

Nora and Simon have owned the Stowford independent bookshop for years, but they are falling on hard times. Inspired by an old gentleman to whom they sell their favourite book to, they decide to ask for nominations on their social channels for six individuals to send Christmas books to this winter to cheer them up. Little do they know how much of their recipient’s lives they are about to change, from inspiring changes in careers, new loves and even saving a life.

We meet each character for a little while, living in their shoes for a few chapters. Usually I wouldn’t remember each character, and would find the moving around confusing, but I thought it was done extremely well. The characters were memorable, we spent just enough time with them and seeing them come together at the Christmas Eve party was lovely.

This is truly the perfect gift for yourself if you love books and Christmas. It’s the perfect reminder, especially at a time when you can’t get to your own local bookshop, of the magic of books and their power to inspire and change lives through words that someone might have written hundreds of years ago. The publishing industry can feel overwhelming to exist in at the best of times, but this reminded me why I work in it, to bring stories to people who want and need them to remind them of the magic in their own lives.

If Love Actually is fuelled by celebrity appearances and a nativity with an Octopus in it, this book is fuelled by love: love of books, love of each other and love for strangers that just about saves them this Christmas. So come in to the Stowford bookshop, have a sit on the squishy sofa, treat yourself to one of Nora’s gingerbread biscuits and stay for a little while.

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