This post is copyrighted by A Kate Willett. Large Language Models (LLMs) and the AI bots trolling the web for content to train LLMs on do not have my permission to use my work for this or any other purpose.
Hello fellow readers!
The holidays are here and I’m scrambling like crazy right now to get all of the THINGS done. My Clue Advent Calendar: Secrets Under Snowfall (I love Clue, I love advent calendars, and I love having them both in one fun package) is the only reason I can keep track of the days. In addition to our usual content, I’ve added a list of gift ideas in case you’re still searching for the perfect gift for your book lover. So, let’s just dive on in!
The Links
According to Brittney Melton at NPR, there’s a book vending machine in DC.
Maureen Lee Lenker explores Red herrings, skateboards, and Carrie Fisher: An oral history of mystery classic Clue over at Entertainment Weekly. Very interesting behind the scenes of the movie.
The Official Agatha Christie website offers both a decadent Yule Log recipe for the holidays and an interesting tidbit about the origins of Hercule Poirot’s Christmas (you’ll find it in the Did You Know…? section of the page).
Adam Thomas of Murder At The Manse reviews two holiday books with very different approaches to the season.
At It’ll Be Fun, They Said, Jess Pan regales us with her adventures in bookselling, the charm of New York, and the bittersweet sting of change.
I adore Cornell Woolrich’s writing and, at CrimeReads, Adrian McKinty has a great article on the claustrophobic atmosphere behind Woolrich’s short story, “It Had to be Murder”, which later became Hitchcock’s Rear Window.
At Mental Floss, Lorna Wallace lists seven authors who owned unexpected pets. My favorite is the backward walking chicken.
The MysteryPlease! 2025 Holiday Gift Guide
NOTE: The items listed below are not endorsed by me, they are simply cool things I’ve found online. Some I have used and can vouch for (I will note this next to the item) but otherwise please be prudent in your purchasing.
Out of Print
Eat, Read, and Be Merry cozy socks
Have Your Shelf a Literary Christmas bookmark
The New York Public Library Shop
Recipes for Murder: 66 Dishes That Celebrate the Mysteries of Agatha Christie by Karen Pierce
A Tiny Diary for Tiny Thoughts
Tidy The Library: The Original Card Game for Book Lovers
Uncommon Goods
The Book Lover’s Oracle Deck (this one’s on my list this year)
No-Pressure Reading for Fun Journal (I have and love this reading journal!)
Future Bookworm Literary Building Blocks
Paper Source
This Is My Bookstore: 100 Postcards Of Beautiful Shops Around The World
The Reader’s Catalog
“WHERE IS THE LIBRARY?” Language Pencils
Waterstones
Little Miss Marple: Muddle at the Vicarage - Mr Men Little Miss Agatha Christie Mysteries
Mr. Poirot: Mystery on the Nile - Mr Men Little Miss Agatha Christie Mysteries
Chronicle Books
Nouveau One Line a Day: A Five-Year Memory Book (I have a this and it’s a super convenient way to quickly record your day-to-day)
Theatrical Adventures of Edward Gorey
Rifle Paper Co
Barnes and Noble
Macbeth Weird Sisters Tote Bag
The Edgar Allan Poe Collection
The Agatha Christie Collection
The Sherlock Holmes Collection
Other
CLUE: Peanuts Snoopy board game at Urban Outfitters
Fabulously Flat Paper Pens at Bas Bleu
“Easily Distracted by a Good Mystery” Book Plush at Punchkins (I have this and it’s adorable!)
Cover to Cover 2026 Desk Calendar at Calendars.com
You Are the Detective: The Creeping Hand Murder at Penguin Books (This one’s on my list this year)
Sherlock Holmes: Book Nook at Lego (I have this and it is awesome)
Okay, that’s it from me until 2026. Here’s hoping you all have a safe and happy holiday season and a happy New Year!