Golden Hour #029: Jólabókaflóð

A brief history of the Yule Book Flood

Dec 24, 2023

Hi friends,

This morning the people of Iceland will be giving each other books as part of their special Christmas Eve tradition ‘Jólabókaflóð’, which roughly translates as ‘The Yule Book Flood’. Icelandic families will spend a good portion of today reading their new books sat in front of the fire and drinking hot chocolate. As far as Christmas traditions go, I think this proves pretty hard to beat!

This ritual forms part of a wider publishing season in Iceland, which falls under the same ‘Jólabókaflóð’ umbrella. In mid-November the annual Journal of Books or Bókatíðindi is published, and distributed to every household for free, marking the beginning of the festive season. In the following weeks families will pour over the Journal and decide which books to give each other for that all-important Christmas Eve reading session.

The tradition of Jólabókaflóð commenced shortly after the Second World War, when European nations found themselves struggling to import gifting products due to the economic restrictions that were gripping the continent. Paper, however, was one of the items not severely taxed, and so books became a hugely popular gift in Iceland, whose economy was not as heavily impacted. Today, Iceland is one of the most literate and literary nations on earth, reaping the benefits of their book-buying ancestors.

On Sunday I published PT.1 of The Murmuration’s Book Pharmacy, promising to publish the second part the next day. Alas, this did not happen, so my fictional prescriptions are coming to you this morning, hopefully as inspiration for your very first Jólabókaflóð!

Storyland: Discovery the Magical Myths and Lost Legends of Britain

Friend and fellow mother-in-arms Amy Jeffs has produced this absolutely gorgeous children’s edition of Storyland: A New Mythology of Britain. This isn’t just a copy and paste job, but a superb re-envisioning of these myths in a way that makes them accessible for children. My Potter-obsessed niece has a copy under the tree.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

In this interview Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in Chemistry, explains how her infuriating work environment became the inspiration behind her first novel. ‘All of my life I’ve encountered sexism, but that day I really felt like if I hadn’t been a woman it wouldn’t have happened,” Garmus says. “I decided to write my own role model. What would she have done in that situation?’ What vim!

A Spell of Good Things by Ayòbámi Adébáyò

This novel, set in Nigeria, traces the story of two families and explores what happens when different worlds collide. A damning exploration of political violence and the beauty that emerges in it’s wake.

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

You can read this novella in one sitting, so it’s perfect for anyone who finds themselves having to stay up late to do midnight mass. Set in Ireland, Keegan masterfully tells the story of one man who uncovers darkness hiding in plain sight. Claire is a wonderful writer, and this is a story that really stays with you.

N.B. Links point to Bookshop.org, an online store which does a fantastic job supporting independent booksellers. They will share a small commission with me if you purchase through them using the links above. Whatever you do, please don’t give your money to Amazon.

And with that, I’m shutting up shop1. Thank you for your wonderful emails and words of encouragement over the last year. Wherever you may be, and whatever you believe in, I hope you and your family enjoy the next few days and take time to cherish each other in this moment of darkness and of light.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying: