I started a new morning routine at the end of October. I wake up between 5 and 5:30 a.m. and spend the first hour or so of the day—that is, until sunrise—journaling, sitting with my thoughts, or reading while I have coffee. Around 6:45 a.m., while the air is crisp and the first soft light is scarcely visible through the trees, I go for a walk or jog for about 45 minutes. I am usually the only one out and about in the neighborhood at that time; although, I occasionally run into some of my neighbors who are also early risers. After I return home from my walk, I feed the birds and either do Pilates or yoga or have breakfast and commence the business of the day.

My morning routine during the fall and winter months last year was very similar. It’s interesting. I don’t much care for the early morning hours during spring and summer. They don’t hold a special allure for me and so I tend to sleep later. But as the weather gets colder, I intentionally adjust my sleep cycle (by going to bed earlier), so that I can wake up earlier, feel well-rested, and make the most of my morning.

During the fall and winter months, the time between 5 a.m. and sunrise is magical to me. I don’t know how to explain it exactly. It is as if while the rest of the world is sleeping, before the birds begin to sing and a hush blankets the early morning air, the universe is whispering its secrets, and I am the only one who is there to listen.

That said, waking up earlier has been great for tackling my reading list. As I mentioned recently, I’ve begun dividing my reading list into two categories: general literature and detective fiction, with the aim of adding more general literature (American Modernism in particular) to my already mystery-heavy reading list.

This is my current list, which I first shared a few weeks ago:

Literature (General)	Detective Fiction
✔ Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky	✔ Hallowe’en Party, Agatha Christie
The Decameron, Giovanni Boccaccio	The Big Sleep, Raymond Chandler
The Sound and the Fury, William Faulkner	Hag’s Nook, John Dickson Carr

I’ve checkmarked the books I have finished. I started The Big Sleep this morning, and I’m already hooked. I anticipate finishing it, as well as Hag’s Nook and The Sound and the Fury, by the end of November, which would then leave me with The Decameron (which I am really looking forward to) to finish out the year, should I choose to do so.

But, as I was reflecting on my reading list during my walk this morning, it occurred to me that it may be best to postpone The Decameron until January, or at least leave it until after Christmas. The reason: I enjoy reading holiday fiction during the month of December.

That is a tradition I started last year with Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie, and I would like to continue it this year. But, instead of adding one Christmas-themed novel to my reading list, I would like to add three or four (or more, depending on length) to cover the entire month of December. And while I am considering some general fiction titles, I am most interested in cozy mysteries.

I love spending cold December afternoons in front of the fire, with instrumental Christmas music playing softly in the background, a bottomless mug of tea, and a cozy Christmas murder mystery. The only title I have (tentatively) decided on is Rhys Bowen’s The Twelve Clues of Christmas. I’ve not read Rhys Bowen before, but this book seems to have good reviews, and the plot looks enticing. I am also considering Agatha Christie’s Midwinter Murder, which is a short story collection featuring both Poirot and Miss Marple. I am more inclined towards a novel than a short story collection, but this one remains an option–and I know Christie is never a misstep. Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle by Arthur Conan Doyle is another possibility in the short story category. Otherwise, I am as yet undecided. If you have any recommendations in the way of cozy Christmas mysteries, feel free to let me know in the comments.

In terms of general fiction, I am considering pre-ordering F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Winter Dreams and Other Stories. I’m also going to see if any of my local used bookstores have a vintage copy of Dickens’s A Christmas Carol on hand. That might be a fun re-read this holiday season. When I finalize my holiday list, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, happy reading!