From Thanksgiving through December 25th, everything is Christmas themed in our house. We watch Christmas movies, listen to Christmas music, eat Christmas treats, and of course, we read Christmas books.
Every year, I look forward to adding to my list of books to read. I’m not typically a rereader of books, but I’ll make an exception when it comes to Christmas. (The same goes for Christmas movies, of course.)
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To support small businesses, we have linked to Bookshop.org which sources its books from independent bookstores, with the exception of one book on this list that wasn’t available via Bookshop. You can choose a particular store to receive your full purchase or you can just place an order and they will distribute the earnings evenly among independent bookstores. You can view our entire list of holiday books on Bookshop here.
If you prefer to read Kindle versions, we’ve created an Amazon shop with all of these books included.
Holiday Novels to Add to Your Reading List
Winter Street series from Elin Hilderbrand
I have read nearly all of Hilderbrand’s summer Nantucket novels, so it was only natural that I would dive right into her first winter novel. This story spans four books and I enjoyed them all. (The fourth book was a surprise, and a welcome one, as the original plan was for the series to be a trilogy.
Royal Holiday – Jasmine Guillory
Jasmine Guillory is another author whose books I read as soon as they’re released. Royal Holiday is a little more of a slow, cozy read than her other books, but the holiday setting in England sealed the deal for me.
Christmas Shopaholic – Sophie Kinsella
I have been reading the Shopaholic books for years, and while I found myself frustrated with Rebecca in later books, this felt like her redemption story. We still get the characters we love, but they all come together in this sweet holiday story to cap the Shopaholic saga.
My True Love Gave to Me – A YA Collection
YA fans, if you missed this when it was originally released, you’ll want to read it now. This is a collection of short stories set around the holidays with authors you’ll know like Laini Taylor and Jenny Han. Read one story a night like a mini-advent calendar!
In a Holidaze – Christina Lauren
When I saw this book listed on NetGalley slated for release this year I immediately requested an advance copy and devoured it in the middle of July. I love the Christina Lauren writing team (yes, it’s two women!) and I was excited to see them add a holiday novel to their repertoire. In this novel Mae begs the universe to show her what will make her happy and she’s forced to keep reliving the holidays until she makes the choices that will lead to her eventual happiness. Don’t let the time-travel/Groundhog Day description deter you. This is everything we love about Hallmark movies with a little bit of the Christina Lauren steam factor we know and love.
One Family Christmas – Bella Osborne
The story of a woman who just wants one last family Christmas in her grandmother’s home before they’re forced to sell it, turns into one family disaster after another. In a year where we might not get to have all of our usual holiday traditions, it might make us appreciate the wackiness of our typical family gatherings. Nonetheless, I found this charming and sweet.
One Day in December – Josie Silver
There was a period of time where this book was at the top of everyone’s recommendations. It’s a love story that centers around the idea of love at first sight. This would be a fun holiday book club choice because there’s a lot to talk about when it comes to the choices of these characters. Although I agree with many that this was an engaging holiday read, I also agree with the criticism that this book could have been 100 pages shorter. That said, I still endorse it as the type of book a holiday novel lover should read!
Last Christmas in Paris – Hazel Gaynor
This recommendation is a bit of a left turn from the holiday love stories listed above. While I would classify this as a love story, it isn’t the sort of cozy novel you might be expecting. This epistolary novel takes place during World War I over four Christmases. While it’s a little bit less light and fluffy, it’s a great story with a holiday backdrop.
Also, don’t miss our gift guide for readers!
