It’s no secret that we are holiday junkies here at Your Bookish Life. Have we been reading Christmas books since August? Yes. Are we ashamed? Heck no! And we’re here to help you harness the festive spirit this season with this list of holiday favourites. No matter what genre you love, there’s a holiday book for that. Happy holidays from us to you.
Cozy Christmas Reads:
The Gingerbread House in Mistletoe Gardens by Jaimie Admans
When local baker Essie Browne discovers that Mistletoe Gardens is to be demolished in January, she’s determined to save the place she loves so much. So Essie proposes building a life size gingerbread house to bring in the crowds…just how hard can it be?
Well, quite hard actually. Essie can bake gingerbread blindfolded, but she hasn’t got a clue how to build an actual house with it! She needs help – and fast!
Enter local builder, Joss Hallissey. Essie is convinced that with Joss’s help they can pull this off. There’s just one tiny problem: Joss hates Christmas, gingerbread, and…well, just about everything else too.
Joss the Grinch makes it clear that her idea is ludicrous and pointless, but he reluctantly agrees to help with her plan.
Will the gingerbread house be enough to save Mistletoe Gardens? Or will Essie’s chance for a magical kiss under the mistletoe be lost forever?
The Highland Lodge Getaway by Julie Shackman
Lottie Grant loves the festive season so much that she works at the incredibly successful Christmas shop, Christmas Crackers, in her pretty Scottish home town of Craig Brae. But when the shop is sold, her world is turned upside down, leaving her wondering what she will do next.
Just as she’s about to give up hope on finding a new dream job, an offer comes that she can’t refuse, managing a set of luxury wooden cabins… and opening just in time for Christmas!
As she gets to work decorating the cabins, and hanging lights on the fir trees, Lottie can’t believe her luck. That is until the arrival of Blake Dempster, a moody but handsome hiking expert, who threatens to bring down her festive joy. But never one to shy away from a challenge, Lottie is determined to change Blake’s mind about all things festive.
And as the snow falls and the fairy lights sparkle, will work-obsessed Lottie and frozen-hearted Blake make their Christmas wishes come true?
The Christmas Promise by Lindsay Gibson
Art buyer Charlotte Moore is given the chance of a lifetime to be head buyer for the esteemed Wallace Gallery’s Christmas charity gala. But when she arrives at auction, after the most prominent pieces are all bought up, in a panic, she bids on the final painting—an unsigned sunset landscape she’s nearly sure her boss will despise.
To save her job, she finds herself in the beautifully festive New England coastal town of Seabreeze, the setting of the painting. When a nor’easter blows through, she’s stuck at the adorable Cove Hill Inn, all decorated for the holiday and brimming with Christmas magic. While it’s not an awful place to be snowed in, her ability to work is at a standstill, with the gala looming closer.
And she isn’t expecting to meet the innkeeper’s son, ruggedly handsome Aiden Bennett, a distraction she definitely doesn’t need. Even the inn’s cherry scones and the town’s Christmas fair are no match for Aiden’s charm.
However, when she uncovers a family secret that could impact everyone, including herself and Aiden, it might shake up more than just the holiday. Under the shimmer of the town twinkle lights and the snow-covered Christmas trees, will Charlotte find the answers she’s looking for? Or has she unearthed something else entirely?
Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews
When fall rolls around, it’s time for Kerry Tolliver to leave her family’s Christmas tree farm in the mountains of North Carolina for the wilds of New York City to help her gruff older brother & his dog, Queenie, sell the trees at the family stand on a corner in Greenwich Village. Sharing a tiny vintage camper and experiencing Manhattan for the first time, Kerry’s ready to try to carve out a new corner for herself.
In the weeks leading into Christmas, Kerry quickly becomes close with the charming neighbors who live near their stand. When an elderly neighbor goes missing, Kerry will need to combine her country know-how with her newly acquired New York knowledge to protect the new friends she’s come to think of as family,
And complicating everything is Patrick, a single dad raising his adorable, dragon-loving son Austin on this quirky block. Kerry and Patrick’s chemistry is undeniable, but what chance does this holiday romance really have?
The Book Club Hotel by Sarah Morgan
With its historic charm and picture-perfect library, the Maple Sugar Inn is considered the winter destination. As the holidays approach, the inn is fully booked with guests looking for their dream vacation. But widowed far too young, and exhausted from juggling the hotel with being a dedicated single mom, Hattie Coleman dreams only of making it through the festive season.
But when Erica, Claudia and Anna—lifelong friends who seem to have it all—check in for a girlfriends’ book club holiday, it changes everything. Their close friendship and shared love of books have carried them through life’s ups and downs. But Hattie can see they’re also packing some major emotional baggage, and nothing prepares her for how deeply her own story is about to become entwined in theirs.
In the span of a week over the most enchanting time of the year, can these four women come together to improve each other’s lives and make this the start of a whole new chapter?
Holiday Romances that sizzle:
It Happened One Christmas by Chantel Guertin
Will her Christmas wish come true?
Zoey Andrews lives and breathes Christmas. She loves everything about the season, and after years of directing countless holiday movies, she certainly knows her way around a festive tale. So, when she finally gets the chance to bring her own script to life, she isn’t about to let anything, or anyone, stand in her way—not even the stupidly sexy, utterly frustrating plaid-clad tree farmer Benoît Deschamps. Moonlighting as mayor of Chelsea—the cozy Quebec hamlet at the center of Zoey’s screenplay—Ben maddeningly refuses to grant her a film permit in his enchanting town.
With just four days left before Christmas, Zoey must change Ben’s mind, but not before an unscripted ice storm leaves them stranded in the middle of nowhere, with nothing except . . . each other.
Will Ben’s chilly resolve shatter Zoey’s Christmas movie wish? Or will Zoey be able to melt his stubbornness—and maybe even his heart?
Claus and Effect by Piper Rayne
Two strangers who couldn’t be more opposite find themselves on an unexpected cross-country road trip days before Christmas where whatever can go wrong, does.
He’s an Army Ranger.
She’s a baker.
He’s organized and ridged.
She’s messy and carefree.
He doesn’t do relationships.
She’s following her heart.
His family chat blows up his phone.
She just buried her last living relative.
The holiday season doesn’t seem so jolly as they venture from one mode of transportation to the next. But, they have to become friends and rely on each other if they’re going to survive all the obstacles thrown their way.
As the miles grow shorter, vulnerabilities are shared, and by the time they reach their destination, neither one of them is sure what they really want for Christmas anymore.
Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey
Melody Gallard may be the daughter of music royalty, but her world is far from glamorous. She spends her days restoring old books and avoiding the limelight (one awkward tabloid photo was enough, thanks). But when a producer offers hera lot of money to reunite her mother’s band on live tv, Mel begins to wonder if it’s time to rattle the cage, shake up her quiet life…and see him again. The only other person who could wrangle the rock and roll divas.
Beat Dawkins, the lead singer’s son, is Melody’s opposite—the camera loves him, he could charm the pants off anyone, and his mom is not a potential cult leader. Still, they might have been best friends if not for the legendary feud that broke up the band. When they met as teenagers, Mel felt an instant spark, but it’s nothing compared to the wild, intense attraction that builds as they embark on a madcap mission to convince their mothers to perform one last show.
While dealing with rock star shenanigans, a 24-hour film crew, brawling Santas, and mobs of adoring fans, Mel starts to step out of her comfort zone. With Beat by her side, cheering her on, she’s never felt so understood. But Christmas Eve is fast approaching, and a decades-old scandal is poised to wreck everything—the Steel Birds reunion, their relationships with their mothers, and their newfound love.
The Christmas Wager by Holly Cassidy
One rivalry. Eight days until Christmas. Let the holiday games begin.
When LA-based real estate developer Bella Ross arrives in the sleepy, mountain town of Maple Falls, she has one mission: to acquire the local failing Christmas shop, Always Noelle, securing the promotion of her dreams. Nothing can get in her way. Except the shop owner’s stubborn grandson, Jesse Harrison.
Both refuse to budge, until an unlikely wager is struck: Bella and Jesse will compete in the Maple Falls Holiday Games, an annual tradition of eccentric feats of strength and skills. Winner decides the selling price. They’ll give each other a run for their money, but as the competition heats up, Bella and Jesse’s icy feelings toward each other begin to thaw. It’ll take a Christmas miracle for them to admit there’s a spark, but what if it’s just another game?
The Mistletoe Motive by Chloe Liese
He loathes the holidays. She loves them. She’s full of festive cheer. He’s brimming with Bah, Humbugs. Besides unreasonably seasonable names, the only thing Jonathan Frost and Gabriella Di Natale have in common is a healthy dose of mutual contempt. Well, that and the same place of employment at the city’s most beloved independent bookstore, Bailey’s Bookshop. But when the store’s owners confess its dire financial state, Jonathan and Gabby discover another unfortunate commonality: the imminent threat of unemployment.
With the Baileys’ requests to minimize expenses, win new customers, and make record sales dancing in their heads, Jonathan and Gabby conclude—barring a financial Christmas miracle—one of them will soon be cut from the payroll. Neither are willing to step down from their position, so they strike a bargain: whoever has more sales in December gets to stay on in the new year; the loser will resign. With a lifetime’s worth of festive tricks up her sleeve, Gabby should easily outsell her nemesis, except the unreadable Mr. Frost’s every move seems purely designed to throw her off her game.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Gabby’s deceptive ex won’t quit pursuing her, and her anonymous online friend suggests they take a break. Worst of all, as the pressure mounts to save the bookshop and her job, Gabby meets a new, tender side of Jonathan. Is this the same man she’s called her cold-hearted enemy?
Maybe he’s got a motive she just can’t figure out—or maybe Jonathan Frost isn’t as chilly as she once thought. Maybe Jonathan and Gabby already know—and love—each other in ways they never thought possible.
Holiday Murder Mysteries:
The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict
Twelve clues. Twelve keys. Twelve days of Christmas. But how many will die before Twelfth Night?
Agatha Christie meets Clue in this delightful, tense manor house murder mystery.
The annual Christmas Game is afoot at Endgame House, the Armitages’ grand family home. This year’s prize is to die for―deeds to the house itself―but Lily Armitage has no intention of returning. She hasn’t been back to Endgame since her mother died, twenty-one years ago, and she has no intention of claiming the house that haunts her dreams.
Until, that is, she receives a letter from her aunt promising that the game’s riddles will give her the keys not only to Endgame, but to its darkest secrets, including the identity of her mother’s murderer.
Now, Lily must compete with her estranged cousins for the twelve days of Christmas. The snow is thick, the phone lines are down, and no one is getting in or out. Lily will have to keep her wits about her, because not everyone is playing fair, and there’s no telling how many will die before the winner is declared.
Including additional scavenger hunts for the reader, this clever murder mystery is the perfect gift for fans of classic mysteries, festive Christmas books, and armchair detective work.
Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie
On Christmas Eve at Gorston Hall, the Lee family’s festivities are shattered by a deafening crash of furniture and a high-pitched wailing scream. Upstairs—in a locked bedroom—the tyrannical patriarch Simeon Lee lies dead in a pool of blood, his throat slashed.
When Hercule Poirot offers to assist, he finds an atmosphere not of mourning but of mutual suspicion. It seems everyone had their own reason to hate the old man, but which one of them turned a special occasion into an occasion for homicide? The suspects will indeed be stirring this Christmas Eve…
Sherlock Holmes & the Christmas Demon by James Lovegrove
It is 1890, and in the days before Christmas Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson are visited at Baker Street by a new client. Eve Allerthorpe – eldest daughter of a grand but somewhat eccentric Yorkshire-based dynasty – is greatly distressed, as she believes she is being haunted by a demonic Christmas spirit.
Her late mother told her terrifying tales of the sinister Black Thurrick, and Eve is sure that she has seen the creature from her bedroom window. What is more, she has begun to receive mysterious parcels of birch twigs, the Black Thurrick’s calling card…
Eve stands to inherit a fortune if she is sound in mind, but it seems that something – or someone – is threatening her sanity. Holmes and Watson travel to the Allerthorpe family seat at Fellscar Keep to investigate, but soon discover that there is more to the case than at first appeared. There is another spirit haunting the family, and when a member of the household is found dead, the companions realise that no one is beyond suspicion.
Will Evan be able to convince Beth to take a second chance at love?
Silent Night by Mary Higgins Clark
When Catherine Dornan’s husband, Tom, is diagnosed with leukemia, she and their two young sons travel with him to New York during the holiday season for a lifesaving operation. On Christmas Eve, hoping to lift the boys’ spirits, Catherine takes them to see Rockefeller Center’s famous Christmas tree; while there, seven-year-old Brian notices a woman taking his mother’s wallet. A St. Christopher medal tucked inside the wallet saved his grandfather’s life in World War II, and Brian believes with all his heart that it will protect his father now. Impulsively, Brian follows the thief into the subway, and the most dangerous adventure of his young life begins…
Twelve Slays of Christmas by Jacqueline Frost
When Holly White’s fiance cancels their Christmas Eve wedding with less than two weeks to go, Holly heads home with a broken heart. Lucky for her, home in historic Mistletoe, Maine is magical during Christmastime–exactly what the doctor prescribed. Except her plan to drown her troubles in peppermints and snickerdoodles is upended when local grouch and president of the Mistletoe Historical Society Margaret Fenwick is bludgeoned and left in the sleigh display at Reindeer Games, Holly’s family tree farm.
When the murder weapon is revealed as one of the wooden stakes used to identify trees on the farm, Sheriff Evan Grey turns to Holly’s father, Bud, and the Reindeer Games staff. And it doesn’t help that Bud and the reindeer keeper were each seen arguing with Margaret just before her death. But Holly knows her father, and is determined to exonerate him.The jingle bells are ringing, the clock is ticking, and if Holly doesn’t watch out, she’ll end up on Santa’s naughty list.
Sugar Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke
When it comes to holidays, Minnesotans rise to the occasion—and the little town of Lake Eden is baking up a storm with Hannah Swensen leading the way. The annual Christmas Buffet is the final test of the recipes Hannah has collected for the Lake Eden Holiday Buffet Cookbook.
The recently divorced Martin Dubinski arrives at the buffet with his new Vegas showgirl wife—all wrapped up in glitter and fur. His ex-wife, however, seems as cool as chilled eggnog. And when Hannah’s mother’s antique Christmas cake knife disappears, its discovery in the décolletage of the new—and now late—Mrs. Dubinski puts the festivities on ice.
With everyone stranded at the community center by a blizzard, Hannah puts her investigative skills to the test, using the ingredients at hand: half the town of Lake Eden—and a killer. Now, as the snowdrifts get higher, it’s up to Hannah to dig out all the clues—and make sure that this white Christmas doesn’t bring any more deadly tidings…
Christmas Books for the Kiddos:
Elves Are the Worst! by Alex Willan
Everyone knows that elves have a reputation of being the hardest workers around—especially when it comes to the holiday season—but as far as Gilbert the Goblin is concerned that’s nothing but ho-ho-hogwash. A goblin’s to-do list is just as long as any elf’s; they just don’t feel the need to sing songs about it.
To prove he can outperform any reindeer-watching, wrapper-paper-wielding, toy-tinkering elf, Gilbert puts on his merriest disguise to infiltrate Santa’s workshop. But can one lone goblin do the work of a whole team of elves?
The Wishing Tree by Meika Hashimoto
Theo loves everything about Christmas—from the twinkling lights to the merry carolers . . . and don’t forget about Santa! But with days before before December 25th, there isn’t even a single holly in sight.
Determined to show his town what Christmas is all about, Theo finds ways to share his holiday cheer. And along the way, with a little help from the magical wishing tree, Theo discovers the true meaning of Christmas and a new holiday tradition.
Elf by Kim Smith
Buddy the Elf has more Christmas spirit than anyone, but he’s never quite fit in with the other elves at the North Pole. Then Buddy learns that he’s really a human—and his father is on the Naughty List! Determined to bring his dad some holiday cheer, he sets out for New York City. But when Santa encounters disaster on Christmas Eve, can Buddy count on his new family to help him save the day?
Kim Smith’s adorable illustrations give a nostalgic feel to this modern holiday tale. Featuring all the iconic moments and laugh-out-loud lines from the film, this story of infectious joy in the face of cynicism is a must-have for all ages.
A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig
Eleven-year-old Nikolas—nicknamed “Christmas”—has received only one toy in his life: a doll carved out of a turnip. Still, he tries hard to believe in happiness, living with his father in the second smallest cottage in all of Finland. Then one day his father goes missing, and Nikolas must travel to the North Pole to save him.
Along the way, Nikolas befriends a surly reindeer, bests a troublesome troll, and discovers a hidden world of enchantment in the frozen village of Elfhelm. But the elves of Elfhelm have troubles of their own: Christmas spirit and goodwill are at an all-time low, and Nikolas may be the only person who can fix things—if only he can reach his father before it’s too late . . .
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Sleigh by Mo Willems
It’s the most wonderful time of the year—for driving a sleigh! ’Tis also the season—for driving a sleigh! Oh, and joy to the—driving a sleigh! The Pigeon has made a list and checked it once. Can his holiday dream come true? Or will The Pigeon be left out in the cold?
You’ll share some HO-HO-HOs and HA-HA-HAs finding out in three-time Caldecott Honoree Mo Willems’ ninth Pigeon book, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Sleigh!
5 More Sleeps til Christmas by Jimmy Fallon
Just 5 more sleeps ’til Christmas!
Can you believe it’s here?
I know that Santa’s coming soon
’cause I’ve been good all year.
Everyone who grew up celebrating Christmas remembers the excitement that built up to the most magical day of the year. But why not make the last week until Christmas more fun by counting how many sleeps until the arrival of Santa and his reindeer?
