Books to Make Your Holidays Magical
Sleigh your holiday reading list this season
Christmas can be a magical but busy time of the year. Between work, family, and all the little preparations, it's easy to get up in the rush and forget to enjoy it. For many of us, the lead-up to the holidays is full of errands, social commitments, and last-minute plans. There’s wrapping, shopping, cooking, and coordinating with friends and family, it can feel more like a checklist than a celebration. That’s why it’s important to carve out a little time just for yourself. Even a quiet afternoon with your favourite drink and a good book can feel like a small act of magic. By allowing yourself a little downtime, you can return to family, friends, and celebrations feeling refreshed and more present. This season, give yourself permission to enjoy it in your own way.
Don't know what to read this Christmas? We've gathered a collection of festive favourites to keep you company through the season.
Ghost Stories
Christmas has long had a spookier side. In Victorian times, telling ghost stories was as much a part of the season as sharing pudding or singing carols. Dark winter nights, the hush of snow, and the turning of the year all created the perfect atmosphere for eerie tales of the supernatural.
Lucky girl, how I became a horror writer: a Krampus story by M. Rickert
Ro, a struggling writer, knows all too well the pain and solitude that holiday festivities can awaken. When she meets four people at the local diner--all of them strangers and as lonely as Ro is--she invites them to an impromptu Christmas dinner. And when that party seems in danger of an early end, she suggests they each tell a ghost story. One that's seasonally appropriate.
Merry, merry ghost by Caroline G. Hart
When a wealthy woman in Adelaide, Oklahoma, is found dead, it's up to that irrepressible spirit Bailey Ruth, on assignment from Wiggins and Heaven's Department of Good Intentions, to protect a little boy, foil a murderer, and save Christmas. There's only one teeny hitch: how can Bailey Ruth figure out which family member was desperate enough to kill when everyone has a motive?
The Haunting Season: Ghostly Tales for Long Winter Nights
Winter has long been a popular time for gathering around the warm crackling fire and swapping stories of ghosts. Now bestselling, award-winning authors bring this time-honoured tradition to life in a collection of new and original haunted tales. From a bustling Covent Garden Christmas market to the frosty moors of Yorkshire. These are stories to make your hair stand on end, send shivers down your spine and to serve as your indispensable companion to the long nights of winter.
Romance
Romance books are a go-to during Christmas because they're easy to sink into and carry a sense of celebration. They offer a chance to be swept up in the wonder of the season while following love as it unfolds in surprising and enchanting ways.
Merry Christmas You Filthy Animal by Meghan Quinn
In Meghan Quinn's holiday rom-com, Merry Christmas, You Filthy Animal, a rival tree farm war erupts between Atlas Maxheimer, whose family farm is in trouble, and Betty, a new arrival helping her uncle start a competing farm. The story features holiday chaos, blizzards, public humiliation, a stolen ornament, and a developing messy romance as they try to win each other back.
Merry Christmas You Filthy Animal by Meghan Quinn
Holiday Ever After by Hannah Grace is a romance novel about Clara Davenport, who arrives in the small town of Fraser Falls to help her family's company, but clashes with the cynical local Jack Kelly, who blames her family for ruining his business. As Clara tries to win over the town, she discovers that the "frosty demeanor" of Jack hides a heart that is key to the community's future and possibly her own.
The secret Christmas bookshop by Cressida McLaughlin
In a village by the sea, where wintry skies bring a dusting of sparkling snow, somebody is opening an unexpected gift. When Sophie receives a surprise package, she's intrigued to find a beautifully bound book inside. Sophie is desperate to discover the mystery sender, and her hunt draws her to the enigmatic Harry. The subject of much gossip since his return from London, Harry keeps to himself in his crumbling manor house. But they are both about to learn that the best stories can take on a life of their own.
Cosy Murder Mysteries
Christmas murder mysteries are a seasonal favourite. They blend the warmth of festive traditions with the intrigue of a whodunit and set the stage for secrets to surface, motives to be revealed, and surprises around every corner. Perfect for those who like a little tension with their Christmas pudding.
Mistletoe and Murder by Robin Stevens
Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are spending the Christmas hols in snowy Cambridge. Hazel has high hopes of its beautiful libraries and inviting tea-rooms - but there is danger lurking in the dark stairwells of ancient Maudlin College. Two days before Christmas, a brutal accident takes place - but the Detective Society suspect murder. Faced with fierce competition from a rival agency, they must use all their cunning and courage to find the killer (in time for Christmas Day, of course).
The Cornish Christmas Pantomime Murder by Fiona Leitch
When a body turns up during the Penstowan Players' Christmas pantomime, Jodie Parker and DCI Nathan Withers must unravel secrets, backstage chaos, and hidden motives to catch the killer. Packed with festive fun, clever twists, and enough surprises to keep you guessing until the final curtain.
The Austen Christmas Murders by Jessica Bull
The festive season is approaching, but Jane Austen fears little cheer without her siblings at home. That is, until she discovers a skeleton in the cellar of Deane Rectory. Her investigation uncovers the legend of a young bride who vanished on her wedding day - has Jane finally found her? Or is there more to the mystery? This Christmas, Jane dives into festive delights, merriment...and murder.
Historical Fiction
Escape into festive celebrations of the past, where traditions, community, and romance take centre stage. Step back in time and discover how Christmas has always been a season of joy, connection, and wonder.
A Christmas Wish of Woolworths by Elaine Everest
Kent, 1953. The Woolworths Erith store risks closure if December sales don't improve. Store manager Betty Billington faces staff shortages, a troublesome new employee, and the pressure of the season. With festive events, a pantomime, and a shop full of decorations, can a Christmas miracle save the beloved store?
Snowflakes in the Wind by Rita Bradshaw
On Christmas Eve 1920, nine-year old Abby Kirby's world shatters after a family tragedy. Fleeing with her brother, she grows up facing hardship, heartbreak, and danger - even in the place she thought was safe. As war looms, Abby becomes a nurse and is sent overseas, only to face her greatest trial yet as a prisoner of the Japanese
On Christmas Eve at Abbotsford vicarage, Rose Northwood finds a child abandoned in the nativity display. Determined to nurse him back to health, she must uncover his lost memory and reunite him with his family.