Embrace the Magic of the Season with these Cozy Christmas Books to Read! Calling all book lovers, it’s that time of the year to indulge in heartwarming tales that transport you to a winter wonderland. Let’s dive into my carefully curated Christmas book list that goes beyond the typical Christmas Hallmark stories, offering interesting winter reads.
Okay, It has been a while since I have been able to publish a post because my sweet husband was in the hospital (he is recovered now.), immediately after, it was our son’s 7th birthday, and now Christmas. As crazy as it has been, I’ve been wanting to publish a Christmas book list!
I’ve been immersed in Christmas books for several weeks now and I’ve found, generally speaking, I’m not a fan! It is not surprising because I’m not a fan of rom coms and I’m not religious, which almost all Christmas books are. So if you are tired of the same old clichés this Christmas book list is for you.
So with that being said these are the books I’ve read and enjoyed and a few books that were recommended to me that I just have not gotten to yet! But the good news is almost all Christmas books are pretty short and quick reads.
Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you, I will receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase. #ad
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
purchase the Kindle, paperback, or hardcover on Amazon
About The Book: It is 1985 in a small Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and family man faces his busiest season. Early one morning, while delivering an order to the local convent, Bill makes a discovery that forces him to confront both his past and the complicit silences of a town controlled by the church.
My Review
This book is on my waitlist at the library and it is one I am very much looking forward to!
Christmas By Accident by Camron Wright
purchase the Kindle, paperback, or hardcover on Amazon
About The Book: Carter is an insurance adjuster whose longing for creative expression spills over sometimes into his accident reports. Abby works for her adoptive father, Uncle Mannie, in the family bookstore, the ReadMore Café. Carter barely tolerates Christmas; Abby loves it.
My Review, 4 Stars
I loved this anti-Christmas book. This was probably my favorite Christmas book I’ve read this year and my favorite on this list. It is an unlikely romance filled with funnys! I love a book that ends where it starts and this is a cute story but not cheesy.
This is also the author of The Orphan Keeper which was also a good book. This has an enduring and lighthearted story and true to all Christmas stories it is quick to read. This book was everything you want in a Christmas book and it wasn’t even frivolous. A great holiday read!
Winter by Ali Smith
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About The Book: Winter? Bleak. Frosty wind, earth as iron, water as stone, so the old song goes. The shortest days, the longest nights. The trees are bare and shivering. This novel casts a merry eye over a bleak post-truth era with a story rooted in history, memory and warmth, its taproot deep in the evergreens: art, love, laughter.
My Review
I am about 50% of the way through this book and I am enjoying it. This is not your typical Christmas book and that is refreshing. It has a really unique spin and is about family. It is number two in a series but it can be read as a standalone with no problem. It is slow and you need to pay attention or you’ll get lost, with that being said I am really liking it.
Christmas Jars by Jason Wright
purchase the Kindle, paperback, or hardcover on Amazon
About The Book: Where had it come from? Whose money was it? Was I to spend it? Save it? Pass it on to someone more needy? Above all else, why was I chosen? Certainly there were others, countless others, more needy than me..
My Review, 3 Stars
Yes, a bit over the top at times however the concept is a really good one. If you are after that heartwarming Christmas tale this book is for you. It is a very quick read and while sometimes it didn’t exactly come together overall it was pretty good.
Flight: A Novel by Lynn Steger Strong
purchase the Kindle, paperback, or hardcover on Amazon
About The Book: It’s December twenty-second and siblings Henry, Kate, and Martin have converged with their spouses at Henry’s house in upstate New York. This is the first Christmas the siblings are without their mother, the first not at their mother’s Florida house. Over the course of the next three days, old resentments and instabilities arise.
My Review
I’ve heard great things and this book is on my list. Unfortunately, my library doesn’t have a copy so it is on the extended list.
The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan
purchase the Kindle, paperback, or hardcover on Amazon
About The Book: When the department store she works in closes for good, Carmen has perilously little cash and few options. She doesn’t want to move in with her perfect sister Sofia, in Sofia’s perfect house with her perfect children and her perfectly ordered Edinburgh life.
At Sofia’s behest, Carmen is thrown into the daily workings of old Mr. McCredie’s ancient bookshop on the streets of the old dark city. Can she use her design skills to revamp the store and bring it back to popularity in time to benefit from Christmas shopping traffic?
My Review
If you care to read a bit about family dysfunction and you have a love for dusty old antique bookshops this might just be the perfect book for you! I like this book a lot and I’ve only just started it and am about 30% of the way in.
What’s better than a cup of steaming hot chocolate to accompany your winter reading sessions? Create the ultimate reading cocoon by wrapping yourself in a cozy knit blanket.
The popular Christmas books I read that did NOT make the list,
The Christmas Train by David Baldacci / My rating 2 Stars
Christmas, Present by Jacquelyn Mitchard / My rating 1 Star
Gideon’s Gift by Karen Kingsbury / My rating 3 Stars
The Christmas Promise by Evans Paul / My rating 2 Stars
A Highland Christmas by Beaton M.C. / My rating 3 Stars (A cute Christmas mystery)
The Christmas Joyride by Carlson Melody / My rating 3 Stars (A little too much Jesus)
I would skip these Christmas books with the exception of the last two if you want a cute Christmas mystery A Highland Christmas by Beaton M.C. was cute and if you don’t mind a religious point The Christmas Joyride by Carlson Melody was also cute.
I Chug My Wine 