When it comes to seasonal reading, I like to make a little bit of a plan.
I don’t want to be overwhelmed by one more thing on my to-do list during the holidays, so this is not at all set in stone.
Instead, it’s meant to make it easier for me to grab a book without having to do a lot of searching when I just want my next read ready to go!
Here are the holiday books that I’m hoping to get to this month (while I work on some festive puzzles if they’re audiobooks!):
Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews
I’ve actually NEVER read a book by Mary Kay Andrews, but this one has some rave reviews, so I’m willing to give her a shot and part of the fun of holiday reading is trying out new books!
Winterfrost by Michelle Houts
This is what I’m planning to read aloud to the girls for our Christmas read aloud this year – I’d never heard of it until last year and now I’ve been waiting all year to read it! The reviews on it are super good!
Love, Holly by Emily Stone
This Christmas book is getting RAVES this year – I thought I had a copy but now I can’t find it anywhere, so I guess I’ll be checking this one out from the library!
A Winter in New York by Josie Silver
This one is a gamble because while her first book, One Day in December, was WILDLY popular and a massive best seller, it was not a win for me at all. So it’s possible I’m just setting myself up for misery with book 2, but I’m willing to give her a second chance (and then quit the book quickly if it’s no good).
Comfort & Joy by Kristin Hannah
I love Kristin Hannah’s historical fiction books but I’ve never read some of her older books back when she mostly wrote contemporary fiction. This one feels like the perfect one to start with during the holiday season.
Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher
Every time I ask for suggestions for Christmas books, this book gets recommended. I’m hoping this is the year I finally get to it! It follows five different characters and it’s over 400 pages, so I better get moving on this one!
The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett
A little Christmas mystery? It’s a nice change from all the Christmas romances, and I’m excited to read this one!
Host for the Holidays by Martha Keyes
I read and loved Faking Christmas last year, which is part of the Christmas Escape series (each book is written by a different author). So I’m hoping to get to this one this Christmas.
What’s on your December reading list? I’d love to hear!
Ruth says
I’ve read A Winter in New York and enjoyed it (but I also love, love, love One Day in December).
Her second novel was The Two Lives of Lydia Bird and her third was One Night on The Island, neither of which I was particularly taken with.
I’ve also read Bight Lights, Big Christmas, which I found to be a bit twee (first time reading that author); however, I did enjoy the NYC setting. 🙂
Kimberly Ann Stelting says
We chose Comfort & Joy as a sweet, short Christmas read for our book club party and will discuss it Thursday before we have a new book gift exchange. This one was a miss for me. I just felt like it was a 2nd rate Nicholas Sparks book. And I usually love both Sparks and Hannah. Oh, well! On to the next book!
Janssen Bradshaw says
So far I haven’t heard ONE PERSON say they liked this book (and multiple people tell me it was pretty lousy). Crossing that one off my list!
Adrienne says
Winterfrost is SO FUN! Read it two years ago with my then nine-year-old who happens to have a love of all things gnome so it was a huge hit. We both thought it was compelling.
Leslie says
I read Winter Solstice every year. It is one of my top five all-time favorites, I hope you get to it!