Christmas Books to Get You in the Holiday Spirit

by Jenny Colgan

Travel to the remote island of Mure, halfway between Scotland and Norway, this Christmas. The staff includes local islanders with big dreams of working their way to a better life and a member of the kitchen staff who is concealing his prominent position as the only son of a Duke.

As the grand opening approaches during the Christmas season, secrets are also at risk of being unwrapped.

Melissa enjoyed the Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan and can't wait to read this 2020 new release!

by Christina Lauren

The hilarious writing duo Christina Lauren just released a new holiday book and it promises to be just as laugh at loud funny as their other romantic comedies.

Mae has spent every Christmas since her birth at the same snowy Utah cabin. Knowing it's the last year they'll spend at the cabin, feeling trapping in a job she hates, and having just made a big mistake in the romance department leaves her feeling totally hopeless.

When her Christmas wish is for clarity on what will make her truly happy, she sets herself into a groundhog day experience of reliving the same day until she can get it right and connect with her true love.

by Kristin Hannah

Joy Candellaro dreads Christmas this year after divorce leaves her alone during her previously favorite season. Instead of dwelling at home, she leaves town alone on an adventure to the pacific northwest. Once she arrives, she decides to stay.

When she meets a young boy experiencing Christmas for the first time without his mother, they instantly bound and help each other heal. Soon, she finds herself heartbroken again. On Christmas Eve, Joy must find the courage to believe in love.

Comfort & Joy has been described as a modern-day fairy tale, which sounds perfect for the holidays!

by Donna VanLiere 

Donna VanLiere wrote the beautiful tear jerker, The Christmas Shoes, and her 2020 Christmas release sounds like it will have the same effect. The story has a split timeline starting in 1972 and 2012.

In 1972, Joan's husband is determined to build her a beautiful dining room table before Thanksgiving dinner. While he works on the table, Joan works on her mother's recipes, inspired to make a delicious meal. Their lives are interrupted when Joan is diagnosed with breast cancer.

In 2012, a pregnant Lauren finds an old table that has recently been refinished. When she gets home, she discovers handwritten recipe cards, complete with loving notes from a mother to her daughter. After being raised in foster care without that kind of relationship in her life, Lauren is moved by the card and wants to learn how to cook for her baby using the recipes. She's drawn to the family on the cards and hopes to unlock the mystery of who they belong to before Christmas.

by Nancy Thayer

Let It Snow is one of those classic Christmas concepts that never get old. Christina is busy preparing for the busy season at her toy shop in Nantucket when her Scrooge-like landlord raises the rent to a level that means her only option is closing her shop.

She tries to keep her hope alive that she can appeal to some decency under his harsh exterior, and realizes that could be possible after meeting his sweet grandaughter. Of course, an attractive bachelor also enters to assist in her attempt to save her store. While the concept isn't unique, sometimes an enjoyable, predictable read is just what we need to escape unpredictable reality.

by Elin Hilderbrand

If you enjoyed 28 Summers as a beach read this year like we did, you may want to check out Elin Hilderbrand's Winter series. Winter Street is the first of 4 books that follow the Quinn Family in Nantucket. Kelley Quinn owns an Inn and has four children, each with their own complications and imperfections.

When Kelley walks in on his wife kissing Santa Claus, chaos erupts with ripple effects throughout the family. Expect this series to be more of a beach-read style for winter, light entertainment with wacky circumstances to take you out of your own holiday chaos.

• Book 1: Winter Street
• Book 2: Winter Stroll
• Book 3: Winter Storms
• Book 4: Winter Solstice

We're both big fans of the Shopaholic series, so this year's Christmas Shopaholic is on both of our reading lists!

We always laugh out loud at least once reading Sophie Kinsella, so I'm putting this in the holiday self-care stress relief category!

Update: Melissa finished this one and enjoyed it as much as she expected! It stands alone from the series, so don't worry if you haven't read the others.

Love historical fiction with a bit of romance thrown in? This may be the Christmas book for you!

Update: Melissa read this one after seeing it recommended over and over. She LOVED it as a book and was so enthralled that she read right through the time she was supposed to be putting up her Christmas tree.

BUT, keep in mind that it's set in Europe during WW1, which was not a jolly time. While there are many Christmas mentions, there's no mistaking that the book is set in wartime and that comes with a lot of misery as well.

This set of 3 Christmas short mysteries is perfect for the busy holiday season when your time is limited.

When a father and husband passes away, the family is full of grief and not at all in the Christmas spirit.

This true story tells how they were healed with the help of some real-life Christmas miracles.

This Reese book club selection is a great choice for a December romantic comedy read.

One reviewer described it as "Bridget Jones-esque" and that's enough to make me click Buy Now!

Update: Melissa finished this one and liked it, but if you're looking for a heavy dose of Christmas, this may be a better January read.

For those who love a series, there are more books in this cute series about the town of Christmas, Colorado.

You can find the rest here.

Reviews say this is the best of the great Angel Falls series AND it has a bonus 2nd book at the end of the first. It sounds like a must-buy to us!

Karen Kingsbury is always a good choice if you're looking for a Christian read.

A Baxter Family Christmas has a very impressive Amazon rating, but a few dissenters felt it was better as a stand-alone than part of the Baxter series. The great news is that if you read it first and love it, there are 23 other books about the Baxters for you to enjoy later!

When I want a fast read that still makes me fall in love with characters, I know I can always count on Debbie Macomber. Her Christmas books are always Hallmark channel-worthy!

This Christmas mystery involves a little surprise in a Christmas pagent manger - a live baby with a note attached!

This book sounds like a movie - a cranky, but successful single women hires a fake date for the holidays.

It may not be a groundbreaking concept, but reviewers love the writing and said it made them laugh.

I'm going to grab the Kindle version of this one!