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14 Holiday Rom Com Books (That Aren’t About Christmas)
Two of our favorite things are holiday reads and exploring new cultures, traditions, and viewpoints through the pages of books. We have lots of lists of Christmas-themed novels, but we’ve been wanting to put together a list of light and fun books celebrating some of the other winter holidays celebrated next door and around the world, including Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali, and Lunar New Year.
We view this list as just a starting point, and we’d love to hear from you. If you celebrate one of these holidays, tell us what book(s) you’d recommend we add to the list. And you celebrate a winter holiday that we don’t yet have on the list, tell us about it, and share some books we should read!
Multicultural Winter Holiday Books
We were so excited to come across the first book on the list because it celebrates not one, not two, but THREE winter holidays. Only three times a century (or every 30 to 33 years) do Hanukkah, Ramadan, and Christmas overlap.
Hanukkah Romance Books
The eight-night festival of Hanukkah, known as the Festival of Lights, is a relatively minor holiday within the Jewish religion, but it involves many observed rituals. Families and friends gather to light a new menorah candle each night, symbolic of a miracle in which a small amount of oil lasted for eight full days. Although most families now use candles, rather than oil, to light their menorah, foods fried in oil (such as potato latkes and jelly donuts called sufganiyot) nod to the celebrated miracle.
We’d love to expand this Hanukkah section into a full, standalone list in the future. If you celebrate this holiday, please share your book recommendations with us in the comments below!
Kwanzaa Books for Adults
The secular holiday of Kwanzaa is celebrated each year from December 26 to January 1. This week of festivities celebrates African-American community and culture. Family and friends gather each day to share delicious meals and exchange gifts. The holiday encourages people to honor seven principles: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility (teamwork), cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.
Lunar New Year Books for Adults
Lunar New Year, which marks the first new moon of the lunar calendar, is an event celebrated by numerous cultures on a range of dates. One of the most well-known of these celebrations is the Chinese New Year, which typically falls in either January or February. Beginning on January 29th, 2025, it will be the Year of the Snake.
Books About Diwali for Adults
Each year, Diwali takes place over five days, sometime between October and November. We know what you’re thinking – that’s fall, not winter. But Angela lives in Colorado, where it frequently snows during both of these months, so we are being loose with our definition of “winter” so that we can share these final two books with you.
Diwali, an Indian festival of lights, gets its name from the row of clay lamps that families light outside of their homes. These lamps symbolize the spiritual victory of light over darkness and good over evil. While Diwali is a major Hindu holiday, it is also celebrated by Sikhs and Jains.
What books or holidays are we missing? We always appreciate hearing suggestions from our readers!
Join the Winter Books Mini Reading Challenge
Our free four-prompt mini-reading challenge is perfect for anyone who enjoys reading seasonally. Each prompt comes with a list of recommended books for you to choose from, making it a fun and easy way to enhance your winter reading.
Printable Version of this List
Our Inner Circle Members have access to a single page printable version of this book list, along with other fun perks. Join now for instant access to the printable!
