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A cup of cocoa, a cozy fire, and a riveting read. If that’s your formula for a perfect Christmas, you’re my kind of people. Scroll down for my list of 2024 Holiday Reading Recommendations!
Books – The Perfect Gift for Everyone, Including Yourself
My Christmas shopping was wrapped up a full week before Thanksgiving.
I know, know. But before you decide to hate me forever, let me explain.
The reason I was able to get such a jump on my holiday gift buying is that I did almost all my shopping in one place – my local bookstore. With some expert guidance and suggestions from the booksellers, I found thoughtful, unique, affordable gifts for almost everyone on my list. Two hours and two shopping bags later, I was heading home and ready to wrap.
However, not all of the books in my bags were for people on my Christmas list. I picked up a few for myself too. There’s no better way to banish the winter blahs and get yourself into the spirit of the season than diving into a heartwarming Christmas story.
If that sounds like just what you need right now, check out my 2024 Holiday Reading Recommendations below.
Some titles are a little older, some are hot off the presses. But there’s something here for everyone, and every book on the list is a winner.
2024 Holiday Reading Recommendations – Books with More than Just Romance
Don’t get me wrong, I love a Christmas romance as much as the next Hallmark junkie (in fact, one of my books was adapted into a Hallmark movie several years ago!). And we’ll definitely get to some of those in a minute.
But my favorite holiday reads are books that include a little something extra – found family or family reconciliations, characters who find a way forward, an armchair journey to another country or time. Those are the books I’m talking about in this first section of my 2024 Holiday Reading Recommendations.
The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan
A couple of months back, one of my friends said, “I can’t believe you’ve never read anything by Jenny Colgan. She’s right up your alley.” Boy, was my friend right!
Set in a Scottish bookshop and peopled with flawed but basically good-hearted who need each other, and a fresh start, The Christmas Bookshop is one of the best Christmas books I’ve read in a long, long while. It’s the delicious kind of book that you hate to see end. Fortunately, there’s a sequel – Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop. I bought it even before I finished reading this first book.
Laid off from her department store job, Carmen has perilously little cash and few options. The prospect of spending Christmas with her perfect sister Sofia, in Sofia’s perfect house with her perfect children and her perfectly ordered yuppie life does not appeal.
Frankly, Sofia doesn’t exactly want her prickly sister Carmen there either. But Sofia has yet another baby on the way, a mother desperate to see her daughters get along, and a client who needs help revitalizing his shabby old bookshop. So Carmen moves in and takes the job.
Thrown rather suddenly into the inner workings of Mr. McCredie’s ancient bookshop on the picturesque streets of historic Edinburgh, Carmen is intrigued despite herself. The store is dusty and disorganized but undeniably charming. Can she breathe some new life into it in time for Christmas shopping? What will happen when a famous and charismatic author takes a sudden interest in the bookshop—and Carmen? And will the Christmas spirit be enough to help heal her fractured family?
The Christmas Dress by Courtney Cole
Stories with multi-generational casts of characters always pique my interest. This story of two women connected by a magical dress – one who can’t quite find her way in life and another who is reaching the end of it – kept me turning pages. It also found me reaching for a tissue now and then, but in the best possible way. If you’re looking for a Christmas story with all the feels, this is it.
When Meg Julliard must return to her hometown of Chicago to manage her late father’s apartment building, she thinks her dreams of making it in the fashion business are over. Add in her father’s eclectic roster of tenants who all need Meg’s attention (ASAP!), a host of building-related disasters, and a handsome handyman she keeps embarrassing herself in front of, and this has all the makings for the worst Christmas she’s ever had.
Ellie Wade, one of the building’s longtime residents, is also not feeling the Christmas Joy this year. She is preparing to move into a nursing home (reluctantly), and is in the process of sorting through her belongings to downsize. Every corner of her apartment holds memories, some good, some bad. But there’s one dress she hesitates to pack up as it represents both the best and worst night of her life.
Ellie and Meg strike up an unlikely friendship and the story of Ellie’s dress comes out. Ellie gifts the gorgeous dress to Meg, hoping that it will bring her more luck, on the condition that she wear it to the building’s Christmas party.
The dress magically fits, and while it eventually leads to the best night of Meg’s life, it also acts as inspiration for Meg to follow a life-long dream of her own, a dream that will help save the crumbling Parkview West, and restore it to its former glory, and keep it as a safe home for all of the current tenants.
The dress and the magic of the holiday season help both Meg and Ellie find their own happy endings.
Christmas with the Queen by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb
If you loved watching The Crown as much as I did, this 1950’s 1950s-era Christmas story is for you. Though young Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip make some meaningful cameo appearances, it’s really a tale of a lovely, slow-growing attraction that leads to love between two people employed in her Majesty’s service, who meet Christmas after Christmas at Sandringham Castle. The royal historical setting is icing on the cake of a deliciously satisfying love story, and makes a perfect addition to my 2024 Holiday Reading Recommendations.
December 1952. While the young Queen Elizabeth II finds her feet as the new monarch, she must also find the right words to continue the tradition of her late father’s Christmas Day radio broadcast. But even traditions must evolve with the times, and the queen faces a postwar Britain hungry for change.
As preparations begin for the royal Christmas at Sandringham House in Norfolk, old friends—Jack Devereux and Olive Carter—are unexpectedly reunited by the occasion. Olive, a single mother and aspiring reporter at the BBC, leaps at the opportunity to cover the holiday celebration, but even a chance encounter with the queen doesn’t go as planned and Olive wonders if she will ever be taken seriously.
Jack, a recently widowed chef, reluctantly takes up a new role in the royal kitchens at Sandringham. Lacking in purpose and direction, Jack has abandoned his dream to have his own restaurant, but his talents are soon noticed and while he might not believe in himself, others do, and a chance encounter with an old friend helps to reignite the spark of his passion and ambition. As Jack and Olive’s paths continue to cross over the following five Christmases, they grow ever closer. Yet Olive carries the burden of a heavy secret that threatens to destroy everything.
Christmas Day, December 1957. As the nation eagerly awaits the Queen’s first televised Christmas speech, there is one final gift for the Christmas season to deliver…
2024 Holiday Reading Recommendations – Sweet Christmas Romances
Every year, just as the leaves begin to turn, bookstores are awash with a flood of Christmas romances. And for good reason! Readers just can’t seem to get enough of them.
But with so many sweet, heartfelt holiday romances on the shelves, deciding which books to take home with you can be tough. Though romances on my holiday reading list are far from exhaustive, here are a few that I highly recommend.
The Merry Matchmaker by Sheila Roberts
Holiday romances by Sheila Roberts are an automatic buy for me. Her hilarious, heartwarming stories always make me smile, even on my Grinchiest days. This tale of a meddling matchmaker was inspired by Jane Austen’s classic, Emma. Publisher’s Weekly gave it a starred review and I think they were on the money. This sweet Christmas romance is a sheer delight.
Frankie Lane knows what’s best for just about everyone but herself. Her divorced sister, Stef, who is too young to give up on love; her shy employee, Elinor; and her daughter, Natalie, who works in Frankie’s shop, Holiday Happiness, and really needs to start her own business selling the delectable chocolates she makes at home; even her best friend, Viola, who is trying to renovate her old Victorian. Frankie knows she could help all of them, if they’d just let her—and if all of her help didn’t end in utter disaster.
Then there’s Mitch Howard, the owner of the local hardware store. They’ve been friends ever since Frankie opened her store, nine years earlier. He got her through the nightmare when she lost her husband in a freak accident, and he’s her favorite shoulder to cry on. He’s been divorced for years, and it’s such a waste of man! Mitch is the fittest, finest man Frankie knows. He’s easygoing, wise and kindhearted. Mitch needs someone. And she’s determined to help him find that someone—whether he likes it or not.
A Christmas Duet by Debbie Macomber
Author Debbie Macomber, sometimes known as the Queen of Christmas, is back! This sweet, clean holiday story features everything readers love in a Debbie romance – heroines and heroes in need of a fresh start, a Christmassy-as-can-be small-town setting, topped with a big dollop of love and hope. It’s a can’t-miss recipe for a delicious holiday romance.
Hailey Morgan’s life has always revolved around music. She once had big dreams of becoming a professional songwriter, but the reality of life has led her to working as an assistant high school band teacher in Portland. As the holidays approach, Hailey dreads the annual tradition of spending Christmas with her family and dodging her mother’s meddling questions about her love life.
When Hailey’s close friend offers her the use of her family’s empty cabin for a rejuvenating solo holiday retreat, Hailey finally decides to do something to make herself happy. However, her arrival in the small town of Podunk, Oregon, is anything but peaceful when she discovers the cabin has been invaded by several wild animals. Luckily, Jay, the son of the town’s main store proprietor—and an incredibly handsome and charming former musician to boot—is more than willing to help.
Soon Hailey and Jay are nearly inseparable, chopping down and decorating a Christmas tree, sipping hot cocoa in front of a cozy fire, and best of all, playing music together. Jay’s positive feedback and encouragement inspire Hailey to believe she might succeed as a songwriter after all. But even in her snow-dusted oasis, family holiday drama still finds Hailey, interrupting and threatening her newfound peace and confidence. Meanwhile revelations from Jay present complications of their own. Suddenly her Christmas paradise has become a winter storm and Hailey must weather through the challenges to stand up for herself and embrace the holiday spirit.
Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews
Mary Kay Andrews brings the funny in this delightful story about a woman who heads to the Big Apple to sell trees from her family farm during the holidays. Despite the big city setting, encounters with neighbors give the book a sweet, hometown vibe. The story and romance include plenty of twists and turns, and the interactions between Kerry and her cranky big brother made me smile.
When fall rolls around, it’s time for Kerry Tolliver to leave her family’s Christmas tree farm in the mountains of North Carolina for the wilds of New York City to help her gruff older brother & his dog, Queenie, sell the trees at the family stand on a corner in Greenwich Village. Sharing a tiny vintage camper and experiencing Manhattan for the first time, Kerry’s ready to try to carve out a new corner for herself.
In the weeks leading into Christmas, Kerry quickly becomes close with the charming neighbors who live near their stand. When an elderly neighbor goes missing, Kerry will need to combine her country know-how with her newly acquired New York knowledge to protect the new friends she’s come to think of as family,
And complicating everything is Patrick, a single dad raising his adorable, dragon-loving son Austin on this quirky block. Kerry and Patrick’s chemistry is undeniable, but what chance does this holiday romance really have?
2024 Holiday Reading Recommendations – A Grab Bag of Great Books
There are so many terrific books to read at Christmastime, and not all of them fit neatly into a particular genre or category.
Here are a couple of “extra” titles that I highly recommend.
The Carols of Christmas: Daily Advent Devotional by Alan Vermilye
To me, Christmas is about more than presents, decorations, and cookies. Reading a new advent devotional every year wreath helps me make space for the sacred during the holiday season. I’m only just starting this one, but the idea of devotions inspired by Christmas carols was appealing to me and I’m enjoying it so far.
The Carols of Christmas is a heart-warming devotional inspired by some of the most beloved Christmas carols of all time. Inside, you’ll enjoy a fresh glimpse of some of the same joyful and nostalgic melodies you sing every year now set to personal reflections in this 28-day devotional journey.
The carols include “O Holy Night”, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”, “O Little Town of Bethlehem”, and “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.” You’ll also discover intriguing stories and thought-provoking details like who wrote the carol; what was going on in their life that perhaps inspired the hymn; and how has God used this hymn throughout time.
The book is divided into four weeks of daily devotions, perfect for celebrating Advent or Christmas. Each week you begin by reading the history of the carol, followed by six daily devotions that reflect on a verse from the hymn along with a Scripture reflection. Traditionally, Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, but the devotions are undated, allowing you to start at any time.
All is Calm: A Maine Christmas Reader by Shannon Butler (editor)
This book is pretty region-specific. But if you’ve lived in or visited Maine, or know someone who lives there, this thoughtful collection of stories, remembrances, and poems might be just what you’re looking for. I enjoyed reading it after my recent trip to Maine, and then passed it on as a gift to a family member who lives there.
When many people think of Christmas, they dream of snow-covered pine trees and a small cabin warmed by the wood fire on a cold December day.
Since Maine was founded, people have written stories about the joys of Christmas in the state. In times of hardship and in times of wealth, Maine and her people have always put the value of Christmas in time shared with family and friends, connections with the natural world, rich traditions, and warm wood stoves.
In a collection featuring essays, stories, and poetry, All is Calm is a look at the lives of Mainers during the holidays from the mid-1800s, to the Great Depression, to modern day. Spanning nearly 200 years, these stories show that while Christmas traditions and trends may be changing, the warmth, gratitude, and humility of the Maine spirit is evergreen.
The 13th Gift: A True Story of a Christmas Miracle – Joanne Huist Smith
Though I haven’t actually started reading this addition to my 2024 Holiday Reading Recommendations yet, a true story of Christmas kindness shown to a grieving family seems like just what I need right now. Because wouldn’t it be nice to know that the Christmas spirit is something that can happen in real life, and not just in novels?
After the unexpected death of her husband, Joanne Huist Smith had no idea how she would keep herself together and be strong for her three children–especially with the holiday season approaching. But 12 days before Christmas, presents begin appearing on her doorstep with notes from their “True Friends.” As the Smiths came together to solve the mystery of who the gifts were from, they began to thaw out from their grief and come together again as a family. This true story about the power of random acts of kindness will warm the heart, a beautiful reminder of the miracles of Christmas and the gift of family during the holiday season.
