Christmas Recommendations!!

Christmas is my favourite time of year! I always, always love reading Christmas books almost as soon as December starts. Whether that's a good old fashioned murder mystery or a nice cosy romance. So I thought I would put together a post of some of my favourites!


Christmas at Tiffany's by Karen Swan

Karen Swan is my go-to for Christmas reads. She comes out with a new, wonderful Christmas read every year and it's been a Christmas tradition for me to read them since 2011 when this was released. The book itself actually covers three seasons (as it says in the tagline) but it is such a festive read. Her books are longer than most romance novels (this one comes in at 582 pages) but it is totally worth it!

A Christmas Party (or Envious Casca) by Georgette Heyer

Georgette Heyer is a favourite author of mine at any time of the year and I adore her mystery novels. This one was fiendishly difficult to solve and it kept me guessing right up until the end. Admittedly there aren't a lot of Christmas festivities (with the head of the household dead it doesn't seem a great time to celebrate) but it feels like Christmas and it's one I come back to again and again. This is especially good if you want a Christmas read but aren't a huge fan of romance.

Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle

For anyone looking for a Young Adult Christmas read this is absolutely perfect. I was already a fan of John Green and Maureen Johnson but Lauren Myracle's contribution was a definite joy to read as well. This was just such a joyful, quick Christmas read. There are three holiday stories here but all of them come together at the end for some cohesion which I thought was done very well!

My True Love Gave to Me edited by Stephanie Perkins

So many authors contributed to this that you are bound to find something from an author you love, as well as discovering a new author (whose books you will then go and devour). As with any anthology there are hits and misses but this is one where the great stories outweighed the mediocre. I chose to read this like an advent calendar, reading a story a day up until Christmas and I found that worked really well for me - giving me a story to look forward to!

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

This is a Christmas favourite of a lot of people and I can definitely see why. I am a sucker for a good scavenger hunt and the slow build of their friendship was excellent. I am planning to read the sequel (The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily) this year and I am hopeful it will capture the same magic of this read.

Sleigh Bells in the Snow by Sarah Morgan

This is a classic "girl who hates Christmas learns to love it" story and it's just so charming! The whole family are so interesting and lovable and I adored the main character. This is the first in the Snow Crystal trilogy (the third book Maybe This Christmas is also a Christmas hit for me) and I feel like Sarah Morgan could be moving up there alongside Karen Swan for authors whose Christmas books I just can't miss! I am currently reading Morgan's Miracle on 5th Avenue and am sure I will be in love with it!

The Trouble with Mistletoe by Jill Shalvis

I only just finished this book so it's a bit of a last minute addition to the list but I honestly just loved it. I am in love with all the characters in this series and this book was such a joy to read. It was my first Christmas book this month and has set a high standard for any of the books to follow! I will have a full review up for this on Monday.

A Winter Flame by Milly Johnson

Another girl who hates Christmas. In this one Eve inherits a Christmas theme park and she is really, really not into that. Not when she hates Christmas so much. Obviously, this being a happy Chick-Lit read she learns to love Christmas (and maybe find a little romance too). I haven't read as many of Milly Johnson's books as I would like but this is my favourite of hers so far and it makes me keen to try more.

A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas

This is the fifth book in the Wallflower series and was really an excuse to revisit old characters. There are some new characters and new romances but I mostly came for the wallflowers and I really enjoyed this. If you read the Wallflower series but didn't read this one then I definitely recommend it and if you haven't read the Wallflower series but love historical romance then I recommend all five books as they are one of my favourite series. (Plus Devil in Winter is technically a winter book so you can pretend it counts for Christmas).

What Happens at Christmas by Victoria Alexander

I stumbled upon this one last year when looking for some Christmas reads and oh boy. It's one of the few books I can genuinely say made me laugh out loud! There are misunderstandings and mistaken identities and characters you can wholeheartedly root for. I have finished this series but none of the following books lived up to this ones humour and charm. 

So those are some of my Christmas recommendations! I could honestly recommend so many more but these are my absolute favourites. If you were looking for some festive reads I hope that I've added to your TBR and please let me know some of your favourite Christmas reads so I can add to mine!!

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading