Christmas Books I Still Hope to Read

by Donna Huber

Merry Christmas! Did you find everything you wanted under the tree? Did you get any books? If you got a new eReader and need to stock it or if you are just now finding time to read Christmas books, be sure to check out all 25 posts for our 25 Days of Christmas Reading. The free ebooks might not be free anymore but we provided plenty of recommendations over the past month that I'm sure you will find something fun to read.

Here is a list of Christmas books that are still in my TBR pile and I hope to get them read before the end of the year.

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Mistletoe and Mischief by Debbie Macomber

A Cedar Cove Christmas

Mary Jo Wyse finds herself in Cedar Cove on Christmas Eve, stranded, pregnant and alone. And there’s no room at the local inn… So Grace Harding brings Mary Jo home to her ranch, where they’ve got a spare room over the stable. And luckily a paramedic named Mack McAfee is there to help when Mary Jo goes into labor. The people of Cedar Cove join them in celebrating the birth of baby Noelle. But no one has more to celebrate than Mack…because this Christmas brings him faith, hope and love.

1225 Christmas Tree Lane

Beth Morehouse expects this Christmas to be one of her best. But someone leaves a basket of puppies on her doorstep, and now she’s determined to find them all good homes. Also complicating things is the invitation her daughters extended to their dad…whom Beth divorced a long time ago. As always in life, there are surprises. More than one family’s going to have a puppy under the tree. More than one scheme will go awry. And more than one romance will have a happy ending! (Goodreads)

This book includes 2 of Debbie Macomber's older Christmas stories - I haven't read either of them before so I thought this would be a good chance to catch up on some of her Christmas books.

Buy Mistletoe and Mischief at Amazon

Death Comes at Christmas edited by Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane

The award-winning Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane invite you to a festive gathering of bestselling, critically acclaimed and award-winning writers in tribute to classic, British period crime stories. From locked room mysteries on Christmas eve to devilish whodunits and tales of simmering rivalries unfolding at the dinner table, these thirteen original seasonal tales will delight and shock at every twist and turn. So, unwrap the presents, pour a mug of mulled wine and follow the bloodstained footprints through the freshly fallen snow as winter descends and darkness lurks in the shadows.

Featuring stories by: Fiona Cummins, Angela Clarke, A.K. Benedict, Susi Holliday, J.T. Ellison, David Bell, Sarah Hilary, Claire McGowan, Tina Baker, Sam Carrington, Liz Mistry, C.L. Taylor, Helen Fields, Russ Thomas, Tom Mead, Vaseem Khan, Samantha Hayes & Belinda Bauer (Goodreads)

Crime and Christmas seemed to be a popular topic this year. I think I have read more crime holiday fiction than romance holiday fiction this year. A collection of short stories might be a great way to sneak in some reading between all the family gatherings this coming week.

Buy Death Comes at Christmas at Amazon

The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose

Molly Gray has always loved the holidays. When Molly was a child, her gran went to great lengths to make the season merry and bright, full of cherished traditions. The first few Christmases without Gran were hard on Molly, but this year, her beloved boyfriend and fellow festive spirit, Juan Manuel, is intent on making the season Molly’s mofinst joyful yet.

But when a Secret Santa gift exchange at the Regency Grand Hotel raises questions about who Molly can and cannot trust, she dives headfirst into solving her most consequential—and personal—mystery yet. Molly has a bad feeling about things, and she starts to wonder: has she yet again mistaken a frog for a prince?

A heartwarming, magical story about the true spirit of the season, The Mistletoe Mystery reminds us that love is the greatest mystery of all. (Goodreads)

I knew when I put my hold on the audiobook at my digital library on December 8, it would be iffy if got it before Christmas - I was #110. But the library system has added additional copies and it is only a 3-hour book so I thought my chances improved. I've been at #4 for a week or more. We'll see if I get it before the end of the year.

Buy The Mistletoe Mystery at Amazon

The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson

An American art student in London is invited to join a classmate for the holidays at Starvewood Hall, her family's Cotswold manor house. But behind the holly and pine boughs, secrets are about to unravel, revealing this seemingly charming English village's grim history.

Ashley Smith, an American art student in London for her junior year, was planning on spending Christmas alone, but a last-minute invitation from fellow student Emma Chapman brings her to Starvewood Hall, country residence of the Chapman family. The Cotswold manor house, festooned in pine boughs and crammed with guests for Christmas week, is a dream come true for Ashley. She is mesmerized by the cozy, firelit house, the large family, and the charming village of Clevemoor, but also by Adam Chapman, Emma's aloof and handsome brother.

But Adam is being investigated by the local police over the recent brutal slaying of a girl from the village, and there is a mysterious stranger who haunts the woodland path between Starvewood Hall and the local pub. Ashley begins to wonder what kind of story she is actually inhabiting. Is she in a grand romance? A gothic tale? Or has she wandered into something far more sinister and terrifying than she'd ever imagined?

Over thirty years later the events of that horrific week are revisited, along with a diary from that time. What began in a small English village in 1989 reaches its ghostly conclusion in modern-day New York, many Christmas seasons later. (Goodreads)

I ran across this book when looking for books for our 25 Days of Christmas Reading and then I started seeing it everywhere. My digital library has a copy of the audiobook so I put a hold on it - I started at #30 on December 13 and I'm only at #24 now. Why is it taking so long for people to listen to a 3-hour book?

Buy The Christmas Guest at Amazon

From all of us here at Girl Who Reads, we wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour. 

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