Once you finish finals and finally get to relax, I recommend you take some time to curl up with a good book! These reads can warm your heart and really put you in the mood to celebrate the holidays:
Christina Lauren, In a Holidaze:
If you want a fun read for any season, you can’t go wrong with Christina Lauren! This author duo’s Christmas romcom is a “Weekend at Bernie’s” situation which follows the protagonist as she’s stuck in a time loop during her holiday vacation while trying to change her future and fix her romantic escapades.
Sophie Cousens, This Time Next Year:
If you want to finish your year, or kick off 2023, with a New Year’s themed read, then This Time Next Year is perfect! I absolutely love books that are romances, but have more character depth and good writing, and I really enjoyed the engaging story and characters in this one.
Jake Maia Arlow, How To Excavate a Heart:
This one’s for people looking for a little less Christmas in their romcom–How to Excavate a Heart is pitched to readers as “a Hallmark Christmas movie if a Hallmark Christmas movie starred two sexually frustrated Jewish lesbians”–and it’s enemies to lovers. This holiday read includes comedy, loveable characters, romance under snowfall, and corgis!
Timothy Janovsky, You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince:
This one is worth recommending just from the creative title! Following a classic holiday Hallmark movie trope, the protagonist must leave his rich city life and spend the holidays in a charming small town, where (shocker) he meets a local man who might make his “heart grow three sizes” this holiday season.
Maybe you don’t want a romcom or contemporary fiction book, and if you would rather curl up near the fire with a thrilling mystery set in a swirling snowstorm, here’s some recs:
Amy McCulloch, Breathless:
I was captivated throughout this whole story and thought the writing had a great sense of suspense and action. Mountaineers summiting Manaslu, the eighth-highest peak in the world, suddenly realize they may be traveling with a murder after two climbers are killed on their journey. Readers can follow this pack as they race down the mountain to escape the murderer, surrounded by blinding snow.
Lucy Foley, The Hunting Party:
A group of friends celebrating the holidays in the Scottish Highlands are suddenly snowed in at their hunting lodge… but as they ring in the New Year, one of them turns up dead. As they’re sealed off from the outside world, these friends unravel their own secrets and attempt to uncover the mystery of which of them could be the killer. This is perfect for fans of Agatha Christie’s famous who-dunnits, or Foley’s The Guest List.
Finally, some people like rereading their comfort books from childhood around this time, and I would say The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire are great to reread in the winter.
Louisa May Alcott, Little Women:
And if you enjoy the classics, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women is definitely a comforting read for the holiday season. There’s some iconic moments set during Christmas, and the heart of the book is the relationship between the March sisters that will give you an entire emotional journey of sadness, joy, heartbreak, and love.