I know it’s a little soon after the last QLB to be posting another one, but I’m bringing you December’s Quick Look Books a little early so you can get your jolly on.
Even though I’m mostly reading Christmas books this month, I don’t want to only post reviews of Christmas books because, despite what American commercialism would have you believe, not everyone celebrates Christmas.
However, I do love me some Yuletide cheer, so I couldn’t let the month pass by without at least acknowledging one of my favorite genres of literature.
I read lots of heavy ish all year long. Certain books cause me to become sniffly and pensive, while others get me completely fired up about the injustices of the world.
Come December 1st, though, I just want to savor the upcoming holiday season and indulge in stories that are as warm and fuzzy as a pair of fluffy Christmas socks. I blaze through Debbie Macomber’s holiday repertoire like wildfire, but I’m always on the look-out for Christmas books that move beyond the enjoyable, albeit predictable formula of “boy-meets-girl-and-two-weeks-later-they’re-engaged-because-CHRSTMAS.”
So, if you’re in the market for something a little different this holiday season, these five books contain a lot of Christmas, a little romance, and a few other surprises, as well:
Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe by Melissa de la Cruz. Ha! You know by now that I love me a good (or even mediocre) Pride and Prejudice retelling, so, are you really surprised I managed to squeeze a Christmas version of my fave story onto this list? P&P&Mistletoe is a Christmas-y, modern twist on the classic Jane Austen novel. What makes de la Cruz’s version stand out is that the gender roles are swapped — Darcy’s the woman and Elizabeth (“Luke”) Bennet is the man. Even though I know the P&P storyline like the back of my hand, the gender switch, plus a few new characters and plot twists were enough to throw off my memory and keep me interested in this unique interpretation. Bonus: I recently found out that there is a Hallmark movie of Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe! I missed the premiere, so excuse me while I scour my DVR settings to record whenever it airs again…
An Irish Country Christmas by Patrick Taylor. How much do I love the fictional Irish country village of Ballybucklebo? Let me count the ways. The “Irish Country Doctor” series is one of my favorites, and while I recently finished book #13, An Irish Country Christmas is only book #3 in the series. You don’t need to read the previous books to enjoy this one, but I heartily recommend doing so since they are fantastic. Author Taylor transports you to 1960s rural Northern Ireland, following around a slightly cranky-but-soft-hearted doctor and his young apprentice, who is learning how to be a country GP amongst the friendly but quirky townsfolk. All these novels are filled with that cozy, country charm that comes with a simpler, kinder way of life, and this particular book doubles down on the cozy factor because it’s full of Christmas spirit, traditions, and miracles. Read this one while sitting next to a crackling fire with a wee cuppa tea for your hand.
Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews. This book was actually my first introduction to the wonderful world of Andrews’ novels, and I’ve read several of her other books since. Blue Christmas is part of a series, but don’t let that deter you; I thoroughly enjoyed the story without having read the previous books. This novel brings you Christmas in historical Savannah, with a quirky cast of characters, lots of Southern charm, and a bit of a holiday mystery to solve. It’s fun and Christmas-y without being schmaltzy or saccharinely romantic. Also, it’s HILARIOUS. The Christmas Eve event had me choking back laughter as I read it during my lunchbreak at the office. If you’re looking for a Christmas read that’s not as “Norman Rockwell cozy,” give this one a try.
Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand. This bestselling women’s fiction author needs no introduction, and I was delighted to find that she’s published several holiday books over the years. As you may suspect by now, this book is also part of series. But, good news — it’s book #1! So, you’re meeting the characters for the first time with everyone else. Winter Street heads north for a truly zany family Christmas on the island of Nantucket. New England charm and traditions abound as the characters ready themselves for Christmas, so you definitely feel the holiday spirit and the chaos that comes with holiday prep. Interestingly, this novel deals with some heavy plotlines, but everything is handled in a surprisingly lighthearted manner. You never get bogged down with anything too serious, despite several serious events.
Mini-spoiler (but no details): the ending leaves you hanging, and you’re going to be extremely tempted to read books #2 and #3 right away. I was. However, I warn you — those “serious” topics I mentioned become far more prevalent in the following books. If you fully embrace cathartic, “Christmas Shoes”-esque bawling during the holidays, proceed to books two and three. But, if you’re like me and prefer not to be more depressed at Christmas, make up your own ending for book #1 and be satisfied with that.
Christmas Bells by Jennifer Chiaverini. This is for all my historical fiction fans. There are two parts to this novel — the present day and the 1860s. The former part is one small, same narrative told from various character viewpoints, and the latter is a window into poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s life at Christmastime. The book is, ultimately, an inspiring Christmas read, though it does have some very unwelcome sadness in Longfellow’s storyline. For this reason, I enjoyed the present day narrative much more, though it was interesting to learn the backstory of the popular poem/carol “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” through the 1860s narrative. I feel like most Christmas books don’t cover historical fiction, so it was nice to see some diversity in the genre.
I’m already reading a bunch of new Christmas books in prepration for next December’s Quick Look Books, so I’d love to hear some of your suggestions for this genre! What books should I be reading this Christmas?
And, check back in for my related recipe: Chocolate-Covered Christmas Pretzels!
Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe is on my to-read list!! However, the P&P Hallmark movie was just meh 🙁
I hope you like the book!!! Yeah, a friend told me that the movie had a bit more depth to it than the usual Hallmark movies, but she didn’t say it was a runaway hit, either, lol. I blame the movie people, not the book. 😁
Wait, not everyone celebrates Christmas? Just kidding. I was just thinking about this in Germany, though. I mean, Christmas markets are AMAZING and are everywhere but what about Hanukkah that is happening right now? I would never have known if my Google calendar hadn’t reminded me. As someone who non-secularly celebrates Christmas, I love this list. I am pretty behind (isn’t that all book bloggers ever say and ‘complain’ about?!), but An Irish Country Christmas sounds really wonderful and cozy. Thanks for sharing this great book list.
I actually have put Hanukkah in my planner because it affects my daily commute — always less traffic on the Jewish holidays! LOVE IT. But, otherwise, I probably wouldn’t remember, either; that poor holiday just gets swallowed by Christmas. So glad you liked this list of books! I cannot say enough good things about Irish Country Christmas, and that whole series! It is amazingly cozy.
I love the sound of the series set in the Irish countryside, and will definitely be checking that out. Also can’t resist a good cover, so might pick up Pride & Prejudice & Mistletoe, too! I’ve been all over the Christmas reads this year, but totally have room for more!
I agree!! This time of year, you can never have too many Christmas books! I was at the library the other day, and I had to stop myself from just swiping my arm along the Suggest Christmas Reads shelf and taking them all home with me, LOL. Would love to know what you think of the Irish book and P&P&M once you read them!
An Irish Country Christmas sounds right up my alley. I never heard of that one – thanks for the recommendation! I’m all about the cozy at Christmas:)
Yay! This one’s getting a lot of attention in this post, haha. Though, I mean, just look at the book cover. It’s perfectly cozy Christmas! And the village of Ballybucklebo is every bit as wonderful as that book cover. You won’t be disappointed!
Great list! I love it! I’m really feeling adaptations lately, so I’ve got to check out Pride & Prejudice & Mistletoe. It’s really tough being an Aussie book blogger this time of year, though. On the one hand, it’s really tempting to plunge into cozy Christmas books like everyone is in the Northern Hemisphere… but it’s summer for us, and the idea of curling up by a fire when it’s literally hot enough to fry an egg on the bitumen outside? Ugh! I need to find some Christmas beach reads, hahaha.
LOL. I always wonder about how people in much warmer climates fare with the whole cold-and-cozy vibe featured with Christmas. I read a Liane Moriarty book once that took place at Christmas, and the characters were debating what to do–and having a seafood BBQ on the beach was the winner for Christmas Day. I was like, Whaaaaat?!? No roast? No sweaters?? ON THE BEACH?!?!?! *Mind blown at the idea of a warm Christmas* You might wanna try BLUE CHRISTMAS since it takes place in Savannah, which has pretty warm Christmas weather (for the U.S., anyway). There is some cozy, but I believe the snuggling up to roaring fires is tempered. 😂
I started Winter Street about an hour ago! I think it’s the first Christmas-specific book I’ve ever picked up (and my first Elin Hilderbrand), but I’m already looking forward to spending more time at the Nantucket inn. I’m kind of bummed to hear that it’s a series with a cliffhanger, though, because this isn’t my usual type of reading and I’m not sure I’ll want to continue. I guess we’ll see how much it hooks me 🙂
WINTER STREET was my first Hilderbrand novel, too! I fell in love with her writing and the characters she created, but I actually have not been able to read other books by her. A lot of her books have sad twists, a la the second and third books in this series, and I just don’t like books like that anymore, particularly at Christmas. But I really did enjoy WINTER STREET. I wish more of her works were like this one!