Christmas Books for Adults

Halloween is finally over and, if you’re like me, you jump straight into Christmas. The days are getting shorter and the weather crisper. Here are five holiday books for adults to help get you into the spirit of the season.

Comfort & Joy by Kristin Hannah

Synopsis:

Joy Candellaro once loved Christmas more than any other time of the year. Now, as the holiday approaches, she is at a crossroads in her life; recently divorced and alone, she can’t summon the old enthusiasm for celebrating. So without telling anyone, she buys a ticket and boards a plane bound for the beautiful Pacific Northwest. When an unexpected detour takes her deep into the woods of the Olympic rainforest, Joy makes a bold decision to leave her ordinary life behind—to just walk away—and thus begins an adventure unlike any she could have imagined.

In the small town of Rain Valley, six-year-old Bobby O’Shea is facing his first Christmas without a mother. Unable to handle the loss, Bobby has closed himself off from the world, talking only to his invisible best friend. His father Daniel is beside himself, desperate to help his son cope. Yet when the little boy meets Joy, these two unlikely souls form a deep and powerful bond. In helping Bobby and Daniel heal, Joy finds herself again.     

But not everything is as it seems in quiet Rain Valley, and in an instant, Joy’s world is ripped apart, and her heart is broken. On a magical Christmas Eve, a night of impossible dreams and unexpected chances, Joy must find the courage to believe in a love—and a family—that can’t possibly exist, and go in search of what she wants . . . and the new life only she can find.

The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan

Included with Kindle Unlimited

Synopsis:

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?

How My Neighbor Stole Christmas by Meghan Quinn

Included with Kindle Unlimited

Synopsis:

Living in a year around Christmas town has it’s drawbacks. The caroling, the decorations, the insanely cheery spirit, it never disappears. It’s why I like to hibernate away in my cave–I mean house–keeping a healthy distance from the holly jolly spirits.

And all was going according to plan until my nemesis, Storee Taylor, moved in next door to care for her Aunt Cindy. Without blinking, she turned my simple world into a real nightmare-before-Christmas, especially when she decided to enter the town Christmas Kringle contest – which she was determined to win.

Well guess what? Over my cold-hearted body.

There was no way I was going to let her win, not after the history we’d shared.

So despite my promise to myself of never participating in the sickening Christmas season, I entered the competition as well. That’s right, I planned on beating Storee at her own game by pretending this grump’s heart grew three sizes this season.

And it was working until feelings between us started heating up.
We pretended to date.
We kissed.
And well, sparks flew from there.

Which led to one explosive night involving Christmas lights, the competition, and a ladder. Don’t let me convince you who stole Christmas, I think you need to find out for yourself . . .

Mr. Dickens and his Carol by Samantha Silva

Included with Kindle Unlimited

Synopsis:

Charles Dickens is not feeling the Christmas spirit. His newest book is an utter flop, the critics have turned against him, relatives near and far hound him for money. While his wife plans a lavish holiday party for their ever-expanding family and circle of friends, Dickens has visions of the poor house. But when his publishers try to blackmail him into writing a Christmas book to save them all from financial ruin, he refuses. And a serious bout of writer’s block sets in.

Frazzled and filled with self-doubt, Dickens seeks solace in his great palace of thinking, the city of London itself. On one of his long night walks, in a once-beloved square, he meets the mysterious Eleanor Lovejoy, who might be just the muse he needs. As Dickens’ deadlines close in, Eleanor propels him on a Scrooge-like journey that tests everything he believes about generosity, friendship, ambition, and love. The story he writes will change Christmas forever.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Synopsis:

It’s a snowy winter in London where we meet Ebenezer Scrooge, an old man who has become bitter with life, he is known for being cold and selfish. Scrooge profits off his impoverished community, financially benefitting off their labour whilst paying measly wages to his employees.

In the lead up towards Christmas, Scrooge is visited by the spirit of his former business partner Jacob Marley who informs Scrooge to expect 3 ghosts.

The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, show Scrooge what he needs to see before it’s too late, and we get to witness the mistakes of his past, the emptiness of his present and the dark future that awaits him.

Scrooge is considered one of the greatest redemption stories of all time. A magical story full of unforgettable moments, larger than life characters, a cautionary tale and a tale full of hope, expertly written by Charles Dickens.