Christmas Novels To Start Reading Now
Add a little holiday magic to your reading list this year with some festive contemporary fiction. These Christmas novels are perennial favorites that you'll want to read and re-read every Christmas season. We've put together a list of some of the most-read, best-loved contemporary Christmas novels out there. This is a good starter list with some of the best-ever Christmas reads published over the past few decades. From Debbie Macomber to Richard Paul Evans, Karen Kingsbury to Elin Hilderbrand, these authors know the holidays, and their stories are full of winter wonderlands and family memories. (Some have even been made into Hallmark Channel movies!) Make some new memories with your reading list this holiday season and discover your new favorite Christmas reads. We have a feeling you'll like these.
Looking to Get in the Christmas Spirit With a Good Book? Start Here.
1 of 51
Comfort & Joy: A Fable by Kristin Hannah
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
A woman at a crossroads in her life takes a holiday trip with an unexpected detour in this story about embracing new paths.
2 of 51
The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
A woman buys an old farmhouse that requires lots of fixing up; in the process, she finds a Santa suit in a closet and tries to track down the story behind it.
3 of 51
The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
Sisters thrown together at Christmastime in historic Edinburgh have lots to work out; one of them spends time in an old bookshop, which engages her in more than one respect.
4 of 51
The Christmas Dress by Courtney Cole
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
In this festive story, a magical Christmas dress brings two generations of women together during the holiday season.
5 of 51
Magical New York Christmas by Anita Hughes
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
A young writer takes up a position as a ghostwriter for a famous art dealer—it comes with a stay in a famously grand hotel and an unexpected situation or two.
6 of 51
Christmas by the Book by Anne Marie Ryan
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
Book lovers will love this holiday story about a bookshop in a British village and the people trying to keep it alive.
7 of 51
Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
A man moves from snowy Chicago to Lost River, Alabama, for a mild winter filled with quirky characters in this Christmas story.
8 of 51
Christmas in Vermont by Anita Hughes
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
Fate takes its cue in this charming story set during the holiday season in snowy Vermont.
9 of 51
Christmas Bells by Jennifer Chiaverini
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
This Christmastime novel alternates between present day and the 1860s; the latter setting follows the family of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and the tumult and strife they experienced during the Civil War.
10 of 51
Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
In this charming book from Jenny Colgan, a storm blows in and disrupts the holiday season in the coastal village of Mount Polbearne in Cornwall, including the life of Polly and her Little Beach Street Bakery.
11 of 51
Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
A family is forced to spend extended time together under one roof for the first time in years in this fun holiday story about the unexpected benefits of quarantine.
12 of 51
Merry and Bright by Debbie Macomber
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
An unexpected love story is at the heart of this Christmastime novel by Debbie Macomber.
13 of 51
Christmas at the Island Hotel by Jenny Colgan
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
A motley cast of characters are gathered together in a hotel at Christmastime in this novel set on the remote island of Mure near Scotland.
14 of 51
Jingle All the Way by Debbie Macomber
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
The middle sister in a big family takes a holiday vacation—not to the beach, as she intended, but to a rainforest with no Wi-Fi—in this story about a surprising holiday season.
15 of 51
A Lighthouse Christmas by Jenny Hale
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
This warm-hearted book is about second chances in the face of loss and the lingering memories of childhood.
16 of 51
A Christmas by the Sea by Melody Carlson
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
Wendy Harper sets out to renovate her family's dilapidated cottage in Seaside, Maine, in this charming Christmas tale.
17 of 51
A Winter Dream by Richard Paul Evans
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
Richard Paul Evans' 2012 novel A Winter Dream reminds readers of the importance of hope and love in the Christmas season.
18 of 51
Christmas at the Chalet by Anita Hughes
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
This Christmas love story is set in the Swiss Alps, where a bridal designer and a model encounter relationship troubles and—just possibly—their own Christmas dreams come true.
19 of 51
Christmas in London by Anita Hughes
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
Snowy London is the backdrop for Anita Hughes' Christmas in London, a story about love, food, and producing a Christmas television special that's also packed with adventure and festive complications.
20 of 51
The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
A Christmas miracle is at the center of The Bridge, a novel about finding love in a Franklin, Tennessee, bookstore. It has also been made into a Hallmark movie.
21 of 51
Alaskan Holiday by Debbie Macomber
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
According to Amazon, in this new book, "Debbie Macomber brings us to the Alaskan wilderness for a magical Christmas tale about finding love where it's least expected."
22 of 51
A Very Nantucket Christmas by Nancy Thayer
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
This collection includes two popular Nancy Thayer novels about Christmastime: A Nantucket Christmas and An Island Christmas.
23 of 51
Holly and Ivy by Fern Michaels
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
Grief gives way to love when tragedy-stricken widow Ivy Macintosh meets 11-year-old Holly Greenwood and Holly's strict father, Daniel, and soon becomes part of their family.
24 of 51
Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
This moving novel set amid World War I follows Evie and her brother's friend, Thomas, as they experience the war in their own different, life-changing ways.
25 of 51
Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
This wonderful historical novel dives into the life of Charles Dickens as he tries to bring his most famous work—A Christmas Carol—to life. In the process, he requires some inspiration and a dose of holiday spirit.
26 of 51
Season of Wonder by RaeAnne Thayne
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
Dani Capelli moves to Haven Point, Idaho, with her two daughters in this winter novel about togetherness and starting over.
27 of 51
The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
This much-loved holiday book by Richard Paul Evans is part of The Christmas Box trilogy, which also includes the novels Timepiece and The Letter.
28 of 51
The Christmas Cottage by Samantha Chase
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
Legend has it one night in the Christmas Cottage guarantees lifelong love; when Lacey Quinn is snowed in with the best man from her friend's wedding, she'll find out if the legend is true.
29 of 51
The Christmas Sisters by Sarah Morgan
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
The three daughters of Suzanne McBride come together for a Christmas in Scotland and, along the way, learn about togetherness and the importance of family.
30 of 51
The Christmas Town by Donna VanLiere
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
From the author of The Christmas Shoes and The Christmas Hope comes this novel about a young woman happening upon the home she's always longed for at Christmastime.
31 of 51
The Christmas Train by David Baldacci
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
David Baldacci's beloved Christmas novel, which was adapted into a Hallmark movie in 2017, follows journalist Tom Langdon as he takes a train trip across the country.
32 of 51
The Mistletoe Inn by Richard Paul Evans
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
Two aspiring writers meet at The Mistletoe Retreat in snowy Vermont and find unexpected connection during the holiday season.
33 of 51
A Christmas Legacy by Anne Perry
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
One of Anne Perry's holiday novellas, A Christmas Legacy sees a character returning to a profession she thought she'd left in order to help solve a mystery.
34 of 51
We'll Always Have Christmas by Jenny Hale
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
Amazon describes this holiday tale as "an enchanting story about the magic of Christmas, the importance of family, and the joy of falling in love during the most romantic season of the year."
35 of 51
The Mistletoe Promise by Richard Paul Evans
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
This Christmas love story is also a Hallmark Channel movie. It starts with an unexpected offer that sends Elise Dutton on a romantic holiday adventure.
36 of 51
Sleigh Bells Ring by RaeAnne Thayne
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
Annelise McCade is a caretaker at Angel's View Ranch, which used to be her family's land but no longer belongs to them, and where she hopes to make it through the holidays unscathed.
37 of 51
Christmas Joy by Nancy Naigle
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
Christmas Joy is a festive love story that's soon to be a Hallmark Channel movie—keep your eyes peeled for holiday season 2018!
38 of 51
The Noel Diary by Richard Paul Evans
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
This Christmas-themed novel from Richard Paul Evans follows Jacob Churcher as he returns home for the holidays and finds a tantalizing mystery and an unexpected visitor waiting for him there.
39 of 51
Winter Solstice by Elin Hilderbrand
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
One last foray into the life of the Quinn family sees another Christmas season come and go—along with plenty of festive disruptions, connections, and togetherness.
40 of 51
The White Christmas Inn by Colleen Wright
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
An eclectic group gathers at a New England inn only to be snowed in. After an initial panic, romance, friendship, and remembrance of the Christmas spirit comes to fill each visitor in the inn.
41 of 51
Dear Santa by Debbie Macomber
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
A woman returns in low spirits to her hometown of Wenatchee, Washington, for Christmas and her mother has a unique idea for cheering her up.
42 of 51
Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
Elin Hilderbrand's new novel is a tropical tale about family, secrets, and romance; it's filled with intrigue set against the backdrop of a Caribbean island.
43 of 51
The Christmas Promise by Richard Paul Evans
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
This holiday classic finds a family in disarray, with sisters returning for Christmas and dealing with long-held grievances.
44 of 51
A Christmas Resolution by Anne Perry
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
This holiday novella presents a Christmas conundrum that sees Detective Hooper and his new wife, Celia, stopping a wedding and untangling a mystery.
45 of 51
Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
The first of Elin Hilderbrand's Winter Street series follows Kelley Quinn, the owner of the Winter Street Inn on Nantucket, as family chaos disrupts the holiday season.
46 of 51
The Christmas Escape by Sarah Morgan
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
A Christmastime trip to Lapland is upended when a woman's daughter and her husband's friend tags along on a vacation that was intended to be a girls' trip.
47 of 51
Christmas at Holiday House by RaeAnne Thayne
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
This love story finds a widowed nurse hoping to put together a nice Christmas for her son in Silver Bells, Colorado, where she also helps a friend's grandmother decorate Holiday House, her historic mansion.
48 of 51
Winter Stroll by Elin Hilderbrand
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
The sequel to Winter Street brings more family drama to Kelley Quinn and his family at the Winter Street Inn on snowy Nantucket.
49 of 51
Dear Santa by Nancy Naigle
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
This brand-new Christmas novel sees Angela Carson struggling to keep her family's holiday store, Heart of Christmas, alive in small-town Pleasant Sands, North Carolina. After 60 years, a big box store has moved in, but a Christmas miracle may just change everything.
50 of 51
Skipping Christmas by John Grisham
To buy: amazon.com, indiebound.org
A year without Christmas is the premise of this zany novel that's the basis of a popular film.