This holiday season, get in the spirit with your Library’s fiction collection. You’ll find several recommendations for holiday-themed romance, mystery, family, fantasy, and literary fiction below, but you can discover more by exploring our catalog or browsing the shelves.
Our holiday fiction is incorporated into our general fiction collection on the first floor; look for a sticker with a red candy cane and green background on the book spine.
Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley
When Maryam Aziz and Anna Gibson sit next to each other on a flight to Toronto, neither one expects to have their holiday plans derailed by an emergency landing. But this might just be the holiday miracle that both women were hoping for. They find themselves snowbound in the small, charming town of Snow Falls along with the cast and crew of a holiday romance movie, nosy family members, and their lifelong crushes. What ensues is a joyful multi-faith holiday rom-com about the delightful havoc that occurs when Christmas, Ramadan, and Hanukkah all fall at the same time.
In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
Christmas just isn’t as magical this year for Maelyn Jones. Between her going-nowhere job, living with her parents, and dealing with the fallout of a major romantic error, she feels stuck. On top of it all, this is the last Christmas she’s able to spend at her family’s cabin in snowy Utah. But Mae gets a second chance at everything when she crashes her car and wakes up on the airplane headed for Utah, ready to relive the holiday all over again. Will the power of wishes and a dash of holiday magic be enough for Mae to break the loop and start living the life she wants?
The Christmas List by Richard Paul Evans
In this modern-day retelling of Charles Dickens’ holiday classic A Christmas Carol, a self-absorbed and ruthless businessman sets out to right his many wrongs after reading his own obituary in the newspaper. After learning what people really think of him, James Kier asks his secretary to make a list of those he has wronged over the years. Thus the “Christmas List” is born and Kier spends the three weeks preceding Christmas trying to make amends. This heartwarming story of repentance and redemption prompts readers to examine their own lives this holiday season.
One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery
Julie Parker loves her kids more than anything. But this year, she’s hoping that they don’t come home for Christmas so she can spend time with her secret boyfriend, Heath. Just when it seems she’ll get her wish, Julie’s kids decide to change their plans in favor of a Christmas at the family cabin to remember their late father. With this change of plans comes a growing list of surprise guests, which means that Julie’s secret isn’t the only one getting unwrapped. Despite the chaos, can this group of guests learn to let go of old hurts and become one big happy family?
The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke
Nineteen-year-old Merowdis goes into the woods to talk with her animal friends and escape the pressures of human society, a society that she doesn’t understand. In the woods, accompanied by her two dogs and pig, she voices her dearest wish to nature. As animals and trees whisper to her, winter magic is in the air and her life is forever changed. This short fantasy novella is beautifully illustrated and blends together folklore, religion, spirituality, and a deep love of nature into one cozy and comforting story.
Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night by Sophie Hannah
Legendary detective Hercule Poirot’s wish for a restful holiday season is interrupted when he and Inspector Edward Catchpool must investigate the inexplicable murder of a well-liked post office master who was killed while staying as a patient in the Norfolk hospital ward. The plot thickens when a woman insists that her husband, who is soon to be admitted to the same hospital, will be the killer’s next victim but refuses to explain why. With no obvious motive or suspect, and an unknown person interfering with his investigation, Poirot has less than one week to solve an impossible crime and still make it home in time for Christmas.
The Nightingale Before Christmas by Donna Andrews
Murder is the farthest thing from Meg Lanslow’s mind when she is roped into coordinating a holiday decorating contest in which 12 designers, including her mother, will each decorate one room of an untenanted showhouse for a charity event. It’s up to Meg to manage the handful of big personalities who arecompeting for first prize. Things take a turn when an unknown saboteur begins destroying rooms and designer Clay Spottiswood turns up dead. With tempers and fears spiking, can Meg catch the killer before they strike again and have the house ready for public viewing by Christmas Eve?
Thank you to User Services Library Clerk Amber Brophy for compiling this sampling of our holiday fiction.
Your Library’s staff members love giving book recommendations. If you need something new to read, we can help find books and authors that are perfect for you. We also offer personalized Book Bundles if you want our librarians to choose books for you.
Call (423) 434-4450 or drop by 100 West Millard Street to talk with a librarian. We also regularly highlight and recommend books on Facebook and Instagram, so follow us!
