When people think of CHRISTMAS, their minds usually go to shopping, gifts, movies, snow, hot chocolate, cookies, and festive gatherings. As a reader and a writer, this time of year also fills me with the desire to immerse myself fully in the season by reading or re reading holiday stories.
Romance is such a joyful genre and for me, this includes a romantic cozy mystery. The only thing that can make falling for someone on the page better, is if it’s all happening during this merry season.
Since Christmas is about sharing and magic, I wanted to offer a few of my favorite reads and tell you all what I’m putting on my holiday TBR pile for this year.
Almost Midnight by Rainbow Rowell
This very short, very sweet story walks us through the friendship of two people who met at a New Year’s Eve party in high school. Noel is coming back from his first semester in college and Mags can’t wait to see him. They’ve missed each other terribly and not just as friends.
Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis
When Maddie heads back to Lucky Harbor to a somewhat crumbling inn she’ll share with her sisters, she doesn’t expect to fall in love. This was my Jill Shalvis gateway book and I will forever remember the three sisters drunkenly sharing underneath the Christmas tree. It was delightful.
Landline by Rainbow Rowell
This is the sweetest novel that reminds a longtime married couple what matters most, especially at the holidays. When Georgie finds a rotary phone in her childhood bedroom, it brings her back to the past when she met her now husband, Neal, and makes her rethink her choice to spend the holiday working.
Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn
This book (and television series adaptation) is adorable and so enjoyable. Exchanging dares and secrets in a notebook, both Dash and Lily learn about themselves and how far they’re willing to go to be their authentic selves and find a person worth sharing that self with.
Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle
This collection of interwoven stories also has a great movie adaptation and what I love most about it is the overlapping stories that let you see the events from a variety of view points.
My to-read list for this year includes The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore and All I Want for Christmas by Falon Ballard.
Time seems to fly past at a quicker speed as I get older and I find myself needing to find ways to ground myself in the moment, the day, or the season. These reads will be what reminds me to sit by my tree with some hot chocolate and yummy cookies and get lost in the joy and magic of the season.
What are you reading this Christmas?
Jody Holford writes sweet romance and cozy mysteries with sweet romance in them. She’s published several books including the cozies in The Britton Bay Series. She’s unintentionally funny and rarely on time for anything. If she’s not writing, she’s reading, hanging out with her family, or doodling. She also writes romcoms under the pen name, Sophie Sullivan.
Website: https://www.jodyholfordauthor.com/
