After a long week of finals, there’s nothing more relaxing than curling up with a good book and a warm drink. During the holiday season when the weather is freezing, the desire to stay warm and cozy is only enhanced. So, when you’re looking to grab a blanket and start reading, here are some great holiday books to get you through winter break.
“Blame It on the Mistletoe” (2021)
For fans of the 2006 winter romantic comedy “The Holiday,” Beth Garrod’s “Blame It on the Mistletoe” is for you. Elle, a social media star, is looking to shake up her content with a challenge: find a British fan and swap places with them for the holidays. In comes Holly, a Christmas loving fan who wants nothing more than to escape for holidays after a truly embarrassing moment under the mistletoe with her ex. Both girls get more than they bargained for when they swap places, not only do they learn more about themselves but they both fall in love while doing it. The dual point of views, swapping between Holly and Elle’s stories, makes for a fun and quick read. Both girls are in completely new environments and this makes for some really entertaining moments to read. This book is truly something out of a movie and what’s even better is all you have to do after it’s over is go to Amazon Prime, turn on “The Holiday,” and watch a similar romance play out.
“How to Excavate a Heart” (2022)
All great love stories start with almost running someone else over with your car. At least that’s the case in the novel “How to Excavate a Heart” by Jake Maia Arlow. Shani, still healing from the break up with her ex-girlfriend, is in Washington, DC for a paleoichthyology internship (the study of prehistoric fish), over winter break when she runs into May — literally — with her car. Shani doesn’t expect to see May ever again but after she takes a dog-walking job the two are forced together again. Though it's a rough start for the two women, both May and Shani begin to open up and find love where they didn’t expect it. Arlow, who grew up with two Ashkenazi Jewish parents, sets the entire book to a Jewish backdrop with both Shani and May coming from Jewish families. Overall, it’s a heartwarming story that is a great choice if you are looking for a book outside of the standard Christmas romance genre.
“My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories” (2014)
Written by 12 bestselling young adult authors and edited by Stephanie Perkins, “My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories” is the perfect choice for readers who can’t decide. Each author contributed one short story to this anthology to give romance lovers the perfect read for the holidays. This collection includes 12 short stories about falling in love during the holidays.
One of my favorite stories was by Holly Black, author of “The Spiderwick Chronicles” and “Folk of the Air.” Her addition to the book, “Krampuslauf,” tells the story of Hanna and her friends when they participate in Krampuslauf, which is essentially a race that celebrates the anti-Santa Krampus by dressing up as him. During the race Hanna meets a cute boy, in a very realistic Krampus costume, and invites him to her New Year’s Eve party. When he shows up Hannah realizes there might be more behind his appearance and strange demeanor than she originally thought. You don’t get many stories about Krampus, at least not ones that wouldn’t be considered horror books in any way, so Black's use of the German half-goat, half-demon monster was incredibly creative. But there are so many other great stories in this collection as well that readers will be able to find something for every mood over winter break.
“Three Holidays and a Wedding” (2023)
Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley bring readers a fun winter read set in Canada in their book “Three Holidays and a Wedding.” Set during a December where Christmas, Hanukkah, and Eid all fall within days of each other, Jalaluddin and Stapley bring fans a heartwarming story about both friendship and love. Both Maryam Aziz and Anna Gibson are flying to Toronto for the holidays. But when a snowstorm hits, their plane makes an emergency landing in the cozy town of Snow Falls. Maryam, who was flying to Toronto to celebrate both her sister’s wedding and Eid with her family, feels stuck. But unexpectedly she begins to reconnect with her former flame, Saif, who was also on his way to the wedding. Anna, still mourning the loss of her father, had plans to escape her overbearing stepmother for the holidays by spending Christmas with her wealthy boyfriend but finds an unexpected connection with Josh, an actor filming a movie in town.
Both women deal with the challenges of their relationships and personal lives while helping Snow Falls put together their annual Holiday show, incorporating Hanukkah and Eid into the performance, all while ensuring that Maryam’s sister’s wedding works out as well. It’s a chaotic journey for both women but one that is so worth reading. Though there are some heavy topics discussed, Jalaluddin and Stapley do a great job at bringing it all back to the warm holiday spirit that readers look for in these kinds of books.
