Books like 12 Disasters of Christmas

Though this book was first published in 1971, its message of courage in the face of tyranny and forgiveness in response to evil remains stunning to this day.

I have read this book twice, twenty years apart, and both times I came away with a sense of awe that because of their strong faith, Corrie ten Boom and her family were willing to risk their own lives to protect those who were being hunted down by the Nazis.

Even when caught and sent to a concentration camp where they endured unspeakable cruelty, Corrie ten Boom and her sister, Betsie, did not lose their faith but instead ministered to the women around them.

I can only hope that I would have the same courage if I were in Corrie’s shoes.   

I personally love this book for several reasons; first, I love reading about strong women. Second, the experiences are real-life situations that draw you into Rocky’s life as if it is your own. Her solutions are at times quirky but make you realize that her solution is perfect for her and the search for her perfect solution allowed me to see what I would have done instead. Third, it is at times funny and at times tense. This balance of emotions and actions keeps you on the edge of your seat.

I really enjoy all of Steve Berry’s books but this one stuck with me. This adventure of Cotton Malone examines the death of Martin Luther King from a very different perspective. As a teenager at the time of King's demise, I was intrigued by his spin. Rarely do I feel compelled to do research after I read his books because he does it for you at the end of his books. This one had me looking for some of Rev King's speeches and reading for myself. Pick this one up you won’t want to put it down.

A hot, cranky contractor, paired with a sassy innkeeper and meddling romantic ghost? What’s not to like? This is book 3 of the Innsborro Triology and it was a hard one for me to pick out of the three of them (because I love them all) but this one wraps up all loose ends and I love a hot, cranky man with a tool belt. The chemistry between Ryder and Hope flies off the pages. I mean the fireworks exuded each time I turned a page. It was amazing. I could not read this series fast enough. Nora Roberts was one of the first romance authors I read way, way…way back (eh, eh..clearing throat). If you ever have a chance to pick up any of her trilogies, this is one I would definitely recommend. It is a very sweet and comical story of three brothers renovating an Inn with their… show more.

The realistic queer characters facing the reality of a long-distance romance made me love this. It’s Country Mouse/City Mouse, with an argument over which place has the better Christmas, resulting in each spending time on the other's turf to decide. But unlike the usual Hallmark trope, no grinches exist here, quite the opposite.

Bex the doctor loves her life in the city, she's warm and welcoming, goes to the Nutcracker, and enjoys fine dining for the holidays. Similarly, Eva has friends, family, community, and major roots in Vermont—everything but love, really. Their careers and settled relationships matter, and permanent relocation is never really up for negotiation. If they're going to find a solution to their situation, it's going to involve compromise—and I loved that.

I came across this anthology in my local library in the late 1980s or early 1990s. It is a real treasure trove of classic Christmas ghost stories from giants of the genre such as Dickens, Le Fanu, Peattie, Blackwood, and Nesbit. As an added bonus, it contains M. R. James’ only story actually set at Christmas, The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance. One thing that I liked about this anthology was that it collected together stories ranging from the Victorian era through to what was then the present day. Although I never owned a copy of my own, it became an annual tradition to reserve it and borrow it from the library to read over the Christmas period. Now living in Japan, it has been several decades since I last read it. Despite the stories being available in many anthologies, this seems a perfect collection, and as… show more.

Ellie Thomas is a British author who specializes in short historical novellas.

Every single one is a small period drama in itself, where Ellie’s beautiful prose shines through. Meticulously researched these stories deliver on every level. At Christmas Charles leaves his long-term partner Avery (aka The Nicest Man in England TM) behind to care for his family.

An ill-advised proposal looms over his head as he’s faced with the hardest decision of his life. His family or the man he so desperately loves. 

The enchanting photographs follow a Scandinavian-looking little girl as she acts on her greatest wish of adventuring north to join Santa’s elves.

A different animal guides her on each leg of the journey. Normally, I don’t much care for stories of small children who are left alone in the care of animal companions (remember Good Dog, Carl?), but what child wouldn’t want to imagine themselves ultimately flying with a reindeer or guiding Santa’s sleigh?

The ending leaves you wondering if it was just a dream after all, with the main character safe in her own bed. The pictures capture the Nordic spirit of the book, combining Scandinavian style with an America-style Santa Claus, and I really like the way that the photographs and simple charm set this book apart.

Ready for a heart-tugging romance set in a snowy Scottish castle? Our noble hero—the Duke of Strathmore—must show his one true lady love that he’s worthy of another shot at winning her heart (having royally cocked up in his younger years). She’s been secretly pining for him too, but can the duke convince her that ‘second chances’ don’t mean ‘second best’? Have your hanky ready.  

I think we all know what we want from a Christmas romance. We know there’s going to be snow. We know it’s going to be heartwarming. We know there are going to be heaps of lovely romance tropes (hello there to the commitmentphobes in the titles!).

What we want to see is all of those things done well and bundled together by a brilliant author into a joyous, uplifting, bundle of escape from our day-to-day stresses. And Rhoda Baxter, who also writes as Jeevani Charika, is a brilliant author and this story absolutely delivers that perfect punch of warm, sparkly, loveliness which is exactly what I’m looking for to get me into the festive mood.