Here are 81 books that Christmas Shopaholic fans have personally recommended if you like
Christmas Shopaholic.
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I simply love Christmas. My mum always made big deal of Christmas when I was growing up and I’ve carried that enthusiasm with me throughout my life. I love the sense of community and warmth. I love the traditions. I love the slight cheesiness of the whole affair! And I love romantic fiction as well. I adore a Happy Ever After moment, and I absolutely believe that love is splendid and important and ought to be celebrated in all its forms. And those two feelings have led me to write four romance books set at Christmas – firstly the Christmas Kisses series (as Alison May), and now The Christmas Season.
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.
At Christmas time, the last thing you need is more commitments.
Lara is so busy trying to get her fledgling software company off the ground that she's up in Yorkshire, pitching for business, just before Christmas. When bad weather sees the trains cancelled, the only place she can find shelter is a small pub called the Trewton Arms.
Thilini ('Tilly') loves that her art helps feed her travel addiction. She's back in England for Christmas after two years away and can't wait to be on the move again.
When they meet their attraction is hard to deny. But what happens…
It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.
The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…
I simply love Christmas. My mum always made big deal of Christmas when I was growing up and I’ve carried that enthusiasm with me throughout my life. I love the sense of community and warmth. I love the traditions. I love the slight cheesiness of the whole affair! And I love romantic fiction as well. I adore a Happy Ever After moment, and I absolutely believe that love is splendid and important and ought to be celebrated in all its forms. And those two feelings have led me to write four romance books set at Christmas – firstly the Christmas Kisses series (as Alison May), and now The Christmas Season.
I’ve only been to Iceland once but I fell in love with the country almost immediately – the landscape, the hot pools, the wildlife, all of it!
I’m a cold weather animal at heart and a cold climate always makes me want to snuggle under a blanket and read something heart-warming. This book is a big dose of that ‘cosy inside on a cold winter’s night’ feeling in fiction form. We meet Anna and Ned when they’re both going through difficult times and watching the sparks fly as they find themselves and maybe find love is utterly joyous.
PR executive Anna Mortimer has clinched the deal of a lifetime for the hottest celebrity couple to have their wedding covered by a glossy magazine, but when things don’t go to plan, she loses her job. With no job and no life outside of work to fall back on, an invitation to stay with her friend, Rachel, in Iceland is a well-timed distraction.
Ned Nokes has just left the most successful boy band in history to go it alone. With the eyes of the world on him, he escapes to Iceland in search of solitude while he plans what to…
I simply love Christmas. My mum always made big deal of Christmas when I was growing up and I’ve carried that enthusiasm with me throughout my life. I love the sense of community and warmth. I love the traditions. I love the slight cheesiness of the whole affair! And I love romantic fiction as well. I adore a Happy Ever After moment, and I absolutely believe that love is splendid and important and ought to be celebrated in all its forms. And those two feelings have led me to write four romance books set at Christmas – firstly the Christmas Kisses series (as Alison May), and now The Christmas Season.
From about mid-September onwards you will find me on the sofa absolutely glued to whatever Christmas movie I can find.
You know the films where the big city lawyer has to go to the small town to close down the Christmas tree farm, and ends up learning the true meaning of Christmas and falling in love with the Christmas tree farmer? I love those movies, and this book is those movies in novel form. It has the small town. It has the hunky hero. It even has a set of festive activities that must be completed. A warm hug of a novel!
'I really enjoyed it, such a brilliant first novel' Christie Barlow, author of the Love Heart Lane series
'Oh this book was just beautiful. A book filled with love, sparks and Christmas magic' NetGalley reviewer
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She's here for the perfect Christmas escape...
When Sharmila discovers her late friend, Thomas, has gifted her the holiday of her dreams, she can't pack her bags fast enough. Arriving in Pineford, it's everything she'd ever hoped for and more.
But she's in for another surprise, because Thomas has left her with one last request: if she completes his Christmas wish list of festive…
A Duke with rigid opinions, a Lady whose beliefs conflict with his, a long disputed parcel of land, a conniving neighbour, a desperate collaboration, a failure of trust, a love found despite it all.
Alexander Cavendish, Duke of Ravensworth, returned from war to find that his father and brother had…
I simply love Christmas. My mum always made big deal of Christmas when I was growing up and I’ve carried that enthusiasm with me throughout my life. I love the sense of community and warmth. I love the traditions. I love the slight cheesiness of the whole affair! And I love romantic fiction as well. I adore a Happy Ever After moment, and I absolutely believe that love is splendid and important and ought to be celebrated in all its forms. And those two feelings have led me to write four romance books set at Christmas – firstly the Christmas Kisses series (as Alison May), and now The Christmas Season.
Time is tight in the run up to Christmas. There’s so much to get done and all the To Do lists can easily rob the festive period of its joy.
This book is six shorter Christmas stories so it’s perfect to dip into when you need a shot of festive spirit in a hurry. Each story is warmer and more wonderful than the one before.
Katie Fforde is an absolute legend in UK romantic fiction circles, not only because her books are pure perfection, but also because she’s one of the world’s very best people. She’s warm and wise and generous and all of those qualities spill out through her writing.
A brand-new book by the Number One Bestselling author Katie Fforde containing NEVER-BEFORE-PUBLISHED Christmas short stories. Perfect for anyone who loves romance, humour and happy-ever-after endings.
Includes an exclusive sneak preview of A COUNTRY ESCAPE, coming Feb 2018!
It's Christmas morning. The tree is decorated, the presents are wrapped and the turkey's in the oven.
Outside the first flakes of snow are beginning to fall.
AND HERE IT IS!
A personal present from Katie Fforde: six NEW perfectly themed seasonal short stories, guaranteed to make this your happiest Christmas ever!
'A lovely, warm read to sink your teeth into' Heat…
I was such a die-hard fan of Santa Claus as a kid, my mom had to debunk the myth two years in a row! Because, yeah, I heard you, but surely that was a bad attempt at humor last year. I won’t lie. It was traumatic. I wrote this book as a way to ease kids into the knowledge without anyone in the family feeling bad about it. It puts a great positive spin on this childhood rite of passage and empowers kids to get the info when they’re ready for it.
This is the whole fantasy…Santa Claus in action. The man, The myth, The Big Guy, doing what he does. Every kid should be read this book at least once on Christmas Eve before being shooed off to bed. And this is a gorgeous edition. Beautiful illustrations throughout capture the imaginations of young and old.
Since it was first published anonymously in 1823, the poem "The Night Before Christmas" has enchanted children with the story of St. Nicholas climbing down the chimney and filling all the stockings before springing back to his sleigh. Many families read the poem every year, and now they have an edition to treasure. The poem, faithfully reproduced here, is accompanied by Charles Santore's lavish illustrations.
I am an Anglo-Irish writer and anthologist enjoying a life-long love affair with Christmas, which I have successfully transplanted to my home in Japan. I have edited three Christmas-themed anthologies, with many more to come. My own writing has been translated into French and Japanese. Determined to never grow up, in my sixtieth year, I still firmly believe in Father Christmas!
This large-format book has been my firm favourite for over forty years. I love it because it encompasses every aspect of the Christmas season.
It is my handbook on how to enjoy the season. Bookended with festive boardgames, it is wonderfully illustrated with many full-page original illustrations highlighting the text. It includes classic stories alongside explanations and histories of the many Christmas traditions, carol lyrics, poetry, craft ideas, recipes, and much more.
I can’t imagine celebrating Christmas without it. It truly is Christmas in a book.
The Duke's Christmas Redemption
by
Arietta Richmond,
A Duke who has rejected love, a Lady who dreams of a love match, an arranged marriage, a house full of secrets, a most unneighborly neighbor, a plot to destroy reputations, an unexpected love that redeems it all.
Lady Charlotte Wyndham, given in an arranged marriage to a man she…
Scandinavian Christmas traditions and stories have been at the heart of my family’s celebrations for generations, from the pepparkakor (ginger cookie) recipe shared by my grandmother to the tradition of Santa Lucia, which my mother especially loved. As a parent, the traditions continued, especially as we raised our daughters in a church that celebrated Santa Lucia as a treasured part of Advent each year! As an educator, librarian, and picture book author, I value the way that picture books help me communicate and share special places, traditions, and values with the next generation, things that I’ve tried to share through my own Swedish Christmas picture book.
No list of Nordic-inspired picture books is complete without at least one book by Jan Brett!
While not specifically set in a Scandinavian country, the Nordic-sweatered elf, the Dala horse displayed prominently in a workroom, and the delightfully detailed borders place the book in this category for me and my Swedish-American family.
When the children were small, we read this together many, many times. It follows the story of an elf charged with getting Santa’s reindeer ready for the big night. Teeka, the elf, is new to the job, and the reindeer are reluctant to follow her orders.
Each time I read it, I legitimately worry when the reindeer’s antlers become hopelessly tangled!
Little Teeka thought she had to be firm with the reindeer to get them ready for Santa's important flight, but when her bossy yelling only got their antlerstangled up, she knew she had to try something different."Beautifully conceived and finely wrought." -- Booklist (starred review)"Brett's precise, glowing illustrations, drawing on Swedish folk art, make this a beguiling Advent calendar of a book." -- Kirkus Reviews"AA? sweet Christmas fantasy that shows Brett at her best." -- Publishers Weekly"This tale with its humorous close-ups of stubborn reindeer and a sharp child protagonist should prove popular at story hours." -- School Library Journal
I’ve always been fascinated by the role that love plays in a satisfying life—from romantic love, to brotherly love, to friendship. Compassion and caring affect not only the recipient, but also profoundly change the life of the giver as well. That’s why I’m drawn to redemptive character arcs. I write women’s fiction, sweet Christmas stories, and literary fiction that revolve around these themes—sometimes with a hint of mystery/thriller/suspense for fun! My novella, The Christmas Club, was adapted for the screen in 2019 as a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie of the same name.
This story shines a spotlight on selfless love. I cried buckets when I read this as a child. I also wondered if I’d ever be willing to cut my hair, as Della did, to raise the money to buy Jim that watch chain. I’m still not sure I would. The story beautifully articulates the parameters of selfless love. I’ve always been fascinated by this theme.
"The Gift of the Magi" is a short story, about a young married couple and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other with very little money. As a sentimental story with a moral lesson about gift-giving, it has been a popular one for adaptation, especially for presentation during the Christmas season.
Since I was four years old, I have been in love with Christmas! I’m the kind of person who starts humming carols in October and puts up their first decorations the moment Halloween ends. I’ve got a Christmas Sweater for every day and a card or a present for every friend I bump into. Without a doubt, the Holiday Season is the best time of the year!
I grew up with this book and rereading Dickens’ most famous work always feels like curling up in a favorite blanket. When I find myself overwhelmed with the hustle and bustle of the season, the story of Scrooge, Tiny Tim, and Jacob Marley always reminds me of the true meaning of the holiday.
It’s probably cliché to say that I cry every year after reading it, but I do! I recommend the Penguin Classics edition of this festive tale because it includes some of Dickens’ other Christmas stories, which are worth reading, too!
Part of Penguin's beautiful hardback Clothbound Classics series, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith, these delectable and collectible editions are bound in high-quality colourful, tactile cloth with foil stamped into the design.
After reading Christmas Carol, the notoriously reculsive Thomas Carlyle was "seized with a perfect convulsion of hospitality" and threw not one but two Christmas dinner parties. The impact of the story may not always have been so dramatic but, along with Dickens other Christmas writings, it has had a lasting and significant influence upon our ideas about the Christmas spirit, and about the season as a time for…
This book follows the journey of a writer in search of wisdom as he narrates encounters with 12 distinguished American men over 80, including Paul Volcker, the former head of the Federal Reserve, and Denton Cooley, the world’s most famous heart surgeon.
In these and other intimate conversations, the book…
Having grown up in snowy Scandinavia, my passion for Christmas has always been with me. Nothing beats a good romantic holiday novel, and especially one containing all those themes we know and love. A little bit of loneliness. A pinch of festive fun. Add that special meet-cute. Sprinkle magic over the pages and a comfort-read for years to come is born. As an author I hope my readers enjoy my festive romps, and that perhaps even they, can become a well-read yearly comfort read.
Con Riley writes prose like no other, and whilst this is the second book in her Christmas series, it can be read as a standalone.
This is a well-rounded Christmas trip where best friends and roommates Pat and Seb finally figure out what it means to belong. To each other. A mystery backstory and small revelations along the way make this a very enjoyable festive read. Even though it never actually snows in London.
