Books like Christmas Shopaholic

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.

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.

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!

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.

I love weird and mostly overlooked Christmas-related stuff, and there are few Holiday characters as weird and overlooked as the Krampus!

I loved the full-color photographs Ridenour includes of the Krampus (and adjacent figures), many of which I had never seen before. And a lot of the pictures feature a very menacing Krampus! There’s more to Christmas than just Santa Claus. 

I love curling up in my favourite armchair by the tree with a mug of hot chocolate to read this heavy, bumper-sized anthology.

It takes me back to Christmas Days spent lying on the rug in front of the fire reading festive annuals left under the tree by Father Christmas. Its twenty-eight stories are reassuringly familiar, ensuring satisfaction wherever I randomly choose to dip in. I really can’t imagine Christmas without it.

As someone who understands the joys and pains of growing up with a big extended family, I adored this book.

Sophie’s meddlesome but well-meaning relatives set her up on ten blind dates that take place over the holiday season. Hilarity ensues.

Some of the situations were absolutely ridiculous but in the best way.

This one is actually a bit of a cheat as it’s not really set at Christmas, although it is suitably snowy. In fact, it was originally published as “Another Little Murder” but has been renamed by canny publishers. I’ve included it anyway because it is such a fun book and, with its isolated, country-house setting, it certainly feels cosy enough for this time of year.

Published in 1947, it features an exceptionally likable detective called Dilys Hughes. She’s a witty, quirky, and determined protagonist who finds herself at the wonderfully named manor of Wintry Wold, just in time to investigate the death of its elderly owner. With its light touch and plenty of banter, it’s far closer to modern “cozy” whodunits than gritty, hard-boiled fiction. A really fun read to devour before Christmas arrives.

This book has everything I love in a Christmas romance—a delightfully competent heroine, a deliciously grumpy hero, a cast of eccentric characters, and themes of found family and healing.

Holly, a widow, takes a housesitting job during the holidays at a remote house on the Lancashire moors. But then people keep arriving, and Holly finds herself being guilt tripped into hosting Christmas. When Jude, the owner, is forced to return home, blizzards hit, and they’re all snowed in.

I felt for Holly and Jude who both had good reasons to avoid Christmas, but beneath their prickly exteriors they’re kind, big-hearted characters. It was a joy to see them rediscover the joy of the season. In turn hilarious and emotional, this is a big warm hug of a book.

A family reading session bathed in the glow of the Christmas tree lights is one of my traditional activities during the Christmas season.

I like this anthology because the selected stories are the perfect length – neither too short to disappoint the older members of the family nor too long to lose the attention of the younger ones. I am also fond of the illustrations which perfectly illustrate the classic stories in a contemporary style, and enthrall young listeners.

I would recommend this collection for any family Christmas gathering.