11 best books to read over the holidays

Disgraced journalist Emory Oakes is desperate to get away from it all. When a snowstorm leaves her stranded in the fictional snow-sparkled small-town of Evergreen (a.k.a. any quaint little Ontario town), at the idyllic horse ranch where she first fell in love as a teen, the stage is set for a second chance romance. A decade has passed, and Emory isn’t ready to face cowboy Tate Wilder again, but Christmas magic has its own plans.

It’s Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club meet at a holiday party in this new addition to the Ernest Cunningham mystery series. In this installment, Ernest finds himself backstage at the show of world-famous magician Rylan Blaze, whose benefactor has just been murdered. Suspects include the magician, the hypnotist, the executive, and many more masters of misdirection. One of the key clues is even an advent calendar, because, after all, it’s Christmas.

Sameera Malik, a burned-out lawyer, meets Tom Cooke, a hustling content creator, at a holiday party. They have a few laughs and go their separate ways. But when one of Tom’s posts suggesting they are a couple goes viral, they decide to play up a fauxmance to boost his career and help her land a big-time client. When Sameera’s very Muslim parents insist on meeting Tom’s very not Muslim family over the holidays, there’s an epic culture clash. As their families butt heads, Sameera and Tom start to realize their romance may be turning into something real.

On Christmas Day 1922, three babies are born to different families on Nova Scotia’s remote Scatarie Island. They grow up together, the best of friends, until the Second World War comes knocking, along with a spirit who helps to nudge each friend to their destiny. It’s part ghost story, part Canadian history, and part romance—all wrapped up in a holiday bow.

Fans of the #1 New York Times bestselling Dream Harbor romance series, rejoice! Annie Andrews, owner of the town’s Gingerbread Bakery is baking the cake for her best friend’s wedding and can’t help but wonder about her own fizzled love life and the one that got away—the guy who owns the bar down the street. They may get a second chance—if they can put aside their differences long enough to take it. The latest installment in this series is the perfect blend of sugar and spice.

While not technically a Christmas novel, this charming fable-like story from Japan is full of holiday spirit. In it, a fox spirit sells magical candy in a very special store that’s only open between the full moon and new moon each year. During this time, people can buy a candy that claims to cure ailments of the heart or head. The wagashi, Japanese sweets, can give you what you most desire, but it’s not always quite what you expect.

For fans of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, Lisbeth Salander is finally back! In this new installment, Lisbeth learns that a fellow hacker named Plague has been kidnapped and taken to the north of Sweden. When her niece, Svala, arrives on her doorstep, Lisbeth has no choice but to return to Gasskas—with Mikael Blomkvist. While he takes the helm at the local newspaper, she tries to find Plague. That’s when Svala goes missing, too, and Lisbeth comes face-to-face with her worst fears.

Libby Munro is a big city ER doc who, after a painful break-up, decides to return to her hometown for some holiday R&R. During a magical Christmas tree lighting ceremony Libby she finds herself traveling back in time to the previous Christmas where she must confront some past choices and an unexpected romance.

This magical holiday romance has a truly new twist, asking, what if you fall in love with the Ghost of Christmas Past? Harriet York can’t understand why she’s being haunted––she’s a good person, or at least she tries to be. But when she and the handsome ghost realize there are threads binding them together, it seems their futures might be tied to each other’s pasts. Will this spirited love connect last past Christmas Eve? Fans of B.K. Borison are raving about this holiday romance.

The dark billionaire stalker romance sequel to He Sees You When You’re Sleeping is just dark enough to offset some of the season’s yuletide cheer. Jewelry designer Sloane dreams of her own custom line but can’t get a loan. Enter reclusive billionaire Cole Asher who flies Sloane to a luxe Swiss resort for a meeting. There, she learns that she’ll have to move into his Manhattan penthouse to complete her first round of designs for his review, before he will invest. At first it feels like a fairy tale—until his powerful enemies close in and Sloane realizes they have met before.

Atlas “Max” Maxheimer is trying to keep his family Christmas tree farm in business. Betty is new in town and helping her uncle open a rival tree farm right next door. Cue the holiday hijinks! This rom-com delivers everything you’d expect, from misguided romantic plots to a tragic backstory, and all wrapped in the bow of sweet small-town charm.