Most years, as the calendar flips over to December, I dust down my copy of A Christmas Carol and re-read it. Just like most people have favourite Christmas films, it’s totally normal to have favourite Christmas books too. I’ve picked out 40 of the best Christmas books for adults this year for you to enjoy.
In my list of festive books for adults to read this season, some are comforting reads best enjoyed by the fire, some are spooky tales full of ghosts and some are Christmas classics, pure and simple.
From Christmas classics, to action and adventure; Christmas romance, and festive mysteries, and Christmas story collections, there’s bound to be something on this list for you to enjoy during this festive season.
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40 of the Best Christmas Books for Adults
Christmas Classics
A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote
Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
The Box of Delights by John Masefield
The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern
The Hogfather by Terry Pratchett
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
Festive Action and Adventure
Skipping Christmas by John Grisham
Whiteout by Ken Follet
Winter Holiday by Arthur Ransome
Christmas Romance
A Ration Book Christmas by Jean Fullerton
A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg
A Season to Remember by Sheila O’Flanagan
A Winter’s Dream by Sophie Claire
Christmas at the Beach Hut by Veronica Henry
Christmas at the Comfort Food Café by Debbie Johnson
Christmas for Beginners by Carole Matthews
Christmas Pudding by Nancy Mitford
Falling for Christmas by Debbie Macomber
Going Home by Harriet Evans
Miracle on Regent Street by Ali Harris
Someday at Christmas by Lizzie Bydon
The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan
The Gift by Cecilia Ahern
The Night Before Christmas by Scarlett Bailey
Twelve Days of Christmas by Trisha Ashley
Village Christmas by Laurie Lee
Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher
Festive Mysteries
A Killer in Winter by Susanna Gregory
A Maigret Christmas by Georges Simenon
Death Comes at Christmas by Gladys Mitchell
Murder Most Festive by Ada Moncrieff
The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict
Seasonal Story Collections
An English Christmas by John Julius Norwich
Christmas at Fairacre by Miss Read
Christmas Days by Jeanette Winterson
Stocking Fillers: Twelve Short Stories for Christmas by Debbie Young
The Penguin book of Christmas stories
If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy my list of 25 Christmas Books for Kids!
