We’ve rounded up what we think are the best books to give bookworms this Christmas. Each book has been read by a member of our team and hand picked as our favourite, so turn off the TV, snuggle up to the cosy fire and browse through the gift they can open again and again. We were kindly sent these to review.
Below is a selection of what we chose as some of the best reads to buy now …
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The Christmas Stocking and other stories by Katie Fforde
Fans of Katie Fforde novels will be hooked from the minute they pick up this collection of short festive stories. Each story is packed full of seasonal feel good stories and this collection of 6 short stories will leave you crying out for more.
Elaine from our team said: ‘If you’re a fan of Katie Fforde then this collection of seasonal short stories will have you glued to the book. Filled with everything that makes a happy Christmas, these perfectly themed short stories would make a thoughtful Christmas gift.
If you love happily-ever-after endings then the Christmas Stocking is a great, festive page-turner that will take you on six magical, seasonal adventures.
Everyone has their own favourites but I was absolutely glued to ‘A Dream Christmas’ which follows Ben and Ginny on what should have been the happiest day of their lives. Katie Fforde has an amazing imagination and tells stories that will have you hooked from the get go. This book is an absolute page turner and will never fail to impress.
You can buy Katie Fforde’s ‘The Christmas Stocking HERE
Miss Marley by Vanessa Lafaye with Rebecca Mascull
This festive book is sure to put everyone into the Christmas spirit. It is a prequel to Christmas favourite A Christmas Carol and perfectly tells the story of orphans Clara and Jacob Marley as they scavenge for scraps to eat in the poorest areas of London.
Desperate to care for his little sister Jacob (Jake) promises Clara that ‘tomorrow will be better’ and takes the path that leads him to Ebenezer Scrooge.
Mandy said: This book had me hooked from the very beginning and I couldn’t wait to learn the story of the ill-fated Jacob Marley who was domed to drag around his chains for all eternity. What could Marley have done to deserve such a severe punishment and what happened to his sister Clara Belle.
This book tells the tale of Miss Marley before A Christmas Carol and would make a great gift for Christmas. Get into the Christmas spirit as Vanessa Lafaye’s Miss Marley grabs your attention from the very first page.
You can buy Miss Marley by Vanessa Lafaye HERE
After the Snow by Susannah Constantine
This is the first novel from Susannah Constantine who is probably best known from the popular TV series Trinny & Susannah and as a contestant in Strictly Come Dancing.
Fans of Downton Abbey are going to love this book. Set in Scotland in 1969 it follows the story of 11 year old Esme whose mother suffers from mental illness.
‘All eleven-year-old Esme Munroe wants for Christmas is for her mother to be on one of her ‘good’ days – and, secretly, for a velvet riding hat. So when she finds an assortment of wet towels and dirty plates in her stocking, she’s just relieved Father Christmas remembered to stop at The Lodge this year.’
Katy said: I found this book both sad and moving and I was quickly hooked into the characters and scandals that occur within the homes of the aristocracy.
Seen through the eyes of a child this book highlights Esme’s mother’s struggle with mental illness and Lexi’s (Esme’s friend) malicious and hurtful mother. As her mother mysteriously disappears in the snow Esme realises that her life will never be the same again.
As a fan of Downton Abbey I was really happy to be given Susannah Constantine’s novel to review and thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘After the Snow’ and hope that there will be a second novel that tells us more of Esme and Lexi’s life with the aristocracy. Lose yourself in the lives and loves of 1960’s aristocracy through the eyes of a child with this easy to read novel.
You can buy After the Snow by Susannah Constantine HERE
Christmas at Tuppenny Corner by Katie Flynn
With just under 400 pages Christmas at Tuppenny Corner is a great festive read. Set in Liverpool in 1939, this heart warming love story of war-time romance had me hooked from the first page.
As rumours of war abound, 15 year old Rosie O’Leary is forced to embark on a new life aboard The Kingfisher but her spirits lift when she meets fellow bargee – Tim Bradley, who offers to show Rosie the sights of Liverpool.
It doesn’t take long for love to bloom and when the RAF call Tim up, Rosie must put her life on hold. Will there be a Christmas miracle for the young couple?
Holly said: I’ve read many Katie Flynn novels and Christmas at Tuppenny Corner is up there with the best of them. Easy to read and un-put-downable, this book is a great Christmas read.”
You can buy Christmas at Tuppenny Corner by Katie Flynn HERE
A Nightingale Christmas Promise by Donna Douglas
Set during the First World War this book follows the lives of three girls Anna, Kate and Sadie who all join the Nightingale hospital as new recruits.
Britain is preparing for war and as the shadow of war descends on East London in 1914, young men prepare to enlist.
Anna enjoyed living and working with her father, Fredrich who was a master baker and was overjoyed when Anna and Edward, her father’s apprentice, became engaged.
Soon everything changes for the Beck family as war descends and anyone with German roots is ostracized and within a short time Fredrich is taken away to an internment camp.
Kate Carlyle dreams of becoming a doctor, just like her dad, but faces an uphill battle from the one person who should have been closest to her. Determined to make her way she puts up barriers that push others away. However, after finding a sprig of mistletoe which Charlie Latimer had left in the lab she begins to soften.
Sadie Sedgewick wants a new life away from her drunken mother and her interference. However, as thug Jimmy Clyde leaves her mother fighting for her life she discovers just how much her mother had cared for her and who her real father was.
Elaine said: “I thoroughly enjoyed reading the story of the Nightingale Hospital and found the characters so compelling. I look forward to reading many more Donna Douglas novels.”
You can buy A Nightingale Christmas Promise by Donna Douglas HERE
A Christmas Gift by Sue Moorcroft
Curl up beside the fire and loose yourself in this latest novel from Sunday Times Best Seller Sue Moorcroft.
This feel good romance tells the story of Georgine who, after being left with crippling debts by her ex boyfriend Aidan, struggles to make ends meet.
Katy said: “I thoroughly enjoyed reading A Christmas Gift and found it totally absorbing and unputdownable. The characters are so well written that I felt I knew every one of them and although this is a Christmas book I don’t feel that it’s too Christmassy.
This is the first novel from Sue Moorcroft that I’ve read and I look forward to reading many more.”
You can buy A Christmas Gift by Sue Moorcroft HERE
A Very British Christmas by Rhodri Marsden
Could you imagine getting all your Christmases at once? Author Rhodri Marsden certainly could and in A Very British Christmas he takes his readers through the best, worst and funniest side of the festive season.
Holly said: “I thoroughly enjoyed reading this fun book which is full of good old fashioned British humour.
What I enjoyed most was the humorous look that the author has taken on all aspects of the Christmas season and the personal anecdotes add even more laugh out loud humour to what is already a very funny book.
I particularly enjoyed the tongue in cheek 12 days of discomfort and joy and found myself signing along to the chapter titles, (take a look at the contents page), I’m sure I’ll not be the only one who has.”
This book is loads of fun and would make a great stocking filler for friends this Christmas and hope there will be another for next Christmas.
You can buy A Very British Christmas by Rhodri Marsden HERE
Do you have a favourite Christmas book? Share your thoughts below.
