Winter + Holiday Reads that Aren't Romances

It’s no secret that I love a holiday rom com. But I also understand that Romance isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get to read anything fun and festive! From wintry thrillers to sweet middle grade stories to cozy mysteries, I hope you find something on this list that fits your reading taste!

And if you love Romance…fear not. I’ve got PLENTY of recommendations for you coming all season long!

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

This is one of the few thrillers I’ve read! I like Lucy Foley’s suspenseful writing. It takes place over the Christmas holidays through New Years when a group of friends gets stuck in a snowstorm at a castle in the Scottish Highlands.

A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig

This book is also a Netflix movie! It’s got the race to restore Christmas spirit, elves, and a surely reindeer at the forefront. It’s also really good on audio!

Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas by Adam Kay

A junior doctor working in the NHS shares twenty five tales of the hardest time of year to be in the hospital.

Christmas Bells by Jennifer Chivarini

For all my historical fiction fans, this tells the tale of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s family Christmas at their estate in in Massachusetts, a month before his famous poem of Paul Revere is published. It also takes place in present day Boston, when a public school teacher feels forlorn by the lack of holiday cheer. Both stories connect and reflect on the timelessness of the poem, Christmas Bells.

Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva

I read this book last year and really enjoyed it! It’s charming and very meta, since it’s about Charles Dickens writing A Christmas Carol. Highly recommend the audio!

The Van Der Beekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glasser

If there’s one book on this list that you read, it should be this one! I adore this middle grade story about a large family trying to save their Harlem brownstone from their neighbor and landlord. The cast of characters is charming and precocious.

Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Henry

For all fans of Narnia and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, this is another behind the scenes look at how a (fictional) C.S. Lewis wrote the famous series.

No Exit by Taylor Adams

Probably one of the most well known Wintry books, but it’s a thrilling…thriller (lol) set in a snowstorm.

Bellweather Rhapsody by Racculia

Another dark, entertaining thriller about an unsolved murder involving high school musicians.

One By One by Ruth Ware

I am even tempted by this one, since it takes place when a group is snowed in at a ski chalet in the French Alps. What starts out as a corporate retreat turns into a whodunit real fast.

Christmas Days by Jeanette Winterson

I adore this anthology that focuses on the twelve days of Christmas and also delves into the creature comforts of winter and the winter solstice. Plus, it’s lovely and makes such a good piece of decor.

Any other recommendations? Leave them in the comments!