Readers’ Picks: Books That Feel Like the Holidays

Little Women is recognized as one of the best-loved classic children’s stories, transcending the boundaries of time and age, making it as popular with adults as it is with young readers. The charming story of these four “little women” — independent, tomboyish Jo; delicate, loving Beth; pretty, kind Meg; and precocious, artistic Amy — and their wise and patient mother Marmee enduring hardships and enjoying adventures in Civil War New England was an instant success when first published in 1868 and has been adored for generations.

Bridget Jones’s Diary is the devastatingly self-aware, laugh-out-loud daily chronicle of Bridget’s permanent, doomed quest for self-improvement — a year in which she resolves to: Visit the gym three times a week, not just to buy a sandwich, form a relationship with a functional adult, and learn to work the television remote. Over the course of the year, Bridget loses a total of 72 pounds but gains a total of 74. She remains, however, optimistic. Through it all, Bridget will have you helpless with laughter, and — like millions of readers the world round — you’ll find yourself shouting, “Bridget Jones is me!”

Vivian Forest has been out of the country a grand total of one time, so when she gets the chance to tag along on her daughter Maddie’s work trip to England to style a royal family member, she can’t refuse. She’s excited to spend the holidays taking in the magnificent British sights, but what she doesn’t expect is to become instantly attracted to a certain private secretary, his charming accent, and unyielding formality. From the New York Times bestselling author of The Proposal and a “rising star in the romance genre” (Entertainment Weekly) comes a dazzling novel about a spontaneous holiday vacation that turns into an unforgettable romance.

Minnie Cooper knows two things with certainty: That her New Year’s birthday is unlucky, and that it’s all because of Quinn Hamilton, a man she’s never met. Their mothers gave birth to them at the same hospital just after midnight on New Year’s Day, but Quinn was given the cash prize for being the first baby born in 1990. When Minnie unexpectedly runs into Quinn at a New Year’s party on their mutual thirtieth birthday, she sees only more evidence that fortune has continued to favor him. But if Quinn and Minnie are from different worlds, why do they keep bumping into each other? And why is it that each fraught encounter leaves them both wanting more?

In this beautiful, deeply moving poem, Maya Angelou inspires us to embrace the peace and promise of Christmas, so that hope and love can once again light up our holidays and the world. “Angels and Mortals, Believers and Nonbelievers, look heavenward,” she writes, “and speak the word aloud. Peace.”

Intimate and moving, The Joy Luck Club shows us how the inheritance of pain and unspoken secrets can lead to misunderstanding — and yet how love can still offer the promise of reconciliation.

Ali has always loved Christmas, but after losing her best friend Robyn she doesn’t think she’ll make it through the season without their silly annual traditions. As she takes on one of their last Advent calendar challenges, Ali finds herself accepting a job at a cozy ski lodge in the Alps. But when another challenge leads her co-workers to think she’s dating Leo — her seriously hot, stoic boss — things get complicated in this snowy, heartfelt Christmas romance.

A desperate writer’s pursuit of a powerful literary agent takes a dark turn. All Arnie Tenderton wants this Christmas is to be published. Not willing to take no for an answer, he shows up at literary agent Claudia Conley’s remote Catskills house to make his pitch. There’s just one catch — his book is about her.

It’s the most romantic time of the year in this emotional, smart, and sexy, queer holiday rom-com. Determined to swear off love, the Belvedere siblings find the spirit of the season has other plans for them. Each at a personal and romantic crossroads, Liz, Birdie, and Rafi head up to their mother’s house in the country where their best intentions are derailed in the most delightful and festive of ways.

To save her struggling Christmas tree farm, Stella Bloom enters a contest with a $100,000 cash prize. All she needs to do is make Lovelight Farms seem like a romantic destination for the holidays. There’s just one problem — she lied about having a boyfriend. But for Stella’s best friend Luka, fake dating might be the best Christmas present he’s ever received.

For Christmas, Charley Mason’s father sends him on an all-expenses-paid trip to Paris, where on his first night he meets Lydia, a woman whose story will forever change his life. Haunting, erotic, and deeply affecting, Christmas Holiday explores two souls capsized by compassion in the days between the Great Wars.

This mini Penguin Classics hardcover fits perfectly inside a Christmas stocking and brings together three Dostoyevsky stories: “White Nights,” a tale of love and loss in St. Petersburg; “A Nasty Business,” a story about a general crashing a subordinate’s wedding; and “The Meek One,” an existentialist tale of marriage and tragedy.

Jack Torrance’s new job at the Overlook Hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, he’ll have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his writing. But as the harsh winter weather sets in, the idyllic location feels ever more remote … and more sinister. And the only one to notice the strange and terrible forces gathering around the Overlook is Danny Torrance, a uniquely gifted five-year-old.

One type-A data analyst discovers her free-spirited side on an impulsive journey from bustling Mumbai to the gorgeous beaches of Goa and finds love waiting for her on Christmas morning.

Twenty-five celebrated Latino writers delight and move us with their recollections of Christmas in this splendid holiday extravaganza. From Julia Alvarez’s tale of how Santicló delivered a beloved uncle from political oppression to Junot Díaz’s story of his own uneasy assimilation on his first Christmas in America, to Sandra Cisneros’s poignant memories of her late father’s holiday dinners, Las Christmas gives us true stories from writers of many traditions — memories of Christmas and Hanukkah that vividly capture the pride and pain, joy and heartbreak, that so often accompany the holidays in the Americas.

In this tale of passion and obsession, Diana Bishop, a young scholar and a descendant of witches, discovers a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript, Ashmole 782, deep in Oxford’s Bodleian Library. Its reappearance summons a fantastical underworld, which she navigates with her leading man, vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont. This riveting tale of magic and suspense continues in the All Souls series!

Written in 1816 by one of the leaders of German Romanticism for his children, nephews, and nieces, The Nutcracker captures better than any other story a child’s wonder at Christmas. The gift of a handsomely decorated nutcracker from a mysterious uncle sets the stage for a Christmas Eve like no other for the little girl Marie. That night, Marie’s extraordinary present comes to life, defends her from the taunting Mouse King, and whisks her off to the Kingdom of Dolls. The inspiration for the classic ballet, E. T. A. Hoffmann’s irresistible tale of magic and childhood adventure continues to captivate readers of all ages.

Written in 1831 by the father of Russian literature, this uproarious tale tells of the blacksmith Vakula’s battle with the devil, who has stolen the moon and hidden it in his pocket, allowing him to wreak havoc on the village of Dikanka. Both the devil and Vakula are in love with Oksana, the most beautiful girl in Dikanka. Vakula is determined to win her over; the devil, equally determined, unleashes a snowstorm to thwart Vakula’s efforts. Zany and mischievous, and drawing inspiration from the folk tales of Gogol’s far-flung village in Ukraine, The Night Before Christmas is the basis for many movie and opera adaptations, and is still read aloud to children on Christmas Eve in Ukraine and Russia.