Christmas Book Recs
Christmas is the perfect time to cozy up with a book, even better if it is a book that helps you get into the Christmas spirit and cherish the quiet joy of this season! Here are 9 book recommendations to add to your library this Christmas:
Advent Books: The Reason for the Season
Bright Evening Star: Mystery of the Incarnation by Madeleine L’Engle
A personal reflection of the mystery and majesty of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. Bright Evening Star provides a glimpse into the life stories of this prolific author and her encounters with God. With a foreword by John Tesh, L'Engle invites us on a spiritual adventure that leads to hope, joy, and a closer relationship with Jesus. "Christmas," says Madeleine L'Engle, "should be a time of awed silence." If you're looking for a unique and Christ-centered Christmas meditation, Bright Evening Star will be a rich and delightful discovery -- year round!
Emmanuel: An Invitation to Prepare Him Room at Christmas and Always by Ruth Chou Simons
A gorgeously illustrated Advent exploration of what it means to intimately experience God’s presence in our daily lives. Ruth Chou Simons welcomes you and your family to partake in a season of surrender as you discover the true miracle behind Christmas: that while we journey to grow in our relationships with Jesus, He has already come so He can be with us forever.
Awaiting the Manger: Whispers of Advent in the Old Testament by Ocienna Fleiss
Celebrate the hope of Christmas as you witness how God has written the promise of Immanuel, “God with us,” into human history! Awaiting the Manger journeys with you through the Advent season, illuminating how God used the lives of ordinary people to foreshadow Christ’s coming during the centuries and even millennia before his birth. Through daily readings, you’ll dive into Old Testament stories brought to life with vibrant cultural and historical insights. You’ll explore each account first through the perspective of those who lived it, and then by uncovering how it fits into the sweeping arc of our redemption.
Romance Books: Love Is In The Air
Everyone says to dream big . . . but how do you turn those big dreams into reality?
From the time she was a little girl, Clara’s dream has been to write romance movie scripts for her favorite television channel. But not just any love stories—Christmas romance is her particular obsession. She’s sidetracked when an unfortunate mishap lands her face-to-face with Clark, the town handyman. After an initial spark of attraction, Clara soon discovers that Clark is decidedly not a Christmas enthusiast. She quickly gets distracted by the broody man she can’t forget and the small town that embraces her as one of its own.
A Holiday By Gaslight by Mimi Matthews
Sophie Appersett is quite willing to marry outside of her class to ensure the survival of her family. But the darkly handsome Mr. Edward Sharpe is no run-of-the-mill London merchant. He's grim and silent. A man of little emotion--or perhaps no emotion at all. After two months of courtship, she's ready to put an end to things. But severing ties with her taciturn suitor isn't as straightforward as Sophie envisioned. Her parents are outraged. And then there's Charles Darwin, Prince Albert, and that dratted gaslight. What's a girl to do except invite Mr. Sharpe to Appersett House for Christmas and give him one last chance to win her? Only this time there'll be no false formality. This time they'll get to know each other for who they really are.
The Holiday Mix-Up by Ginny Baird
Lonely-hearted waitress Katie Smith has nowhere to go for Christmas, and a huge crush on her gorgeous diner patron Juan Martinez. So when Juan asks Katie to pose as his girlfriend for holiday festivities at his family's winery, Katie leaps at the chance…that is, until an accident lands Juan in a coma right after giving his folks the "news." Katie knows she should tell the Martinezes the truth, but when they immediately embrace her, Katie is reluctant to let her fantasy of a family holiday go. And then there's Juan's brother, Mateo, whose smile tugs at her heartstrings just right―and who tells her perfect Juan might not be everything he seems. With the winery at stake, secrets on all sides, and Juan due to wake up any day, can Katie and Mateo follow their hearts to a Christmas miracle, or will this mix-up ruin their chances?
Fantasy Books: Winter Magic
The Winter King by Christine Cohen
Ever since Cora's father disappeared through the ice, whispers about her family's "curse" have grown increasingly louder. Desperate to help her mother and siblings survive another bleak season in the Winter King's frozen grasp, Cora begins to bend (and even break) the rules she has kept since she was a little girl. But when she discovers a secret that's much bigger than herself, she realizes too late that she has put herself--and those she loves--in even greater peril.
The Enchanted Sonata by Heather Dixon Wallwork
Clara Stahlbaum has her future perfectly planned: marry the handsome pianist, Johann Kahler (ah!), and settle down to a life full of music. But all that changes on Christmas Eve, when Clara receives a mysterious and magical nutcracker.Whisked away to his world--an enchanted empire of beautiful palaces, fickle fairies, enormous rats, and a prince--Clara must face a magician who uses music as spells...and the future she thought she wanted."The Enchanted Sonata," a retelling of The Nutcracker Ballet with a dash of The Pied Piper, will captivate readers of all ages.
Midnight in Everwood by M. A. Kuzniar
Marietta Stelle longs to be a ballerina but, as Christmas draws nearer, her dancing days are numbered – she must marry and take up her place in society in the New Year. But, when a mysterious toymaker, Dr Drosselmeier, purchases a neighbouring townhouse, it heralds the arrival of magic and wonder in Marietta’s life. After Drosselmeier constructs an elaborate theatrical set for her final ballet performance on Christmas Eve, Marietta discovers it carries a magic all of its own – a magic darker than anyone could imagine. As the clock chimes midnight, Marietta finds herself transported from her family’s ballroom to a frozen sugar palace, silent with secrets, in a forest of snow-topped fir trees. She must find a way to return home before she’s trapped in Everwood’s enchanting grip forever.