Merry Christmas to all those celebrating today! I hope everyone enjoys some moments of peaceful reading.
I participated in the Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon 2025 and made an intention to enjoy some seasonal reading. Here are a few I read that I enjoyed. There were two others that just didn’t work for me so I’m leaving them off this list.
A Mysterious Christmas Collection (Charlie Kingsley Mysteries) by Michele Pariza Wacek
At just 184ish pages, I want you to go ahead and give yourself a Christmas present – download this delightful holiday read right now. You deserve it. You can read this in one sitting, as you take a break from the holiday bustle and your long to do list.
This was a lot of fun. I really enjoy Michele’s writing and both of these series, so it was a treat to get a two in one type of deal! Two stories featuring characters I love, in a nostalgic 1990s setting, and there is cross over of characters. Yes please!
In a short format, Michele manages to write two clever mysteries, of which I didn’t solve ahead of time, but I loved being along for the ride. I enjoyed not only mysteries, but also the cozy details and humor sprinkled throughout.
Lots of holiday reading fun!
One Gold Ring: A Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries novella by Dianne Ascroft
What a fun, festive short story about a missing ring! Clocking in at just a little over 100 pages, this is the perfect read for this busy season. When you need a break from the cooking, shopping, wrapping and other magic making, download this on your kindle for a fun escape. Wonderful characters, a descriptive wintery setting in the 1980s, and a hunt for a missing ring make for an entertaining read! I was holding my breath as the characters scrambled to uncover what was lost!
The description of this delightful short story collection states “these short holiday bites are perfect for enjoying between rounds of wrapping or binge-reading over a cup of cocoa!” And that is exactly spot on!
I love seasonal reading, and I love Christmas, but I’ve also been thinking a lot this year about how exhausting this season can be. This month is busy with get-togethers, school performances, nagging high school students to study for finals, and organizing the magic for the family, and that’s just to name a few. Sometimes I just want to sit in front of my Christmas and read with a holiday mug of hot chocolate, and this is just what this collection allows. To take care of ourselves while we are taking care of everyone else, I try to intentionally carve out quiet time. I sat with my snuggly dog and read two stories, then took care of some to dos. The next day I did the same.
Each short story is entertaining, capturing the season with heart and humor as well. I enjoyed each festive mystery and loved that I could finish up a story before hopping up to take care of something at home. I loved reading from favorite authors (like Catherine Bruns) and exploring new to me authors like Gin Jones.
So, take my recommendation and purchase yourself a pre-holiday gift and carve out some time to soak in the season through the writings of wonderful authors!
Murder in Season (Murder, She Wrote #52) by Jessica Fletcher, Jon Land
“Christmas has come to Cabot Cove, but a peaceful holiday season is not in the cards after Jessica Fletcher is pulled into a centuries-old mystery.”
Jessica Fletcher, Christmas in Cabot Cove and a centuries old mystery? Yes, please. I grabbed this one on audio and enjoyed all the cozy and mysterious vibes. I am never disappointed when I hang out with Jessica and her pals.
Mistletoe Murder (Lucy Stone #1) by Leslie Meier
I do enjoy the Lucy Stone mysteries and was happy to start with book one, set at Christmas time. Here’s the thing, though, about the earlier books in this series – first published in 1994, there’s some outdated language and thoughts. The mystery, however, was solid and I enjoyed the small town setting and could easily identify with a frazzled mom at Christmas time.
sarahcantstopreadingbooks.com 
Leave a comment