Get ahead with your festive reading with 10 Christmas books

Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Here's the biggest Christmas treat we could give you - the return of Becky Bloomwood! It’s been twenty years since she first popped into our lives, credit card and shopping bags in hand, and she's back in a fantastically festive new chapter this year. It's brilliant, it's laugh-out-loud and it's bound to warm the heart as you warm your feet by the fire this winter. It's out in October 2019, but you can pre-order your copy now so it arrives as soon as it's out. Like Christmas come early.

One Day in December by Josie Silver

If you didn't read this when it was a smash hit last year, NOW IS YOUR CHANCE! And if you did, it's the perfect time to read it again, wouldn't you say? Emotional, heart-breaking, and all round lovely, this tells the story of Jack and Laurie, who fall in love at first sight through a misted bus window one winter's day. But then the bus drives away. And when they meet again, Jack just happens to be Laurie's best friend's new boyfriend... It's a romantic read that'll sweep you off your feet, with a kissing scene in the snow that you'll NEVER forget.

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

This beautiful book begins on a dark, midwinter's night. A stranger bursts into an inn with a drowned child in his arms, but hours later, the dead girl takes a breath and comes back to life. Is it magic, or a miracle? All we know is that this is a gorgeous fairytale of a book, filled with glimmers of magic and romance, and as much charm and wonder as any book you'd want to read at Christmas time. You'll curl up with it, lose yourself in its enchanting pages, and escape real life, just for a while.

Married by Christmas by Scarlett Bailey

Jingle bells or wedding bells? We'll take either, quite frankly - and this romantic, festive comedy has both. Anna has always dreamed of the perfect Christmas Eve wedding. It's all in place, but then her husband-to-be drops a bombshell - though it's not going to stop her having the day of her dreams. Anna is warm and fun and you can't help but fall in love with her, as you're taken on a page turning, love-filled and joyful story every bit as wonderful as her planned big day.

Oliver The Cat Who Saved Christmas by Sheila Norton

Uplifting, adorable and bound to bring a tear to your eye, this story follows timid little Oliver, a cat quite happy with his home in the Forester's Arms. But when the pub kitchen catches fire, he is left homeless and afraid. With a little help from some kind strangers, and a young girl in need of a friend, he's soon to discover that light can be found in even the darkest of times. It's so lovely. So sweet. The perfect treat for cat-lovers and Christmas fans alike.

Lola's Secret by Monica McInerney

Swap the usual dreary weather for a Christmas under the glittering lights of an Australian Vineyard. Feisty grandma Lola is up to her usual mischief when she sends her family away for Christmas, and invites several mystery guests to come and stay at her motel. They're all in need of fixing, in a way - and can a new setting this Christmas give them the changes they're looking for? With a sprinkling of luck, festive magic and family drama, reading this book feels like putting on a warm dressing gown that's been toasting on the radiator.

Highland Fling by Katie Fforde

Jenny escapes to Scotland on a business trip, determined to save a failing local business. Set in the chilly Scottish highlands during winter, she is prepared for the work involved, but not for the dashing Ross Grant, who seems to turn up whenever she's got everything under control. Life is complicated. Relationships are as changeable as the Scottish weather. But you can bet on a happy, heart-warming ending with this one.

Footsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer

There's something about Christmas that gives us a burning desire to read a cracking good ghost story. (We reckon The Muppet's Christmas Carol might have something to do with this...) So this year we'll be diving into the cheeky murder mystery, with things that go bump in the night, a big haunted house and lots of characters to keep you guessing about what's really going on. It's cheerful, it's spooky, and it's the perfect read for a night holed up on the sofa.

One Winter Morning by Isabelle Broom

We cannot wait to read this gem of a book, which is out in October this year (totally getting our pre-orders in now, just like with our Christmas turkeys. Always good to be ahead of the game, right?) It's an absolute heart-wrencher which opens with Evangeline mourning the loss of her mother, the lady who took her in and raised her. But then something miraculous happens. She finds out where her birth mother is. And it's going to take a trp to New Zealand and the meeting with a new family to either heal her - or lead her somewhere she never expected. We cannot WAIT to read this story, shimmering with frost, fairylights and the possibility of a new future. It promises tears, laughter and a moving, emotional journey, just like all of Isabelle Broom's novels.

The Christmas Invitation by Trisha Ashley

Meg doesn't get Christmas. She doesn't go in for all that tinsel and mistletoe stuff, and her family never celebrated it anyway, so she doesn't know what she's missing. But then she's invited to spend Christmas in the snowy countryside, to complete two portrait paintings in a very short space of time. She gets more than she bargained for. A run in with Lex, a blast from her past, and her first true experience of a family Christmas. Maybe the magic of it will win her heart...this heart-warming story certainly won ours.