A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens
Scrooge is visited by a ghost and three spirits on Christmas Eve. The original holiday classic, short enough for one evening.
All moods
Cozy Christmas
December is the one month when a sentimental book is exactly right. These are Christmas stories to read in an evening: a classic ghost story with a happy heart, small-town warmth and a few laughs, all with more cheer than drama.
Books to start with
A Child's Christmas in Wales
Dylan Thomas
A poet remembers a boyhood Christmas in a Welsh seaside town, with snowballs, uncles and aunts. A tiny, musical keepsake.
A Redbird Christmas
Fannie Flagg
A man with little time left moves to a sleepy Alabama town and finds a home. Gentle, sweet and full of quirky locals.
Skipping Christmas
John Grisham
A couple decide to skip Christmas and take a cruise instead. Their street has other ideas. Light and very funny.
Let It Snow
John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle
Three linked love stories during a Christmas Eve snowstorm in a small town. Sweet, funny and perfect for a cold night.
The Christmas Train
David Baldacci
A journalist crosses the country by train in the run-up to Christmas, and meets people who change his plans. A cozy trip for the holidays.
How to choose
This list is for readers who want a seasonal book they can finish in a few evenings. For a classic, choose A Christmas Carol, a ghost story with a hopeful ending. For comedy, Skipping Christmas: a couple tries to skip the holiday and their neighbors object. For romance, try Let It Snow, three linked love stories written for teens, or The Christmas Train, a warm novel with little suspense. A Child's Christmas in Wales is a memory in prose rather than a plot, so choose it for the language.
A Redbird Christmas is sweet but starts from a sad premise: its hero has been told he has little time left.
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