There is no better gift than the gift of reading.
More than ever, we need heartwarming and uplifting stories this year. So similar to what was done in December, visit here every Friday and view some great book recommendations to get a jumpstart on your holiday reading:
Murder at Christmas by Fleur Hitchcock
After another dreary term away at school, Grace is desperate to see her mum and brother again. Excited to spend Christmas with them, she arrives in Bath full of expectation and happiness. But the family’s time together is suddenly interrupted when a shocking murder at their hotel throws everything into chaos. And when Grace’s mum disappears soon afterwards, Grace trusts nobody.
With her mum missing and younger brother Billy in tow, Grace enlists the help of new friends Olive and Doug. Streetwise and clever, they help Grace and Billy come up with a plan to find out why Mum left the hotel and what happened to her. (Credit: Nosy Crow)
The Snowman Code by Simon Stephenson and illustrated by Reggie Brown
In London, in a winter which shows no sign of ending, a unique friendship begins.
This is the story of Blessing, aged ten-and-a-half, and Albert Framlington, aged six hundred – an eccentric snowman who has seen many winters in many cities, and who is duty-bound by the Snowman Code to help any child in need. Together, Blessing and Albert must find a way to defeat Blessing’s bullies, win back Albert’s long-lost love Clementine, and even overcome the never-ending winter itself… (Credit: HarperCollins)
Murder at Holly House by Denzil Meyrick
A village of secrets.
Yorkshire, 1952. Christmas is fast approaching when a dead stranger is found lodged up the chimney of Holly House in the snow-covered village of Elderby. Is he a simple thief, or a would-be killer?
A mystery that can’t be solved.
Inspector Frank Grasby is ordered to investigate. But as is often the way for him, things don’t go according to plan.
A Christmas to remember.
When the local doctor’s husband is murdered, Grasby begins to realize that everyone in Elderby is hiding something.
And if he can’t uncover the truth soon, the whole country will pay a dreadful price… (Credit: Poisoned Pen Press)
A Crongton Christmas Party by Alex Wheatle
Boy from the Hills’ parents are going away a week before Christmas, so in true Crongton style, McKay and the rest of his friends persuade him to throw a house party. But, Boy from the Hills must keep his dad’s precious Aston Martin safe, as well as look after his neighbour’s dog until Boxing Day.
Just before the party, Boy from the Hills runs into school bullies, Vincent Chapman and Donald Thompson, and when they find out about the party, they do everything they can to get in.
House party hijinks, romantic entanglements and dance competitions abound in this light-hearted Christmas instalment of the beloved Crongton series.(Credit: Hachette Children’s Group)
The Most Wonderful Time by Jayne Allen
With Christmas around the corner, Ramona Tucker is desperate to get away. She has been lying to her family about her engagement to Malik, her (ex) fiancé. But breakups are fickle, and Ramona is convinced that she can make her pretend wedding real again—but only if she can avoid everyone discovering her secret at her mother’s over-the-top Christmas Eve party.
Two-thousand miles away in sunny Malibu, Chelsea Flint needs money to hold on to the beloved beachside cottage she shared with her late parents. The taxes are expensive, and her art isn’t paying the bills. Once an irresistible star of the Los Angeles art scene, Chelsea seems to have lost that spark that vaulted her to the top. If she doesn’t rediscover that magic—and sell a painting—soon, it will be her family’s home she’s selling instead.
The two women swap homes, just in time, thanks to some careful planning by Ramona’s best friend and a sturdy nudge from Chelsea’s gallerist godmother. Ramona’s Malibu dreams of sun and surf are interrupted as her first night brings an unwelcome stranger to her door, making her question who she can trust—the meddling neighbor Joan, or Jay, the handsome beachside fitness instructor with a secret of his own. Chelsea, desperate for Ramona to stay, hides what she knows—even if that means jeopardizing her budding connection with charming Carlos, whose dreams for his future could be the very key to unlock Chelsea from the weight of her past. (Credit: Harper Perennial)
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