If you’ve been visiting my little corner of the web for a while, you may remember the celebration of festive reading that I called My Christmas is Booked. It was a lot of fun, and I loved having an official list/way to track the festive books I wanted to read. As you can guess, I’m going to do the same this year – and invite you to join the holiday fun as well!
Last year I had an extremely ambitious TBR, featuring a broad selection of both new releases and backlist titles I’d missed in years past. I’m going to do things a little bit differently this year, by selecting fewer “must reads” and leaving it more open to impulse. {I did not read many of the back list titles from last year’s TBR, so consider all those unofficially fair game}.
My official festive TBR features the 5 new releases I am most excited about reading. There are, of course, quite a few other Christmas/holiday books being published in 2024, and some of them may very well find their way to me. These however are the ones I really, really want to read.
- Christmas with the Queen
- The Mistletoe Mystery
- Kiss Me at Christmas
- The Holiday Honeymoon Switch
- Christmas at Sugar Plum Manor
For those who say it’s too early to start thinking about Christmas – perhaps. But in my world, Christmas reading season always starts in October, because that’s when the year’s new releases are published {ahead of the actual holiday season}. I’ll still be mixing in my cozy reads, and whatever else catches my eye, but the time has come to start sprinkling a little holiday magic into the mix. And I don’t know about y’all, but I’ll take all the holiday magic I can get this year!
If you’d like to join the festive reading fun, the more the merrier! Make sure you tag me on Instagram: @thefarmwifereads or drop a comment/link in any of the blog posts to share the magic!
PS: Yes, I already placed one of these on hold through the Library, and a spontaneous ebook hold on one not making the official list but quite intriguing. Let the festive reading commence!
Our store will start putting out the Christmas merch as soon as Halloween is over. Some people grump but I love it! I often put up my Christmas tree before Thanksgiving, and I am super stoked about Pelican’s Christmas Extravaganza stories this year, which will release on November 1st. I plan to read every one of them! Did I mention I love all things Christmas 🙂
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I’m also a big fan of Christmas and have been known to put up my tree on Halloween before {not a spooky fan, seemed like a good thing to do instead, lol} 😀 Since redoing my bookshelves, I’ve got to find a new place for my Christmas village this year …
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Love this! I recently started reading holiday books each November and December and haven’t looked back. I don’t know what took me so long to give them a try. I am excited for your feature. Christmas with the Queen and Kiss Me at Christmas are def on my list! Sugar Plum Manor might have the most gorgeous holiday cover! Will be adding that one to my TBR! There are some good ones coming out this year!
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The Sugar Plum Manor cover is truly gorgeous, and it may have made its way to my list in large part because of that 😉 haha
I am very excited about the holiday/festive reads coming our way this year {as well as playing catchup on some I’ve missed}! 😀 Can’t wait to see what you read too ❤
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Have you read The Maid if The Mistletoe Mystery is listed here? I really want to check that (and the sequel if I enjoy it) out soon. I hope you enjoy all your festive reads and get to check out some of your backlist ones. I’ve meant to read festive reads for the last few years and it’s kind of gone wrong. I’m determined to read my Nutcracker retelling thus December though and maybe The Afterlife Of Holly Chase if I can find a copy. I may try to read others but I’ll have to look into them as I’ve forgotten the festive books on my TBR 🙈
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Yes, and I loved The Maid (and sequel), and look forward to the Christmas hijinks as well as the next installment coming in 2025. They’re a lot of fun, and more lighthearted – almost a cozy mystery.
I have a Nutcracker retelling I snagged from BOTM that I’d like to read this year too, I’m always curious how those pan out (I’ve read a couple odd ones 🤣)
I hope you’re able to read festively this year! 🎄
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That’s wonderful to hear. I didn’t really realise they were cosy ones but that makes them perfect to have a Christmas themed mystery really. I hope you end up enjoying that and the next sequel.
Ooh which one? I’ve only read one, Midnight In Evernight but I have a couple on my TBR.
Thank you, I’ll make a major effort to get to a few.
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Midnight in Evernight is on my TBR, it’s been living on my Kindle for a while, lol… Maybe I’ll get to it this year?
I snagged The Kingdom of Sweets from BOTM, and didn’t get it read last year so hopefully this season I can – it’s supposed to be a bit darker Nutcracker retelling I think. There’s also one by the author of Wicked, Hiddensee, and I can’t decide if that one intrigues me or not, lol.
Others I’ve read include Clara’s Soldier (meh + really dark/weird) and two cute middle grade versions: Nutcracker Mice and The Nutcracker and the Mouse King graphic novel.
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I hope you enjoy it whenever you get to it. I had conflicted feelings over it but I’ve seen plenty of highly positive reviews and it had elements that I really liked so it may well be a hit with you anyway.
Ooh yeah that caught my eye when it came out thanks to the stunning cover. I hope you enjoy it and that it proves to be a good one.
I’ll have to look that one up as I don’t think I’ve heard of it. Have you read Wicked?
I haven’t heard of the others either, I’m glad you found the MG ones sweet though.
The one I own is Winterspell but I also have The Enchanted Sonata on my Unowned TBR. I’m sure there was an least one more but if so apparently I didn’t add it to my retellings list.
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I have not read Wicked, but I read his Cinderella one ages ago – and have Cress Watercress on my TBR, hehe.
Have not heard of the ones on your TBR, but Enchanted Sonata just got added to my TBR 🙂 Yay for retellings!
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Oh wow I didn’t realise he had so many. I’ve got the series on my TBR but so far I’ve only seen the musical.
I hope you enjoy it then whenever you get a chance to check it out. I remember the premise of that one really intriguing me.
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