My December Reads 2025

Hello! I hope you’ve had a wonderful Christmas and that you’re all snuggled up, warm and cosy and stuffed full of chocolate, preferably in the mood for a good book. Because I’ve read some “crackers” this Christmas and I’m here to share them with you.

As I predicted last month, I didn’t get to tick off the last two boxes on my Book Bingo 2025 Challenge, but that’s okay. As I said, I only set myself the challenge to entice myself into reading, but as it turns out I’ve been really loving reading this year and haven’t needed the encouragement. I’ll be sharing my reading recap very soon, and I’ll give you the list of books that I awarded five stars to.

But first to the books that I’ve read this month. I completed the 2025 Read Christie Challenge and I’ve already downloaded the official list of Christie books I’ll be reading for 2026, which they sent me in the December newsletter. I’ve been devouring lots of cosy/golden age mysteries, a Christmas Carol sequel, some humour, some children’s books, a bit of romance and family drama, and quite a bit of gentle nostalgia. I actually only finished the final book just before midnight on New Year’s Eve!

Right, let’s get to it, shall we?

Mystery in White by J Jefferson Farjeon

(Cosy, golden age mystery)

On Christmas Eve, heavy snowfall brings a train to a halt near the village of Hemmersby. Several passengers take shelter in a deserted country house, where the fire has been lit and the table laid for tea - but no one is at home. Trapped together for Christmas, the passengers are seeking to unravel the secrets of the empty house when a murderer strikes in their midst.

Cratchit by R.M. Bouknight

(A Christmas Carol sequel)

Thirteen Christmases ago, the Spirits came to save a soul. Now they’ve returned… to save a family.

The Cratchits are no longer poor, but their struggles are far from over. Once a humble clerk and devoted family man, Bob Cratchit is seduced into a world that would tempt even the truest of hearts.

His wife and grown children face their own trials of love, loyalty, and betrayal. What they desperately need… is a Christmas miracle.

This isn’t a retelling of A Christmas Carol — it’s a new chapter. A richly imagined sequel filled with warmth, humour, hope, and the quiet magic of the season. At its heart is a family bound by love… yet haunted by secrets.

Let the Spirits move you… again.

The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie

(The official choice for the Read Christie 2025 Challenge)

(Cosy, golden age mystery)

Mystery and suspense surround a seance in a snowbound house on the edge of Dartmoor, where the prediction of a grisly murder is only the precursor to an ingenious deadly crime and one of Agatha Christie’s most gripping thrillers…

In a remote house in the middle of Dartmoor, six shadowy figures huddle around a small table for a seance. Tension rises as the spirits spell out a chilling message: ‘Captain Trevelyan… dead… murder.’

Is this black magic or simply a macabre joke? The only way to be certain is to locate Captain Trevelyan. Unfortunately, his home is six miles away and, with snow drifts blocking the roads, someone will have to make the journey on foot…

The Alpine Christmas Mystery by Benedict Brown

(Cosy 1920s mystery)

A picture-perfect snowbound hotel, a crime that won’t stay buried, and a killer with no interest in a white Christmas.

Switzerland, 1929.When super sleuth Lord Edgington and his grandson Christopher head to a grand hotel in the Swiss Alps, they hope for roaring fires, wintry walks and plenty of Christmas cheer. What they couldn’t have imagined was a hotel full of ex-criminals and whispers of a famous jewel thief.

After Christopher comes a whisker away from death and a guest is found murdered on the mountain, the master detectives must solve the long-buried mystery of a princess’s stolen tiara if they are to catch the killer. With a cast of conniving suspects to choose from, the body count rises, the snow falls, and the duo must race to stop the killings before Christmas day comes.

A fun, funny, and ever-so festive 1920s whodunit in the style of Agatha Christie. “The Alpine Christmas Mystery” is a standalone novel in the bestselling Lord Edgington Investigates Abroad series, featuring historic real-life locations, a slightly sleepy golden retriever and enough twists, surprises and Christmas spirit to see you through the season.

A Christmas Murder by Mary Grand

(Contemporary murder mystery)

Susan didn’t plan on being an amateur sleuth and, after two successful investigations, she’s looking forward to a quiet Christmas.

So, when local businesswoman Meera is in desperate need of help, Susan agrees rather reluctantly.

The task should be easy enough. The infamous press mogul Duncan Fern is coming back to the Isle of Wight, the scene of his family’s childhood holidays, to celebrate Christmas with his grown-up children and their partners, his new glamorous wife Kirsten who is forever dripping with diamonds, and the spiky editor of his paper the Morning Flame, Antoine. The newly-refurbished luxurious Bishopstone Manor is the perfect setting for a festive break and all Susan has to do is help Meera host.

But when a snowstorm descends over the island, and the following morning a body is found, Christmas at the Manor takes a darker turn. Can Susan get to the bottom of the mystery before the murderer strikes again…

William at Christmas by Richmal Crompton

(Children’s classic, humour)

There is only one William. This tousle-headed, snub-nosed, hearty, lovable imp has been harassing his unfortunate family and delighting readers since 1922.

It’s the holiday season and William Brown has lots to do. Not only does he need to find the hidden Christmas presents and get ready for the local pantomime, but he also has to put up with prim and proper aunts. Joined by his gang of ever faithful Outlaws, he’s sure to make Christmas unforgettable and attract trouble wherever he goes.

Village Christmas by Miss Read

(Gentle, nostalgic read)

When the Emery family first moved into the village of Fairacre, the locals were not entirely sure what to make of them. With three children, and another on the way, Mrs Emery didn't exactly fit the villagers' idea of a perfect mother.

On Christmas morning, with the sunshine catching the frost on the thatched roofs, there is an unexpected knock at the door of the cottage where Miss Margaret Waters and her sister Mary live. And the events which unfold that day ensure a very different Christmas to any either have seen in all their lives...

Death in Ambush by Susan Gilruth

(Golden age cosy mystery)

In the tranquil village of Staple Green, the Sandys family are bustling towards Christmas with their guest, Liane “Lee” Crauford. Festivities begin badly when their party is spoiled by an enigmatic newcomer to the village, and a week later the Yuletide atmosphere hits rock bottom when the pompous retired judge and vintage china-collector, Sir Henry Metcalfe, unexpectedly dies of a stroke—or so it seems.

Suspicions of foul play and whispers of “murder” spread as Metcalfe’s circle becomes a list of suspects: the gardener, the son, a mysterious widow, the would-be daughter-in-law, her father and even the elegant Lady Metcalfe—with Lee plum in the middle; a shilling in the pudding. Reuniting with Scotland Yard’s Detective-Inspector Hugh Gordon, Lee joins the case to discover the killer playing merry hell with her holiday in this lost vintage mystery, republished for the first time since 1952

No Holly for Miss Quinn by Miss Read

(Gentle nostalgia, family, Christmas)

A highly efficient, thoroughly unsentimental secretary has her plans for a quiet Christmas upset by her brother's sudden plea that she care for his children over the holidays.

Please note that the link to the cover image is for the paperback and hardback editions. You can also get this book in a Kindle and paperback trilogy called Christmas at Fairacre which contains No Holly for Miss Quinn, Christmas at Fairacre School, and The Christmas Mouse.

The Christmas Eve Murders by Noelle Allbright

(Cosy mystery)

It's Christmas Eve at the Merry Monarch.

Nestled amongst the Yorkshire Dales, the pub is preparing to host its annual scavenger hunt for its rabble of regulars. There's the landlord, Mickey, his wife Sofia and their wayward son, James; local policeman Alex and his supernaturally minded deputy Don; as well as Sita, Mrs Fazarkaley, the Kapoors and Curtis, who's never far from his beloved dog Barkley. Quite the crowd.

And this year, they are interrupted by a knock at the door from Maddie Marlowe, a journalist who was homeward bound to Edinburgh for Christmas - only to be stranded by car failure, and by the snow storm that's closing in on the village.

But Maddie's arrival won't be the only surprise of the night. When the power is cut off and darkness descends, the hunt turns deadly. Maddie and her unexpected Christmas companions must try to find the murderer amongst them, as it seems one of the group would kill to win . . .

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

(Children’s classic)

Narnia… a land frozen in eternal winter… a country waiting to be set free.

Four adventurers step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia, a land enslaved by the power of the White Witch. But when almost all hope is lost, the return of the Great Lion, Aslan, signals a great change… and a great sacrifice.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the second book in C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, a series that has become part of the canon of classic literature, drawing readers of all ages into a magical land with unforgettable characters for over fifty years.

Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle by Arthur Conan Doyle

(Mystery)

Found at the corner of Goodge Street, a goose and a black felt hat. Mr Henry Baker can have the same by applying at 6.30 this evening at 221B, Baker Street.
It's the 27th of December and Sherlock Holmes has a new mystery to solve. Who is the unlucky owner of the festive goose dropped on Tottenham Court Road on Christmas morning – and just how much do they know about the priceless gem hidden inside it?
In this classic Christmas tale, Holmes and Watson take us on a riotous ride through London in search of the answer to a most singular and whimsical problem.

The Christmas Mouse by Miss Read

(Gentle, nostalgic read)

The last few years have been very difficult for Mrs Berry, her widowed daughter and two grandchildren. But with Christmas almost upon them, Mrs Berry hopes the festive season will work its magic and life will begin to improve for everyone.

The last thing Mrs Berry anticipates are two unexpected visitors who arrive on the night of Christmas Eve, visitors who, each in their own way, mark a new beginning - and not just for the Berry family...

Last Death of the Year by Sophie Hannah

(Cosy mystery)

New Year's Eve, 1932.

Hercule Poirot and his good friend Inspector Edward Catchpool arrive on the Greek island of Lamperos for a little holiday…or is it?

Catchpool suspects Poirot has a different reason for being there — one he won't reveal. As the clock ticks towards the New Year and a festive guessing game takes a sinister turn, can Poirot stop a murderer who is determined to strike before midnight?

So those are my final reads of 2025. What a year for books it’s been! I’ve loved getting back into reading with a passion, and I’m enjoying broadening my reading horizons a bit, too. I haven’t even started on my Christmas present books yet (and I got lots of those!) plus I treated myself to quite a few books in November and December so I’ve loads to get on with. I reckon I’ll be reading Christmas books right through winter, but as some of them are magic, mysteries and murder I don’t think that will matter too much.

I hope you’ve had a great reading year, and that you’ve found a book or two in my posts that have intrigued you enough to try them for yourself.

I’ll be back soon with my five-star reads of 2025.

In the meantime, have a lovely day and happy reading!