December Book Chat - tell us what you're reading this month

Hi everyone,

I hope you’re all well as we head towards the end of 2025, and perhaps looking for some more reading recommendations as the year winds down!
Whether you’re in the mood for something festive, or just something to brighten the dark nights, I hope there’s a book here for you.

• You know the story, but when’s the last time you read the book itself? A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is always worth revisiting for its inventiveness, wintry imagery and heartwarming message.
• Another book perfect for this time of year is The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction back in 2012. Based on the Russian folk tale, it follows an Alaskan couple who find a young girl in the woods behind their home, just one day after they build one made of snow…
• If you’re a fan of One Day, you might like This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens, a love story about Minnie and Quinn, born at the same hospital on New Year’s Eve. Exactly thirty years later, they meet at a NYE party and realise how closely their lives are entwined.
• Tired of winter and don’t want to read about it? Escape with The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, which follows the calculating Tom to sun-drenched Italy and an encounter that will set his life on a very different path.

Please let us know your current reads or top recommendations in the comments below. And however you’re spending the next few weeks, we wish you a happy and restful time. See you for more book chat in the New Year!


Lana

One of my favourite times of year to read LanaBeckwith - can't beat getting the fire on, grabbing a cup of something warm (maybe spiked with a little cheeky something), and a good book.
I love A Christmas Carol, and try to read it every year - this year we're also heading to see the play at Leeds Playhouse, which is getting fabulous reviews! Also - the Talented Mr Ripley is one of my favourites - how do you think the book compares to the film (which I also adore)? Books always have more nuance than the films, but they are great for bringing things to life when done well.
Some of my other favourites at this time of year are:

• Skipping Christmas by John Grisham (yes, the brilliant crime thriller author) - eventually transferred to the Tim Allen movie Christmas with the Kranks it tells the tale of a couple trying to avoid Christmas.
• Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie - one of my favourite literary characters of all time investigating a murder at a Christmas family reunion
• Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien, which is a collection of letters "from Father Christmas" that the Lord of the Rings author wrote and illustrated for his children.
• And one for the child in me, The Polar Express - Again I love the film but the book by Chris van Allsburg is where it started for me! The film is great as well though as it beautifully recreates the image style of the book.

What are others reading this month? I'd love to hear what you're enjoying at this time of year...