8 must-read books to curl up with this festive season
BY Maya Fernandes
4th Dec 2025
December has arrived, and with it the sparkle of Christmas lights and a chill in the air granting us an excuse to stay inside with a good book for company. This festive season, we’re sharing our reading and gifting recommendations with brilliant books by our wonderful course tutors and published alumni.
Whether you’re cosying up with a comforting Christmas read, hunting for the perfect present for a fellow book lover or simply looking to add a little literary magic to the holidays, there’s a book here for every reader on your list!
Cosy Christmas Reads
The Austen Christmas Murders by Jessica Bull
The latest instalment in the Miss Austen Investigates series delivers a sparkling Regency Christmas mystery.
Jane Austen is certain the season will be a quiet one without her siblings at home – until a skeleton turns up in the cellar of Deane Rectory. Suddenly, her festive gloom is replaced by something far more exciting. After all, who needs merriment when there’s a mystery to solve?
Jessica was a student on our Writing Historical Fiction and Edit & Pitch Your Novel courses in 2021.
The Austen Christmas Murders is out now.
Read our interview with Jessica here.
The Secret Christmas Library by Jenny Colgan
Looking for a sprinkle of romance? This is a comforting festive treat that you’ll race through!
Mirren Sutherland never expected a forgotten book in her great-aunt’s attic to upend her life, but soon she’s whisked from London’s glittering Christmas streets to a grand Highland house. As old feelings stir and new sparks fly, Mirren must follow a trail of clues through snow and a touch of Christmas magic. Will she uncover the clues and find the book – without losing her heart?
Jenny is the tutor of our six-week Writing a Romance Novel course.
The Secret Christmas Library is out now.
Read our interview with Jenny here.
The Cotswolds Christmas Café by Lizzie Lee
This is a heartwarming story, best enjoyed by the fire with a steaming mug of hot chocolate.
When Marnie and her daughter escape to her childhood village of Babblebrook, she expects peace and quiet but instead discovers festive charm, a bustling bakery and the unexpected company of the kind-hearted Andrew. As Christmas lights twinkle and the village fills with warmth, Marnie must decide whether to cling to the safety of the past or embrace new beginnings.
Lizzie was awarded the Marian Keyes Novel-Writing Scholarship to study on our online Writing Your Novel – Six Months course in 2018.
The Cotswolds Christmas Café is out now in eBook and out in paperback Monday 10th November.
Read our interview with Lizzie here.
We're currently running a giveaway of this book on Instagram! Enter by Monday 8 December.
The Secret Mistletoe Promise by Cressida McLaughlin
From the bestselling author of The Cornish Cream Tea novels and The Secret Christmas Bookshop comes a delightful new romance.
After leaving her fiancé at the altar, Imogen retreats to her grandmother’s seaside cottage, hoping to disappear from the world. But life in a curious little village proves far from quiet – especially with the charming local baker, Dexter, making it hard to stay hidden. As secrets begin to surface and the festive season draws near, Imogen starts to wonder whether she’s been running from the wrong things all along.
Cressida is a guest speaker on our current Writing Romantic & Commercial Fiction course.
The Secret Mistletoe Promise is out now in paperback.
Books to Gift this Christmas
The Party by Tessa Hadley
An unforgettable story about two sisters and one night that changes everything, a wonderful gift for anyone who loves heartfelt, character-driven fiction.
On a winter Saturday night in post‑war Bristol, sisters Moira and Evelyn head to an art students’ party at a dockside pub. In this exciting new world, they learn surprising truths about themselves and each other that shock them, and release them into a new phase of their lives.
Tessa is the tutor of our five-week Writing Literary Fiction with Tessa Hadley course.
The Party is out now in paperback.
Read our interview with Tessa here.
Death Comes at Christmas by Sarah Hilary, Vaseem Khan & many more
Looking for a thrilling gift for a mystery lover? This collection delivers 18 festive stories of murder and mystery.
From locked‑room mysteries on Christmas Eve to chilling whodunits and simmering rivalries around the dinner table, each story twists and turns until the very last page. Wrap up warm, pour a mug of mulled wine, and follow the bloodstained footprints through freshly fallen snow as winter darkness descends. A delightful present for fans of classic crime fiction.
Sarah is the tutor of our Writing Crime & Thrillers – Advanced course. Vaseem is the tutor of our six-week Writing Crime Fiction course.
Death Comes at Christmas is out now.
Read our interview with Sarah here.
Read our interview with Vaseem here.
Only Here, Only Now by Tom Newlands
In search of a Christmas gift that’s both moving and funny? Tom Newlands’ debut, Only Here, Only Now, is a vividly imagined coming-of-age story set in a forgotten corner of Scotland.
This extraordinary debut explores poverty, identity and family with warmth and resilience. A story that lingers long after the last page.
Tom was awarded a free five-day novel-writing course place as part of our Breakthrough Writers’ Programme in 2021.
Only Here, Only Now is the Waterstones Scottish Book of the Year for 2025 – out now in paperback.
Read our interview with Tom here.
A Room Above a Shop by Anthony Shapland
A beautifully moving debut, that will make for a heartfelt and thought-provoking read over the winter break. A Room Above a Shop tells the tender story of two men who find hope and connection in a shared room above a family ironmongery shop.
Set in South Wales during the age of Section 28 and the HIV/AIDS crisis, M and B build a quiet life together – the kind of life they never imagined possible and that risks everything if their public performance were to slip.
Anthony Shapland was a student on our Short Story Intensive course in 2022. A Room Above a Shop is the Waterstones Welsh Book of the Year for 2025 – out now.
Read our interview with Anthony here.
The books linked in this blog can be found on our Bookshop.org shop front. Curtis Brown Creative receive 10% whenever someone buys from our bookshop.org page.