This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
You have Christmas shopping and baking to finish, family members are visiting from out of town and there’s loads of good stuff on the tele. Yes, there comes a point in December when you just don’t have the time or inclination for a full novel. That’s where the handily petite Noel novella comes to the rescue. Short enough to enjoy over a mince pie and a cuppa but substantial enough to quench your reading thirst, here are five of our favourites for Christmas 2024.
1. Snowdrops at The Star and Sixpence by Holly Hepburn – When sisters Nessie and Sam inherit a pub in a beautiful country village, they think it might be the answer to all of their problems. Alas, the centuries-old Star and Sixpence is pretty much derelict and riddled with debt. Can they get it up and running for the Boxing Day grand reopening?
2. Merry Mistletoe by Emma Davies – Sherbourne Mistletoe has been prized and sold at the annual Mistletoe Fair for over a hundred years; but could this year possibly be the last? When Freya’s only hope is to sell her beloved family home to rival mistletoe growers, the Henderson brothers, it could well be … unless a mysterious arrival can turn things around.
3. A Winterfold Christmas by Harriet Evans – A gorgeous spin-off tale from A Place for Us, Harriet Evans takes us back to Winterfold, where the glow of candles at the window and the warmth of the Martha Winter’s kitchen offers you a warm welcome.
4. The Christmas List by Chrissie Manby – It’s the 1st of December and newly-single Milly Arnold is facing a miserable Noel. Nobody is more surprised than her when the items from her Christmas wish list letter to Santa start appearing in unexpected ways.
5. Christmas in the Park by Laura Lockington – Sarah has decided to give up her career in television to launch her own cake-making business. Swapping her stylish clothes for tracksuits and an apron she gets to work, and is thrilled when the local café agrees to start selling her treats. And – even better – she starts to get to know the handsome and single owner, David.
What are your favourite festive short reads?