The 10 best reads for this holiday season

Christmas Pudding

Nancy Mitford (Universe, 2021)

Traditions may be common, but every family has its own quirks and ways of celebrating the holidays. You'll discover them in this novel, first published in 1932. Miss Bobbin, an aristocrat obsessed with fox hunting, hosts a Christmas party at her home, where her rebellious daughter, her pretentious suitor, two children fascinated by obituaries, and a depressed writer all come to town. From there, the farcical comedy unfolds.

The Kingdom of Women

Anton Chekhov (Vienna Editions, 2019)

At only 26 years old, Anna Akimovna has inherited a large factory that employs thousands of workers. On Christmas Day, as she goes up and down the stairs of her house, she reflects on the future that awaits her, now that she will hardly find a husband, because she doesn't feel comfortable even with those upstairs in the more formal part of the house, where she receives members of the provincial high society, with whom she must now mingle since becoming wealthy—but she knows they despise her for her commoner husband, from whom she feels estranged by her new status.

A Christmas tree and a wedding

Fyodor Dostoevsky (Comanegra, 2020)

This short story, masterfully illustrated by Oriol Malet, is not a gentle tale. Class and gender-based violence are blatantly present, and the author doesn't mince words. A dark undercurrent lurks behind every page, transforming what begins as a lighthearted story set during a children's New Year's Eve party into a disturbing, yet ultimately thought-provoking, ending years later.

New Year's Eve

Edith Wharton (Vienna Editions, 2024)

During a New Year's Eve party, a fire at the hotel across the street catches the Parrett family's attention. As they watch the blaze rage, they recognize the respectable Mrs. Lizzie Hazeldean emerging from the burning building with a well-known bachelor. This is a story of love and deception in late 19th-century New York high society, exploring social hypocrisy, appearances, and the role of women in a world where moral rules are applied differently to men and women.

A sky full of stars

Carme Martí (La Campana, 2024)

This book functions like an Advent calendar: twenty-four stories await to be read, just as the windows of these traditional calendars wait to be opened to reveal the chocolates that sweeten the countdown to Christmas. The author has dedicated most of her work to the recovery of historical memory, and in this case, she presents a collection of true stories told by more than thirty voices of different ages and from different parts of the world, inviting us to celebrate the Christmas holidays in all their expressions.

Hercule Poirot's Christmas

Agatha Christie (Labutxaca, 2025)

The grande dame of mystery has also chosen to murder one of her characters during the Christmas holidays. In 1938, she published this novel, which once again put the Belgian detective's little grey cells to the test. A loud crash from upstairs interrupts the Lee family's Christmas dinner. In one of the rooms lies the corpse of the despotic patriarch, Simeon Lee, with a gash across his neck from which much blood has flowed. Poirot faces the challenge of discovering the culprit: everyone has a reason to hate the old man.

White Nights

John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle (Fanbooks, 2015)

Both young and adult audiences will enjoy these three interconnected stories by three authors considered bestsellers These events unfold when a massive snowstorm hits Gracetown on Christmas Eve, plunging the town into chaos. A courageous adventurer, who leaves the train she was traveling on after it becomes stranded during the storm, sets in motion a series of events that will unexpectedly change lives. If you enjoy love stories, don't put it on the shelf without reading it.

All Christmas Stories

Charles Dickens (La Magrana, 2022)

Christmas might not be Christmas without the stories of Charles Dickens. After the great impact of the publication ofChristmas CarolIn 1843, when readers first encountered the miserly old man Ebenezer Scrooge, the publication of the renowned English writer's Christmas stories became a major event in mid-19th-century Britain year after year. This fantastic collection, illustrated by Bernat Cormand, presents the five Christmas tales published by Dickens, essential reading for the holiday season.

Politically Correct Christmas Stories

James Finn Garner (Cuadernos Crema, 2018)

How many Christmas stories were you told throughout your childhood? What rules did they follow? Were they morally dubious, sexist, or inconsiderate of animals? American satirical writer James Finn Garner has come to remedy this. In this book, he takes five classic Christmas stories and transforms them to be politically correct, avoid controversy, and leave everyone happy. Without neglecting the parodic tone of the situations, of course.

A Christmas with Montalbano

Andrea Camilleri (Ediciones 62, 2024)

On New Year's Eve, Inspector Montalbano has a bout of melancholy that only manages to get him to eat his meal.arancini –a specialty of Sicilian cuisine– which Adelina, his maid, has cooked for him. But crimes can happen at any time. This book contains twenty of the most colorful and varied cases that the peculiar commissioner of the fictional town of Vigata must solve with his unique detective skills.