10 Books on My Winter TBR for Reading Between Christmas and New Year

The week between Christmas and New Year is my favorite time to read, so I start building my winter TBR months ahead.

I wanted slow, thoughtful books for the short days and long nights, and these are the ones I picked.

My winter reading list this year includes a hotel mystery, a prison-cell murder case, a few family sagas, and one literary oddity.

Look through the ten, pick the books you want to read between Christmas and New Year, and tell me in the comments which ones you chose.

Last Call at the Savoy by Brisa Carleton

A historical mystery set inside a hotel is exactly what I want for the week between Christmas and New Year, and this one sounds atmospheric and a little glamorous.

Cinnamon Scott is grieving and lost and trying to feel something again when she visits her sister at The Savoy in London.

While she is there, she uncovers a forgotten story about Ada Coleman, who was the hotel’s first female bartender.

I love books that move between past and present, and this one promises to give a voice back to a woman history erased, with a little romance on the side.

I plan to read it on a rainy evening with something warm to sip, and I think it will suit anyone who likes books about women in history and hidden stories.

Lucky Seed by Justinian Huang

Family drama meets cultural tradition in this saga, and I am ready for every chaotic minute of it.

It follows the powerful Sun Clan in Los Angeles, where the matriarch decides that someone must produce a male heir or the family will face haunting in the afterlife.

Wayward, the nephew, ends up caught in the middle and tries to make peace, and I am especially curious to see how that goes for him.

I like that the book blends modern life, ancient beliefs, wild secrets, and sharp humor into one story, since that combination tends to stay with me.

It sounds like a messy, funny, emotional ride, so I am saving it for my winter list of books about Asian families with big secrets.

Haven’t Killed in Years by Amy K. Green

I want at least one fast-paced psychological thriller in my winter stack, and this dark one is near the top.

Gwen Tanner lives a quiet life until someone starts sending body parts to her door.

Gwen used to be Marin Haggerty, the daughter of a serial killer, and it seems clear that someone wants to expose her.

I am curious how the book will balance suspense, true crime obsession, and emotional depth, and whether it can answer its big question of whether anyone can escape their past.

I expect twisty plotting and a flawed but fascinating heroine, which makes it my pick for psychological thrillers with female leads, and I want to see how Gwen handles secrets, danger, and maybe a real connection.

The Time Hop Coffee Shop by Phaedra Patrick

I am a sucker for uplifting magical realism, so this one slotted into my winter reading list right away.

Greta feels stuck because her marriage, her career, and her connection with her daughter are all fading.

Then she finds a magical coffee shop that whisks her into the ideal life she once played in commercials.

I love the idea of her trying on a perfect life and discovering that real life, flaws included, might be better.

The story sounds comforting to me because it suggests we can always rewrite our lives, so I am saving it for a warm, heartfelt read about second chances and self-worth.

Deeper than the Ocean by Mirta Ojito

This multi-generational novel about family secrets crosses the Canary Islands, Cuba, and modern-day America, and it belongs on my winter reading list.

Mara believes she knows her family’s story, but then she learns that her great-grandmother had been on a shipwreck decades before Mara’s own mother was born.

I enjoy books that untangle mystery and history through a family’s eyes, and this one looks beautifully written as well.

I am expecting rich settings, emotional discoveries, and the slow-burn kind of beauty that keeps me thinking after the last page.

Historical family dramas that span continents are a favorite of mine, so I plan to start this one under a blanket with a cup of tea.

The Birdwatcher by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Crime novels driven by character are what I want on quiet winter days, and this one is on my radar.

Felicity Wild is in prison for murder, but her childhood best friend Reenie believes she is innocent and sets out to prove it.

I love stories where friends go to great lengths for each other, especially when a mystery is involved.

The book also seems to dig into power, truth, and what people will do to protect those they love.

I am drawn to the sense that Felicity may insist she is innocent while carrying some guilt of her own, so I expect it to keep me turning pages and tug at my heart.

Queen Esther by John Irving

John Irving returns to the world of The Cider House Rules in this sweeping historical novel, and I like stories that combine personal history with larger historical truths.

Esther Nacht is a Jewish girl orphaned by anti-Semitism and raised by a kind New England family.

As she grows up, she carries love for her adoptive family while still searching for her roots, and that tension is what draws me in most.

I think it will make me reflect on belonging, gratitude, and the ways we carry our histories with us.

It looks like a literary historical novel with a strong female lead and an emotional journey, and I am ready to settle into Esther’s world and the questions it raises.

House of Day, House of Night by Olga Tokarczuk

This book sounds like walking through a dream, and it is unlike anything else on my winter reading list.

It is built from many smaller stories set in a little town in Poland, all woven into something quietly magical and deep.

Gossip, recipes, and folklore all find a place in it, which strikes me as wonderfully unusual.

I think I will enjoy how it links tiny personal details to big universal truths, and I plan to read it slowly to savor it.

I feel excited and a little nervous about how it unfolds, but it seems like a thoughtful pick for anyone who loves literary fiction about place and memory.

Bitter Honey by Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström

A mother-daughter drama full of secrets feels right for the slow, thoughtful reading I want in winter, and I have been looking forward to it.

In 1978, Nancy leaves Gambia for Sweden believing she has found love and a new beginning.

By 2006, her daughter Tina is trying to find herself while Nancy keeps hiding a past full of pain.

Stories that span decades and continents draw me in, especially ones about identity, silence, and generational healing, so I expect emotion, beautiful writing, and strong women.

I am eager to watch Tina and Nancy’s relationship unfold and to see how the buried truths surface, and I suspect it will move me deeply.

Next Time Will Be Our Turn by Jesse Q. Sutanto

I adore Jesse Q. Sutanto, so this intergenerational queer love story is among the books I am most excited to read this winter.

Izzy dreads her family’s flashy gatherings until her grandmother arrives with a surprise, a beautiful woman on her arm.

That moment sparks a heartfelt conversation between generations, and the thought of it already makes me emotional.

Magnolia’s story, with her love, her struggles with identity, and everything she lost, sounds rich and moving, and I like how the book shows love rippling across time and culture.

I plan to read it when I want LGBTQ+ historical fiction with heart and hope, ready to cry a little and finish feeling full.

Which One Are You Reading First?

That is my winter TBR, and I cannot wait to start working through it.

If you want something fast and dark, start with Haven’t Killed in Years or The Birdwatcher.

If you want family sagas, look at Bitter Honey, Deeper than the Ocean, or Lucky Seed.

If you want something slow and literary, try Queen Esther or House of Day, House of Night.

Tell me in the comments which books are on your list for the week between Christmas and New Year.

Happy reading.