18 Winter Books To Help Spread Holiday Cheer

In this exciting follow-up to Share, Theo Michaels’ Grazing and Feasting Boards provides everything you could possibly need to delight a crowd with beautiful boards and platters. One of a few winter books for the DIY lover on your list, this book contains the perfect combination of how-to instructions, shopping lists, and recipes to create sharers for unforgettable snacks, meals, and social events. The cheese board is often the most anticipated delight of any festivity, and the concept is taken to the next level in this book with recipes to suit all tastes and occasions.

These beautiful boards are both aesthetically pleasing and easy to put together. Casually entertain in style with recipes from Movie Night Boards to Bagel Boards, plus classic boards for cheeses and ‘Wine Bites’. Chapters include Brunch Boards, Everyday Sharers, ‘Big Night In’ Boards, Globetrotting Boards, Seasonal Celebrations and Sweet Treats Boards. Whimsical, tasty, and visually enticing, these stunning centerpieces will ensure that you are the life of any party!

Written by Bethan Holt, fashion editor of The Telegraph, The Queen: 70 Years of Majestic Style is a photographic celebration of the fashion evolution of the Queen over seven unprecedented decades. The informative and engaging text is accompanied by 200+ color photographs that chronicle the transformation of a 25-year-old princess into a respected nonagenarian monarch and style icon. Perfect in a list of winter books, this title was originally published in April, and now has a brand-new introduction that pays tribute to the Queen’s enduring fashion legacy.

Learn to create stylish clothes and accessories with 35 statement designs by TikTok sensation Liv Huffman in her book Contemporary Crochet. Huffman created the popular Harry Styles cardigan tutorial on YouTube and TikTok. This title is on the winter books list for its ability to enhance your wardrobe (and your tootsies!)

Her book boasts beautiful photos of each of her unique designs for clothing and accessories from a striped beanie hat and flip bags to a scallop-edged corset top and the famed “Harry” cardigan. Huffman shares step-by-step techniques for everyone from beginners to experienced crocheters.

Around the World in 80 Spiritual Places takes readers to holy places around the globe from Stonehenge to Walden Pond and Angkor Wat. The book by Alice Peck runs the gamut of cultures, beliefs, and time. Each of the 80 spiritual locations in the book is highlighted with a beautiful full-color photo with a synopsis sharing the history and unique tributes of the treasured spot so you can “discover the wonder of sacred and meaningful destinations.” This is one of the winter books that makes an ideal gift for the global traveler in your life.

Faithful Friends: Norman Rockwell and His Dogs is perfect on the list of winter books for the dog lover in your life, as well as the Norman Rockwell aficionado. The 128-page book features a collection of 50 of Rockwell’s classic paintings celebrating the important role of “man’s best friend.”

The book is great to enjoy on the go at only 5.4 by 7.3 inches rather than a coffee table book. Faithful Friends also highlights Rockwell’s drawings and includes rarely-seen Rockwell family photos. The book by Margaret Rockwell, the artist’s granddaughter who manages the Rockwell Family Agency, is published by Abbeville Publishing Group.

The holidays are indeed the most wonderful time of the year, but they can also be stressful when hosting and catering to a crowd. As family and friends come together to eat drink and be merry, this ideal title in the list of winter books can guide you through advent right up to the new year. You’ll find everything you need to host a group, with recipes for everything from an elegant New Years’ Eve Soirée to a light Christmas morning brunch. Cocktails encompass everything from the Snowball to the Mimosa, with more unusual recipes to make your drinks very merry indeed.

Simple recipes for bites and canapés, many of which can be prepared in advance, take the stress out of finding the perfect snack to accompany drinks and satisfy hungry guests. Add pizazz to any festive event, with Slow Roasted Tomato Galette with Black Olive Tapenade & Goat’s Cheese, Sesame Maple Turkey Fingers, or a Trio of Honey Baked Camembert With Calvados & Herbs. With recipes for dessert canapés and syrupy cocktails to sweeten up occasions, this book is sure to get you and your guests into the holiday spirit stress-free!

Sara Shepard, the New York Times Best-Selling Author who wrote Pretty Little Liars just released her newest title, Wait. Casey, a sophomore at NYU, is only seventeen years old. Academically, she is in the perfect place – but emotionally? Casey has no idea who she is or how she wants others to view her.

After meeting her boyfriend, Marcus, Casey starts second-guessing every decision. And then the voices start. Followed closely by the visions. The only thing to make sense of this seeming mental breakdown is through meeting Jake, a native Avon, a remote beach town that Casey finds herself drawn. Casey and Jake instantly feel bonded which leads them down the path of answers regarding who they are and why they have such a strong connection. This is one of the winter books that you won’t be able to put down!

While most of these winter books are stories, some include puzzles that make incredible gifts. Who out there doesn’t want to increase brain power while in the bathroom? Improve Your IQ on the Loo includes various brainteasers that can take as little (or as much) time as you need. Find your favorite logic games, math, wordplay, and trivia in this handy-dandy book.

Help keep your mind sharp with The Healthy Brain Book of Word Puzzles. Test yourself with wordplay games, pattern recognition, and crosswords. From author Fred Piscop, a regular contributor to the New York Times, you will keep coming back to this book for challenges. While spending time indoors this holiday season, make sure to put this title on your list of winter books that will challenge your mind.

Everyone loves a good crossword puzzle! Sit and Solve Simple Mini Crosswords offers readers 10×10 crosswords that are quick and yet challenging. Each crossword carries a theme with clues on a number of topics without requiring a lot of your time. Whether you grab it for yourself or give it as a gift, this is one of those addicting winter books that will have you filling it out and moving to the next page.

In 1885 in Sacramento, the lives of twin mediums Edie and Violet forever change when their mother dies and their father attempts to commit them into an asylum. The girls run away and join the Spiritualists, a showcase of young ladies demonstrating their spiritual abilities for show.

One night, Violet, who is able to open the veil between life and death, accidentally lets the dark spirit who killed her mother into the living world. Both she and Edie quickly realize that mediums like the twins are being hunted. It’s a race to find a killer before finding death themselves in The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond.

Looking for the perfect of winter books for that nature-lover on your shopping list? Help them discover the world outside their door, with The Wild Year. This illustrated guide lets you explore nature in a new, fun way. Organized by season, the pages of this guide are filled with wondrous wildflowers and plants you will want to explore.

It contains information about 99 plant specimens, along with historical and scientific information so you can dig back into their unique backstory. You’ll also find checklists, foraging tips, and space for notes and sketches.

The Open-Air Life is a must-have guide for those looking forward to connecting deeply with nature. The author explains a variety of Nordic customs and practices that will help the readers relax and spend more of their time outdoors.

This is the only one of the winter books on this list that includes a complete guide to what Nordic people do all day. This powerful resource will help readers use the power of nature to boost their health and relationships, fight depression and burnout, and develop other practical skills.

Slow Birding is a book that helps people in this fast-paced era to slow down their lives to notice the birds around them. The author highlights the stories of birds commonly found in the U.S. and encourages us to consider them deeply.

Slow Birding outlines the everyday bird features, including detailed portraits of bird species, scientists who discovered them, advice to look for during slow birding, and bird-focused activities. While this isn’t necessarily in the usual winter books, this is the perfect gift for the bird aficionado on your list. Appreciate nature and the beauty of birds and the way they change their behaviors every season like never before!

The Witch Hunt, the exciting new fantasy, mystery sequel to The Witch Haven, continues the story of Frances Hallowell. This time Frances and her fellow witches are in Paris where she discovers family secrets, lost love, and dangerous magic. New York Times bestselling author, Sasha Peyton Smith, brings the vivid, magical world to life again in this mystery.

Frances struggles with her magic not working properly, as she looks for answers in secret societies, the halls of the Lourvre, and the catacombs. She must risk betrayal and learn to trust the one she said she would never trust again. The book is written for those 14 and older and is on the winter books list as a great read during the holiday break.

If you are new to Sasha Peyton Smith’s witch series with the launch of The Witch Hunt, be sure to start with the New York Times bestselling The Witch Haven – the first book in the series. These titles will make a terrific Christmas present for those who love young adult fantasy books. The Witch Haven is set in 1911. It is about 17-year-old Frances Hallowell who discovers she has the powers of a witch. It’s a wonderful story about a struggle for power and what matters most to Frances.

What winter books list is complete without a cute Santa romance? Talk Santa To Me is a young adult romantic comedy reminiscent of Hallmark Christmas movies. Francie’s family owns Hollydale Holiday Shop – a holiday gift empire. One part of the store is the Santa School which was founded by Francie’s recently deceased grandpa.

Aunt Carole has taken over the business and in Francie’s opinion is frankly ruining it. Francie decides to do something about these distasteful changes. But of course, she can’t let this new motivation get in the way of saving up for a car and trying to date the cute guy working next door. Can Francie do it all this Christmas? Talk Santa To Me is a cute, seasonal, and fun read this holiday season.

Middle school can be overwhelming as your tweens and young teens develop their own personalities in the center of schools full of diverse personalities, new friends, new activities, homework, tests, and hormones. Middle School – Safety Goggles Advised is a guidebook that explores the “Weird Stuff from Gossip to Grades to Cliques to Crushes and Popularity to Peer Pressure.”

The interactive guidebook by Jessica Speer combines stories and insights from hundreds of students. The book is illustrated by Lesley Imgart. The guidebook features humor, creative illustrations, and choose-your-own-adventure scenarios to help your middle schooler deal with drama when life gets a bit weird (as we all know it will).