cozy books to read this season // blogmas day 6

Hey, friends!

For today’s blogmas post, I have a cozy book list with books to read this season, add to your Christmas wishlist if you’re late, or books to give to someone if you need a quick last-minute gift idea. Pretty much all of these are middle-grade since that’s mainly what I read. Not all of these are necessarily Christmas or holiday-themed (some are!), but the ones that aren’t just give a cozy vibe. Let’s get onto the list!

1. absolutely truly (book #1 in pumpkin falls mysteries)

I just read this series for the first time recently, and it’s one of my new favorites for middle-grade. The first book, Absolutely Truly, isn’t set at Christmastime but is in winter and seems cozy! I love that it’s set in a cute small town, and the characters are so fun.

Blurb: Now that Truly Lovejoy’s father has been injured by an IED in Afghanistan and is having trouble finding work back home, the family moves from Texas to tiny Pumpkin Falls, New Hampshire, to take over Lovejoy’s Books, a struggling bookstore that’s been in the family for one hundred years. With two older brothers and two younger sisters clamoring for attention, her mother back in school, and everyone up to their eyebrows trying to keep Lovejoy’s Books afloat, Truly feels more overlooked than usual. So she pours herself into uncovering the mystery of an undelivered letter she finds stuck in a valuable autographed first edition of Charlotte’s Web, which subsequently goes missing from the bookshop. What’s inside the envelope leads Truly and her new Pumpkin Falls friends on a madcap treasure hunt around town, chasing clues that could spell danger.

2. ’tis the season & special delivery (books #3 and #8 in main street)

Ann M. Martin has been one of my favorite authors since pretty much I started reading chapter books and I still read some of her books today, not necessarily because they’re the most well-written but mostly for nostalgia and memories. 😂 Tis the Season is probably my favorite book in her Main Street series, but Special Delivery is also set at Thanksgiving / Christmastime.

If you need gift ideas for younger girls, I loved her Babysitters Club Series (I literally read all 150+ of all the originals from the series 😅) and there are some Christmas books in that series, too.)

3. the mother daughter book club

After reading Absolutely Truly, the Mother-Daughter Book Club showed up on my Goodreads and since I know a lot of people love it and I had nothing else to listen to, I picked it up. There are definitely some things I don’t love about it, but for the most part, I love it, and I wish I had read it a couple of years ago. The whole series is really good & the fifth book, Home for the Holidays is a cute and cozy book to read or listen to.

Blurb: The book club is about to get a makeover…. Even if Megan would rather be at the mall, Cassidy is late for hockey practice, Emma’s already read every book in existence, and Jess is missing her mother too much to care, the new book club is scheduled to meet every month. But what begins as a mom-imposed ritual of reading Little Women soon helps four unlikely friends navigate the drama of middle school. From stolen journals, to secret crushes, to a fashion-fiasco first dance, the girls are up to their Wellie boots in drama. They can’t help but wonder: What would Jo March do?

4. bloomability

Writing these posts always makes me think of what I liked about the specific book other than “it was good, you should read it, too.” 😂 And it’s even harder when I haven’t read the book recently. Bloomability is pretty much that, a good book with an interesting plot and fun characters. It’s set in Switzerland so they ski & it made me think of winter/Christmas.

Blurb: Kidnapped! The kidnappers are actually her Aunt Sandy and Uncle Max, but that doesn’t matter to Domenica Santolina Doone, better known as Dinnie. She feels as if she’s being taken out of the country against her will. Certainly no one asked her opinion. Dinnie is used to change—with her family constantly moving from state to state while her father searches for one new “opportunity” after another. But when her aunt and uncle whisk her away to an international school in Lugano, Switzerland, Dinnie feels that this might be one “opportunity” that isn’t right for her. Suddenly Dinnie’s surrounded by kids from many different cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs. Home, and her first life, seem so far away. Can she adapt to a new country, a new home, and new friends? Or will it just be easier to close herself off—just survive—and never realize all the “bloomabilities” that are possible?

5. nothing else but miracles

Personally, I think the books that you remember being amazing and you still sometimes think about even months after you’ve read them are the best kind of books. Nothing Else but Miracles is that for me. It’s definitely some really Christmas-themed but it is a really good middle-grade book that would be perfect to read with hot cocoa or tea & a blanket.

Blurb: When 12-year-old Dory Byrne’s pop left New York City’s Lower East Side to fight Hitler, he promised her and her brothers that they’d be safe. Like he always said, “the neighborhood will give you what you need.” There’s the lady from the bakery, who saves them leftover crullers. The kind landlord who checks in on them. And every Thursday night, the Byrnes enjoy a free bowl of seafood stew at Mr. Caputo’s restaurant. . . which is where Dory learns about the abandoned hand-pulled elevator that is the only way to get to Caputo’s upper floors. But when a new landlord threatens their home in the community that’s raised them and kept them safe, the secret elevator—and the abandoned hotel it leads to—provides just the solution they need.

6. the vanderbeekers of 141st street

The first book in the Vanderbeekers series and I was going to say the best one, but in my opinion, The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue is the best. (Or The Vanderbeekers Make a Wish, I honestly don’t know which is better 😂) Either way, the Vandbeekers of 141st Street is an amazing book – set right before Christmas – and so is the whole rest of the series.

Blurb: The Vanderbeekers have always lived in the brownstone on 141st Street. It’s practically another member of the family. So when their reclusive, curmudgeonly landlord decides not to renew their lease, the five siblings have eleven days to do whatever it takes to stay in their beloved home and convince the dreaded Beiderman just how wonderful they are. And all is fair in love and war when it comes to keeping their home.

7. the four story mistake

So, the other books in the Melendy Quartet might partially be set in Christmastime (if you’ve read them, comment down below and tell me!) but I don’t remember for sure. The Four Story Mistake is the second book in the Melendy Quartet and even though the whole book isn’t centered around the holidays, there are a couple chapters and overall, it is a really cozy read! (Also, the blurb is probably the most boring way to describe the book but I couldn’t find a better one so I promise, the book is way better than the blurb 😂)

Blurb: The Melendy family moves from their New York City brownstone to an odd old house in the country. Mona, 13, actress-to-be, recites poetry at the drop of a hat. Rush, 12, is a bit mischievous. Miranda, 10, dances and paints pictures. Oliver, 6, is calm and thoughtful. Their father is a writer, so beloved housekeeper Cuffy takes on the motherly role.

now, it’s your turn!

What are you reading right now? Any other ideas for this list?

Thank you so much for reading!
Pearl 🤍