A Merry Book List

Books for Christmas

Dearest Reader,

Shopping for loved ones can be hard, can’t it? Around Christmas I’m usually thinking about books. Books I want to buy for friends and family. Or, to be honest, the books I’ve been waiting on all year to splurge on for my birthday (which is always around Black Friday)!

In light of this, I thought it would be helpful to compile a list for my subscribers. In case you are also considering books for loved ones (or yourself). Many of these are authors you may not have heard of since they are indie published. Which makes buying from them even more exciting!

I’d love to link every single book to an author page, but this time of year is a bit hectic and in the wise words of that one lady who blew up YouTube, “Ain’t nobody got time for that.”

What I will do is italicize the books I’ve read (the rest are ones I’ve purchased recently and on my list to read) and if you have any questions about content you can email me!

Now.

Without further ado…

For my marvelous middle grade readers:

Bark of the Bog Owl by Jonathan Rodgers

Harlow Morgan and the Sky City by Lyndsey Lewellen

Henry and the Chalk Dragon by Jennifer Trafton

The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull

The Green Embers Series by S.D. Smith

The Mistmantle Chronicles by M.I. McAllister

The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill

The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

For the terrific teens who enjoy fantasy and science fiction:

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

Thread of Dreams by Emily Barnett (Hey, I know her!)

Where Darkness Dwells by Andrea Renae

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Iron Heart of Terlian by Adelaide Thorne

Shadowless by Alison Robinson

Flameheart by Dalton and Emily Bequette

Daughter of the Sun by Amanda Auler

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

The Arrow and the Crown by Emma C. Fox

Unearth the Tides by Alissa Zavalianos

Of Fire and Ash by Gillian Bronte Adams

For my perfectly poetic and whimsical readers:

What Comes of Attending the Commoner’s Ball by Elisabeth Aimee Brown

Mirrors by Brittany Eden (new release!)

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

Moon soul by Nathaniel Luscombe

The Girl Whose Frown Shook the Ground by Melody Trowell

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery (much better than Anne, IMO)

The Light Princess by George MacDonald

For awesome adults who adore fantasy/sci fi with a side of romance (or the other way around):

Earthbound by Katee Stein

A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross

Unleashed by Amber Kirkpatrick

Recorder by Cathy McCrumb

For adults who love love (sweet contemporary romance):

Seashells and Other Souvenirs by Rachel Lawrence

Love in Tandem by Becca Kinzer

Literary sleuths who enjoy a good whodunnit novel:

Ivory City by Emily Bain Murphy (currently reading and loving!)

Spectres in the Glass House by Jaime Jo Wright

A Rather Peculiar Poisoning by Chrystal Shleyer

The Curious Case of the Midnight Specter by Moriah Chavez

Thin Air by Kellie M. Parker

Super cozy fantasy for adults (and maybe teens too):

Wormwood Abbey by Christina Baehr (this whole series!)

Keeper of Enchanted Rooms by Charlie N. Holmberg

Sparrow in the Sun by Danielle Bullen

The Gingerbread Queen by Carrie Anne Noble

For the fan of classics:

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry (currently reading)

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (Not a classic, but it will be one day)

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 1 by Beth Brower (a recent series but the writer’s style feels like Jane Austen)

The Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis (and everything else he’s written, of course)

Watership Down by Richard Adams

The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Non-fiction Christian for adults:

Rembrandt is in the Wind: Learning to Love Art Through the Eyes of Faith
by Russ Ramsey

Now and Not Yet: Pressing in When you’re Waiting, Wanting, and Restless for More by Ruth Chou Simmons

On Magic and Miracles: A Theological Guide to Discerning Fictional Magic
by Marian A. Jacobs (currently reading!)

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
by John Mark Comer

God Does His Best Work with Empty
by Nancy Guthrie

I know I’ve missed some wonderful books and left out other obvious works as well (Narnia and LOTR is a given, folks!). But I hope this helps you find a new author or two. I will also include the PDF so you can download and save the list for future reference:

By the way—my YA science fantasy novel, Thread of Dreams, is currently on sale from my publisher’s website! You can check it out here.

Love and Wonder to you all this season,
Emily Barnett

P.S. The next time you hear from me will be in the form of a Christmas story. I can’t wait to share Flippity and Scrooge’s tale with you on December 15th!

P.P.S. Let me know which books I need to add to my list ASAP!