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The days between Christmas and New Year’s tend to open up in a way the rest of the season doesn’t. The schedule loosens, the holiday rush fades, and suddenly there’s time—real, unscheduled time—to sit down with a book. If you’re searching for books to read during Twixmas, you’re probably looking for something genuinely enjoyable (imagine!) to read during this in-between stretch.
This is the moment for books that are easy to sink into and hard to put down. The kind you can read in long, lazy stretches or pick up between plans without needing to remember a cast of characters or complicated plotlines. You want stories that feel comforting but not boring, thoughtful but not heavy—books that make the days off feel well spent.
Featured image from our interview with Sanne Vloet by Michelle Nash.
The Best Books to Read During Twixmas
Ahead, I’ve pulled together the best books for Twixmas. Whether you finish one book or several, consider this your permission slip to read for pleasure—and nothing else.
Cozy Reads for the In-Between
These are the books you reach for when you want to get absorbed. They’re voice-driven, observant, and deeply engaging—well suited to the in-between days when you’re easing out of holiday mode and settling into a slower rhythm. Some are funny, some are sharp, some touch on heavier themes, but all are genuinely enjoyable to spend time with. Think good company for the couch, a blanket, and a few uninterrupted hours.
Pamela Druckerman
Part memoir, part cultural observation, this book explores the strange, clarifying reality of life in your forties—when you finally understand the subtext, spot red flags sooner, and care far less about being impressive. With wit and self-awareness, Pamela Druckerman captures the relief and humor of realizing that everyone is still winging it.
Georgia Toews
This darkly funny debut follows a twenty-two-year-old woman through rehab and into the disorienting aftermath of early recovery, where staying sober proves as strange and difficult as getting help in the first place. Georgia Toews writes with grit, wit, and emotional honesty, capturing both the absurdity and isolation of starting over. It’s raw without being heavy-handed—and deeply compelling in its clear-eyed look at what comes after rock bottom.
Laurie Colwin
Shine On, Bright and Dangerous Object
This novel follows Olly Bax, newly widowed at twenty-seven, as she grieves a marriage that was already complicated—and begins to reconsider the shape of her life and her capacity for love. With humor, restraint, and emotional intelligence, Laurie Colwin captures grief without sentimentality and growth without grand gestures. I’ve long loved Colwin’s work and consider her deeply underrated; this is a quietly beautiful reminder of why her writing still feels so alive and worth returning to.
Inspiring Reads for a Fresh Start
These are the books you turn to when you’re ready to reflect—quietly, honestly, and without a plan yet in place. They invite perspective rather than pressure, offering ideas and stories that help you take stock of the year behind you and consider what you want more of in the one ahead. Thoughtful and grounding, these reads are less about self-improvement and more about clarity—meeting you exactly where you are before anything needs to change.
Erin Coupe
This book reframes routines not as something to optimize, but as something to choose with intention. Erin Coupe blends neuroscience, storytelling, and practical tools to help you replace autopilot habits with rituals that actually support your energy and values. Grounded and encouraging, it’s a smart pick for the in-between days—when you’re ready to reflect on what fuels you, without feeling pressured to do more.
Dr. Zelana Montminy
Blending behavioral science with real-world insight, this book explores why focus feels so elusive—and how to reclaim it in an always-on world. Dr. Zelana Montminy breaks down the impact of digital overload on our attention and offers practical strategies for creating more presence and clarity. It’s a thoughtful, accessible read for anyone looking to reset their relationship with distraction before the year ahead.
Oliver Burkeman
Rather than promising better productivity, this bestselling book asks a more honest question: how do you want to spend the limited time you actually have? Drawing on philosophy and psychology, Oliver Burkeman challenges the obsession with efficiency and offers a calmer, more humane way to think about work, ambition, and meaning. It’s especially fitting for Twixmas—a reflective read that helps you reset your relationship with time before the new year begins.
Mimi Bouchard
This book centers on the idea that small mindset shifts—paired with consistent practices—can meaningfully change how you show up in your life. I’ve been using Mimi Bouchard’s Activations app alongside reading this, and I’ve been genuinely surprised by what’s shifted in just a few months. If you’re entering the new year open to possibility and ready to approach change with intention (not pressure), this is a motivating, optimistic place to start.
Feel-Good Novels That Go Down Easy
These are the novels you pick up when you want to be entertained. They’re plot-forward, character-driven, and easy to fall into—designed to keep you turning pages and enjoying the ride. No emotional slog, no complicated timelines—just satisfying stories that make reading feel like a pleasure, not a project.
Plum Sykes
Set in the ultra-polished world of England’s most glamorous country enclaves, this novel follows a tangled cast of wealthy wives, social climbers, and outsiders navigating status, scandal, and shifting alliances. With sharp satire and effortless wit, Plum Sykes skewers modern privilege while delivering pure escapism. It’s chic, ridiculous, and laugh-out-loud funny—the kind of book you stay up too late reading because it’s simply too entertaining to put down.
Anne Tyler
Set over the days surrounding a daughter’s wedding, this novel follows Gail Baines—a socially awkward mother navigating job loss, family tension, and the sudden reappearance of her ex-husband. As a long-buried secret threatens to upend the celebration, Anne Tyler captures the quiet humor and emotional complexity of love, marriage, and family life. Gentle, observant, and deeply comforting, it’s a classic Tyler read that feels both familiar and fresh.
Gina Fattore
This semi-autobiographical novel follows a TV writer in Los Angeles whose life looks nothing like the rom-com she imagined—prompting her to seek unexpected guidance from 18th-century diarist Frances Burney. (Jane Austen before she was Jane Austen.) Funny, self-aware, and quietly smart, it satirizes modern dating and creative ambition while offering a surprising meditation on how women’s lives echo across time.
Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham
Set in an elite boarding school community, this fast-moving novel blends drama, relationships, and Hilderbrand’s signature escapism—an easy, absorbing read that’s perfect for long afternoons when you want to be fully entertained without thinking too hard.
Absorbing Reads to Close Out the Year
These are the books that ask for your attention—and reward it. Immersive and emotionally rich, they’re especially satisfying as the year winds down, pulling you fully into another world or way of thinking. Whether you read them quickly or savor them slowly, each offers a sense of completion that feels earned—perfect for closing one chapter before turning to the next.
Nicola Dinan
This novel follows Max, a thirty-year-old trans woman questioning what fulfillment is supposed to look like, as a New Year’s Eve fall sets off a reckoning with love, identity, and the compromises we make to feel secure. Funny, sharp, and emotionally perceptive, Nicola Dinan explores desire, forgiveness, and the limits of reinvention with nuance and wit. It’s contemporary, thoughtful, and deeply readable—perfect for the reflective pause between years.
Hal Ebbott
Set over a single autumn weekend at a country house outside New York, this novel follows two closely intertwined families as a birthday celebration gives way to betrayal. Beneath the ease and intimacy of long-held friendships, envy and resentment surface with devastating consequences. Sharply observed and elegantly written, it’s a gripping, literary read that reveals how fragile even the most polished lives can be.
Catherine Gray
Fourteen-year-old Fern has lived between two very different parents—her glamorous, status-conscious mother in London and her brilliant but self-destructive father in California—until a pivotal moment forces a choice. The novel splits into two parallel versions of Fern’s life, tracing how one decision can shape (and haunt) a future.
Helen Moat
While the Earth Holds Its Breath
Part travelogue, part seasonal reflection, this book follows Helen Moat as she learns to engage with winter rather than endure it—moving from Scotland to the Arctic Circle and Japan in search of light, ritual, and meaning in the darker months. Quietly hopeful and beautifully observed, it’s a thoughtful read for anyone ready to embrace winter on its own terms.
