This month’s reading stack felt like an evening spent by candelight and without disruption: British villages with secrets, kitchens humming with warmth, family dynamics crackling just beneath the surface, and the kind of stories that feel indulgent without ever tipping into excess. There was murder (quite a bit of it!), memoir, merriment, and more than one moment of laughing out loud while reading alone—which I consider the highest compliment.
I spent several evenings tucked into the A Most Unusual Demise series by Katherine Black—quintessentially British, warmly familiar, and unexpectedly dark, with a charming village cast that belies just how sinister things can get beneath the surface. That sense of coziness was softened by Jump and Find Joy, a gentle collection of vignettes from Hoda Kotb’s life and career. Family drama entered the mix with Seven Days of Us, a tender, sharp portrait of a family forced into close quarters—very The Family Stone, but set against the wintry calm of a British country home. I laughed out loud more than once while reading Be Ready When the Luck Happens, newly discovering Ina Garten not just as an iconic hostess but as a genuinely funny, self-aware storyteller with impeccable timing. And finally, I closed the month with The Christmas Eve Murders—a festive whodunit that leans a touch Scooby-Doo in its theatrics, but does so with such charm and holiday spirit that you can’t help but go along for the ride.
Without further adieu, here are the rankings for the books I read in December 2025.
