Check out our top five novels for cosy Christmas reads

Good luck getting up off the sofa now...

Words by Nav Kaur

Christmas time is all about unwinding with a piping hot mug of cocoa and cosying up in-front of a blazing hot fire-place. Add a good book into the equation, and you have yourself the festive set-up of dreams. But whether it be for yourself or a loved one, searching for a solid read can be tricky - especially when you consider all the amazing titles that have come out in the last year. That is why, our gorgeous book-loving fiends, we are on hand to assist you, by offering a round-up of our favourite literary reads of 2019.

Whether you’re shopping for a feminist, a romanticist or a history enthusiast, there is something for everyone within this list, and these novels will ignite just about anyone's love of reading. Take some inspiration from these top five reads hand-picked by us at Marie Claire, and give a great little Christmas gift this year...

Magpie by Sophie Draper

Great for anyone who loves an enticing thriller, this novel tells the story of Claire, a woman escaping a marriage to a man she feels she barely knows. After uncovering the double-life her husband Duncan lives, and learning of the shocking disappearance of her son Joe, she is forced to re-evaluate everything that led to her family being torn apart.

Magpie by Sophie Draper is available to buy now at Waterstones, £7.99

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert

From the author that blessed us with ‘Eat, Pray, Love’, this new novel by author Elizabeth Gilbert is a perfect read to bring some bright summertime vibes back into the cold winter.

Set in the summer of 1940, Vivian Morris is a head-strong nineteen-year-old girl who decides to move to New York after being exiled by her parents. She takes up employment as a seamstress at a Manhattan revue theatre and quickly discovers what it really means to live a glamorous life. A classic coming of age story, this novel offers a great lesson on the importance of truly learning to become yourself.

City Of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert is available to buy now at Waterstones, £16.99

The Truants by Kate Weinberg

This book is a must read for fans of mystery novels. Set on an East Anglian University Campus, The Truants tells the story of Jess Walker, a first year University student who is enticed into a love-affair with the professor of her Agatha Christie class. After a mysterious disappearance and a tragic loss, Jess is drawn to go on a, you guessed it, a Christie-style adventure to find out what happened. Cleverly written and relentlessly intriguing, The Truants is the perfect novel for inquisitive minds to escape into. 

The Truants by Kate Weinburg is available to buy now at Bloomsbury, for a reduced price of £8.24

The Farm by Joanne Ramos

If you know someone who is a big fan off The Handmaids tale then this novel is definitely a must buy. The Farm tells the story of Jane, a young immigrant looking for a better future. Stuck living in a cramped dorm with her baby daughter and aunt, she is in desperate search to change her life, but it comes at a cost.

The Farm by Bloomsbury is available to buy now at Waterstones, £12.99

Dining at Dusk by Stevan Paul

A perfect pick for any food lover, and brings a bit of summertime nostalgia to the cold festive period. At a time when everyone's unwinding and the day is done, while drinks and food are being prepared in abundance, Dining at Dusk brings you amazing cuisines - from Somoa, where the sun sets first, via Australia, Japan, India, Europe, Morocco and Brazil to the USA and Mexico. Culinary and cultural tradition is taking the world by storm, and this book is the perfect way to indulge yourself in delicious aperitifs from around the world this Christmas.

Dining at Dusk by Stevan Paul is available to buy now at Amazon, £20