There’s no denying it—the Christmas season is truly upon us. But with piles of work ahead, holiday get-togethers we have no idea how to dress for (read: they’re virtual), and the fact that everyone and their mother is wearing a face shield, things are a little weird to get into this year. Luckily, if you need to catch up on your 2020 Reading Challenge goals, we have five titles that are sure to get you in the holiday spirit. 

1. For those who love Love, Actually: Let It Snow

Just like the cult-classic Christmas movie, this collection of stories follows three different characters during the same holiday season in the same city. A huge snowstorm is brewing in Gracetown, and Jubilee, Tobin, and Addie are in for the most memorable Christmas of their lives. How will their paths intersect? 

2. For those who love New York City: Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares

It’s tough to find The One in the Big Apple. You have to be very discerning, cause y’know, there are bad people out there. Or weird ones. Lily, wanting to find the right kind of guy, leaves a red notebook full of dares in her favorite bookstore, hoping that the one who can solve its riddles will be the one she falls in love with next. Their adventure through New York City will have you dreaming of the last time you visited.

3. For those who truly believe in destiny: One Day in December

Everyone’s a sucker for missed connections—the handsome stranger you lock eyes with on a train, the mysterious man sitting two tables from you at a restaurant, you catch the drift. This is exactly what happens to Laurie; from a bus window, she meets eyes with someone intriguing. And she just…knows. So she searches everywhere for him, until she finally finds him by chance. As it turns out, the missed connection is her best friend’s new boyfriend. So what happens now?

4. For those who love a classic: Little Women

We often forget that Little Women is a Christmas story—the story unfolds over the holiday season, centered around the March sisters: Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy. Jo has gone off to New York to become the writer she’s always wanted to be. Meanwhile, in Europe, Meg has a chance encounter with someone from Jo’s past. Will a love triangle brew? And what of the fate of Beth’s marriage and Amy’s worsening health? You might have not picked up this Louisa May Alcott classic since high school, but it’s a good one to revisit this year.

5. For those who miss traveling: Royal Holiday

Who doesn’t love a Christmas getaway? Unfortunately, getting out of town can be tedious these days—let alone hopping on a plane out of the country. Luckily, we can live vicariously through Vivian Forest, who never thought she’d meet her next love on her daughter’s work trip to England, where Vivian has unceremoniously been asked to tag along. Will Malcolm Hudson, private assistant to the Queen, be her forever and always?

Who knows how long it’ll be until we can celebrate Christmas the way we used to? One thing’s for sure, though—we can always get lost in the world of a great book. And if that allows us to forget reality for even a couple of hours, then we’ll take it.