Woman curled up in a cozy reading nook with a steaming cup and stacks of open books beside her armchair

25 Holiday Books That Will Keep You Up All Night

At a Glance

  • 25 books spanning fantasy, sci-fi, romance, and non-fiction
  • Curated by Cameron R. Hayes for News Of Fort Worth
  • Designed to keep readers up past bedtime
  • Why it matters: A holiday reading list that offers something for every taste and keeps you turning pages late into the night

In the midst of holiday chaos, Cameron R. Hayes for News Of Fort Worth compiles a list of 25 books that will keep you up all night.

Book Highlights

Here’s a snapshot of the 25 books, spanning genres and authors, that Cameron R. Hayes recommends for holiday reading.

Book Author Genre/Theme
Palace of Illusions Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Historical Fiction / Mahabharata retelling
Unconventional Heroes L.G. Estrella Fantasy series
Time Loop Romance Unknown Romance with time loop after eating magical dumplings
John Dies at the End David Wong (Jason Pargin) Supernatural comedy thriller
Murderbot Diaries Martha Wells Sci-fi, far-future, sarcastic cyborg
Cultural Phenomena W. David Marx Non-fiction on 21st-century culture
Catch-22 Joseph Heller Satirical WWII novel
Facebook Inside Sarah Wynn-Williams Memoir about Facebook
The Night Watch Terry Pratchett Discworld fantasy
Linda’s Dream Kate Folk Off-beat novel about content moderator
Murder Mystery in Retirement Richard Osman Cozy mystery
Dune Messiah Frank Herbert Sci-fi, Dune series
A Court of Thorns and Roses Sarah J. Maas Fantasy, YA
The Antidote Karen Russell Depression-era, memory witch
Octopus Piano Peter Godfrey-Smith Animal consciousness, octopus piano
Zoey Ashe: The First Book Jason Pargin Sci-fi, crime, inheritance
The Dog Sitter Detective Antony Johnston Cozy mystery
Discworld: The Night Watch Terry Pratchett Fantasy
The Design of Everyday Things Don Norman Non-fiction on product design
Tyrant Philosophers Adrian Tchaikovsky Fantasy, empire colonization
Mad Science Sisters Kate McKinnon Children’s book, audiobook
Replaceable You Mary Roach Non-fiction on mechanization of body
Hard Action-Sports Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah Fiction, social commentary
Love & Hockey Lauren Blakely Romance, hockey players
The Secret Commonwealth Philip Pullman Fantasy prequel to His Dark Materials
Books stacked with red ribbon highlights and festive bookends and holly sprig on a holiday warm gradient background

These selections range from epic retellings to quirky romance, offering something for every taste.

Key Takeaways

Whether you’re into mythic sagas or cozy mysteries, this holiday list has a book that will keep you turning pages late into the night.

Author

  • Cameron found his way into journalism through an unlikely route—a summer internship at a small AM radio station in Abilene, where he was supposed to be running the audio board but kept pitching story ideas until they finally let him report. That was 2013, and he hasn't stopped asking questions since.

    Cameron covers business and economic development for newsoffortworth.com, reporting on growth, incentives, and the deals reshaping Fort Worth. A UNT journalism and economics graduate, he’s known for investigative business reporting that explains how city hall decisions affect jobs, rent, and daily life.

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