15 Enchanting Novels to Read by the Fire

Sunday is determined to rebuild her life back on the east coast, even if it does mean tiptoeing around resentful brothers and an ex-fiancé. The longer she stays, however, the more she realizes they need her just as much as she needs them. When a dangerous man from her past brings her family’s pub business to the brink of financial ruin, the only way to protect them is to upend all their secrets.

Mr. Fakhri’s neighborhood book and stationery shop is a place of refuge amidst the political turmoil of 1950s Tehran. It’s also where Roya and Bahman first met, and where their romance bloomed. Shortly before their wedding, the two lovers arrange a date in town. Unfortunately, it’s the night of the 1953 coup. In the chaos, Bahman disappears. Sixty long years later, Roya finally learns Bahman’s fate and gets the chance to meet him once more.

A windswept British isle serves as the setting for this cozy mystery. Newly widowed, Evie is shocked to discover that she may be the owner of an old island hotel off the coast of Cornwall. With her sister, Margot, Evie arrives to find a run-down property and a curious cast of island locals. Soon thereafter, the hotel murders begin. Naturally, all suspicion falls on Evie and Margot. Now the sisters have to solve the murders to save their own lives.

Jacob Finch Bonner was once a promising young novelist, but years later, he finds himself teaching in a third-rate MFA program and struggling to maintain what’s left of his self-respect. When he discovers that his former student has died, presumably without ever writing his promising book with an incredible plot, Jake does what any self-respecting writer would do with a story like that—he writes it himself. The book is a huge success, catapulting Jake to stardom. Then an e-mail arrives: You are a thief.

Almost 300 years ago, Addie LaRue sacrificed her soul and gained eternal life. But the deal came with a catch: Addie was cursed with everlasting obscurity. No matter her accomplishments or how many times she falls in love, no one ever remembers meeting her. Then, when Addie least expects it, she encounters a man who miraculously knows her name.

Mike and Benson are a couple in Houston whose relationship has seen better days. They’ve been together for years, but now they’re not quite sure why they’re still holding on. When Mike learns his estranged father is dying in Osaka, he departs for Japan. Meanwhile, Mike’s mother Mitsuko stays with Benson in Houston. It’s an unusual living arrangement for a young Black man and an older Japanese woman, but it’s also a chance for everyone to reconsider who they are, and how to move forward as a family.

In eighteenth century London, Genevieve Planché yearns to become a world-renowned painter. Yet no one takes the idea of a female artist seriously. So instead she turns her attention to porcelain. Genevieve soon realizes how valuable it is, and her chance to paint porcelain in Venice is a dream come true. She’ll have to learn the inner workings of the art world and how porcelain is made. But first, she must master everything about the color blue. This historical novel is a riveting tale for art and antique lovers alike.

Joanna returns to England to plan the funeral of her father, Hugo Langley. Hugo was a British bomber pilot in World War II; during the war, his plane was shot down over German-occupied Tuscany and he was nursed back to health by Sofia Bartoli. When Joanna finds a sealed letter written by her father to Sofia, its message is life-changing. Now, Joanna must travel to Tuscany and track down the rest of her father’s secrets.

Rory, a Korean War veteran, is a whiskey runner for a powerful family in 1950s North Carolina. He’s thrown into dangerous situations on a daily basis. Yet tensions reach a breaking point when Rory falls in love with the local preacher’s daughter. Rory’s grandma, believed by many to be a witch, tries to keep the lovebirds apart for reasons she won’t discuss. Now, someone’s trying to kill Rory, and Granny has to decide whether to protect the town’s scandalous secrets, or drag everything into the light.

Mariana Andros is a brilliant but troubled group therapist who becomes fixated on a secret society known as The Maidens when one member, a friend of Mariana’s niece Zoe, is found murdered in Cambridge University. Mariana, who was once herself a student there, quickly suspects that behind the idyllic beauty of the spires and turrets, and beneath the ancient traditions, lies something sinister. When another body is found, Mariana’s obsession spirals out of control, threatening to destroy her credibility as well as her closest relationships. But Mariana is determined to stop this killer, even if it costs her everything—including her own life. 

Emmeline and her father live on a beautiful, remote island. He’s a collector, and every nook and cranny of their cabin is filled with bottles containing scents. For young Emmeline, the truth behind each scent is a mystery. Years later, Emmeline is forced to leave her idyllic island home and enter the real world — where she must unravel the mystery of her childhood if she hopes to understand herself.

Franny Stone is a woman on a mission: to follow a flock of rare Arctic terns on what may be their final migration from Greenland to Antarctica. It’s a solitary life that naturally appeals to Franny. Yet one’s secrets have a habit of catching up with you no matter where you are. Soon, Franny must confront her past to find redemption and hope in a world on the edge of collapse.

Agatha Christie fans will swoon over this lively and perplexing narrative. A lavish wedding on a beautiful island off of Ireland slowly loses its charm as ugly resentments bubble to the surface. The more drinks that are imbibed, the more belligerent the guests become. When a body is found on the island, everyone on the guest list becomes a suspect.

Kit’s life is turned upside down when she sees her sister on television … the sister who was killed fifteen years ago in a terrorist attack. Yet there’s Josie, caught on camera in the aftermath of a club fire in Auckland, New Zealand. So begins Kit’s long journey to Auckland, and into the past, to discover what really happened to her sister. Is Josie still alive? If so, can they ever be family again?

Imagine if you could look into the future to see how today’s decisions will impact your life. That’s what happens at the Midnight Library, where each book tells the story of one’s potential future, side by side with one’s current reality. Tonight, it’s Nora Seed’s turn to roam the stacks and figure out what she truly wants out of life.