My End of Year Reading List

It’s that time of year where I look at my shelves and dream about all of the books I’m going to read before the end of the year. And in this blog post I’ll be sharing 15 books I want to read before the end of the year.

The last quarter is really my favorite time of year anyway because of the holidays, so I’m excited to dive into my seasonal and holiday themed reading especially.

Here are 15 books that I definitely want to read before the end of 2023. Some of them are on my physical bookshelves and others are waiting for me on my Kindle. And don’t forget to let me know in the comments if you have read any of these! I’d love to hear your thoughts.

P.S. If you want to read more of my TBR Lists, click here!

Halloween Cupcake Murder

This is a collection of 3 Halloween cozy mystery stories by Carlene O’connor, Liz Ireland, and Carol J Perry. I love seasonal reading and so I’ll be saving this one until the beginning of October, to get me in the Halloween spirit. I’m especially excited for Liz Ireland’s story because I’m obsessed with her Mrs. Claus series. She has created such a fun atmosphere in the North Pole and I get excited every time a new book by her is released.

Darling Girls

The next Sally Hepworth thriller! I was so excited to be approved for this one on Netgalley. This one is about three girls who grew up together in the same foster home. They had some not so great experiences with their foster mother and when they’re forced to revisit the home as adults, some unwanted memories (and also probably childhood trauma) is brought to light.

The Christmas Orphans Club

This is Becca Freeman’s first book and it releases soon! If you’re not familiar with Becca, she is one of the hosts of the Bad on Paper podcast. I’ve been following along on Instagram when she was writing her book and now that it’s finally almost out, I can’t wait to check it out. I mentioned I love seasonal reading, and of course that includes Christmas novels!

Gourd to Death

I bought this last year on thriftbooks. It’s a cozy mystery about a pie making contest gone wrong. When a contestant is found squashed by a giant pumpkin, everyone is a suspect. The main character Val must work to clear her boyfriend’s name and find out who the true killer is.

Autumn Alibi

This is another thriftbooks purchase for me. It’s about an attorney (who may also be wiccan?) who has to figure out a mystery involving a client’s untimely death and their missing most recent will. I bought this last year because I was looking for fall and autumn themed cozy mysteries for a reading vlog I had planned (but never actually filmed). So now I’m enjoying some of the books this Fall season!

Yes, Chef

The thing that made me most want to read this book is the title. Haha. If you’re like me and you’re obsessed with Hulu’s The Bear, you’ll get it. But if not, go watch The Bear and get back to me.

Anyway, this romance novel is about a chef who returns home to help save the family business. But she comes face to face with an incredibly hot head chef and the kitchen gets… steamy? Haha. I’ve never worked in a kitchen before but after watching The Bear I can imagine how stressful and chaotic it is. And how someone who may be your enemy can also become your friend.

I love an enemies to lovers romance, so this sounds right up my alley!

Georgie All Along

In Georgie All Along by Kate Claybourn, a young woman returns home after losing a prestigious job as a personal assistant. Georgie is so used to doing whatever her boss tells her to do that now she’s a little lost. She can help her best friend prepare for the upcoming birth of her first child, but as it turns out there’s not much left to do.

Then she finds a book of goals that she and her friend made during their teenage years. They haven’t accomplished much from the list yet, but there’s still time, isn’t there? Georgie is looking for meaning in her life and it turns out that achieving her childhood goals just might be the way to find it.

A Half Baked Murder

In A Half Baked Murder, Chloe Barnes opens a Cannabis Cafe. Sounds interesting, doesn’t it? (I say this as someone who has only ever gotten high like, 3 times. Lol) She works with her Aunt Dawn to make THC treats, but when someone turns up dead, she has to help clear her Aunt Dawn’s name.

This story sounds really unique. I know there are so many baking and culinary cozies out here, but a Cannabis Cafe is something I haven’t read about before. I’m looking forward to checking out the first release in this series.

Mrs. Clause and the Evil Elves

As I mentioned earlier on in this blog post, I love the Mrs. Claus cozy mystery series by Liz Ireland. In book #3 of the series, they are celebrating Christmas again. But April’s friend from back home, Claire, is coming to Santaland for a visit.

I’m glad to hear that because I can imagine that living at the North Pole can get a bit lonely. I find this series so funny because in the second book in the series, a snowman gets murdered! The Santaland world works in completely mysterious ways and this book seems like it will be no different. I’m looking forward to finding out what will happen next.

Mistletoe Cake Murder

Mistletoe Cake Murder is book #6 in the All Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery Series. Gia Morelli is a New Yorker who now lives in Boggy Creek, Florida and she’s ready to celebrate Christmas with her friends in style. Even better, her best friend Savannah Mills is getting married on Christmas Eve. But when they’re visiting the Savannah’s caterer and a customer suddenly drops dead after tasting the cake, they must work together to clear the caterer’s name.

I love a Christmas mystery, and this one is especially intriguing because it combines Christmas and a wedding! Sounds intriguing, doesn’t it?

Christmas Candy Corpse

This is book #3 in the Courtney Archer series. The American Baking Battle is filming their holiday special at a resort in the Poconos. Courtney has to help figure out what happened when the assistant director of the show is murdered and one of the judges may or may not have been framed. Reality TV shows seems to be a popular setting now for cozy mysteries and I am all about it.

Santa Cruise

This sounds like a fun women’s fiction novel with a Christmas theme. Four best friends from high school reunite on a single’s cruise during the holiday season. I have a feeling this book may contain flashbacks to their high school days. It sounds like a fun story about self reflection and reconnecting as an adult.

The Christmas House

A cute Christmas story set in the small town of Silver Springs. Our main character Ruby is the owner of a historic B&B in town. Every Christmas they are known for opening their doors to people in need. Ruby also invites some of her family to come spend Christmas at the B&B, but things don’t go exactly as planned when family secrets are revealed.

One Charmed Christmas

Well what do we have here… another book about a Christmas cruise! Catherine Pine is invited to go on the cruise by a friend, who knows that Catherine’s last Christmas was challenging due to the loss of her husband and not having her kids around. Catherine and her new friend Sophie meet a bunch of new and interesting people on the cruise and are in for an interesting Christmas, that’s for sure.

Murder at an Irish Christmas

The entire Sullivan family has gone to West Cork to celebrate Christmas together, and that’s about all I’ve got. The summary is a little confusing to read. Haha. I think the family agrees to do a secret/santa type gift exchange and then someone gets killed? I’ll let you know when I get around to reading this one. I was approved to review it for Netgalley and I am waiting until November/December to read it.

You can read some of my other book lists here!