We made it an entire year (and I managed to keep up with the prompts, so double win)! This month we’ll read a non-conventional book (horror or thriller) for this time of year, and we’ll also read a book with magical realism. Read on for suggestions.

As always, the books listed are merely suggestions, and you are not limited to only the books I have listed. Also, I haven’t read all of the suggested books. Some of them I pulled from other reader’s lists because the synopsis sounded interesting. Do your due diligence to check trigger warnings, etc before jumping in. Happy reading!

Horror and thriller books are some of my favorites. I especially love scary books set in a snowy landscape. Let’s read a book that fits that vibe. Here are a few suggestions:

And a few others:

• NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
• Krampus the Yule Lord by Gerald Brom
• Secret Santa by Andrew Shaffer
• Ghost Story by Peter Straub
• I Saw Zombies Eating Santa Clause by S.G. Browne
• Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates

‘Tis the season for magic. Let’s read a book with a magical element to it.

A few more:

• The Good Part by Sophie Cousens
• The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
• The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
• Christmas People by Iva Marie-Palmer
• A Christmas Eve Love Story by Ginny Baird
• Midnight in Everwood by M.A. Kuszniar

For more reading prompts and to see my progress on these and other challenges check out this page.

If you’re playing along, don’t forget to tag your posts on Instagram or Threads using the #JRIA25 hashtag.

Happy reading!