GOOD READS
A season of stories 12 books and a Christmas bonus
By TOM MAYER
As the days grow shorter and the holiday season approaches, there is no shortage of good reasons to settle in with a book. This season ' s selections range from cozy Japanese bookshops and feline-assisted healing to classic Christmas mysteries, high-stakes thrillers, science fiction, horror and stories of grief, faith and redemption. Readers can revisit familiar heroes including Harry Bosch and Jack Reacher, return to the worlds of The Shack and the Ender Saga, or discover new characters facing everything from arranged marriages in space to sinister houses and cursed objects. Here are 12 titles to consider for fall and the holidays, plus one bonus story to save for Christmas Eve.
Friday Bookshop( Berkley) by Sawako Natori
The Friday Bookshop is a cozy bookstore tucked inside a rustic train station north of Tokyo, where rumor has it that readers can find the book they need at exactly the right moment. When college student Fumiya visits in search of a book for his ill father, he discovers a café with a whimsical menu, an underground vault of bookshelves converted from an abandoned subway platform and three quirky longtime friends who run the shop, eventually taking a part-time job there. Though Fumiya was never much of a reader, the bookshop teaches him to embrace reading as a way to connect with others and navigate life ' s twists and turns. For readers who love cozy bookstores, quirky characters and stories about the unexpected ways books can shape our lives.
Christmas Stocking Murder( Poisoned Pen Press) by Denzil Meyrick
In this second book of the Frank Grasby Mysteries, Inspector Frank Grasby and Superintendent Arthur Juggers investigate the murder of a fisherman found on a beach in the remote village of Uthley Bay at Christmas in 1953, with a stocking twisted around his throat. When a blizzard cuts the village off from the rest of the country and the locals refuse to talk, the detectives are left chasing false leads while a sinister bespectacled man is spotted snooping around the hotel while Grasby becomes increasingly preoccupied with the village ' s unusually high standards of hosiery. With everyone a suspect and no way out of the snowbound village, Grasby and Juggers must unravel the secrets surrounding the killing. For readers who enjoy traditional holiday mysteries, isolated settings and a generous supply of suspects.
One Split Second( Thomas & Mercer) by Robert Dugoni
The 12th book in the Tracy Crosswhite series brings Detective Tracy Crosswhite into the defense of an old friend, Sheriff Jenny Almond, who has been charged with first-degree murder after shooting an unarmed veteran during a squally night of confusion and fear. The case draws Tracy back to the unsolved disappearance of a teenage babysitter more than four decades earlier, when Jenny ' s late father believed the victim in the present-day shooting had been framed. As Tracy investigates both crimes, she uncovers long-buried secrets and sinister motives linking the past and present. For readers who enjoy police procedurals, cold cases and mysteries in which decadesold secrets refuse to stay buried.
The Hollow( Little, Brown and Company) by Michael Connelly
The 21st book in the Harry Bosch series sends the retired LAPD detective into the darkest chapter of his past, beginning with memories of the children ' s center where he lived after his mother was murdered. When Bosch learns that former residents of the abusive facility are receiving money from a settlement, he rejects his share and instead seeks justice for Chops, a fellow ward he believes was murdered in a hidden space beneath the stairs known as“ the hollow.” As Bosch reopens the investigation, he follows a trail to a predator who survived and went on to a life of vicious crime, forcing Bosch to confront the history that helped shape him and his career as a cop. For readers who enjoy determined detectives, unsolved crimes and stories that connect a hero ' s personal history to his pursuit of justice.
Welcome to the Kokoro Cat Clinic( We ' ll Prescribe You a Cat, Book 3)( Berkley) by Syou Ishida
In the third book of the We ' ll Prescribe You a Cat series, Dr. Nikké and the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul continue their unconventional approach to healing by pairing people with cats. The clinic ' s visitors include a woman anxious about an upcoming competition, an overwhelmed young father, an illustrator questioning her career and a young woman burdened with guilt, each leaving with a cat and a deeper understanding of themselves. Through these stories, the novel explores the complicated minds of its human characters and the bond between people and their feline companions, offering compassion beyond simple comfort. For readers who enjoy episodic stories, cats and gentle explorations of how human-animal connections can transform lives.
44
Cullman magazine | HOLIDAY 2026