The Christmas Bookshop

Colgan’s (Sunrise by the Sea) new Edinburgh-set Christmas novel is full of references to books, descriptions of the twisty insides of a bookshop, and fun details about Scotland, Quakerism, and the centuries-old Great Yew Tree of Ormiston. Carmen and her older sister Sophia have struggled to find peace in their sibling relationship since childhood. Now Carmen is nearing 30 and has lost the only job she’s ever had, at a local department store. Carmen moves in with the very pregnant Sophia to help care for her nieces and nephew and takes a new job working for one of Sophia’s clients, a bookshop owner in Edinburgh. Carmen will help Mr. McCredie try to save his bookshop and make it profitable again, while also working on her familial relationships—and maybe finding a little romance of her own before the Christmas season ends. Colgan describes the sweet transformation of a dusty bookshop, mirroring Carmen’s own development into a confident businesswoman and cherished family member, with a few laughs along the way.