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We wrap up this year’s Holiday Author Blog series with Julia Kelly, the award-winning author of books about ordinary women and their extraordinary stories. Her upcoming novel, THE LAST DANCE OF THE DEBUTANTE (on sale January 4th), whisks readers to midcentury Britain as it follows three of the last debutantes to be presented to Queen Elizabeth II. Julia and the members of her family are all voracious readers, so they know that on Christmas Day, each of their personal libraries will be well-stocked with new releases and old favorites. Read on to discover the unique (and fun!) way they exchange their bookish gifts.

Jacquelyn Mitchard is the New York Times bestselling author of 22 novels for adults and teenagers. Her upcoming novel, THE GOOD SON, releases on January 18th and is about a mother who must help her son after he is convicted of a devastating crime. In her holiday blog post, Jacquelyn recalls the most memorable gift she has ever received: a first edition of her favorite book, A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN, which her longtime literary agent gave her for Christmas. But it’s what she found stuck among its pages that made the book truly irreplaceable for her.

Xochitl Gonzalez’s debut novel, OLGA DIES DREAMING, releases on January 4th and revolves around a status-driven wedding planner grappling with her social ambitions, absent mother and Puerto Rican roots --- all in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Xochitl describes her first semester of college as a “giant culture shock,” but fortunately she developed a close friendship with her roommate, Celeste. Despite their different backgrounds, they had plenty in common when it came to their families, musical tastes and love for books. The latter proved to be their saving grace following an argument that Xochitl and Celeste had right before they headed home for the holidays.

Kimberly Belle is the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of seven novels, including her upcoming domestic thriller, MY DARLING HUSBAND, which releases as an e-book and audiobook on December 28th and in paperback on March 8th. Books played a major role in Kimberly’s life starting at a very young age, so it was only natural that she would pass on her love of reading to her two children. In her holiday blog post, Kimberly recalls a visit she received one Christmas from her parents, who brought along a suitcase of books from her childhood. There was one title in particular that she had forgotten all about, but she will never forget the impact it had on her and the important lessons she learned from it.

We are kicking off this year’s Holiday Author Blog series with New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Diane Chamberlain. Her new domestic thriller, THE LAST HOUSE ON THE STREET, releases on January 11th and revolves around two women --- a generation apart --- who find themselves bound by tragedy and an unsolved, decades-old mystery. Diane recalls the first Christmas she spent with her boyfriend, Rick, in San Diego, which was 3,000 miles away from her family in New Jersey. She enjoyed so many wonderful Christmases with her loved ones, so it was especially difficult to be so far away from them that particular year. Fortunately, on Christmas morning, Diane came to a realization that led to something totally unexpected --- and a memory she will treasure forever.

  On Wednesday, December 8th, we hosted a very special and FUN “Bookaccino Live” event. As part of Bookreporter's 25th anniversary celebration, 10 of our longtime reviewers --- Sarah Rachel Egelman, Megan Elliott, Pauline Finch, Harvey Freedenberg, Bronwyn Miller, Rebecca Munro, Eileen Zimmerman Nicol, Ray Palen, Norah Piehl and Stuart Shiffman --- talked about their three favorite books of 2021. Their selections cover a wide variety of genres, and there may be a few titles here that you didn’t have on your radar that you will want to check out.