Biblio File

Five Tales of Chanukah Romance

Christmas love stories are huge, and Chanukah is getting in on the action. All the same great tropes apply: cold hands, warm hearts, candlelight, strolls down snowy streets, cozy snuggles in front of the fire... you know the drill.

The universe doesn’t abound with Chanukah love stories and we couldn’t quite find one for each night, but we did track down a handful in our Library catalog. And if you have a favorite that isn't on this list, please let us know in the comments!

So get ready to escape from your real-world troubles and read by the light of the menorah. Happy holidays, everyone!

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Burning Bright: Four Chanukah Love Stories by Megan Hart, Jennifer Gracen, Stacey Agdern, and KK Hendin
Chanukah lovers hit the jackpot with this new collection. Four experienced romance authors put these short stories/novellas together into a single Chanukah extravaganza, with storylines about cute Israeli soldiers and lawyers in love.

The Forgotten Man by Ryan Loveless
Everything great, rolled into one: a historical LGBTQ romance with a Chanukah storyline! Sparks fly when Joshua (a World War I veteran) meets Will (a street musician), and they need to figure what their future holds.

Burning Bright by Maggie Shayne, Anne Stuart, and Judith Arnold
Wiccan and Jewish characters star in these three Harlequin stories — one about Chanukah, one about Solstice, and one about Christmas — all set in the same little Vermont town.

My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories, ed. Stephanie Perkins
Big-name YA authors came together in this 2015 holiday collection, which includes a Chanukah story: “What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth?” by Gayle Forman. Fluffy and sweet, it tells the tale of a Jewish girl and a great first kiss.

Scenes from a Holiday by Laurie Graff, Caren Lissner, and Melanie Murray
Laurie Graff’s short story, “Eight Dates of Hanukkah,” leads off this collection of three stories with a woman in a “Hanukkoma” after a mild concussion — hallucinating that she’s trapped in “Menorahville” on a series of terrible dates.

Plus, don't miss this Goodreads list of Chanukah romance and this great roundup from Sarah Wendell — author of her own Chanukah romance, Lighting the Flames.

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Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!

Comments

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A whole new romance sub-genre just opened up for me

Chanukah romance novels?! I'm so excited!