Recs if you like The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror...

Alternative Xmas reading — think downbeat stories, family dysfunction, holiday loneliness, seasonal depression, black comedy. There's a gift from me to you under the tree in the comments.

Other winter-holiday books welcome as long as they're cranky!

Is your cynicism chronic? Check out my list Bleakness Is My Weakness...

So far these men: can write women characters with depth, don’t enact needless sexual violence on their characters, and aren’t irl monsters. Also their writing is good.

Silent Night, Bloody Night. Snow falls, and everything looks peaceful. Until it isn’t. These are stories where the holidays turn hostile: killers in the cold, ancient things in the woods, parties that end in blood. From slashers to folklore to sheer winter dread, these books remind you that not all traditions should be kept alive.