Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop

A Novel

By: Jenny Colgan

Narrated by: Eilidh Beaton

Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

Your most delightful holiday listen: the sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller The Christmas Bookshop, from beloved Scottish author Jenny Colgan.

Christmas comes early—far too early—to McCredie’s little Old Town bookshop in Edinburgh. It’s summer, but an American production company has decided that McCredie’s is the perfect location to film a very cheesy Christmas movie. After all, who can resist the charmingly narrow historic street with its Victorian grey stone buildings and warmly lit shop windows?

Carmen Hogan, the bookshop’s manager, is amused and a bit horrified by the goings-on, but the money the studio is paying is too good to pass up. She uses the little windfall from filming to create new displays and fend off a buyout offer from an obnoxious millionaire who wants to turn McCredie’s into a souvenir shop selling kilts made in China and plastic Nessies. Still reeling slightly from a breakup, Carmen’s not particularly looking forward to the holidays. But just as snow begins to fall and the lights of Christmas blink on, all sorts of lovely new possibilities present themselves…for McCredie’s bookstore, and for Carmen herself.

©2023 Jenny Colgan (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Narrator Eilidh Beaton wraps listeners in a warm Christmas blanket while introducing the delights of an Edinburgh holiday.... Every character becomes a person listeners will want to meet. From the tacky businessman Jackson McClockerty to Carmen's sister's roguish 'manny,' Rudi, no one escapes Beaton's attention. Beaton perfectly evokes Carmen's four nieces and nephews, in particular, officious Pippa and earnest Phoebe, who serve as sibling foils. Carmen's many worries sound both funny and heartfelt. The story, whose plot rises and falls like Edinburgh's hilly streets, is both a paean to the city and a nod to how its contemporary inhabitants find meaning during the Christmas holidays." (AudioFIle)

Sweet Christmas story.

Easy to listen to. Sweet story. Nice setting in Edinburgh. Perfect for the Christmas season.

I want to visit this bookshop!

It took forever to get to the happy ending even though there were many moments of delight along the way. I was very nervous that it would never happen! I was hoping the old poet would share a new poem, surreptitiously to be found amongst the stacks. I loved the descriptions of Edinburgh, but it sounds unbelievable so I’m just going to have to visit there, but maybe not at Christmastime. Summer would be good!

I love this story

I loved the continuation of Carmen's story with the resolution in her family and her personal growth.

Such a sweet story!

I needed something light and fun. This was perfect! I love Jenny Colgan’s books. The bookshop series is adorable.

The details of the bookstore, and the town of Edinburgh surrounding it

I love this book. I wish you could go on and on and on.I wish there were more in the series.

Another wonderful Jenny Colgan story

I really enjoyed the warmth in this story. So nice to see the characters developing

Lovely christmas story

Good reader, different voices. I could really see the scenes in my head. Edinburg in its finest settings.

Listen to the first book in series before this one

In order to enjoy this book fully, make sure you read the first book in the series or you will be a bit lost in this book. That said, this book is an excellent second book in the series. It is a heavier story than the first book with more angst than the first starting with a misunderstanding between Carmen and her boyfriend. Things spiral out of control in her life from there until she either gives up or starts to take control of her life back and starts putting herself in order. You'll have to read to find out which, but I will tell you that a lot of growth for the character happens and I am absolutely excited to see where the series goes next as there is no way that we can be done with the Christmas Bookshop yet or at least I hope not! FYI: The audiobook really makes this story come to life. You will get a much better feel for the characters, their personalities and the emotions at play in this book with the audio version!

Beautiful Series!

The perfect balance of sweet and (not overly) sentimental with clever and (a little) cheeky! Really fantastic character development, including that of Edinburgh itself, which becomes one of the main characters through the author’s incredible descriptions. Excellent narration, as well! I hope the series continues, but if not, it does feel like a good conclusion.

The bookstore of course

I liked it all! The accents and the humor made for an entertaining and engaging read.