This year, the sexiest Christmas gift is reading. Discover, as every season, the book selection from @reading_is_sexyy: those you devour, savor, and keep close to your heart.

1. The Empty House – Laurent Mauvignier

If Steinbeck and Zola had ever written together, the result would undoubtedly be The Empty House. A family saga reminiscent of the Rougon-Macquart series, dense and vividly alive, exploring lineage, secrets, and inherited silences. Laurent Mauvignier reopens the door to the French novel with a contemporary style worthy of a Goncourt Prize.

2. Night at the Heart – Natacha Appanah

A stark exploration of domestic violence and invisible fear, winner of the 2025 Prix Femina. Appanah captures the lives of victims, the terror that prevents escape, and critiques the judicial and social systems.

3. Well-being – Nathan Hill

A brilliant narrative tracing love from romance to parental challenges, blending psychoanalysis with a critique of modern life. Hill shows that love has multiple perspectives and sometimes only a fresh look can make life shine again.

4. I Lost a Bedouin in Paris – Arthur Essebag

A raw, intimate testimony of confronting antisemitism and historical prejudice. Arthur shares fear, injustice, and resilience, offering a defiant cry against indifference.

5. Your Promise – Camille Laurens

A love story that turns into a study of manipulation and narcissism. Laurens dissects the psyche of manipulators, showing how lies, gaslighting, and isolation destroy freedom and lucidity.

6. Kolkhoz – Emmanuel Carrère

A captivating biography exploring Hélène Carrère d’Encausse’s private life, discipline, friendships, and intellectual influence. A scholarly tribute illuminating the life of a woman whose ambition transcended history.

7. So that's good – Clémentine Mélois

A delicate, sensitive story that transforms grief into creativity, celebrating life and filial love. Mélois’s novel is both poetic and joyful, an unforgettable read for the holiday season.

Reading is the gift that lasts.