15 Books That Will Help You Forget Your Problems This Holiday

Ahh, the holidays. A wonderful time of year, full of light, love, laughter, and endless moments with your perfect family. Except, not. In reality, being back in the same house with all of your, ahem, outspoken relatives can be kind of a drag. Everyone is stressed from the pressure of giving gifts, exhausted from the constant entertaining, and probably a little too buzzed on Chardonnay. If only there were a way to escape into a world where all your family problems just — poof! — went away.

That's why we turn to books; nothing calms our nerves better than curling up with a good read. Well, nothing that doesn't have at least 12% alcohol. We've collected some of our favorite tomes for you to dive into this Christmas, but there's a little twist: The plights of each of these novels will make all of your familial issues and dramas seem minuscule in comparison. There are all kinds of dysfunction here, whether it's murder, deceit, or meth labs deep in the rural Ozarks. Lose yourself on the page, and most importantly, lose your family on the page.