The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan: audiobook vs book, which should you choose?
A shop worker who has been laid off has a few weeks to save a failing Edinburgh bookshop before Christmas.
Short answer: for The Christmas Bookshop audiobook vs book choice, we say either works (50% confidence, close call). Eilidh Beaton reads it for Hachette Audio UK in 11 hours 24 minutes (11h 24m), unabridged. No criterion could be confirmed on either side, so neither format is favoured.
Either works
No criterion could be confirmed on either side, so neither format is favoured.
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Confidence 50%, which puts it in the close call band. Bands run from close call at 50 to 64, through leaning at 65 to 79 and clear at 80 to 94, up to clear cut at 95 and above.
The audiobook at a glance
| Recording | UK edition, our verdict (Hachette Audio UK) | US edition (HarperAudio) |
|---|---|---|
| Narrator | Eilidh Beaton | Eilidh Beaton |
| Length | 11 hours 24 minutes (11h 24m) | 11 hours 23 minutes (11h 23m) |
| At 1.5x | about 7h 36m | about 7h 35m |
| At 2x | about 5h 42m | about 5h 42m |
| Abridged or unabridged | Unabridged | Unabridged |
| Audio publisher and year | Hachette Audio UK, released 28 October 2021 | HarperAudio, 2021 |
| Print length | Not confirmed | 336 pages (William Morrow paperback) |
Same narrator on both stores at near-identical lengths, which suggests one recording, but that is not confirmed. With the two tied, the UK edition is named as scored. An Isis CD edition is listed at about 9h 11m, shorter than this recording; we treat it as a separate product.
Lengths checked 23 October 2026 (Audible France listing of the UK recording; Hoopla gives 11h 23m 42s). Speed times are calculated.
The Christmas Bookshop
Jenny Colgan
- Genre
- Romance; a Christmas novel
- Published
- 2021
- Length
- 336 pages (US paperback)
- On audio
- 11 hrs 24 mins, Eilidh Beaton
- Series
- Followed by Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop
On this page
Why we reached this verdict
Every book on this site is checked against the same thirteen questions. They are based on research into what most people find easier to follow in each format, not on whether the book is any good.
No listening or reading criterion could be confirmed from a named source, so neither format is favoured. Confidence is 50%.
The recording in detail
- Scored
- Eilidh Beaton, Hachette Audio UK, 2021, 11h 24m, unabridged
- Critic review
- None found
- Also
- An Isis CD edition listed at about 9h 11m
- What you miss
- Nothing confirmed
What this book actually is
The Christmas Bookshop is a 2021 Christmas novel by Jenny Colgan. Carmen, laid off from a department store, moves to Edinburgh to stay with her sister Sofia and help save McCredie’s, an old and failing bookshop, before Christmas.
It is followed by Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop, also read by Eilidh Beaton, and a short story, The Christmas Book Hunt. A Goodreads reviewer says it is loosely linked to Colgan’s Kirrinfief books and can be read on its own. If you were searching for “Christmas at the Bookshop”, this is the closest Jenny Colgan title.
The case for reading it
There is little structural reason to prefer print: no maps, documents or special layout were reported. At 11 hours 24 minutes, though, the audio is a long listen for a cosy novel, and readers who like to dip in and out over December may prefer print. Bookreporter lists the US paperback at 336 pages.
The case for listening to it
The story follows one woman, one shop and one deadline, so it is straightforward to follow on audio, and Eilidh Beaton reads the sequel too. We found no critic review of her reading.
At 11 hours 24 minutes, it is about 7 hours 36 minutes at 1.5x.
The audiobook in detail
Hachette Audio UK released Eilidh Beaton’s unabridged reading on 28 October 2021; Audible France’s listing of the UK recording gives 11 hours 24 minutes and Hoopla 11 hours 23 minutes 42 seconds. HarperAudio’s US edition, also read by Beaton, is 11 hours 23 minutes, and the HarperCollins CD set runs 9 discs, about 11 and a half hours. An Isis CD edition is listed at about 9 hours 11 minutes; we treat it as a different product.
Speed times: about 7h 36m at 1.5x and 5h 42m at 2x (calculated).
Who should ignore this verdict
Readers who like to dip into a cosy book a chapter at a time over December should lean to print, since at 11 hours 24 minutes the audio is a long listen for a cosy novel.
Listeners who want one voice and one story with a clear goal, Carmen trying to save McCredie’s bookshop before Christmas, can lean to audio. Eilidh Beaton also reads the sequel.
Anyone after a different Colgan Christmas should note that Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery, Christmas at the Cupcake Cafe and Christmas on the Island are separate books.
Read differently from most people? The app, coming soon, will let you switch off any of the thirteen checks. Get notified →
Related verdicts
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Start hereHow we decide
The thirteen questions behind every verdict on this site.
❄ See every Christmas book, read or listen →
Questions people ask
Who narrates The Christmas Bookshop audiobook?
Eilidh Beaton reads it for Hachette Audio UK and HarperAudio in the US.
How long is The Christmas Bookshop audiobook?
11 hours 24 minutes, unabridged; at 1.5x about 7 hours 36 minutes and at 2x about 5 hours 42 minutes (calculated).
Is there a Jenny Colgan book called Christmas at the Bookshop?
Not that we found. The closest match is The Christmas Bookshop, set in Edinburgh. Her other Christmas titles include Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery and Christmas on the Island.
Should I read or listen to The Christmas Bookshop?
Either works, on our checks (50% confidence, close call). No criterion could be confirmed on either side, so neither format is favoured.
Is there a sequel to The Christmas Bookshop?
Yes: Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop, also read by Eilidh Beaton.
Do you agree with this verdict?
We said either format works. One tap, no sign-up.
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How this verdict was reached
Every book on this site is checked against the same thirteen questions, set in advance and applied identically to every title. They are based on research into what readers and listeners generally find easier to follow in each format, not on personal preference, and they are published in full so you can check the reasoning yourself. Verdicts are never paid for, sponsored or influenced by affiliate partners.
- The criteria: read the thirteen questions in full.
- What we checked for this book: the Audible US listing with the Hachette Audio UK copyright, Audible France’s series page, Hoopla, a library CD record, an Isis library record, Audiobooks Now, Bookreporter and Goodreads, and Open Library for the cover.
- Verdict last reviewed: 23 October 2026. Editions and narrators change, so verdicts are rechecked annually.
- Prefer different criteria? The app, coming soon, will let you change which of the thirteen questions matter to you.
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