10 Devotional books for a beautiful Advent

Looking for a book of guided prayer and meditation for this Advent? You’ve come to the right place. We’ve pulled together some of the best books you can find to have a meditative and prayerful Advent preparing for Christ’s birth.

Before you read any further, you need to know that there are dozens, if not hundreds, of books written for Advent. Advent is a very popular time of year to enter more deeply into prayer, so there are many more prayer and devotion guides for Advent than can be listed here. 

We’ve included one Advent guide from each Catholic publisher below. But if none of these is quite what you’re looking for, click around on the sites linked to find more options. There are so many, many more wonderful Advent books available!

We hope these books will help you have a joyful and blessed Advent season as you journey to Bethlehem alongside the Holy Family.

Walk through Advent with St. John Henry Newman in Waiting for Christ: Meditations for Advent and Christmas. Drawn from Newman’s sermons, this book helps readers spend a few minutes with Christ every day of the Advent and Christmas seasons. See the rest of Augustine Institute’s Advent books here.

Prepare Your Heart by Fr. Agustino Torres, CFR, includes daily meditations on a passage from Scripture, reflection questions, prayer, beautiful illustrations, and space for journaling and notetaking. During each week of Advent, you will embark on a new path informed by Franciscan spirituality to guide you to becoming closer to God: See the rest of Ave Maria Press’ Advent books here.

Pope Benedict XVI greatly admired Fr. Alfred Delp, S.J., a heroic German Jesuit priest who was part of the Resistance movement against the Nazis, who imprisoned and martyred him in 1945. His approach to Advent is a spiritual program, a way of life. He wrote these meditations, Advent of the Heart, from his prison cell, giving the world an essential Advent message. See the rest of Ignatius Press’ Advent books here.

We are long-time fans of the beautiful Advent and Christmas Wisdom series from Liguori. Journey through Advent with your favorite saint or spiritual writer, thanks to this series. Different books in the series highlight St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Francis of Assisi, Padre Pio, St. John Paul II, and many others! See the rest of Liguori Publications’ Advent books here.

Sacred Space for Advent and the Christmas Season is a daily guided prayer experience from the Irish Jesuits and features weekly topics for meditation and prayer, as well as daily Scripture readings and brief reflections to ponder. See the rest of Loyola Press’ Advent books here.

This handy, approachable booklet helps you to set aside time each day for Scripture-focused reflection and prayer amid the typical busyness of life in the weeks before Christmas. My Daily Visitor: Advent 2023 is a wise companion to help you grow closer to Christ and prepare for his coming at Christmas. See the rest of Our Sunday Visitor’s Advent books here.

Explore the legends, message, and theology behind favorite carols and hymns with O Come Emmanuel: A Musical Tour of Daily Readings for Advent and Christmas, a daily Advent devotional focused on the music of the season. See the rest of Paraclete Press’ Advent books here.

Prepare Your Heart: Daily Advent Reflections with Pope Francis is a daily devotional designed to remind you to slow down and breathe in God's spirit, no matter how busy you are. See the rest of Pauline Books and Media’s Advent books here.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of the secular pre-Christmas season, this book of Advent Reflections by priests and bishops from the United Kingdom and Ireland invites you to slow down and reflect on the season's spiritual and liturgical themes. See the rest of Sophia Institute Press’ Advent books here.

Spiritual Steps to Christmas: Daily Meditations for Sanctifying Advent is written to help readers think and pray with Mary, who brought Christ to us. See the rest of TAN Books’ Advent books here.