5 books to get you through the Christmas season

You’re looking forward to the long Christmas break. Staying cozy by the fire, meeting up with friends, delicious baking smells, an early morning swim…whatever your Christmas will look like, make sure it includes some quality reads. 

Here is a list of 5 recently published books to make you laugh, inspire you, and give you pause to reflect. 

Christmas is a joyful time but sometimes we need a reminder to laugh. Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple (read the book before you see the film!) will make you laugh out loud (if you choose to read this on the bus or LUAS, I’ve warned you). Part mystery, part coming of age, part societal reflection, but touching and fully human, Semple’s novel takes place in Seattle and is told through emails, texts, letters, blog posts, and more. Where’d You Go, Bernadette will give you lovable characters and a plot that will keep you reading. 

For the days you begin to ponder news events on an international scale, The Leavers by Lisa Ko, will give you a realistic portrayal of what makes home home. A Chinese woman living illegally in New York makes a sudden decision that affects her son and the rest of their lives. Flitting between China and the USA, The Leavers draws us into questions of family, identity, and belonging while painting a beautiful and realistic picture of both settings. 

Another strong female voiced novel is Lila by Marilynne Robinson. An introspective, layered narrative, Lila asks us if we can ever get away from where we come from? Do our past experiences mark us more than our present ones? And most importantly, if someone knew the full truth about me, would I still be lovable? Enough said. Read it. 

If you find yourself in some heated family situations this Christmas, Educated by Tara Westover will give you a reality check. Educated, a memoir of resilience, tells the story of Tara growing up raised by fundamentalist parents and “off the grid”: no birth certificate, doctor’s visits, or formal schooling. That upbringing combined with deep emotional abuse (I won’t reveal too many spoilers here) creates the perfect storm for Tara’s pursuit of the exterior freedoms of education and adulthood and her radical choice for interior freedom, her very identity. I highly, highly recommend Educated. 

And finally, another memoir/ autobiography is Sally Read’s Night’s Bright Darkness. Lyrical, authentically raw, and deeply moving, Night’s Bright Darkness reveals Sally Read’s journey from being an atheist English poet living in London to her awakening and crisis of faith in Italy. Sally is a true poet but also an excellent storyteller; her life is accessible and inspirational. Night’s Bright Darkness is a beautiful revelation of the powerful quietness of grace and a flicker of the grace we all receive at Christmas. 

I look forward to curling up with one of these great reads in the next few days. Happy reading over the Christmas holidays!