5 Books That Should Be On Your Holiday Reading List
For many, the holiday season means finally having a break from the many responsibilities that consume our time during the normal days and months. I personally love to fill this time by getting lost in the created worlds of really great books, but sometimes it’s a bit hard to know what to read. To make it easier, I have discovered which books are gaining the most interest right now and compiled them into one, helpful list. Happy reading!
1. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay by J.K. Rowling
Seeing as how the movie just came out, this is sort of a no-brainer. If you have not heard of it yet, Fantastic Beasts is the latest creation of J.K. Rowling–author of the Harry Potter series. Though it is not a continuation of the popular series, it is set in the same world and sounds amazingly interesting.
Description: When Magizoologist Newt Scamander arrives in New York, he intends his stay to be just a brief stopover. However, when his magical case is misplaced and some of Newt’s fantastic beasts escape, it spells trouble for everyone…
2.
New York Times best-selling author, Jodi Picoult has returned with another beautifully written fiction piece. Small Great Things features a gripping moral dilemma, which will lead readers questioning everything they know about privilege, power, and race. Definitely a must read!
Description: Ruth Jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse at a Connecticut hospital with more than twenty years’ experience. During her shift, Ruth begins a routine checkup on a newborn, only to be told a few minutes later that she’s been reassigned to another patient. The parents are white supremacists and don’t want Ruth, who is African American, to touch their child. The hospital complies with their request, but the next day, the baby goes into cardiac distress while Ruth is alone in the nursery. Does she obey orders or does she intervene?
3.
Yet another heartbreaking love story from best-selling author, Nicholas Sparks. I personally cannot wait to get my hands on this one!
Description: At 32, Russell Green has it all: a stunning wife, a lovable six year-old daughter, a successful career as an advertising executive and an expansive home in Charlotte. He is living the dream, and his marriage to the bewitching Vivian is the center of that. But underneath the shiny surface of this perfect existence, fault lines are beginning to appear…and no one is more surprised than Russ when he finds every aspect of the life he took for granted turned upside down. In a matter of months, Russ finds himself without a job or wife, caring for his young daughter while struggling to adapt to a new and baffling reality. Throwing himself into the wilderness of single parenting, Russ embarks on a journey at once terrifying and rewarding-one that will test his abilities and his emotional resources beyond anything he ever imagined.
4.
This is actually Backman’s very first novel, which turned him from a swedish blogger, to overnight best-selling author. This novel explores the idea of how much of a profound impact one’s life can have on another’s.
Description: Meet Ove. He’s a curmudgeon—the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him “the bitter neighbor from hell.” But must Ove be bitter just because he doesn’t walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time? Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove’s mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents’ association to their very foundations.
5.
New York Times Best-selling Author, W. Bruce Cameron gives a unique analysis of life and relationships by showing it through the lens of man’s best friend. The film adaptation of this book is coming out at the end of January, so it is the perfect time to read it!
Description: Heartwarming, insightful, and often laugh-out-loud funny, A Dog’s Purpose is not only the emotional and hilarious story of a dog’s many lives, but also a dog’s-eye commentary on human relationships and the unbreakable bonds between man and man’s best friend. This moving and beautifully crafted story teaches us that love never dies, that our true friends are always with us, and that every creature on earth is born with a purpose.
What other books are on your reading list? Let me know in the comments below!
