My inbox is filled with year-end roundups, reflections on accomplishments, and plans for the new year. I’m glad everyone did so much and feels so proud, but not-so-secretly what I really want to know is how any of you might be planning on doing considerably less in the next ten days or so. I want to know about what you might be planning to do that’s entirely, utterly unrelated to work or productivity or benchmarks of success. How are you going to unwind? What, most importantly, are you going to read?
For me, December is a time to devour novels. Last year’s list included The Upstairs House by Julia Fine, Flight by Lynn Steger Strong and Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro. I read The Survivalists by Kashana Cauley, We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman, and Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead in other months of the year, but wintery scenes and the kind of wholly engrossing page-turning that’s helpful for drowning out the demands of small children home from school, means they’d all be excellent contenders for late-December gobbling.
This year, North Woods by Daniel Mason is first on my list (Attn. James!) and I’m planning to finally crack The Fraud by Zadie Smith. What else? What are you reading? What have you read? Tell me!
PS. These threads are typically open only to paid subscribers, but I thought it might be nice to open things up to the whole community as a little year-end hug. Thanks so much for being here.
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Yes to only year end lists of books! This is wonderful. I adored The Adventures of Amina Al-Sharifi by Shannon Chakraborty, a fantasy epic starring a mid-40s pirate mama, Lady Tans Circle of Women by Lisa See - historical fiction about an actual female doctor in 15th century china. Also Yellowface by RF Kuang was an incredibly written satire about who gets to tell what stories and how - feels so important to our current time.
Love this! Me too- always reading a ton in the end of the year. I am current reading Masters of Death which is pretty good and I have Winter by Ali Smith on deck for next week!
I love a good discussion about books and reading. Thank you, Erin! Just finished Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan. A beautifully written story taking place around Christmas.
Currently working my way slowly through A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles and really enjoying it. Also planning to binge a whole heap of Hercule Poirot books on audio. I highly recommend The Friday Night Club, a historical fic about a group of Swedish women including Hilma af Klint who would meet to gain spiritual understanding and paint some of the first, nearly forgotten, works of the abstract movement. It is bold, queer, woo woo, and an overall delight. Also Maame by Jessica George about a young Nigerian British woman dealing with her absent mother and ailing father. It's a tender look at the expectations of oldest daughters and grief.
Started Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano and really enjoying so far! It’s “an homage to Little Women” which to me feels like a holiday novel. The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich was probably my favorite novel of the year!
I read Flight on your recommendation last December and absolutely loved it. It’s tucked away in my bag for cabin reading next week again! I’m also really looking forward to Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy as soon as my hold is up. I loved When There Were Wolves and the story of following a migration of arctic terns to Antarctica feels like just the read for this time of year.
I'm currently reading The Ghost Woods by C.J. Cooke. It's really great! A creepy story about a seemingly haunted forest behind a residential "mother and baby home" where unwed mothers went to have their babies and put them up for adoption. It follows 2 of these mothers in different years and their experiences at this strange home.
My eight yo and I are reading (together) the Whiz Mob and the Grenadine Kid. She has been independently reading for years and I talked her into reading this one together cuz I miss reading together so much! 💗
I cannot stop telling everyone I know how good Cloud Cuckoo Land is!! Tells the story of five people across three different time periods (past, present, future).... climate change is a central theme. And the ending shocked me! And The Covenant of Water!! Goshhhhhh, his writing is so incredible.
Just finished North Woods (after hearing Daniel Mason read a chapter at a local book store; recommend)! My library stack is waiting by my bedside...hope springs eternal!
I just finished Disappearing Earth and loved it. It's set over a full year, but takes place in Kamchatka, so kind of almost perpetual winter, and the setting is almost a character in itself, it's so vivid and...present, somehow. A really stunningly written book that felt both quiet and intense, sprawling and microcosmic, at the same time.
Last year at this time I read Greenglass House with my then-8 year old and it was such a cozy winter-mystery vibe. We loved it. So now this end-of-year winter time, we are reading Ghosts of Greenglass House together <3
OH and I'm reading The Very Very Far North with my 6-year old! My older guy and I loved both this book and the second one. They are just such sweet, lovely, cozy books.
Highly recommend 'Greta & Valdin' by Rebecca K Reilly. I rarely reread books but can't wait for this one again. Humourous but not fluffy and nails some sibling relationships. Also Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton (terrifying) and an old favourite of '84 Charing Cross Road'. Very much looking forward to reading some of the suggestions on this list.
I texted a friend the other day and said "if I see another 2023 recap post I will scream." Unless the recap post is great books of course :) I just picked up Land Mammals and Sea Creatures by Jen Neale from the library, based solely on the title and the cover. And I am looking forward to finishing The Quickening by Elizabeth Rush.
Vaster wilds (tough but powerful, and beautiful) and Tom Lake was a lot of fun! I'm pretty sure I learned about "Wintering" from you and just loved it. Recommended as a balm for this wintry season ahead!
Every year I read "Winter Solstice" by Rosamund Pilcher. It's a fairly old book, published in 2000, but is so cosy and heartwarming, with descriptions of food eaten and parties attended, all set in Scotland and in the snow. Some years I only have time to read small sections but I have read it so many times that I can just dip in and read bits of it. I love it! I know that December and Christmas has started when it's time to read it again!
I LOVE Winter Solstice! Have you read The Shell Seekers? One of the loveliest books I've ever read. The descriptions of both food and gardens are so evocative.
I just finished Family Meal, it was amazing, very hard to put down. Some Indigenous book love: Bad Cree, The Circle, and The Berry Pickers were phenomenal.
This is a timely post as I am reading how to do nothing - so I am hoping to be doing as much nothing as possible while still being a parent to young children. Finished vaster wilds and the fraud recently and really recommend. Hope you and yours get to do lots of delicious nothing too!
Yes to only year end lists of books! This is wonderful. I adored The Adventures of Amina Al-Sharifi by Shannon Chakraborty, a fantasy epic starring a mid-40s pirate mama, Lady Tans Circle of Women by Lisa See - historical fiction about an actual female doctor in 15th century china. Also Yellowface by RF Kuang was an incredibly written satire about who gets to tell what stories and how - feels so important to our current time.
I recommend The mariage portrait by Maggie O’Farrell, beautifully written and hard to put down
Love this! Me too- always reading a ton in the end of the year. I am current reading Masters of Death which is pretty good and I have Winter by Ali Smith on deck for next week!
I love a good discussion about books and reading. Thank you, Erin! Just finished Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan. A beautifully written story taking place around Christmas.
I read „sacred rest“ by saundra dalton-smith
Currently working my way slowly through A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles and really enjoying it. Also planning to binge a whole heap of Hercule Poirot books on audio. I highly recommend The Friday Night Club, a historical fic about a group of Swedish women including Hilma af Klint who would meet to gain spiritual understanding and paint some of the first, nearly forgotten, works of the abstract movement. It is bold, queer, woo woo, and an overall delight. Also Maame by Jessica George about a young Nigerian British woman dealing with her absent mother and ailing father. It's a tender look at the expectations of oldest daughters and grief.
Started Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano and really enjoying so far! It’s “an homage to Little Women” which to me feels like a holiday novel. The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich was probably my favorite novel of the year!
I am very into memoirs and just finished Sarah Polley's Run toward the danger. Currently reading Micheller Zauner's Crying in H-mart.
You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith. Absolutely beautiful writing
I read Flight on your recommendation last December and absolutely loved it. It’s tucked away in my bag for cabin reading next week again! I’m also really looking forward to Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy as soon as my hold is up. I loved When There Were Wolves and the story of following a migration of arctic terns to Antarctica feels like just the read for this time of year.
I'm currently reading The Ghost Woods by C.J. Cooke. It's really great! A creepy story about a seemingly haunted forest behind a residential "mother and baby home" where unwed mothers went to have their babies and put them up for adoption. It follows 2 of these mothers in different years and their experiences at this strange home.
This is so fun, Erin.
My eight yo and I are reading (together) the Whiz Mob and the Grenadine Kid. She has been independently reading for years and I talked her into reading this one together cuz I miss reading together so much! 💗
ah, thank you! always need good read-alouds.
We devoured the Silver Arrow this summer- my 11 and 8 year olds loved it
Currently reading A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara☺️
I cannot stop telling everyone I know how good Cloud Cuckoo Land is!! Tells the story of five people across three different time periods (past, present, future).... climate change is a central theme. And the ending shocked me! And The Covenant of Water!! Goshhhhhh, his writing is so incredible.
Just finished North Woods (after hearing Daniel Mason read a chapter at a local book store; recommend)! My library stack is waiting by my bedside...hope springs eternal!
I just finished Disappearing Earth and loved it. It's set over a full year, but takes place in Kamchatka, so kind of almost perpetual winter, and the setting is almost a character in itself, it's so vivid and...present, somehow. A really stunningly written book that felt both quiet and intense, sprawling and microcosmic, at the same time.
Last year at this time I read Greenglass House with my then-8 year old and it was such a cozy winter-mystery vibe. We loved it. So now this end-of-year winter time, we are reading Ghosts of Greenglass House together <3
OH and I'm reading The Very Very Far North with my 6-year old! My older guy and I loved both this book and the second one. They are just such sweet, lovely, cozy books.
Highly recommend 'Greta & Valdin' by Rebecca K Reilly. I rarely reread books but can't wait for this one again. Humourous but not fluffy and nails some sibling relationships. Also Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton (terrifying) and an old favourite of '84 Charing Cross Road'. Very much looking forward to reading some of the suggestions on this list.
Currently reading This Must Be the Place and listening to The Quickening.
I totally recommend How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures. Thanks for this thread, Erin!
I texted a friend the other day and said "if I see another 2023 recap post I will scream." Unless the recap post is great books of course :) I just picked up Land Mammals and Sea Creatures by Jen Neale from the library, based solely on the title and the cover. And I am looking forward to finishing The Quickening by Elizabeth Rush.
I think I’m allergic to them! 😅
Vaster wilds (tough but powerful, and beautiful) and Tom Lake was a lot of fun! I'm pretty sure I learned about "Wintering" from you and just loved it. Recommended as a balm for this wintry season ahead!
Loved Tom Lake! And Wintering!
Every year I read "Winter Solstice" by Rosamund Pilcher. It's a fairly old book, published in 2000, but is so cosy and heartwarming, with descriptions of food eaten and parties attended, all set in Scotland and in the snow. Some years I only have time to read small sections but I have read it so many times that I can just dip in and read bits of it. I love it! I know that December and Christmas has started when it's time to read it again!
I LOVE Winter Solstice! Have you read The Shell Seekers? One of the loveliest books I've ever read. The descriptions of both food and gardens are so evocative.
Oh, love a book a return to!
I just finished Family Meal, it was amazing, very hard to put down. Some Indigenous book love: Bad Cree, The Circle, and The Berry Pickers were phenomenal.
Tabitha! So glad to see you here! TY for these recs!
I am about to start Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (I read and loved Foster this year- highly recommend! )
My son and I are reading The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers, and my daughter and I are about to start the Betsy-Tacy collection!
I’ve also had Piranesi by Susanna Clarke on my list, so may read that as well.
This is a timely post as I am reading how to do nothing - so I am hoping to be doing as much nothing as possible while still being a parent to young children. Finished vaster wilds and the fraud recently and really recommend. Hope you and yours get to do lots of delicious nothing too!
Oh, nice! How did you like vaster wilds?
Really recommend. It’s part almost an adventure novel part historical novel, well written and engaging.