With Thanksgiving and Christmas break fast approaching, you might be wondering what to do with that (little) bit of extra free time. One of my favorite things to do during the holidays is curl up with a cup of hot tea and a good book. Below are some of my recommendations for good books to dive into this fall.
Disclaimer: I'm a bit of a history nerd so there may be more historical books on this list than not. Take it or leave it.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Before it was a hit movie with Robert Redford (1974) and Leonardo DiCaprio (2013), TGG was merely one of the most quintessential works of American literature. It tells the story of East Coast life during the Roaring Twenties and examines themes that we still wrestle with today: new money versus old money, greed and the American Dream, the search for power and recognition, and so much more. It's not a long book so that's a plus for those of us with short attention spans.
Buy The Great Gatsbyhere.
The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis
Not only is CS Lewis the brilliant writer of the Chronicles of Narnia series, he is also a powerful author of social commentary. If you want your worldview and perspective on all things moral to be flipped upside down, read The Screwtape Letters, a collection of letters written from a senior level demon to his younger-demon-nephew who is charged with the task of ensuring that one man spends his eternity in Hell.
Buy The Screwtape Lettershere.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
So this one was another hit movie starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, but before that it was an acclaimed novel that sent heads spinning with romance, plot twists and unreliable narrators. That's about all I can say without spoiling it for you. Read it first and then watch the movie (which I believe is good advice on all accounts).
Buy Gone Girlhere.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass
Here's another one of those historical books I told you about. I may have had to read it in AP English in high school but man oh man do I love this book. Frederick Douglass is one of those heroes-against-all-odds that comes maybe once in a generation. Here, he tells the story of his life and experiences as a slave in the American South before the Civil War. Fair warning: some parts of the book can be graphic and hard to read, but those are some of the most important parts- the sins we have to remember in order to never repeat.
Buy Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglasshere.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Oops another historical book. Set during World War II, The Book Thief tells the story of a young German refugee named Liesel who steals books to escape from her grim reality. An added twist is that the book is told from the point of view of Death, as if it was a person. It took me a couple days to recover from this book and come back to reality.
Buy The Book Thiefhere.
Yes Please by Amy Poehler
I think we can all agree that Amy Poehler is everything we want to be in life. The comedic genius behind Mean Girls and Parks & Rec wrote a book (because why the heck not) and it's everything. Read it. Love it. #Knope2016
Buy Yes Pleasehere.
