As we near the end of 2023, I am sharing my six recent reads from this fall and holiday season. These books can absolutely be enjoyed into the winter and spring; add what appeals to your list for the new year!
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
I loved this sweet book so much. It takes place at the start of the pandemic when Lara’s three daughters, Emily, Maisie, and Nell, are all back home with their mother and father on their cherry tree farm. To pass the time as they pick cherries and spend the days together, Lara tells her girls the story of the time long ago when she was an actress, portraying Emily Webb in Our Town at the Michigan theatre Tom Lake, and having a romance with the now-movie star Peter Duke. It is such an enchanting, charming book that sweeps you up in the story and setting, and yet it’s calm and thoughtful as well. This a book to savor, with beautiful imagery and moving words. I just loved it — one of my favorites by Ann Patchett and a favorite read of 2023. I recommend for those who enjoy tales of family, love, stories passed down, and nostalgia. I may even listen to the Tom Lake audiobook as well, which is narrated by Meryl Streep. Sounds magical to me.
Our Town by Thornton Wilder
I had to read Our Town after Ann Patchett’s Tom Lake, in which the main character portrays Emily in the play. Never having read or seen it before, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. It was an interesting, seemingly simple story set in a small town that really contemplates our time on this earth, and explores growing up, love, and death. I need to see this classic show now, and as a theatre lover, can’t believe I haven’t before!
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
What a sweet and warm story. Despite the cover, this was not a Halloween book (though the witchy elements make it a good October read), and in fact it goes through Christmas. Set in Britain, it’s about Mika Moon, a witch who lives a solitary life — as she has been instructed, and as other witches do — until she receives a mysterious message requesting that she come to Nowhere House and tutor three young witches in magic. She arrives and faces some challenges, but soon finds joy and comfort in being around others, as well as a potential romance. However, life at Nowhere House becomes a little more complicated than Mika realized, and she must figure out where and with whom she belongs. It’s such a lovely story about magic, family, love, and belonging — and a light and easy read for cozy days.
My Last Innocent Year by Daisy Alpert Florin
This was a beautifully written coming-of-age story about a college girl named Isabel Rosen, a New Yorker still mourning her mother’s death, who is in the last semester of her time at Wilder College. From a nonconsensual sexual encounter to a complicated relationship with her writing professor, Isabel goes through a lot in these last few months which she must cope with and process. The way the author writes about college girls, and how they think and act, felt so genuine and relatable; I could think back and visualize my own college campus experience, and that uncertain feeling of being between girlhood and womanhood. Great storytelling — I recommend this compelling read.
Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Jenny Bayliss
I loved Jenny Bayliss’s first two books — The Twelve Dates of Christmas and A Season for Second Chances — which are so cozy, lovely, and British. So I knew I had to read this one, but unfortunately didn’t like it quite as much. It’s about Nory, a secondhand bookshop keeper in London, who is invited to the wedding of longtime friends at a castle near their old school. She goes to stay there and runs into Isaac, the head gardener, a previous enemy whom she now finds herself attracted to. While this book has some cute parts, it’s too long and convoluted with too many characters to keep track of and side plots. But, still sweet in the end! I plan to try her newest book, A December to Remember, at some point and hope I like it more.
The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan
I enjoyed this light read, set in Edinburgh during the holidays. The setting and bookstore atmosphere were my favorite part. Carmen — who recently lost her job, and generally feels a little lost in life — goes to stay with her sister Sofia, whom she resents because of her seemingly perfect life and her three children. Carmen takes on a new job helping one of Sofia’s clients, Mr. McCredie (my favorite character), and his failing bookshop. Along the way, Carmen finds potential romance with two men — one, the spoiled celebrity Blair, whom I couldn’t stand and really was just not believable (along with the nanny, Skylar), and Oke, the tall and contemplative academic. The romance is a small part of this story that is more so about Carmen’s relationship with her family and finding her place.
What books have you enjoyed lately? Wishing you a wonderful year of reading in 2024!
