Bethanne’s Thanksgiving Book Recs!

Nov 21

Dear Wags,

Happy Thanksgiving! When you wake from that food coma, you’ll need this shopping list to make the most of Small Business Saturday. Because this year, you’re going to spend that hard-earned cash at a local indie bookstore, right?

I’ve whipped up a rundown of essential reads —fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, children’s books, and cookbooks—that will delight everybody on your gift list. You’ll be helping your favorite independent bookseller thrive all year long, and probably pick up a few goodies for yourself in the process. A win/win! Now, go hit the stores.

Yours Ever,

BKP

FICTION FOR ALL SORTS OF LOVELY PEOPLE

Land of Milk and Honey by C. Pam Zhang, for your favorite foodie.

I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai, for #MeToo millennials.

Chain-Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjeh Brenyah, for anyone who’s angry.

The Guest by Emma Cline, for someone who loves a creepy thriller.

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride, for your mom and aunt.

The Bee Sting by Paul Murray, for the person you love to talk books with.

Take What You Need by Idra Novey, for that deep, arty friend.

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim, for your book group.

Absolution by Alice McDermott, for women of any age.

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese, for those who love a looong read.

You are brilliant, generous, and movie star beautiful. Just the sort of swell who dips a manicured hand into a Birkin bag to purchase holiday gift subscriptions! Won’t you consider adding loved ones to our Primo List? They’ll owe you for eternity!

NONFICTION FOR VERY SPECIFIC SMARTIES

The Art Thief by Michael Finkel, for the friend obsessed with history.

The Country of the Blind by Andrew Leland, for your most empathetic pal.

The Critic’s Daughter by Priscilla Gilman, for a beloved English teacher.

Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson, for your fed-up colleague.

George by Frieda Hughes, for your favorite animal lover.

Wifedom by Anna Funder, for the biggest, most thoughtful feminist in your life.

Pageboy by Elliot Page, for searchers in the LGBTQIA community and beyond.

The Wager by David Grann, for your father, uncle, and older brother.

Cacophony of Bone by Kerri Ni Dochartaigh, for your mother, aunt, and older sister

The Quickening by Elizabeth Rush, for those contemplating parenthood but anxious about climate change.

GRAPHIC NOVELS AND MEMOIRS

The Talk by Darrin Bell, for seekers of racial understanding.

Monica by Daniel Clowes, for lovers of the counterculture.

I Must Be Dreaming by Roz Chast, for those confounded by their dreams.

Artificial by Amy Kurzweil, for folks sifting through family history.

Worm by Edel Rodriguez, for readers inspired by immigrant stories.

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, Chiara Lagani, and Mara Cerri, for fans who’ll love a new, illustrated take on a literary bestseller.

Museum of Mistakes by Julia Wertz, for wits who can laugh at the absurdities of life.

Mimosa by Archie Bongiovanni, for hip urban friends still yearning for happiness.

Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohammed, for dreamers who want their wishes granted.

Now Let Me Fly by Ronald Wimberly, for anybody who needs a hero, the story of the first African American fighter pilot.