5 Books to Read This Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving is all about spending time with family, but if you're like me (calling all introverts!) you need a little time away from the crowd every once in awhile. And what better way to spend that time than reading a really good book? I'm also guessing that you have time to read just one book over Thanksgiving week, so I've compiled a list of 5 books (old and new) that are sure to be good ones. Alternate titles for this post included: 5 Books I'm Thankful I Read This Year, 5 Books You'll be Thankful to Read This Year, 5 Books I'm Thankful Were Published This Year...you get the idea. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
1. Perfect Little World by Kevin Wilson
When you think of Thanksgiving with your family, doesn't it sound like the perfect little world? *wink*
The story focuses on a group of 10 families brought together to live as one family, raising their 10 children, all born within about a month of each other, collectively. For the first five years, the kids didn't even know who their biological parents were - every adult treated every child as if they were their own. Dr. Preston Grind, a children's psychologist, designed the project and led the research with three graduate assistants. The story focuses primarily on Izzy, a single, teenage mother-to-be, beginning with how she came to be pregnant and why she agreed to join this study. Read my full review of this book, here.
2. Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips
Nothing makes you more thankful for time with your family than the thought of losing them. Plus, this book is SO difficult to put down - you'll breeze right through it.
I. Loved. This. Book. I LOVED this book. I nearly read it all in one day...so close. And I wanted to finish it but it was past midnight and I couldn't keep my eyes open despite being desperate to know how it ended. Not sure what to read next? Need something that is guaranteed to entertain you? THIS is your book. Read my full review of this book, here.
3. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
This book will give you something new to discuss over the Thanksgiving dinner table - like how weird it is we celebrate this holiday considering its history.
If you're like me, and most Americans, you probably haven't heard of the Osage Murders. In the 1920s the Osage Indians were the richest people per capita (in the world) due to the oil beneath their land. In a greedy attempt to get a piece of that wealth, dozens (if not hundreds) of Osage were murdered for their headrights (often hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars...in the 1920s.) The FBI were sent in to investigate due to the sweeping corruption across all facets of society including the doctors, bankers, and government officials. It was a mess. And a tragedy for nearly every Osage family, who had at least one member killed. Read my full review of this book, here.
4. A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline
A book about family, those you choose and those you don't. There are stories of tough love and family going above and beyond for one another.
A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline tells the story of Christina Olson who posed for this painting as well as numerous other works by renowned painter Andrew Wyeth. The author jumps around in time piecing together Ms. Olson's life from her ancestors to the completion of the painting pictured above. Ms. Olson lived in the house pictured (located at Hathorn Point in Cushing, Maine) her entire life and it is now owned by Farnsworth Art Museum. It is open for tours during the summer months. Andrew Wyeth came to know Ms. Olson through his wife Betsy who was her neighbor. Andrew (Andy as Ms. Olson called him) invited himself into her home and eventually set up a studio in an upper floor bedroom. Read my full review of this book, here.
5. The Choice: Embrace the Possible by Dr. Edith Eva Eger
Sometimes extended time with family can be trying. Edith's book discusses how to keep a positive attitude through all life's trials...no matter how big or small
Edith talks a lot about her mindset while being held as a prisoner of war. Even at such a young age, she was able to remain mentally strong, and determined to survive. Her motto, If I survive the day, I'll be free tomorrow kept her going - along with the hope that she'd be reunited with her other sister (who was away studying music when her family was taken by the Nazis) and her boyfriend. But what I love most about this book is that her story doesn't end with the war - she goes on to tell us how her life evolved after the war. We learn about her marriage, her divorce, her schooling, and eventually coming to terms with her life experiences. Click here to read my full review of this book.
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