Whether you’re celebrating the holidays with your loved ones or just enjoying some quiet downtime, this time of year is ideal for curling up under a blanket and catching up on all the reading material you’ve been meaning to do all year. The Newsgroup rewiring Unsurprisingly, the staff is made up of a bunch of book nerds, and we’ve rounded up some of our favorites for all ages. Here are the books we think should be added to your shelf this year.
For adults
The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer (non-fiction)
This is a quick readbut it resonated with me all year. It is a book about the economy of nature, a gift economy. Finishing this book gave me so much hope. I borrowed it from the library, but a physical copy is necessary for home use. -Cage Rivera, senior graphic designer
Bitch: About the female of the species by Lucy Cooke (comic science)
This book takes a critical – and comic – look at evolution and the role that sex and sexual pleasure play in the animal kingdom. Through intriguing interviews with animal experts, Cooke challenges the idea that our cultural beliefs about the role of evolution in gender roles, sex, and sexual choice have a firm basis in evolutionary science. -Cameron Oakes, Staff Editor
Easy beauty by Chloé Cooper Jones (memoir)
This is one provocative and honest memoir research into disability, motherhood and the perception of beauty. It challenged me with difficult feelings that begged me to rethink my own understanding of beauty. -Ashley Guckert, RNG advisor to the News Revenue Hub
Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (fiction)
I was skeptical when I saw it Bradley’s debut novel promoted as “recommended reading for literally everyone” at my local bookseller. Science fiction isn’t normally my genre, and Ministry of Time is about time travel. But it’s also about much more than that, including imperialism, spy intrigue, forbidden love, climate change and more. I finished this page turner within a few days. – Catesby Holmes, Editorial Director
Bad summer people by Emma Rosenblum (fiction)
Located on Fire Island, New York, Bad summer people is part rich people behaving badly, and part murder mystery. This book was delicious– follows a number of wealthy couples and singles whose summers are dictated by tennis, the beach and mind games. It’s outrageous and at times infuriating, and the mysterious death at its center keeps you turning the pages. What more can you ask for? (In addition, the film adaptation is ready to play Sarah Michelle Gellar!) -Natasha Roy, Staff Editor
Second chances in New Port Stephen by TJ Alexander (queer fiction)
Even though the romance market is diversifying, there still aren’t enough novels about trans people, especially trans men, so I took the opportunity to read this gem. When TV writer Eli Ward returns to his hometown in Florida for the holidays, he doesn’t know what to expect. He is sober, has transitioned and is not sure if his town will welcome him. But then he runs into his high school ex, Nick, and their magical love story drives the plot forward and really makes the book shine. I love reading about trans people being cared for and loved right! -Evette Dionne, newsletter editor
For young children
Grunt Grunt Grunt by bell hooks
My sneaky way to integrate anti-racism into my cousin’s formative years is to buy bell hooks children’s books. Grunt Grunt Grunt is a humorous exploration of moods. -AG
Proud puppy by Robin Stevenson
After the Supreme Court heard a case banning this board book from schools, I knew I would buy it. What I didn’t know is that my two-year-old, who knew nothing about anti-rights politics, would love it Proud puppy. It is now a favorite on heavy rotation in my house. It’s not about slavery, as Justice Neil Gorsuch seemingly suggested during oral arguments. It is a colorful, cheerful lesson about ABC. “K stands for kindness and friends we keep.” -CH
On the day you were born by Debra Frasier
It’s a victory if I get through it this book without crying. As my baby approaches 18 months, I’m feeling all the feelings about the transition from babyhood to toddler life. I love reading this book to my baby at bedtime, all snug, and marveling at the way it tells the story of how the entire universe anticipated and welcomed her. It takes me back to the life-changing moment of her arrival and places it in a beautiful context of the wider world and all other living things. -Sarah Frank, RNG advisor to the News Revenue Hub
Santa’s Diaries: a year of chaos, merriment and wonder at the North Pole by Nicholas F. Christmas, J.M. Tannenbaum and V.C. Tannenbaum
Don’t ask what Santa can do for you, ask what you can do for Santa. In this delightful, cute little novelwe witness a year in the life of the great man himself in the form of diary entries. I’ve reread this for years around the holidays and it always makes me laugh out loud. From Mrs. Claus trying to help Santa stay healthy to maintaining the sleigh, Santa’s diaries is fun to read for both adults and children. -NO
For teenagers, young adults and adults with a young heart
Joy for the girls by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick (YA sapphic fiction)
Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick are my favorite married writing duo. Joy for the girlsa novella sequel She gets the girlfollows our graduating seniors Alex and Molly to Barnwich, Massachusetts, a fictional, Christmas-obsessed town, during their winter break. They enjoy all the fun holiday activities in town and at the same time try to make two of their friends realize that they like each other. Get into the holiday spirit with this quick read. -ED
Just this beautiful moment By the name of the births Isha (Ma Getage)
If, like me, you learned about Iran largely through American propaganda, political thriller TV shows, or any other inaccurate or Islamophobic source, I recommend you read this: this sweet, poignant novel about Iranian and American youth, queerness and family. Spanning three generations, Moud and his distant father, Saeed, travel from Los Angeles to Tehran to see his dying grandfather. Tender, poignant and contemporary: Nazemian invites you with compassion and love into a part of Iranian history, culture and queer identity. –Diana Fraser, Chief of Operations
Noisy by Deborah Heiligman (YA feminist history)
American textbooks often give short shrift to American anarchism. Political activist Emma Goldman, who envisioned a less capitalist, more communal US, was a major player in that movement. Born in Lithuania, Goldman was a complex, volatile character who fought mercilessly to change the adopted homeland she loved. Heiligman makes no attempt to gloss over Goldman’s complicated and sex-filled life for young readers her story reads more like a novel than a biography. -CH
Only for the holidays by Abiola Bello (YA holiday romance)
Tia Solanké is a London girl who loves the hustle and bustle of the city. Quincy Parker is a country boy who loves his family’s farm and inn. Their worlds collide when Tia’s mother surprises her daughters with a trip to Quincy’s farm. When Quincy needs a date for the city’s biggest ball of the year, the pair agrees to a fake date. This classic romance trope has been played countless times, but there’s something endearing about black teenagers in Britain unknowingly falling in love over the holidays. -ED
The afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand (YA holiday novel)
For those who enjoy innovative reinterpretations of A Christmas carol. Spoiled and selfish teenager Holly Chase was visited by the three classic Ghosts on Christmas Eve five years ago. Unlike Ebenezer Scrooge, Holly dies because her behavior did not improve after her chase. Now that she can no longer fully enter the afterlife, she works for Project Scrooge, the top-secret company that selects a Scrooge to chase every holiday season. But this year’s Scrooge is also a teenager who could die if he doesn’t change his ways, and Holly might fall for him. I read this book two years ago and the twist still stays with me! -ED
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