Books We’re Giving this Year

Here’s the books we’re giving this year!

We hope you’re not only finding time to do some reading yourself this Holiday Season, but are also giving the joy of reading to those you love! 

Non Fiction:

FINDING FREEDOM: A COOK’S STORY; REMAKING A LIFE FROM SCRATCH by Erin French

This life-affirming and beautiful memoir is more than just a food and restaurant journey. It’s about losing everything and finding more.

The Five Minute Journal: A Happier You in 5 Minutes a Day 

For the person who wants to journal but hasn’t started. For the morning, only 3 questions to answer: what are you thankful for, what would make the day great, and a daily affirmation. Then, at night, you add highlights from the day, along with what you learned. Just the nuts and bolts of journaling

No Cure for Being Human by Kate Bowler

Perspective is the gift this book gives. The author, diagnosed with cancer, addresses her life reconsidered after her diagnosis with honesty, humor, and hope.

Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci

This book celebrates the intersection of food, love, and life. Prepare to be hungry.

Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown 

The subtitle, Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience, says so much! Our Fav Brené Brown gives us the language and tools to access a universe of new choices and second chances!

Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman

If you saw Amanda’s Gorman during the inauguration, you know what a National Treasure this young poet is. This poetry book would be a wonderful addition to anyone’s collection, even the younger generations.

THE BASEBALL 100 by Joe Posnanski

Award-winning sportswriter gives us a gift for those we love who love baseball. Definitely under the tree for our sound editor (shh…don’t tell him).

From our GOB recs:

State of Terror by HRC and Louise Penny

The combo of Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and the Best Selling mystery writer Louise Penny makes this page turning thriller irresistible! A new Secretary of State in her former rival’s administration is challenged by terror attacks around the globe. The pace is unrelenting, action is heart pounding, the exhaustion feels real, and the complexity of the characters’ relationships will pull you in for a thrilling ride. 

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalia Harris

In Zakiya Dalia Harris’ debut thriller, The Other Black Girl, soon to be a Hulu series, 26 old Nella is an editorial assistant who is relieved when finally, another Black girl starts at the same publishing house. She’s hoping for an ally, but things don’t go as she hopes, to say the least. Full of shocking twists, social commentary, this is an amazing take on the thriller genre.  It’s a chilling read, propelling the reader to keep turning the pages. Definitely a GOB rec!

The Judge’s List by John Grisham

Grisham has long been one of Cathi’s favorites. Judicial Conduct Investigator Lucy Stoltz is back (she first appeared in The Whistler); she’s at a crossroads and uncertain of her next professional and personal steps when an informant appears with information on a judge she’s been personally investigating for years – a serial killer sitting on the Bench – with no other complaints against him except for a string of unsolved murders. It’s a fantastic escape.

Billy Summers by Stephen King

One of her first favorite authors, Christie has been reading King’s books for decades. Billy Summers delves into the idea of good vs. bad that often crops up in King’s novels, even as far back as The Stand. (Thank goodness our current pandemic hasn’t been as bad as the one King chronicled in that epic story.) As the title character in this new novel, Billy Summers is an assassin who only targets “bad” guys. We follow him through what is supposed to be his final job and get to know him through his cover as a writer. In true masterful form, King weaves a dark tale that explores the shades of gray between the black and white view of Billy Summer’s world. A great read you will be thinking about for years to come.