The shopping is almost done, the tree is up and three out of four kids will be with us this holiday, plus the bonus round…a new son-in-law! This season can feel so varied for each of us, depending on where we happen to be in life. The holidays act like a magnifying glass for the range of emotions we are experiencing; love, loss, joy, isolation, fear, hope, anticipation, and everything in between. It’s hard to turn on the news right now and feel optimistic about the planet. Suffering and war are ever-present, a heavy weight most days. And yet, I am always reminded of the importance of pausing and reflecting in life. This is one of those times when the world slows down enough to take stock. It offers us a chance to search for the good and the hopeful, however slim that view might be some days. May all of us feel joy this holiday season. And while peace on earth may be an elusive wish for 2024, the goal is to never stop reaching for hope. And in that vein, here are some good reads to help you relax and transport you to another place. Thank you for reading. Fiction: Absolution by Alice McDermott McDermott’s prose makes you feel the sights, smells and sounds of early 1960’s Saigon, the French Colonial city on the cusp of the Vietnam War. But the focus of this story is on the ex-pat wives, their inner workings and complexities of their traditional lives in the homes and behind the walls of their compounds. Tricia is a timid newlywed, married to a rising attorney at navy intelligence. Charlene is a corporate spouse and mother, the popular girl who bosses the others around, and yet both are “helpmeets” to their traditional husbands. The women form an unlikely friendship as they set out to do charitable works for the poor. Their stories unfold through letters written sixty years later, when, after meeting an aging Vietnam veteran, Charlene’s daughter, reaches out to Tricia. Together, they look back at the time in Saigon and reflect on how their own lives were shaped and burdened by the same kinds of unintended consequences that unfolded from America’s role in Southeast Asia. It’s a story about grace, obligation, sacrifice, and the desire for absolution in a broken world. Fiction: Welcome Home, Stranger by Kate Christensen Rachel hasn’t been home to Portland, Maine in years. She’s built her life on her own, running from her working-class family to become a free spirit, award-winning environmental journalist in DC. Now divorced and on the edge of losing her job, she must return home when her sister calls to tell her that her emotionally unstable and alcoholic mother is dead. Her younger sister, married to a local millionaire, seems to have it all figured out. But as Rachel spends time back home, putting her mother’s life in order, she begins to see everything in a different light, from her alcoholic brother-in-law to her former lover, now married, but still pining for her. But it’s the ghost of her mother, who has haunted and shaped everything about her life, that lies at the heart of this intricate novel, exploring family, mothers and daughters and the choices we make. Fiction: Meet the Benedettos by Katie Cotugno Imagine what would happen if the Kardashians were transported into a modern-day Pride and Prejudice. That mash up is this novel, with a few twists. The five Benedetto sisters live in LA, (Calabasas, no less) and were once famous for being famous. Now they are more like washed up has-beens, with their reality show relegated to an obscure streaming channel as they show up at openings, parties and push out content as C-list influencers. Their father is the “Meatball King,” who had a once successful string of national franchises, but now he’s in financial trouble. When handsome A-list movie star Charlie Bingley and his actor beast-friend Will Darcy (yes, that’s right) rent a house in the neighborhood, sparks fly with the Benedetto sisters. Sweet June falls for Charlie, much to her mother’s delight, but its fiery Lily who ostensibly clashes with Will at every turn, despite the fact they are molten lava together. This raucous, witty and fun read is the best distraction for a rainy day or a long plane ride. Fiction: Ana Turns by Lisa Gornick Ana Koehl is in a dead-end marriage with a stoner anesthesiologist husband who she hasn’t had sex in almost a decade. She’s also having an affair with a journalist … oh… and she is turning 60. In this clever novel, which spans the 24 hours of her “turning,” Ana makes the decision she can no longer let her life move her along the slipstream without taking control. Narrated by Ana, but with points of view from her brother, mother, “star-chitect” father and her adult child, she takes stock of her life and begins to determine what it is that she wants. Fiction: Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan I grabbed the paperback edition of this book at an airport and was reminded of what a wonderful job Jodi Picoult does of researching and writing her books, often weaving back and forth between narrators and perspectives. Olivia McAfee is a bee-keeper who has ended up back on the family farm after fleeing an abusive marriage with her son, Asher. Lily Campanello is also running from a secret. She and her Mom have ended up in the same small town and both young people fall madly in love. The story takes a turn when Lily is found dead in her home and Asher is accused of killing her. This is a story of suspense, the cost of secrets, hate and violence and it’s laced with some wonderful facts about bees and honey. I still can’t get the image of how drones mate with the Queen Bee out of my head. Fiction: The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff There are countless novels […]