With the travels and downtime of the upcoming holidays, I thought I’d share what’s been on my bookshelf [or Nook] recently. I tried to stick to the two[-ish] sentence review, but I’ve never been known for brevity.

Kitchen House [Kathleen Grissom]: Read this book for a new twist on an old subject. A white orphan is raised with a slave family on a southern plantation. The book develops the relationships as much as the fast-paced plot.

The Mockingbirds [Daisy Whitney]: This book is Young Adult Lit [which I shamefully love] about acquaintance rape [which I think is hugely important], but I didn’t find this book particularly lovable or important. I did appreciate, however, that the book explores the range of emotions from a victim’s point-of-view. If you are a girl, particularly if you went to college, chances are you know someone that this has happened to. And you also probably know that a lot of people don’t consider it a crime worth reporting to police. This book tackles that tough line.

Our Kind of Traitor [John La Carre]: Read it if you like smart, page-turning fiction that will probably turn into a movie once someone figures out how to film a plot this crazy.

Moneyball [Michael Lewis]: Here’s the thing: I didn’t actually finish this. I started it during the World Series Playoffs. I got halfway through, and then it was just…too much baseball. So I quit. BUT. Before it was baseball overload, it was really interesting. So, I guess read it and you’ll know more than I do? Sorry.

Sarah’s Key [Tatiana De Rosnay]: Read it if you love historical fiction and well-developed characters. The book is set in real-life with WWII flashbacks; the alternating chapters and plot-driven stories within them make it a fast [and enjoyable! and educational!] read.

Same Kind of Different As Me [Ron Hall and Denver Moore]: Kind of a football-less Blind Side, read it if you’re interested in or inspired by other people’s faith. Or read it if you’re good at ignoring some evangelical undertones, and love a good story about the intersections of vastly different lives. In this case, a white Texas millionaire and a black nomadic homeless man build a tenuous and interesting friendship. This book made me think…a lot…and evaluate some of my own preconceptions and judgements. 

Girls in White Dresses [Jennifer Close]: If you’re a 20-something girl, read this book. [You can read it if you’re not, but you might not be like “gah! this is my life!”] I’ll be honest, the first 50 pages I thought it was sort of boring and the girls aren’t all that likeable. Then somewhere I found myself thinking “I’ve had this exact same conversation—just like this—with my girlfriends,” and I realized that Girls in White Dresses is one of the most relatable books I’ve ever read. Is it chick-lit? Sure…it’s about chicks. But it’s not fluff and meet-cutes, it’s real.

The Boy in the Suitcase [Lene Kaaberol]: Read it if you liked Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. It’s a Nordic thriller—a page turner full of names you can’t pronounce and cities you don’t recognize. So, it’s basically the same thing? It’s also pretty good.

If you’ve read anything recently that you love, let me know. I’m already on the hunt for my next book!