Books to be Thankful For

We should be thankful for all (most) books, so this list is really more like, "Books to Enjoy on Your Thanksgiving Holiday." For me, that means books that are well-suited to Michigan road trips, cozy lakeside cottages, and a constant barrage of interruptions from family members. For others, it probably means good airplane books, and for a tragic few, it means a good book to fall asleep reading after you recover from a long day spent in the kitchen. Plan your weekend reading material accordingly:

Little Women by Louis May Alcott-- It starts with a Christmas Eve scene of sisterly affection, so it's a nice way to kick off the holiday season, and there is no greater story of familial love and thankfulness in times of scarcity. Either film adaptation also makes for a good family movie.

John Saturnall's Feast by Lawrence Norfolk-- A very sumptuous, lovely pseudo-historical novel about a young orphaned kitchen boy who cooks his way to prestige and power in 17th century England. I really adored every second I spent with this book and I can't think of a better foodie novel.

The Wapshot Chronicle by John Cheever-- Another East Coast family novel, but this time without any scarlet fever. I found this book to be so cozy and funny when I read it, and it's the perfect novel if you're familial interactions include WASP-y repression.

The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper -- A rousing adventure story that includes pilgrims and Indians. A great choice if you forget to pack a book, because statistically it's very likely already on your dad's/grandpa's bookshelf.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein -- This will be a controversial viewpoint, but I enjoyed this significantly more than the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which I mostly hated. The Hobbit is like the good parts of Tolkein, boiled-down into a concise novel intended for a younger audience, so you don't have worry about getting bogged down in Middle Earth history and Elvish language. Even people who don't read fantasy will enjoy this, and there is nothing more Thanksgiving-y than hobbits, who live in cozy underground houses and eat constantly.

This Week in Books: David Sedaris is a dump truck...

This week's links will be short and sweet. As a Beyonce fan, I've had a rough one, and I am very ready for the weekend.

A few weeks ago I posted David Sedaris' very funny essay on his FitBit; in it he mentioned his obsessive walks around his neighborhood and all the trash he collected. Now his community has named a dump truck after him. Cute.

John Cheever's former home in Ossining, NY is for sale. Ossining is also the home of the (pre-divorce) Draper family in Mad Men, so that pretty much tells you everything you need to know about John Cheever and Ossining. I read The Wapshot Chronicle last year and it was instantly one of my new favorites.

Finally, Roxane Gay was on Wisconsin Public Radio this weekend and handled some ridiculous questions from callers. Next week Bookhive will be devoted almost exclusively to Roxane Gay (she's doing a reading at my local bookstore and her new book of essays comes out), so consider this your introduction.

Bookhive Afield

I've been thinking a lot about travelling and books lately, as I get ready to depart for five days in Oregon. My focus will certainly be on my sister's wedding and quality time with friends and family, but I can't travel without something good to read, and the flight from Detroit to Portland is long enough to plow through an average sized novel.

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