On November 3rd, my aunt Diane, Sissy, passed away after a three month long fight with cancer. She had no children of her own so we were exceptionally close throughout my life. She lived an extraordinary life of adventure and fun. Although I was with her as she transitioned into the great beyond, it still doesn’t feel real at all. I’m not sure it ever will!
After she died, for the first time in months, there was nothing left I could do for her. I couldn’t help organize visits from friends and family. Couldn’t bring her treats to eat. Couldn’t come entertain her with stories or hold her hand and play her music. There was nothing to do except grieve. So that’s what November was for me – the start of what I imagine will be a long journey of grief.
I tried to return to a pre-cancer normal. I took a work trip to NYC and I went to Savannah for one night (75°+ weather pictured below – a surprise, but a happy one, to be reading in a swimsuit by a pool in late November). Pulling geographics (‘pulling a geographic’ is a term popularized by Alcoholics Anonymous and is a fancy way of saying ‘trying to run away from your problems by changing locations’) didn’t work.
Spending time with my mom helped. Reading in front of my Christmas tree helped. Eating a delicious meal at The Grey in Savannah helped, and my aunt, a chef herself, would have loved that. I think that may be the complete list of things that cheered me up in November. But it’s something!
In the last five years of her life, my aunt joined a book club and became a reader and I loved talking with her about what we were both reading, exchanging notes and book recommendations. I think she’d be glad I’m finding my way back to reading right now, amidst … gestures everywhere.
So yeah, I read fourteen books in November, including two five star reads that I think will be on my mind for some time to come. I hope for more of the same in December and beyond. Books, man. Thank God for ’em.
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction
The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue
The Rachel Incident is a dark and funny character-driven novel set in Ireland in the 2010s. It got rave reviews from almost everyone whose book taste mirrors mine, and my only ‘complaint’ is that I’m mad it took me this long to listen and read this wonderful book!
It’s about the joy and ache of being a twenty-something and slowly growing into your full self. And there’s one line that just … ugh. It hits me right in the heart: “And so now, everyone I love is called James.”
When I review books, I often think about what I’d recommend to people who read only five books a year. What’s good enough to earn one of those precious spots? This is one of those books. I’ll be recommending it widely, even though I’m two years late to the party.
Like Family by Erin O. White
Erin O. White’s debut novel, Like Family, is about a group of friends in upstate New York who are as close as family. They feel settled. Until a death in their community shakes everything up.
I’d describe this as falling squarely into the “families are complicated” genre. But unlike so many books in that category, this one didn’t stress me out. The characters’ problems felt real and specific but not so familiar that they hit too close to home.
These characters felt like people you might know. Their feelings and relationships were relatable, and the representation helped me better understand perspectives different from my own.
There’s a plot to keep things moving, but this will especially resonate with readers who love character-driven fiction.
Note: Thank you to NetGalley and Dial Press for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy.
Romance
Grace and Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman
If Amy Poeppel, the queen of quirky found family stories, wrote a holiday romance, it would be Grace & Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon. And that’s high praise coming from me!
Henry is a widower. Grace is a widow with two young children and a chaotic dog. Their mothers set them up during their first holiday season after losing their spouses. As they watch their favorite holiday movies together, they slowly find love and rediscover joy.
It’s sweet and grief-tinged, but never too sad, an ideal antidote to holiday content that’s overly saccharine. My favorite new holiday read of 2025!
Note: Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy.
I’ll Be Home for Christmas by Jenny Bayliss
I’ll Be Home for Christmas is the latest from the Queen of Christmas and my favorite holiday author, Jenny Bayliss. In this one, Fred, a thirty-something woman, returns to her small hometown in Scotland after her relationship falls apart and she’s laid off. She moves back in with the trio who raised her (her mother and two eccentric aunts) and helps run their family Christmas cracker business. She also finds herself in the middle of a love triangle with her childhood best friend and a charming out-of-towner passing through for the holidays.
It took me about 150 pages to really get into this book. It felt more contrived and scattered than Bayliss’s past novels and, as is often the case with her books, it was simply too long for me. At nearly 450 pages, it could have easily been trimmed by a third. Yet at the same time, some plot points felt oddly rushed. For example, Fred arrives home with a pretty bad attitude toward her mother, but they reconcile almost instantly and become close again. The pacing just felt off.
Also, the brief stretch near the end when the village turns against Fred didn’t make sense to me. She was a beloved child of the village, her family is well-loved, and yet the townspeople turned on her without hesitation at the first sign of trouble. I also couldn’t quite figure out what the Pine Bluff Jezebel group was supposed to be.
On the positive side, I loved the chemistry and dynamics in the love triangle. It felt sweet, real, and well-developed. Fred’s psychology made total sense to me, and, as always with a Bayliss novel, the side characters and the cozy village atmosphere were wonderful.
Overall, this was Bayliss’s weakest book to date for me, but I’m still a fan. She remains an auto-read author, especially around the holidays.
Note: Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy.
Let’s Make a Scene by Laura Wood
Let’s Make a Scene, a dual-timeline, dual-perspective, enemies-to-lovers/fake dating celebrity romance, just didn’t work for me.
I can’t even quite put my finger on why. I just … didn’t care. The characters didn’t feel fully formed. They read more like sketches than real people. Very meh.
Literary fiction
Heart the Lover by Lily King
I couldn’t get into Lily King’s breakout hit Writers & Lovers when I picked it up a few years ago and ultimately DNF’d it, so I wasn’t all that tempted to try her latest, Heart the Lover – until every one of my most trusted book reviewers, whose taste always mirrors mine, said it was their favorite book of the year. And wow. I was blown away.
This novel follows our narrator from her senior year of college through marriage and parenthood, centering on her deeply intertwined relationships with two young men she meets in a literature class. I won’t say more than that, because the beauty of this story lies in the journey – in the writing, the emotions, and the discovery of its twists and turns.
What I didn’t realize until I finished it was that Heart the Lover is a companion of sorts to Writers & Lovers. That said, I didn’t feel like I missed out on anything by not having read that one, so if you’re in the same boat, don’t let that stop you.
I do want to offer a heads-up, without spoiling anything, that this book is devastatingly sad. By the time I finished, I actually felt like I was having a panic attack. The ending hit incredibly close to home for me right now, emotionally. So please read it when you’re in the right frame of mind.
But if you are up for it, I highly recommend this novel. It’s breathtaking – a deeply special and unforgettable read. And now I’m going to go back and give Writers & Lovers another try!
Mystery
Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz
Anthony Horowitz truly is the modern-day Agatha Christie. I’ve been saying for years that he’s the king of the contemporary mystery, and his Susan Ryeland series is still my favorite among his many books.
Susan, an editor who keeps finding herself entangled in real crimes, is back for a third outing in Marble Hall Murders, only this time, she’s the suspect. Yes, the plot is very similar to The Twist of a Knife (from his Hawthorne series). And yes, it does make you wonder if he’s running out of ideas. But somehow, I didn’t mind. I loved the ending, even though it left me with a bittersweet feeling that this may be the final book in the series.
Horowitz fans will absolutely enjoy this one, though I don’t recommend starting here. It works best if you’ve read the first two books, especially the debut.
Note: The first two books in the series, Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders, as well as the first four books in his Hawthorne and Horowitz series, are available right now on Kindle Unlimited!
Non-Fiction
Memoir
The Uncool by Cameron Crowe
Writer and director Cameron Crowe’s memoir, The Uncool, focuses on the real-life experiences that inspired his film Almost Famous, one of my all-time favorite movies. So this was always going to be a must-read for me.
The first 40% of the book is about Crowe’s unusual childhood and the family dynamics that led to his parents letting him go on tour with The Allman Brothers at age 15. The middle section consists of vignettes, nonlinear stories of time spent with legendary musicians like The Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and David Bowie (he spent 18 months with Bowie!). The final portion dives into his film career and recent efforts to adapt Almost Famous for the stage.
It’s not the best-written memoir I’ve ever read. It gets repetitive, and the ending falls a bit flat. But how could I not enjoy a book about a kid who graduated high school at 15 and spent the next six years touring the country with rock stars? A must-read for fans of classic rock or Almost Famous.
Future Boy by Michael J. Fox
Future Boy focuses on the period in Michael J. Fox’s 20s when he was filming Back to the Future and Family Ties at the same time, racing between sets and running on just four hours of sleep a night.
I love Michael J. Fox. I love the Back to the Future trilogy and am always eager to learn more behind-the-scenes lore. But honestly, this book didn’t need to be a book. It could’ve been an essay. Or maybe a short documentary. It just didn’t merit a full-length memoir.
Sure, if you didn’t already know that Eric Stoltz was originally cast as Marty McFly and six weeks of footage had to be reshot after Fox was brought in, you might learn that here, along with a few other fun facts. But most even moderately informed fans of Fox or the films probably know that already. So overall, this just felt unnecessary. Sorry, Michael!
I will say: I listened to the audiobook, as I usually do with memoirs narrated by their authors. Unfortunately, Fox’s Parkinson’s has weakened his voice so much that it was hard to understand him most of the time. I might have gotten more from it had I read a print or digital copy.
That said, I still wholeheartedly recommend revisiting the movies. They’re as fun and iconic as ever, a testament to Fox’s talent, especially given the circumstances under which he filmed them.
Sister Wife by Christine Brown Woolley
It’s hard to believe I’ve been following the Kody Brown family saga for 15 years. I watched the early seasons of Sister Wives on TLC and, while I haven’t tuned in for a long time, I still keep up with the family.
Christine Brown (now Christine Brown Woolley), the former third wife, has always been candid. Still, her memoir Sister Wife includes surprising new details she hadn’t shared before.
She writes with warmth, humor, and honesty. It’s impossible not to root for her continued happiness and growth. If you’ve ever watched even a minute of Sister Wives, you’ll enjoy Christine’s story.
Not My Type by E. Jean Carroll
Not My Type is E. Jean Carroll’s account of her 2023 and 2024 trials against Donald Trump, in which she was awarded $90 million for sexual abuse and defamation.
Carroll is a very funny writer. Not many people could take stories of abuse and legal battles and make them funny, but she does, especially in her descriptions of Trump, the lawyers, and court antics.
That said, the book’s structure is disjointed, it goes on too long, and I’m not sure who the ideal audience is. For readers looking for a cathartic “woman fights back” narrative, it’s too lighthearted. For those wanting a fun memoir, the content is too heavy.
It will likely only appeal to a specific group – those curious about a wry, offbeat account of a major trial—or to existing fans of Carroll and a certain kind of New Yorker.
Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything by Alyson Stoner
Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything is a memoir by former child actor and dancer Alyson Stoner.
I like celebrity memoirs. I like memoirs by former child stars. Jennette McCurdy’s I’m Glad My Mom Died was one of my top reads of 2024.
But this book made me viscerally angry. The writing is just bad, trying way too hard to sound smart or profound.
Stoner talks endlessly about her “inner publicist,” which reminded me of Anastasia’s “inner goddess” in Fifty Shades of Grey (not a compliment). The book is full of therapy-speak like “live into these deeper learnings,” and vague talk about the “wellness community” that’s never explained.
And then there are lines like: “My lungs exhaled in a salubrious hum.” Truly baffling that an editor let that through.
Do not read this book. Just don’t.
Miscellaneous non-fiction
Having People Over by Chelsea Fagan
If you dream of being more confident hosting parties or want your home to feel just a bit more guest-ready, Having People Over is the book for you.
Author Chelsea Fagan shares tons of practical advice, and thankfully, none of it feels like overpriced influencer nonsense. It’s realistic, budget-conscious, and thoughtful. Even as someone who’s already a comfortable hostess (if I do say so myself), I came away inspired. I’m especially intrigued by her suggestion to organize platonic adult sleepovers. What could be more fun?
This would make a great holiday gift for anyone with “host more” as a 2026 goal.
Note: Thank you to NetGalley and Ten Speed Press for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy.
Collision of Power by Martin Baron
Collision of Power is former Boston Globe and Washington Post editor Marty Baron’s memoir about his years at the Post.
I don’t know how else to say it: after reading this book, I like Baron much less than I did before.
I used to see him as brave and thoughtful, especially for his leadership at the Globe during the Pulitzer-winning Catholic Church abuse investigation. But here, he comes across as out of touch and oddly fixated on punching down at former colleagues. He doesn’t even offer much insight into Jeff Bezos, despite that being a big draw of the book.
Skip this one. If you want a compelling story about Post history, read Katharine Graham’s excellent Personal History instead.
I hope you are also enjoying doing your favorite things in front of your Christmas tree, whether that’s reading, or doing puzzles, or taking naps, or simply hanging out with people you love. Happy holidays, friends,
Leave a Reply