Resident book enthusiast, Tyler Goodson, recommends the books filling his holiday shopping bag this year. There’s a book here for everyone on your list, naughty or nice. If you live in Athens, be sure to stop into Avid Bookshop to find all of these titles.
Fiction
The Girl Who Never Read Noam Chomsky by Jana Casale
We meet Leda as a college student, and follow her the rest of her life—through marriage, children, and everything else. It's funny and breezy, but also beautiful and profound.
Early Work by Andrew Martin
This is about a young man trying to figure out (and mostly failing, spectacularly) writing, life, and relationships. You will probably cringe. You will definitely laugh.
The Distance Home by Paula Saunders
These characters and this story transcend the typical family drama, as Saunders shows us a world where hate and love are made of the same stuff, and where home and family are the best and worst things that will ever happen to you.
Severance by Ling Ma
I'm not sure how a novel so funny can also be so terrifying. It's millennial, apocalyptic horror. It's also smart and surprisingly affecting, as it investigates what happens when nostalgia becomes a disease.
Nonfiction
The Library Book by Susan Orlean
Orlean chronicles the history of libraries, focusing on the 1986 fire at the Los Angeles Public library, as well as her own love for them. It's perfect for anyone who loves books and the places that hold them sacred.
All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung
In this memoir of adoption, Nicole Chung shares her story of daughterhood and motherhood with such thoughtfulness and honesty that it feels like a privilege to read.
I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara
I'll Be Gone in the Dark is a story of obsession and violence, a woman and a killer. As much a book of true crime as it is a book about a time and a place. Go ahead and plan to stay up all night. It's that good (and that scary).
These Truths by Jill Lepore
This is a single volume history of the United States by one of our greatest historians and writers. I don't know how it's possible, but it's here.
Cooking and Drinking
Now and Again by Julia Turshen
I have cooked Julia Turshen's recipes more than any others this year. This book is full of ideas for easy and delicious food. I could eat her Roasted Tomato Enchiladas every day.
Cook Like a Pro by Ina Garten
Ina will never let us down, and this new book is no different. It's full of delicious recipes and helpful tricks to help us cook just like her. How easy is that?
Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan
Mostly known for her baking prowess, Dorie gives us a glimpse of how she feeds herself and others on a daily basis.
Cocktail Codex by Alex Day, Nick Fauchald, and David Kaplan
This is the textbook of cocktails that is also fun to read. And tells you how to make almost any drink you can imagine.
Story by Tyler Goodson
Photos by Erin Wilson