One of the greatest pleasures in life is, after the gifts have been unwrapped and the children are playing with their new toys, curling up in a cozy chair with a steaming mug of coffee and Bailey’s and diving into a new book that Santa has left under the tree. What could be better, when the snow is falling and the temperature dropping, than losing yourself in those pages and in another world.
Here are five books you need to ask Santa for this Christmas – you’ll just need to add Bailey’s and some fuzzy slippers for a perfect reading experience.
This gorgeous book is all about love, but it is not a romance or love story. Rather, it is a touching and wonderful story about friendship, devotion, and inspiration.
Set in Japan in 1992, a housekeeper gets a new assignment, and it’s a difficult one: keeping house for a brilliant mathematician who, due to a head injury in the 1970s, has an eighty-minute short-term memory. He can solve the most difficult and complex math problems, but cannot remember anything that happened after his accident.
This book not only captivates us with the beautiful friendship struck up between the patient and kind housekeeper, her young son, and the professor, but it also highlights the beauty of mathematics. If you’ve ever thought mathematics was dull and boring, your eyes will be opened by this gem of a book. And you will never look at the number 28 in the same way again.
Who doesn’t love a good coming-of-age novel? This literary debut is a stunning insight into a young girl grieving for her famous artist uncle, who recently passed away from AIDS.
Set in 1987, when AIDS was a relatively “new” disease and there was much panic and uncertainty about its transmission, this book follows 14-year-old June as she mourns the loss of the only person who understood her, her uncle. With his death comes a strange and surprising person into her life, and as she tries to keep her new relationship secret, things start falling apart around her.
It’s rare to find a book that so accurately captures the teenage mind: angst, self-centredness, and the loneliness of being fourteen and misunderstood. It’s also rare to find a book that correctly showcases the complexity of sisterhood – love, jealousy, and anger – but this book does so beautifully.
A fish falls out of its bowl located on the 27th floor balcony of an apartment building, and on its way down it witnesses snippets of life on the different floors.
Have you ever walked down a residential street and wondered about the lives of the residents? What are their lives like, what do they do, what are their stories? I sure have, and this book is a delight to read for nosy people such as myself. The fish sees a glimpse of a scene, and then each chapter details the complicated preamble to each picture.
This book is both hilarious and heartbreaking, and is an allegory for two important concepts: a) we are all connected in some way, and b) what goes on behind the scenes is often much different from what appears on the surface. This is a good reminder for anyone on social media, but it is also a charming read that you won’t be able to put down.
Some books are made for devouring, but some – like this one – are meant to be savoured. I read this book very slowly because I didn’t want it to end. The gorgeous imagery, the hauntingly beautiful writing, and the vivid sensory experience is truly incredible.
There are two parallel stories in this novel: that of a blind young French girl and of a German orphan involved with the Hitler Youth. Following the theme that we are all somehow interconnected, the two lives influence each other in surprising and unexpected ways. Throughout all the beauty of the novel is a wretched theme: childhood destroyed by war.
All the Light We Cannot See reminds us that even in the darkest of times, there is light, and that history is made up of small, individual stories. We are all connected and we all are part of the tapestry of history.
If you’re looking for a light, fun, and hilarious book, this is the one for you. Sixteen-year-old Josie is a child genius, and like many geniuses, finds social situations a bit awkward. Fortunately, she is an expert on languages: she speaks High School, College, Friends, Boyfriends, and Break-Ups. She’s constantly translating, but is tripped up by the language of Love.
Josie doesn’t understand how her older sister could fall in love with someone who puts so much sauce on spaghetti. She doesn’t understand why her best friend would try to ruin their friendship, and she sure doesn’t understand why she has to accept a total stranger into her family.
If you enjoyed The Rosie Project you will love this book; the characters are loveable, the relationships are realistic, and the story line is adorable.
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