Thanksgiving is almost here! Chances are you’ve either been tasked with constructing a magnificent feast or asked to bring a delicious side. Don’t know what to make? We’ve got you covered. Check out our Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup from last year for some mouthwatering, literary-spiced inspiration.
Once the menu is taken care of, let’s focus on feeding your mind. A long weekend means more time to read, and a long weekend during the holidays means you might really need an escape. Whether you’re hosting your children and their significant others or traveling a great distance to grandma’s, whether you’re feeling grateful for all that you have or are dreading spending time with the people you are technically related to, we have the read to help you make it through. Welcome to our Thanksgiving Survival Guide, where you’ll find the perfect book to devour in any situation!
***Don’t forget to share our “Sorry, I’m reading!” escape cards. Just right-click, save, and post on social!***
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Situation: You’re stuck on a five-hour flight
Reading Escape: The Winter People
by Jennifer McMahon
“This is not a book that will sit unread . . . for very long. Open the first few pages and you are swept into a swift, dark current of unfolding events that will hold you enthralled.” —Kate Alcott, author of The Dressmaker
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Situation: You have miles of highway to drive
Reading Escape: listen to the audio book of Heartburn
by Nora Ephron, read by Meryl Streep
“Nora Ephron’s first novel is warm, witty and wise.” —Harper’s Bazaar
—The New York Times Book Review
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Situation: You’re taking a long train ride with your kids
Reading Escape: The Misfortune of Marion Palm
by Emily Culliton
“Emily’s Culliton’s Brooklyn family drama—cum-mystery offers up a female heroine for whom money speaks louder than motherhood. If it’s shocking, it’s also refreshing.” —Lucinda Rosenfeld, author of Class
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Situation: There’s no Netflix at Grandma’s
Reading Escape: Alias Grace
by Margaret Atwood
Now a six-part Netflix original mini-series
“Villain or victim, Atwood’s Grace is intriguing company.” —People
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Situation: Everyone is watching the game
Reading Escape: The Night Circus
by Erin Morgenstern
“Magical. Enchanting. Spellbinding. Mesmerizing.” —Associated Press
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Situation: You need something to keep you occupied between bastings
Reading Escape: One More Thing
by B. J. Novak
“A gifted observer of the human condition and a very funny writer capable of winning that rare thing: unselfconscious, insuppressible laughter.” —Jen Chaney, The Washington Post
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Situation: Your family is as dry as the turkey you forgot to baste*
Reading Escape: Spoonbenders
by Daryl Gregory
“Did you spend a childhood convinced that you were *this close* to developing telekinetic powers? Me too! The supernatural may elude us still, but there is real magic in Daryl Gregory’s gleeful story of the Amazing Telemachus Family.” —Jade Chang, author of The Wangs vs. the World
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*don’t blame B. J. Novak.
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Situation: You’re hosting or attending Friendsgiving
Reading Escape: Friendfluence
by Carlin Flora
“If you’ve been thinking of starting a book club with your BFFs, here’s your first assignment.” —BookPage
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Situation: Your family is being extra* and you can’t even**
Reading Escape: The Stranger in the Woods
by Michael Finkel
“Raises a variety of profound questions—about the role of solitude, about the value of suffering, about the diversity of human needs.” —Jennifer Senior, The New York Times
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* “excessive, dramatic behavior; doing the absolute most” (UrbanDictionary.com)
** “an expression that denotes so many emotional responses [you] can’t even comprehend what has been said or seen” (UrbanDictionary.com)
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Situation: You’d rather be outsideReading Escape: A Walk in the Woods
by Bill Bryson
“Short of doing it yourself, the best way of escaping into nature is to read a book like A Walk in the Woods.” —The New York Times
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Situation: Your mom commented that you went up a dress sizeReading Escape: I’ll Have What She’s Having
by Rebecca Harrington
“While the content is mostly lighthearted and humorous, there is a palpable undercurrent of sharp feminist commentary.” — Publishers Weekly
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Situation: Your son just mentioned he’s moving back home
Reading Escape: The Smart One
by Jennifer Close
“This bighearted novel examines a generation of nonstarters with a mix of empathy and Close’s signature deadpan, pathos-driven humor.” —Entertainment Weekly
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Situation: Your distant relative is getting too personal
Reading Escape: We Are Never Meeting in Real Life.
by Samantha Irby
“A sidesplitting polemicist for the most awful situations.”—Janet Maslin, The New York Times
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Situation: Sibling rivalry is about to boil overReading Escape: Instructions for a Heatwave
by Maggie O’Farrell
“Once again, O’Farrell demonstrates her mastery at depicting strained relationships, skewed family loyalties and the just-reachable light at the end of the tunnel.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune
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Situation: Nobody is helping in the kitchen, so you throw your hands up and say, “Screw it!”
Reading Escape: American Housewife
by Helen Ellis
“A raucous, whip-smart collection of stories featuring retro-feminist ladies who lunch.” —Elle
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Situation: You’re feeling thankful
Reading Escape (not that you need one): Books for Living
by Will Schwalbe
“Books for Living is [a] gift, and one that keeps giving.” —USA Today
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Situation: You just want it to be Christmas already
Reading Escape: The Mistletoe Murder
by P. D. James
“Mystery lovers are in for a very merry time.” —USA Today
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