Holiday Reads

The days of snuggling up with a good book and warm coffee are upon us! Here's a couple more titles to add to that lengthy holiday reading list from two of my favorite authors, Rainbow Rowell and Markus Zusak:

Keeping up with kids, work, and a marriage is like juggling ice cream. You're doing good to keep it all in the air and it's never clean. Rowell grapples with these issues in Landline, as late-thirties, sitcom writer, mother of two girls, wife of one stay-at-home artist, Georgie, scrambles to sort out the mess that is her life. This book takes a hearty stab at magical realism, as Georgie puts the pieces of her crumbling marriage back together by connecting with the younger version of her husband, Neal, on the landline at her Mom's house. Georgie has made the decision to bail on Christmas with her family in Omaha in order to complete writing a pilot with her best friend and writing partner, Seth. Instead of completing the pilot, she spends the next few days reconnecting with the man she fell in love with twenty-some-odd years before and reliving a pivotal moment in their relationship; a moment when Neal made a grand decision that would forever change their lives. These conversations bring what is truly important into focus for Georgie. This story will resonate with anyone that has ever found that life and love takes more than luck and it's set during Christmas, though, it isn't all twinkling lights and mistletoe.

Life is a fight and the Wolfe brothers are going out swinging. Cameron and Ruben's father is unemployed, but refuses welfare, their brother has just moved out, their sister is out at all hours, and their mother is out-to-lunch; leaving the two boys to figure out how to hold onto the little pride they have left. The two begin boxing (illegally) for a some extra cash, they claim, but, in reality, it's to hold onto their sense of self. Cameron is doing good to stay alive, but Ruben is a king when he steps into the ring. He fights with a fire that can't be contained and becomes something of a cult hero. All the while, the fight raging within him to find a place in the world, despite a crumbling home life, leaves him scrambling. This story goes to the heart sibling bonds and the need for all people to keep their dignity, no matter the price.