Happy December, SHC! We know how gift giving can be, so get ready to window shop for this year’s best book and reader pairs:
For your ‘thought’ daughter friend: I Never Promised You a Rose Garden by Hannah Green: In a time where mental health has become so important, this book offers a delicate and raw look into a young girl’s journey through it during the 1950s.
When looking for your mom, who is definitely cooler than you: Broken Country by Clare Lesley Hall: It detonates the quintessential love triangle, replacing it with a nebula of grief, romance, and historical fiction; not to mention, its added eulogy of losing a child makes Hall’s novel feel elemental.
For your overworked teacher who needs something they do not have to grade: The Library Book by Susan Orleans: A book that, on its face, is all about something not talked about enough, the simple beauty of a library book, but dives deeper into the discovery of what books truly mean, even in a fire that destroyed thousands of them.
For the hopeless romantic still hooked on Mr. Darcy: Happy Place by Emily Henry: A second-chance, New England romance of laughter and tears where exes Harriet and Wyn attempt to fool their friends, and themselves, that everything is a-okay without falling for each other yet again.
For the friend already living in the year 3000: Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro: It gifts a beautifully fresh take on AI. This story follows an artificial friend who accompanies a child through a dystopian world filled with both manipulation and empathy that will warm your heart and keep you weary all at once.
For that one girl obsessed with STEM: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus: Garmus runs a perfectly balanced chemical reaction of feminism, friends, and science in the world of Elizabeth Zott that keeps you questioning till her last word.
For that zen friend who’s “one with nature”: All Our Waves Are Water: Stumbling Towards Enlightenment and The Perfect Ride by Jaimal Yogis: An outstanding non-fiction tale of self-discovery through surfing that reminded me of a love story between waves.
For the friend who needs therapy, but can only afford a book: The Life That’s Waiting by Brianna Wiest: A gorgeous collection of inspirational, self-motivating advice written with the intent of leaving you more in love with yourself than ever before.
For your friend who only wants to look at pictures: Squire by Nadia Shammas and Sara Alfageeh: It’s one of the most visually stunning graphic novels, illuminating settings and featuring a main character who dreams of escaping poverty by training as a squire, a novice knight, amid internal and external struggles anyone can relate to.
For your friend who thinks they’re Sherlock Holmes: The Guest List by Lucy Foley: When a picture-perfect couple’s wedding night of diffident dancing, polite speeches, and carefully curated itinerary ends with a dead body, readers ask who amongst this blue-blooded crowd would dare to shatter their day with scandal?
Happy Holidays, everyone, and keep reading!
– Lily and Simone.
