5 Writers Recommend Books to Read over the Holidays
The holidays can be a great time to catch up on reading, but there are so many options! We’ve collected a group of tldrwriters (who knows books better than writers?) to share their book recommendations so you can find the perfect literary treat to read over the holidays.
1: Melmoth by Sarah Perry
Recommended by: Joe Butler, TL;DR Press Co-Founder
Sarah Perry, (After Me Comes The Flood, and The Essex Serpent) has delivered a post-modern gothic tour de force with Melmoth. The novel resembles some horrifying, drug-induced lucid dream in its darkly beautiful lyricism. The story tells a tale of Helen Franklin, a woman living in Prague who, through written accounts made by others throughout history, learns of a supernatural entity known as Melmoth the Wanderer, who walks the earth bearing witness to acts of evil. We follow Helen as she becomes obsessed with learning about the wanderer, which inevitably leads to her exploring her own dark history. We learn about the acts of horror that she herself has witnessed
Who would like this? Fans of horror will love this. Melmoth the Wanderer conjures up images of the Samara from the Ring, or the creature from It Follows. The book also has a sense of true dread woven throughout that leaves you feeling as if Melmoth herself could leak out of the very pages to get you. Perry’s masterful control of the language will also make this a favourite of anyone who appreciates the written word. It’s not just a few lines here and there that shine, it’s the whole book; every line, every word seems meticulously crafted to something beautiful and memorable.
2: I’m Just Happy to Be Here: A Memoir of Renegade Mothering by Janelle Hanchett
Recommended by: Charlotte Kaufman, tldrwriters Slack member
Janelle Hanchett is the creator of the no-holds-barred blog, Renegade Mothering. I’m Just Happy to Be Here: A Memoir of Renegade Mothering is her first published book, a memoir that captures the tumultuous emotions of motherhood, addiction, mental illness, belief & unbelief, childhood memories, and rosemary carrots. I read her book over a weekend (when I was away from my husband and kids at a writer’s retreat so I actually had time to do such a thing), and I could not put it down. Her words are so real, honest, and complete, that I sometimes didn’t know what to do with myself. I was drawn to her story. I related to it, I cringed through it, I laughed, and my heart ached too. This is a book you should buy. This is a book we should all read.
Who would like this? Lovers of memoir and creative nonfiction a la Jeannette Walls’ The Glass Castle and Mary Karr’s The Liar’s Club. Reminiscent of David Sedaris and his ability to interweave pain, truth, and humor.
3: What Should I Do With My Life? by Po Bronson
Recommended by: Lila Krishna, TL;DR Press Co-Founder
The more I read Po Bronson, the more I want to be him. I was pleasantly surprised when I realized he is the founder of The San Francisco Grotto, where I got my start in writing fiction.
There’s no dearth of books, articles, TED talks and commencement speeches that urge you to follow your dreams and be your truest self. Only rarely is there any introspection or honesty or following up on those who did follow their dreams. Po Bronson is one of those rare few, and he takes us on a contemplative, insightful, and fun-filled journey on how people worked through their identity crises to lead fulfilling lives. We meet a Tibetan monk in Arizona, a stockbroker turned trucker, an almost-Olympian who chose motherhood over athletics, not once, but twice, a Wall Street exec who quit to farm catfish in Mississippi, and a White House Fellow and ballerina who still found herself confused about what direction to take her life in.
Though you might have heard stories like this before, Po Bronson imbues each tale with soul-searching questions, honest perspectives, and a lot of heart. Reading this book certainly did bring to the surface my own quest for meaning, and set off a path of contemplation, intense self-scrutiny, and undertaking actions small and big towards living the life I should be living, and it is because of this that I highly recommend this book as a great companion to the questions that accompany us as we think about our New Year resolutions.
Who would like it? Have you ever said “What should I do with my life?” If so, this book is for you. You’ll also enjoy it if you like inquisitive, empathetic stories about real people from a variety of backgrounds figuring out their purpose in life.
4: Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
Recommended by: Sarah Linders, TL;DR Press Co-Founder
Annihilation is undoubtedly a tldrwriters favourite and pops up often in our #amreading channel. I love this book. It might be my favourite book. It’s a short novel (a great stocking stuffer?) that had me stopping every chapter or so to yell about its twists and scary moments to my partner. The writing has a great voice that pulls you into a sci-fi-eco-gothic world. The novel follows an expedition of experts (bonus: all women) who go into Area X, a mysterious and deadly ecosystem, to test and observe it for their shady government agency.
Who would like this? Anyone who saw the movie and enjoyed it would enjoy this book (they’re very different in some major plot points, so the book’s twists would still feel fresh), and anyone who’s into surreal horror, ecology, women-centred narratives, and/or a mind-bending read would love it!
5: Hyperion by Dan Simmons
Recommended by: Alex Hareland, TL;DR Press Co-Founder
The future has been ripped apart by war, and seven strangers go on a final pilgrimage in hopes to illuminate the mysteries that have plagued their lives. They must go to Hyperion, where the enigmatic and powerful creature, the Shrike, lies in wait. While some people worship it and some fear it, all believe that the Shrike holds the key to unraveling the riddles of the universe. Each stranger has a story to tell and secrets to keep, and each one is as captivating as the last. Hyperion is both fantastical and futuristic. Taking much inspiration from classic literary tales such as the Canterbury Tales, Simmons masters the balance between familiar and unique.
Who would like this? Hyperion is a classic that blends science fiction, fantasy, and classic literature. Anyone who has a deep love of the mythological as well as the futuristic will enjoy this. This is a classic of speculative fiction.
Interested in giving a philanthropic read this holiday season? TL;DR Press offers three collections that each give all profits to a great cause!
Redditwriters Mixtape: Vol. 1 is our first collection with stories from across genres by members of the community to benefit Doctors Without Borders.
Carrying Fire is our women’s anthology (written and curated by women writers!) with fiction and poetry to benefit the Endometriosis Foundation of America.
NOPE is our third collection featuring horror stories and poetry to benefit The Pilcrow Foundation.
Do you have a book recommendation? Share on our Slack Writing Group to get featured in a future book recommendations posts!