Festivus is on December 23rd and I am celebrating in books.
If you’re a Seinfeld fan, you know what I’m talking about and if not, get ready to explore a made-up holiday that many celebrate around the world.
Here’s a collection of books that represent all four components of Festivus: the Festivus pole, the airing of grievances, the Festivus dinner and the feats of strength.
You’ll find links to my Amazon and Bookshop affiliate stores below. Thanks for your bookish support!
Skipping Christmas by John Grisham
Imagine a year without Christmas. No crowded shops, no corny office parties, no fruitcakes, no unwanted presents. That’s just what Luther and Nora Krank have in mind when they decide that, just this once, they’ll skip the holiday altogether. Theirs will be the only house on the street without a rooftop Frosty the snowman; they won’t be hosting their annual Christmas Eve bash; they aren’t even going to have a tree. They won’t need one, because come December 25 they’re setting sail on a Caribbean cruise. But, as this weary couple is about to discover, skipping Christmas brings enormous consequences – and isn’t half as easy as they’d imagined.
7 Days of Christmas: A Season of Generosity by Jen Hatmaker
Inspired by and adapted from her breakout book 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess , 7 Days of Christmas takes Hatmaker’s social experiments in seven key areas—food, clothes, spending, media, possessions, waste, stress—and turns them into thoughtful and practical generosity that captures the true spirit of Christmas.
7 Days of Christmas covers 7 days during the Christmas season to practice both generosity and restraint in the areas related to the book. It will contain snippets of Jen’s journey throughout to offer insight, humor, ideas, facts, and encouragement for the reader to consider while embracing this change, if only for 24 hours.
The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz
This powerful family saga takes the reader on a long ride. Starting from the very beginning with Salo and Johanna, readers learn about the opulent Oppenheimer family, a family who looks one way, but operates another. Finally blessed with triplets after years of infertility, Johanna does everything she can to grow her family with laughter and love, but that doesn’t stop each member of the family from pulling apart and pulling away. Faced with the unthinkable, Johanna has a fourth child, a child that will play an integral role in the coming together of this fractured family. This book is a slow burn and gives us an uncanny glimpse into the hearts and minds of each character, not to mention big ideas about how the world works and how families can heal.
Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
A Meatloaf in Every Oven: Two Chatty Cooks, One Iconic Dish and Dozens of Recipes – from Mom’s to Mario Batali’s by Frank Bruni & Jennifer Steinhauer
Frank Bruni and Jennifer Steinhauer share a passion for meatloaf and have been exchanging recipes via phone, email, text and instant message for decades. A MEATLOAF IN EVERY OVEN is their homage to a distinct tradition, with 50 killer recipes.
This love letter to meatloaf incorporates history, personal anecdotes and even meatloaf sandwiches, all the while making you feel like you’re cooking with two trusted and knowledgeable friends.
The “I Don’t Want to Cook” Book: 100 Tasty, Healthy, Low-Prep Recipes for When You Just Don’t Want to Cook by Alyssa Brantley
Get away with the bare minimum while still getting food on the table with these 100 quick and easy recipes that require minimal prep, little-to-no planning, and zero extra trips to the grocery store.
Featuring 100 delicious recipes, this cookbook is your guide to the quickest and easiest meals that don’t sacrifice flavor. Each recipe requires no more than fifteen minutes of meal prep to keep your time in the kitchen at an all-time low. You’ll learn tips and tricks to make speedy meals, like making sure you’re using your kitchen tools to the fullest and finding ways to incorporate ingredients you already have at home, as well as minimizing any clean-up after the meal.
Fitness Junkie by Lucy Sykes & Jo Piazza
This book was a delight. It pokes fun of obsessive, often over-the-top attempts to lose weight and look good on the outside at the expense of how we feel on the inside. When Janey was put on leave as CEO of a popular bridal dress company for gaining weight, she spends the next three months working feverishly to lose 30 pounds at all costs. Some methods are logical, some are absurd and some are dangerous, too. And while she loses the weight, she ends up in a place she never thought she’d be…and that changes everything. This is humorous story that many will find slivers of truth in and could be the reminder we need to focus on what truly matters most instead of what others say we need to be.
