Holiday Season Reading List

Happy Wednesday, sweet friends! Just like you, I’m feeling the holiday pressure to rush and get 10000 things done in order to be “prepared”. Emphasizing the word “prepared” because really, when I think hard about it, I always forget to buy or do something during this hectic season. However this year, I have felt this pressure way more times than I’m proud to admit. Pressure to meet imaginary deadlines, hit “age” goals and basically stay in competition with myself, no matter how healthy or unhealthy the methods were. All that to say, this summer I started searching for ways to slow down that hustle and bustle for myself and find something that I could: 1. See as productive but 2. Take me away from “life”, and I found that through reading. A few months ago I shared my reading list for that season and y’all loved it and asked that I followed up with a new list. So today I’m going to do just that.

One of the MAJOR perks of working in higher education is that you have the best holiday breaks. I never have to request off during the holidays and usually have a nice break during Christmas/ New Years, which is amazing. With that, I often have a bunch of days in November (with Thanksgiving) and December (Christmas, Kwanza, Hanukkah) that I’m home with free time on my hands. Today’s reading list is for the books I’m hoping to read before the spring semester starts. I just finished reading All The Missing Girls (AH-mazing) & Come Matter Here (for the 2nd time) which I’ll be reviewing for y’all soon! So, let’s get started.

1 | The Perfect Stranger – Megan Miranda, the same author who wrote All The Missing Girls, also authored this book. Since I loved that one so much, I wanted to read another by her. Suspense books have recently found a special place in my heart and are the very best for when you want to read and truly “get away” from the reality and pressure of life. I was so wrapped up in her last book that I stayed up reading it until 2:30am on a work night to finish it. I didn’t even notice the time passing. Quick description: From the author of the New York Times bestseller All the Missing Girls—the gripping story of a journalist who sets out to find her missing friend, a friend who may never have existed at all. “Think: Luckiest Girl Alive, The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl” (TheSkimm).

2 | Lean in for Graduates  – Okay, this book was in my last reading round up but I never got to it, since I added in the books I mentioned before. Though it’s been a year and a half since I graduated, sometimes I still feel like I’m a week fresh from graduation. Now that I’m going to graduate school, I want to dive into this book head first and soak up everything I can. Quick description: This extraordinary edition of Lean In, by Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook and coauthor of Option B, with Adam Grant, includes a letter to graduates from Sandberg and six additional chapters from experts offering advice on finding and getting the most out of a first job; résumé writing; best interviewing practices; negotiating your salary; listening to your inner voice; owning who you are; and leaning in for millennial men. 

3 | Truly Madly Guilty   – Another thriller on the list because really, why not?! Every single review I have seen about this book praises how good it is. I originally picked up this book last year then gave it to my mom. Right before the hurricane hit in September, I was so lucky to find this book at our local Ollie’s for only $4, so I decided to pick it up again. This book is pretty dense from what I can tell but is the perfect read to dig into during the cold weather. Quick description: In Truly Madly Guilty, Liane Moriarty takes on the foundations of our lives: marriage, sex, parenthood, and friendship. She shows how guilt can expose the fault lines in the most seemingly strong relationships, how what we don’t say can be more powerful than what we do, and how sometimes it is the most innocent of moments that can do the greatest harm.

4 | Present Over Perfect – This was one of the first spiritual books someone suggested to me years ago. I have had this book on my bedside table for entirely too long and have dabbled into it a few times. After over a year, I’m somewhere around 5 chapters in. (#embarrassed) I think that’s really because there is SO much to take in. The few parts I have read are so good and put me in a different place spiritually and mentally. I think this book will be one that I’ll slowly read in pieces so I can digest each part as I go. I recommended the book to my friend Julie, and she did laps around me when reading and finished in days. So I guess that means I need to pick up my pace, right?! Quick description: “Present Over Perfect is an invitation to this journey that changed my life. I’ll walk this path with you, a path away from frantic pushing and proving, and toward your essential self, the one you were created to be before you began proving and earning for your worth.”

5 | Facing Your Giants – This is another book that I started and stopped and started and stopped then let collect dust on my bookshelf. For myself, there are “giants” in my life that I feel have been a constant struggle for forever. All tiny things and habits that I haven’t conquered 100% but want to handle before going into the new year. At the beginning of month, I went to bible study and the guest talked about this exact battle with David and Goliath, which sparked my memory that I had this book. I am excited to take notes in this book and carry these lessons with me in the future. Quick description: David. You could read his story and wonder what God saw in him. His life has little to offer the unstained, straight-A saint. He fell as often as he stood, stumbled as often as he conquered. But for those who know the sound of Goliath, David gives this reminder: Focus on giants — you stumble; focus on God — your giants tumble.

So friends, do you create a reading list for certain times or season? If so, I would love to know what you are reading before the year is over. If you want to see my entire reading list, search through it: here. I have over 40 books on my list right now (and steadily growing) that could give you ideas on what to read next. Thanks so much for reading y’all! Have a lovely afternoon 🙂