Neighbourly Reads

It seems like most of you have as much going on as I did, as no one took advantage of my holiday book recommendation service offer. And perhaps, given how December has come crashing down on me (which is why you’re getting this today and not yesterday), that was for the best!

That being said, without reinventing the wheel, I wanted to share a few of the good book gifting lists I’ve read in the last little while in case you are looking for inspiration:

What to Read if You Need Help with Your Holiday Shopping - I love the themes Elizabeth from What to Read If comes up with, ones like WTRI…you’re celebrating Maggie Smith, or you’re eating a lot of tomatoes. You’ll find lots of gifting inspo here! 

This list of books of the year from the Sunday Times is also great. I’ve added The Haunted Wood: A History of Childhood Reading to my holiday wish list. 

I love a good cookbook; if you do, too, you’ll probably know Dorie Greenspan’s name. I always look forward to her annual best-of-cookbooks list. This year she has at least five books I really, really want, and I suspect fellow bakers and cooks will also find fun ideas for gifting and getting.

Now, on to my December reading recommendations!

The holiday season always feels neighbourly to me, what with visits with family and friends, neighbourhood lights and decorations, and holiday craft fairs and events. This month’s books all have underlying themes of the importance of community and connection. I also chose them as they are books I hope won’t add to any holiday stress you may be experiencing. I’d categorize these as gentle reads. I often read reviews of books I recommend, and a few said one or two of these books were a little slow, but I say bring it on! Especially during a season where it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by lights, music, planning, cooking, shopping, emotional labour, and not enough time. I didn’t find any of these reads particularly laggy, but nor were they paced like a Marvel movie.

Nosy Neighbours by Freya Sampson
This book is about neighbours; heck, it’s even in the title. When their apartment building faces demolition, 25-year-old Kat Bennett, who has finally found a home in Shelley House, and 77-year-old Dorothy Darling, who has lived at Shelley House longer than any of the other residents, go from sworn enemies to unlikely allies in their increasingly dangerous quest to save their home. The rest of the Shelley House’s ragtag assortment of residents also join their quest. If you like books with multigenerational characters, where the little guy triumphs (sorry, a bit of a spoiler, but not really), where long-held secrets are revealed, and where a dog is a featured character, I think you’ll enjoy Nosy Neighbours. As I wrote this, I realized that although they are different books, the plot has much in common with Clare Pooley’s How To Age Disgracefully, which I featured last month. So maybe don’t read them back to back.

Community Board by Tara Conklin
Anyone who’s ever been both fascinated by and despairing of the messages on their neighbourhood Facebook group or the Nextdoor app will be automatically drawn to this book, where the Murbridge Community Message board is as much as character as anyone else in the book. When Darcy Clipper’s life turns upside down, she heads home to Murbridge to lick her wounds and throw herself at her parent's mercy. Imagine her surprise when she gets home and finds that her parents have moved to Arizona without telling her. She goes to ground in her childhood home (you’ll feel shades of the pandemic here) and doesn’t emerge for months until she is driven by the need to make money. Once back in the world, she starts tentatively connecting with people in real life and rebuilding her life, with a few hiccups along the way. The best word I have to describe this book is satisfying. And funny. 

The Library of Broken Hearts by Lucy Gilmore
A caveat here: I’m predisposed to like books about libraries because I think libraries are miraculous - you get to borrow books for free, you can hang out without spending money, and they offer an array of programming. This newsletter would not exist if it weren’t for libraries. I can’t imagine what it would do to our family budget to have to buy all the books I read. Anyhow, this is another cantankerous oldie, spunky youngster pairing where secrets come to light. When librarian Chloe Sampson, struggling to take care of her three younger siblings after her mother deserts them, finds a rare book, she is surprised when her crotchety neighbour offers her whatever she wants for the book. Intrigued, she digs deeper and uncovers a decades-old literary romance while tentatively embarking on her own romance. This book is about how no one can do it alone, the strength of family bonds, and the power of your chosen family. 

There’s not little something extra this month because everything feels a bit extra right now. But I do wish you all the best for the holiday season, and here’s to a happy, healthy 2025. I'll be back on January 3rd with some great books to start the new year!