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Stay Calm and Read a Book: Our Thanksgiving Survival Guide

Stay Calm and Read a Book: Our Thanksgiving Survival Guide

Thanksgiving is almost here! Chances are you’ve either been tasked with constructing a magnificent feast or asked to bring a delicious side. Don’t know what to make? We’ve got you covered. Check out our Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup from last year for some mouthwatering, literary-spiced inspiration.

Once the menu is taken care of, let’s focus on feeding your mind. A long weekend means more time to read, and a long weekend during the holidays means you might really need an escape. Whether you’re hosting your children and their significant others or traveling a great distance to grandma’s, whether you’re feeling grateful for all that you have or are dreading spending time with the people you are technically related to, we have the read to help you make it through. Welcome to our Thanksgiving Survival Guide, where you’ll find the perfect book to devour in any situation!

***Don’t forget to share our “Sorry, I’m reading!” escape cards. Just right-click, save, and post on social!***


WinterSituation:  You’re stuck on a five-hour flight
Reading Escape: The Winter People
by Jennifer McMahon

“This is not a book that will sit unread . . . for very long. Open the first few pages and you are swept into a swift, dark current of unfolding events that will hold you enthralled.” —Kate Alcott, author of The Dressmaker

Read an excerpt | Get the reader’s guide | Buy the book

 

 


HeartburnSituation:  You have miles of highway to drive
Reading Escape: listen to the audio book of Heartburn
by Nora Ephron, read by Meryl Streep

“Nora Ephron’s first novel is warm, witty and wise.” —Harper’s Bazaar
The New York Times Book Review

Browse discussion resources | Buy the book

 


MisfortuneSituation: You’re taking a long train ride with your kids
Reading Escape: The Misfortune of Marion Palm
by Emily Culliton
“Emily’s Culliton’s Brooklyn family drama—cum-mystery offers up a female heroine for whom money speaks louder than motherhood. If it’s shocking, it’s also refreshing.” —Lucinda Rosenfeld, author of Class

Read an excerpt | Get the reader’s guide | Buy the book

 

 


AliasSituation: There’s no Netflix at Grandma’s
Reading Escape: Alias Grace
by Margaret Atwood

Now a six-part Netflix original mini-series
“Villain or victim, Atwood’s Grace is intriguing company.” —People

Read an excerpt | Get the reader’s guide | Buy the book

 


CircusSituation: Everyone is watching the game
Reading Escape: The Night Circus
by Erin Morgenstern

“Magical. Enchanting. Spellbinding. Mesmerizing.” —Associated Press

Read an excerpt | Get the reader’s guide | Buy the book

 

 

 


One MoreSituation: You need something to keep you occupied between bastings
Reading Escape: One More Thing
by B. J. Novak

“A gifted observer of the human condition and a very funny writer capable of winning that rare thing: unselfconscious, insuppressible laughter.” —Jen Chaney, The Washington Post

Read an excerpt | Browse discussion resources | Buy the book

 


SpoonbendersSituation: Your family is as dry as the turkey you forgot to baste*
Reading Escape: Spoonbenders
by Daryl Gregory

“Did you spend a childhood convinced that you were *this close* to developing telekinetic powers? Me too! The supernatural may elude us still, but there is real magic in Daryl Gregory’s gleeful story of the Amazing Telemachus Family.” —Jade Chang, author of The Wangs vs. the World

Read an excerpt | Get the reader’s guide | Buy the book

*don’t blame B. J. Novak.


FriendfluenceSituation: You’re hosting or attending Friendsgiving
Reading Escape: Friendfluence
by Carlin Flora

“If you’ve been thinking of starting a book club with your BFFs, here’s your first assignment.” —BookPage

Read an excerpt | Browse discussion resources | Buy the book

 


StrangerSituation: Your family is being extra* and you can’t even**
Reading Escape: The Stranger in the Woods
by Michael Finkel

“Raises a variety of profound questions—about the role of solitude, about the value of suffering, about the diversity of human needs.” —Jennifer Senior, The New York Times

Read an excerpt | Get the reader’s guide | Buy the book

* “excessive, dramatic behavior; doing the absolute most” (UrbanDictionary.com)

** “an expression that denotes so many emotional responses [you] can’t even comprehend what has been said or seen” (UrbanDictionary.com)


WoodsSituation: You’d rather be outside
Reading Escape: A Walk in the Woods
by Bill Bryson

“Short of doing it yourself, the best way of escaping into nature is to read a book like A Walk in the Woods.” —The New York Times

Read an excerpt | Browse discussion resources | Buy the book

 

 


HavingSituation: Your mom commented that you went up a dress size
Reading Escape: I’ll Have What She’s Having
by Rebecca Harrington

“While the content is mostly lighthearted and humorous, there is a palpable undercurrent of sharp feminist commentary.” — Publishers Weekly

Read an excerpt | Browse discussion resources | Buy the book

 

 


SmartSituation: Your son just mentioned he’s moving back home
Reading Escape: The Smart One
by Jennifer Close

“This bighearted novel examines a generation of nonstarters with a mix of empathy and Close’s signature deadpan, pathos-driven humor.” —Entertainment Weekly

Read an excerpt | Get the reader’s guide | Buy the book

 


NeverSituation: Your distant relative is getting too personal
Reading Escape: We Are Never Meeting in Real Life.
by Samantha Irby

“A sidesplitting polemicist for the most awful situations.”—Janet Maslin, The New York Times

Read an excerpt | Browse discussion resources | Buy the book

 

 

 


HeatwaveSituation: Sibling rivalry is about to boil over
Reading Escape: Instructions for a Heatwave
by Maggie O’Farrell

“Once again, O’Farrell demonstrates her mastery at depicting strained relationships, skewed family loyalties and the just-reachable light at the end of the tunnel.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune

Read an excerpt | Get the reader’s guide | Buy the book

 


HousewifeSituation: Nobody is helping in the kitchen, so you throw your hands up and say, “Screw it!”
Reading Escape: American Housewife
by Helen Ellis

“A raucous, whip-smart collection of stories featuring retro-feminist ladies who lunch.” —Elle 

Read an excerpt | Browse discussion resources | Buy the book

 

 


LivingSituation: You’re feeling thankful
Reading Escape (not that you need one): Books for Living
by Will Schwalbe

Books for Living is [a] gift, and one that keeps giving.” —USA Today

Read an excerpt | Get the reader’s guide | Buy the book

 

 


MistletoeSituation: You just want it to be Christmas already
Reading Escape: The Mistletoe Murder
by P. D. James

“Mystery lovers are in for a very merry time.” —USA Today

Read an excerpt | Browse discussion resources | Buy the book