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Five Books to Help You Beat the Post-Holiday Blues
Five different books, five different genres, five different ways to avoid the dreaded reading slump.
Sometimes the new year can bring with it a reading rut. If you're anything like me, you spent the prior month wrapped up in cozy books and snuggly blankets, warming yourself with your favorite seasonal beverage. With all the holly and the jolly gone, the return to the "real world" can seem a bit drab. When that happens, it can feel like the last thing you want to do is pick up a book. Or maybe you can't find the right book to pick up. But there's hope! Here are five books to help you bounce back from the post-holiday blues.
This list, by design, isn't meant to be hard-hitting reading. If you're looking for dense cerebral novels, there is plenty of book recommendations that fit the bill. This list is designed to reinvigorate your bookish muscles. The stories (and poetry) are imaginative and immersive. And while not everything on the list can be considered light reading, they share the commonality of being page-turners.
Five Books to Read Post-Holiday
This list is meant to have something for everyone. (Hopefully). There is a bit of overlap in the sections Young Adult and Contemporary Fantasy, as both have themes of magic and found family. As always, Bookworms & Biblios prioritizes diverse and marginalized voices, so this list is no exception.
Also, this list was put together in solidarity with the HarperCollins Union (who, at the time this list is published, have been on strike for 47 days), so no books by that publisher appear on this list. For more information on how you can contribute to the strike, click here. They've also put together their own reading lists on Bookshop.org.
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
A spicy and sweet role reversal of Pretty Woman.
Stella is a math wiz. Michael is a tailor with an interesting side hustle. The Kiss Quotient is a role reversal of Pretty Woman. This novel is the perfect combination of sweet and spicy (neuro and otherwise).
This novel is the first in a three-part series.
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All Along You Were Blooming: Thought for Boundless Living by Morgan Harpers Nichols
Illustrated and accessible poetry.
Striking from its very first pages, All Along You Were Blooming gives voice to self-acceptance and self-actualization. Nichols holds up a mirror and then gives the reader a warm hug.
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Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala
Food and Murder go together in this cozy.
Arsenic and Adobo is a tale of mystery, murder, and tasty food, complete with recipes for the reader to try! The story follows Lila, whose family jumps straight from the frying pan into the fire after a mysterious death at their restaurant.
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The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
A fantastical read about societal biases and found family.
While certainly, not a light read, The House in the Cerulean Sea will leave you with all the feels. It is the story of misfits, loneliness, and finding where you truly belong.
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Iron Cast by Destiny Soria
Magic and con artists meet in this dazzling story.
Be prepared to be transported to a dazzling world of magical realism with Iron Cast. Set right before the Roaring Twenties, the book follows Ada, who has the ability to weave illusions using the arts. Filled with twists and turns, this will be one you cannot put down.
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