To usher in the new year, I’ve selected five fiction and five nonfiction books for your enjoyment. With a challenging year ahead, who doesn’t need a dose of self-help or a dollop of encouragement?
With freezing temperatures in many parts of the world this winter, I think you’ll appreciate a little fantasy, romance, mystery, and political intrigue. Enjoy!
Something to Hold Onto by Kate Robson – This nonfiction self-help book may be just what we all need to help put a positive spin on the challenges of the new year. Robson draws on her years of experience as a psychotherapist and NICU family support therapist to provide us with the tools to reframe our thinking and be more intentional.
Polar War by Kenneth R. Rosen – Rosen discusses climate change, military ambition, and economic opportunity and how each is transforming the Arctic into what will become the epicenter of a new cold war. As global powers struggle for dominance.
Notes on Being a Man by Scott Galloway – According to NYU professor Scott Galloway, men and boys are in crisis. Boys are less likely to graduate from high school and seek higher education than girls. One in seven men reports having no friends, and men account for three of every four deaths by suicide in the United States. Misogynistic voices are attempting to fill the void and shift the blame onto women, but women and girls can’t flourish if men aren’t doing well. Galloway helps define healthy masculinity and promote its importance in our society. We can’t build each other up by cutting each other down.
The Interpretation of Cats by Dr. Claude Béata – Dr. Béata is a leading veterinary psychiatrist, and this book is a bestseller in France. Have you ever looked at your cat and wondered what goes on in that fur covered head? Why do cats behave the way they do and how can we learn to become their best companions?
The Age of Magical Overthinking by Amanda Montell – Magical thinking is the belief that one’s own thoughts can affect unrelated events in the external world. Can people really manifest their way out of poverty, cure illness, or make someone fall in love? Montell argues that the modern information age has our brains so overloaded that we’ve become irrational in our expectations of what can be achieved with force of will alone. Cognitive bias is clouding our judgement and making us less perceptive. How will we come to our senses?
The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave – The sequel to the number one New York Times bestseller, The Last Thing He Told Me begins five years after Owen’s disappearance. Hannah and her stepdaughter Bailey have relocated to Southern California and are working on a relationship with Bailey’s maternal grandfather. When Owen shows up at one of her exhibitions, Hannah and Bailey are forced to go on the run again. She promised to keep Bailey safe, but is there a way for them to become a family again?
Dark Forgetting by Kristin Ciccarelli – For fans of the fantasy genre – the epic love story of a magical girl, the boy she left behind, and a deadly curse.
The Violin Maker’s Shop by Evie Woods – Hiding among thousands of items in the Heathrow airport lost and found is a magical violin that can change the fortune of whoever possess it. What will happen when it falls into the unlikely hands of three strangers, a baggage claim agent, a retired teacher, and an appraiser?
The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood – Every Wednesday Alice’s “Sit and Knit” class brings a group of women together to be part of a knitting circle. When they begin to bond over their shared hobby, they also begin to share the stories of their lives… grief, joy, loneliness. Secrets are revealed and pacts are made. When tragedy strikes how strong will these new friendships be?
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch – The last words Professor Jason Dessen hears before his kidnapper knocks him unconscious out are, “Are you happy with your Life?” When Dessen awakes, his life has completely changed. He is not a college professor, his wife is not his wife, and his son was never born. How will he reclaim the life that matters and the people he loves, or will he be seduced by his new life?