Braiding Sweetgrass
Robin Wall Kimmerer
A botanist and Potawatomi writer on gratitude and reciprocity with the living world, including the Thanksgiving Address.
All moods
Thanksgiving reads
Thanksgiving is a good excuse to read about being grateful, about the people around the table and about the food that brings them there. These books are warm and thoughtful, and they are easy to dip into while the turkey rests or when the house finally goes quiet.
Books to start with
Little Women
Louisa May Alcott
Four sisters in a household that shares what little it has. The classic for a family holiday.
The Joy Luck Club
Amy Tan
Four Chinese American mothers and their daughters, linked by a mahjong club, tell their stories. A book about what families pass down.
Like Water for Chocolate
Laura Esquivel
A novel told in monthly installments with recipes, where cooking carries every feeling the family cannot say.
Gilead
Marilynne Robinson
An aging minister writes a letter to his young son. Quiet, grateful and full of small daily wonders.
Tuesdays with Morrie
Mitch Albom
A former student visits his dying professor each week. Short, plain-spoken lessons about what matters.
How to choose
This list is for readers who want something reflective for a long holiday weekend. Choose by mood. For gratitude and nature writing, pick Braiding Sweetgrass, an essay collection that is easy to read in short sittings. For a family classic, Little Women. For mothers and daughters, The Joy Luck Club. For food and feeling, Like Water for Chocolate.
Several of these are warm but not light. Gilead and Tuesdays with Morrie are both about people facing death. The Joy Luck Club includes loss and a suicide. Like Water for Chocolate is a love story with a tragic ending, though its monthly recipes make it a good fit for a holiday about the table. Little Women has its sad chapters too.
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