Friday Mood Recs: 12 fantastic tomes for "doorstop December"

Earlier this month, I chatted with about our end-of-year book anxiety and how we keep reading through a hectic part of the year.

One thing we both agreed on is that, perhaps counterintuitively, choosing a long book to read over the holiday season can be an effective and satisfying way to keep reading when things are busy. There’s something about continuing to immerse yourself in the same world, not having to reorient yourself in an author’s style, and avoiding the decision fatigue of choosing your next book that makes for a winning combination. Petya reflected on that further and beautifully put into words why everyone should consider what she termed a “doorstop December.”

A reading life

A long book gathers the pieces.

The final weeks of the year always carry a particular charge. Part holiday atmosphere, part logistical unraveling, part cultural insistence that we take stock of our lives whether we feel ready or not. In that atmosphere, even my reading life — which is usually the place where I feel most interior, most grounded — begins to take on an evaluative tone…

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a month ago · 141 likes · 74 comments

Today, I’m sharing twelve of my favorite Big Books that would make excellent reads for this packed holiday season. I’ve read and loved every single one of these and while I can’t say that the don’t “feel long,” I think they’re worth every single page.

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