Holiday Book Recommendations

Are you still looking for holiday gifts this year?

We asked our Writers’ Winter Workshop Series instructors for their favorite reads of 2020. From preschooler to adult, you’re sure to find a book recommendation for everyone on your list!

 
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The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett - Adult Fiction.
”When twins leave their small hometown, one conceals her true identity and the other returns home to pick up her life again. It’s about the importance of accepting who you are.”
Maria Modugno

 
 

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If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha - adult fiction
”I’ve been hand-selling this book since I first read it in November. I bought six copies that are going to every woman best friend from college and all my 20 year old nieces.”
Phoebe Yeh

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Theft by Finding by David Sedaris - Adult Non-Fiction
“A fascinating insight into what a "writer's notebook" can look like. Sedaris spends at least an hour journaling every day, and those journals have led to some of the funniest American nonfiction ever written.”
Lisa Papademetriou

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A Story About Afiya by James Berry and Anna Cunha - Picture Book
“My favorite book of 2020. An absolute stocking stuffer for me this year.”
Leah Henderson

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The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd
Adult Fiction
A gorgeously written, character-driven, audacious portrayal of a woman who lives for words.”
Heather Demetrios

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Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri - Middle Grade
”This poignant, touching and laugh-out-loud funny story shares Iranian culture, the struggles of being an immigrant, being poor and living in a difficult family situation.”
Kathy Erskine

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The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman-Middle Grade
Vivid historical details and a parallel structure that leaps between the aftermaths of WW2 and Chernobyl make this layered exploration of friends and enemies a must-read.”
Hannah Barnaby

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The Silence of Bones by June Hur - Young Adult
”A gripping psychological thriller that is perfect for curling under the covers with or by the fire on a cold winter's night.”
Heather Camlot

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Dress Coded by Carrie Firestone -Middle Grade
“A powerful story about speaking up and getting adults to take your concerns seriously.”
Sarah Cassell

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Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson - Young Adult / Adult

“A violent, touching and darkly funny read that weaves contemporary indigenous life with supernatural folklore and good old-fashioned teen angst.”
Marc Reppin

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Outside In by Deborah Underwood -Picture Book

“Lyrical text and stunning illustrations are an invitation to reconnect with Nature.”
Anne Marie Pace

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Shari Becker