If you are looking for a last minute gift for the holidays, here are six suggestions for consideration.
A Man called Ove
by Fredrik Backman
Ove is a great read, but tough start as you get full on curmudgeon in Ove from the outset. Through memories and interaction with new neighbors, you get to peel away the layers and better understand him.
Flat Broke with Two Goats
by Jennifer McGaha
Based on her own story, the author wife discovers the hard way they are flat broke with the IRS wanting even more. Getting back to nature in a run down cabin was a crazy, but interesting path forward for her family.
Where the Crawdads Sing
by Delia Owens
This is a book about a woman who grew up on her own in the rustic North Carolina inlets. She is accused of a crime she did not commit. I am in the middle of this best seller and it is an enjoyable read.
The Only Woman in the Room
by Marie Benedict
This is a non-fiction novel about the actress (and scientist) Hedy LaMarr who escaped Austria and her domineering husband just prior to WWII. Her husband sold munitions to the Nazis and Italians, so she witnessed conversations as the only woman in the room including one with Mussolini and eavesdropping on Hitler berating her husband.
The Road to Character
by David Brooks
Brooks has written several good books. This non-fiction book defines the importance character plays. How we conduct ourselves matters. On this day, the president’s lack of character and common decency is underlying context to the impeachment subject.
Quiet: Introverts in a World that can’t stop talking
by Susan Cain
This is a very informational read. At one time, introversion was thought to be a deficiency that must be remedied. The book highlights how introversion finds it way into many surprising places of leadership and even with people who seem to be extroverted.
All are worth the effort, in my view.
musingsofanoldfart 
I listened to the audiobook version of “Where the Crawdads sing (failing eyesight here) and it was the best book i’ve listened to this year.
Crazyauntcyn, thanks for your endorsement. I look forward to finishing, but will also regret its ending. Good books are like that to me. Keith
Good recommendations, Keith!
Thanks VJ. Do you have any others to suggest?
So many, Keith, as a former bookstore owner and English teacher. I have a page on my blog where I recommend reads: https://onewomansquest.org/book-review/
VJ, thanks for the link. I have read about a dozen Stephen King books, so 11.22.63 looks very interesting. I have read “Hillbilly Elegy” and agree with your recommendation. And, of course, your description of “Ove” is similar to my experience.
Finally, my wife and I love the series “Call the midwife,” so I will need to check out her book.
Keith
Note to Readers: I was considering adding Malcolm Gladwell’s latest book “Talking to Strangers.” Like his others, it is a good read. Even experts miss key signals on what is important.
Thanks for the recommendations … not for gifts, but for ME! I’ve read A Man Called Ove, and The Only Woman In The Room (I knew we shared a taste in literature!), but have been vacillating about Where The Crawdads Sing. On your recommendation, I shall read it. I had not seen the Brooks or McGaha books, but I will check them out. Again, thanks!
Thanks Jill. The last two (Crawdads and Flat Broke) are based in NC, so they have additional interest to me. What books would you recommend? By the way, VJ in her second comment here, has a link to a good list of recommendations. Keith
I mostly read non-fiction these days … history, political, etc., but I did just recently finish Ken Follett’s “The Century Trilogy” which starts with “Fall of Giants” that takes place during WWI, and ends with “Edge of Eternity” in the 1960s-1980s, and I would highly recommend it! It follows several families through all the trials that took place during the time frame and I found it fascinating. I did check out VJ’s list, found I had read several of them, and have bookmarked the list to return to soon. Between this blog and the holidays, I haven’t had much time to read at all of late. š„
Jill, those sound interesting. I love Ken Follett’s writing, whether it is historial (On the Wings of Eagles), historical based fiction (Pillars of the Earth) or novels. The other two sound good as well. Keith
Another possibility if “Alone In The Labyrinth” by that guy Curtler!
Have a Happy Christmas, my friend.
Hugh, that Curtler guy is worth the read. I will pick it up on occasion and shuffle the pages to a random selection. All the best, Keith
I loved Where the Crawdads Sing. Plus of course, My Life With an Enigma, available upon request from a bookstore near you, and of course via Amazon. š
Thanks Linda. For those who follow Linda’s blog, she revealed by chapter the book she was writing about her enigmatic and adventuresome mother called “My Life with an Enigma.” It is an interesting read. Keith
Sorry for that shameless self-promotion.
Linda, no sweat. I happy to endorse your book. Setting aside it is your mother, it remains an interesting read about an American woman. Keith