The world spins. And I turn to books.

Turn to the imaginary world, calm, steady, quiet.

On this Thankful Thursday, I’m grateful for these recently read good books; I want to press them into every hand.

And I’m thankful for libraries and bookstores — used and new — that open the path to pages, allowing us to wander, wonder, breathe.

NOVELS

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

What took me so long to find this 2022 gem? Sure, the title put me off, but this is now my favorite novel.

Set in Appalachia, this is the story of a boy who survives foster care, disregard, addiction, and crushing losses. Thanks to fantastic characters, plot, pacing, and tone, this 500-page novel is a fast and fevered treasure. The start, however, is a bit slow with a voice that takes some time to catch the cadence. But quite soon, this character is in my skin and I couldn’t put this book down.

Also good: The Poisonwood Bible. One of Kingsolver's best-known novels, this 1998 hit tells the story of a family of evangelicals who go on a mission to Africa. It, too, is a riveting read.

Welcome Home, Stranger by Kate Christensen

In this novel about a loss, grief, and growing older, a 50-something journalist reluctantly returns home after the death of her mother.

Because so much of a good reading experience is based on timing, this novel was the right book at the right time.

Also good: The Great Man by Kate Christensen. A moving novel mixing art and literature, this book earned the 2008 PEN/Faulkner Award for fiction.

ESSAYS

Wallflower at the Orgy by Nora Ephron
Fifty years after its debut, this essay collection still shines. Sure, some of the 70s-era topics show signs of age, but Ephron — a journalist turned writer and filmmaker — remains forever quick, sharp, smart, and funny.

Also good: I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts On Being A Woman by Nora Ephron. A quick, easy, humorous collection of short essays on aging, published in 2006. Ephron died in 2012 at the age of 71.

NON-FICTION

Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain

While not as powerful as her 2012 bestseller, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, this book is a compelling affirmation for the value of sadness and longing.

It’s Thankful Thursday, a weekly pause to express appreciation — big and small — for people, places, things and more.

What are you thankful for today?

* * *

The world turns on words. Thank you for reading & writing.

• If you know someone who might enjoy this blog — please share.

• If you want to read more — subscribe for free.

• If you are here, reading this now — thank you!