There is a never ending list of books I want to read. This sits around 70 books right now and I plan to read at least that many through the end of the year but since I am constantly adding books to this list, I haven't come close to zero in YEARS.
Another reason I can never seem to clear my TBR list is because I like to revisit old favorites. Some every few years (I decided that I am going to reread through the whole Harry Potter series at least every 5 years.) but there are a good number of books that I read every year or about every other year. These are almost all novels and most of them are holiday specific. My December reading in particular looks very similar year after year. Also, unintentionally, Elin Hilderbrand appears A LOT on this list.
These are the books I like enough to not only own (most of them), but also reread very regularly.
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The Island by Elin Hilderbrand
When I read it: Memorial Day weekend
This upcoming Memorial Day weekend will be the 10th one in a row that I've read this book. It doesn't even heavily factor that weekend into the story, although I think it's mentioned, but it just has the feeling of SUMMER. The bulk of the book actually takes place in July when a mother of two adult daughters spends the month on their family's remote cottage on the island of Tuckernuck, which is near Nantucket but much more secluded. The mother, Birdie, her two adult daughters, Chess & Tate, and Birdie's sister, India. Chess has recently gone through a trauma and the ladies of her family rally to get her through it but also get away from their own dramas back home.
Grace Grows by Shelle Sumners
When I read it: sometimes around my July birthday
I like reading a book I know I am going to enjoy on my birthday and I often pick a reread for that. This is one I've often read but not quite every year. It was a random book I saw on the shelf at Target 10 years ago, checked out from the library to take on our first family trip with baby Luke, and got engrossed in it. Grace has a very sensible life in NYC when it all becomes upended by a somewhat rogue musician, Tyler. Their somewhat chance meeting, and his growing success, changes her life.
The Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand
When I read it: sometimes around my July birthday
This is another favorite I frequently return to around my birthday and, officially, the Elin Hilderbrand book I would pick as my favorite. Unlike her later books which switch around narrators, this one is told entirely from the perspective of Adrienne who comes to Nantucket sight unseen, to get away from a stealing boyfriend. Adrienne would like to make some good money and fast. Someone tells her she can do that working at a restaurant on Nantucket so off she goes. She gets a hostess job at The Blue Bistro, an esteemed beach side restaurant with a reclusive chef and a charming co-owner, Thatcher. Also, Indiana slightly features.
28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand
When I read it: Labor Day weekend
While The Island has a more upbeat story which feels right for the start of summer, this one is a bit more sad, which feels more appropriate for the end of the summer. Two people meet as 20-somethings and, due to a variety of circumstances, spend a magical weekend together on Nantucket. The vow to repeat this again, every Labor Day, indefinitely, despite whatever else is going on in their lives. It's their "same time next year" relationship. It starts in the 90s and goes through the late 2010s, covering so many of their life changes but their steadfast, once a year, commitment to each other.
The Late, Lamented Molly Marx by Sally Koslow
When I read it: some Octobers
This is another one I spotted randomly at Target, just in time for our first trip to NYC in 2010, which is why I read it in October. Molly Marx has recently died and she's watching over her grieving husband, daughter, best friend, and the detective in charge of investigating her death. This all takes place in NYC while Molly is missing her own young daughter and hoping they can solve the mystery of her death. I can't quite explain why I have such strong affection for this novel, but I do.
The Best Halloween Ever by Barbara Robinson
When I read it: to my boys in October
This has been an October readaloud for us for maybe 5 or 6 years now. My boys love the Herdmans and there is one particular line about pants in this story that makes me laugh every. single. year. The PTA at the school think they've solved the problem of the Herdman's ruining everyone's Halloween by outlawing trick or treating and just having a Halloween party at school. However, you can never, ever, underestimate the Herdmans' ability to ruin things.
Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks
When I read it: on Halloween
This is a graphic novel I have read every Halloween for 3-4 years. It takes place on Halloween at a pumpkin patch, with two seniors in high school who are working their final Halloween at said pumpkin patch. It seems like a magical place to spend the month of October and the book is an excellent way to spend about an hour of Halloween.
The Pink Suit by Nicola Mary Kelby
When I read it: some Novembers
This is a book set around the making of Jackie Kennedy's famous pink suit, the one she wore in Dallas in 1963. A woman named Kate works at the boutique where they recreate Channel fashions, with their quiet approval, so Jackie Kennedy can have that Paris style but still American made. Kate makes the pink suit which takes up a lot of her time and patience but also does so while falling in love and attending nearly daily Mass. I don't read this every year, but every other or so.
The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas by Ann Voskamp
When I read it: throughout December
This is my Advent devotional which is focused on the Jesse Tree but also the lineage of Jesus. It's a nice way to have a little quiet in the crazy of December.
How Winston Delivers Christmas by Alex T. Smith
When I read it: to my boys in December
This
is a chapter a day book starting December 1st and through the 25th
although we usually read the 24th & 25th on the 24th. A mouse is
trying to get a boy's letter to Santa in time for the boy to get his
Christmas wish, leading the mouse, Winston, to have adventures all over
the city. It's charming and nice to have something seasonal to read
with them.
Finding Father Christmas, Engaging Father Christmas, Kissing Father Christmas by Robin Jones Gunn
When I read them: early December
This is the coziest set of novellas set in a small town in the English countryside where, first, a woman is trying to find out something about her father and stumbles into a beautiful found family. The third book covers a somewhat strangely connected cousin but really is just an excuse to spend more time in Carlton Heath. Feels like it would be best read curled up in a blanket next to a roaring fire...but we don't have a fireplace. (Full post here)
Winter Street, Winter Stroll, Winter Storms, Winter Solstice by Elin Hilderbrand
When I read them: December 21st-25th-ish
These books came out in 2014-2017 and I have read every released book of the series every year since. Again with Nantucket and set mostly at an inn owned by the Quinn family. There are 4 kids, one of whom is a missing soldier. Elin Hilderbrand always makes Nantucket sound amazing but maybe even more so at Christmas?? I try to read these RIGHT before Christmas (starting around December 21st) so am frequently finishing the series on Christmas. It's when we are getting to the slowing down and enjoying part of December and so these books are such a part of that now. (Full post here)
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
When I read it: to my boys in December
I read this book as a kid and now read it to my boys every single December and it makes me tear up every. single. time. It is, in my opinion, a perfect novel. The Herdman's weasel their way into being the stars of the church Christmas pageant in which they had previously never heard the story of Jesus' birth and therefore have their own interpretation of how it should go. I LOVE reading this with the boys and will probably keep up reading it to myself when they stop letting me read to them (which I hope isn't for awhile).
A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams
When I read it: Christmas break
Despite the Summer in the title, a good portion of this book takes place around New Years Eve which is why I read it over Christmas break, near New Years, every year. Split time lines, 1932ish and 1938ish, New York City and Seaview, Rhode Island. Lily and her beau, Nick, in the earlier timeline. Things have changed in the 6 years by the later timeline. I KNOW what is going to happen but I still get sucked in every single year. Maybe the book I'd name as my all-time favorite, if I HAD to choose.
The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay
When I read it: sometimes around Valentine's Day
I heard rave reviews on this one before I finally got to reading it nearly 10 years ago and it hooked me like few books have. Two teenagers who have had their own terrible things happen in their lives, one of whom doesn't even speak. They end up bonding over woodworking (I know, go with it) and slowly healing their internal wounds. Also, the ending is perfect.
Like I said, I don't reread all of these every year but these are the reread I reach for the most consistently. What about you?
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