All Booked | Short Books for a Busy Season
The original version of this newsletter was sent out on Tuesday, April 9.
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Hello, book lovelies!
Happy November! While others may wait until after Thanksgiving, I am one who embraces the holiday season early on. Why limit the most wonderful time of the year to only a few short weeks? I know it’s a polarizing topic, but to me the more the merrier! I may or may not be listening to holiday music while writing this :).
Despite when you decide to get into the holiday spirit, this time of year is always jam-packed with parties, cooking, baking, shopping, and a flurry of other holiday tasks. Because the most wonderful time of the year is so busy, I want to take the time to highlight a few short books. These books are perhaps ones that you can finish in one sitting, or are made up of a couple short stories, making it easy to pick up between all the festivities.
I am a big believer in going into a book knowing as little as possible. I try not to read too much of the synopses or reviews, since most of them over-share. My pitches below are short and sweet just for that reason.
This first one I actually read this past weekend. Believe me, I am as surprised as you that I read a book in a weekend. But that is proof that it’s perfect for those days when you only have a few minutes to read here and there. Sleep No More: Six Murderous Tales by P.D. James, is the comfort murder-y read that you need in your life. There are six short stories all about murder, but they are so … British and somehow that makes them cozy. I listened on audio and the narrator was great. I found ‘The Victim’ and ‘The Murder of Santa Claus’ to be my favorites of the bunch.
I haven’t yet picked up Intimacies by Katie Kitamura but it’s on my list to read before the end of the year. The premise sounds fascinating and it sits at just over 200 pages. Our main character is an interpreter who leaves her life in New York and moves to The Hague to work at The International Court. She is asked to interpret for a former president facing charges of war crimes. Between that and the dramas of her personal life, she is forced to finally decide what she wants from her life.
And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman is a novella that will leave you a complete mess. We follow an elderly man who is struggling with memory loss and his family who is caring for him in the most loving way while also coming to terms with what’s happening.
Backman is a master at writing human emotions and connections. This is may be a great read for this time of year, where many of us are spending time with family. Grab the tissue box.
This book may hit too close to home for some readers, so please only pick it up if you are in the space to do so.
As always, I would love to hear from you. What short books have you loved recently? Do you gravitate towards shorter reads this time of year? Let me know!
Your smitten bookworm, Emily
UPCOMING BOOK EVENTS
Below, you will find a few bookish events coming up in Santa Barbara. If you are hosting a bookish event in Santa Barbara, be sure to submit the event to our online events calendar.
Chaucer’s Book Signing-Local Historian Cheri Rae
Wednesday, November 8, 6 p.m. Chaucer’s Books
Poetry Reading at CEC’s The Hub
Thursday, November 9, 6 p.m. CEC’s The Hub
“A Cop’s Son” Book Signing with Kenneth Strange Jr
Saturday, November 11, 11 a.m. The Book Loft
SB Reads: All Hands on Deck Book Discussion
Monday, November 13, 5:30 p.m. Faulkner Gallery at Santa Barbara Central Library
UCSB Arts & Lectures presents a lecture by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Tuesday, November 14, 7:30 p.m. UCSB Campbell Hall
Book Talk – Miss Chase: Santa Barbara’s Trailblazer
Wednesday, November 15, 6 p.m. El Presidio de Santa Barbara
Adam Grant Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Great Things
Thursday, November 16, 7:30 p.m., Arlington Theatre
Chaucers Kid’s Book Reading – “The Most Serious Fart”
Sunday, November 19, 3 p.m. Chaucer’s Books
LOCAL BOOK SPOTLIGHT
We at the Independent get many books sent to us by local authors, sometimes too many! It’s practically impossible for us to read and review them all, but just because we are busy bees does not mean that they aren’t worth the attention. In an attempt to not completely drop the ball, we have compiled a list of books here that have a local spin. They are all either written by a local author, feature someone in our community, or have another tie to Santa Barbara. I urge you to look through this list. Perhaps you will find your new favorite read!
The following are the most recent titles that have been sent to us. Click here for a more comprehensive list.
The Secret Dao of Art: Meditations on the Philosophy of Life by Z and illustrated by Rod Lathim
A String of Pearls: Pearl Chase of Santa Barbara by Cheri Rae
A Cop’s Son: One G-Man’s Fight Against Jihad, Global Fraud and the Cartels by Kenneth Strange Jr.
Lulu and the Hunger Monster by Erik Talkin
Frankie Versus the Food Phantom by Erik Talkin
If you are a local author and would like us to feature your book in this section, please email allbooked@independent.com with the subject line “Local Author Spotlight.”
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