6 Books to Read by the Fire This Holiday Season

6 books to read this holiday season best books of 2015

So, it’s crunch time. There are presents to wrap, refrigerators to empty, bags to pack, and miles to drive before we can breathe a big sigh of relief that we’ve made it. We’ve made it to the part of the holiday season where it’s acceptable–nay, encouraged–to stop wearing real pants, sit in front of the fire, have an early glass of wine, and read through that stack of books you usually never have time for.

For me, this is usually the only time of the year I get hours upon hours of uninterrupted reading time. And for most of us, it’s the only time of the year we get to indulge in any non-work-related reading at all. (Because of course, that’s what happens when your hobby becomes your job–you STILL don’t have time to read everything you’d like to. There is just too much, and I am just too tired.)

We’re driving up to Ann Arbor to do Christmas with Jarrett’s family, and then we’re hopping a plane to Punta Cana to do New Year’s with my family. It will be a big change of scenery–from fireside to poolside, and I am not complaining. I just need to make it there first. Which means I have to wrap these last presents. Which means I’m going to keep ignoring them. Which means this won’t end well.

But until that time that I’m cursing at the tape dispenser and panic-wrapping, I’ll be blissfully dreaming about my holiday reading.

Whether you’re heading for the fireside or the poolside, I have a feeling you’ll also need something excellent to read.  Here are the 2 absolute must-reads of the year, plus 4 unexpected selections to add to your TBR pile:

Read More

Cacio e Pepe Recipe from Rose’s Luxury & HarperCollins on Why Emails Sell Books

Cacio e Pepe Rose's Luxury Recipe 1

Are you ready for the simplest fancy recipe you’ve ever made?

Meet the Cacio e Pepe Pasta from Rose’s Luxury in DC.

In case you haven’t heard of Rose’s Luxury, it was named the best new restaurant in the country in 2014 by Bon Appétit. So I’d say it’s pretty darn good.

We went to Rose’s for the first time last December for my birthday and stood in line in the freezing cold for an hour, waiting for them to open. They don’t take reservations and had just made the best new restaurant list, so we were not the only fools twiddling our gloved thumbs on the sidewalk.

When we finally made it in in, we ordered just about everything, but as usual, my favorite thing was the simplest thing. It was this Cacio e Pepe Pasta.

Read More

14 Best Books to Buy for Anyone on Your Christmas List

best books to buy for christmas 2015

Most of us see sitting down with a book as the pinnacle of leisure. We work all day, haul ourselves home, cook some dinner, eat, clean-up, and if we’re very lucky, have a few hours at the end of the day to do whatever we want. And what do most people wish they did? Read a book.

Yes, sometimes we get sucked into Netflix. Sometimes we fall down an Internet blackhole and end up watching two hours of 90s rap videos. (Ahem.) And sometimes there’s so much to-do detritus left from the day (like when will I ever order my save-the-date cards?!) that those last few hours are swallowed up by the busyness of life. But on good days? I read a book.

Read More

What to Read and Eat This Week: 25 Podcasts for Readers, Plus What to Do With Those Thanksgiving Leftovers

best book news and publishing news

Read:

Engaging Audiences Through Twitter in Just 15 Minutes a Day (Kirsten Oliphant at JaneFriedman.com): Kirsten writes about platform-building and the creative journey at Create If Writing, but here she is on one of my favorite sites, Jane Friedman’s blog, sharing tips for how writers and bloggers can get more out of Twitter in just 15 minutes a day. Kirsten and I will be chatting on her podcast in the next few weeks about publishing and platform-building, so keep an eye out for that interview!

Hachette CEO Michael Pietsch on the Future of Publishing: How an Invention From the 1400s Will Fare in the Years Ahead (Michael Pietsch, The Wall Street Journal): “Ever-larger retailers and wholesalers bring significant margin pressure, which will lead to continued conglomeration. Social media will continue to expand the writer’s ability to connect with readers; publishers will deepen their relationships with writers, but they’ll also create content of their own. As runaway books sell ever-larger numbers, publishers will earn more on their biggest sellers—which will keep driving up the advances they pay for potential hits. At the same time, publishers will need to innovate and challenge assumptions about every aspect of the business.”

Read More