Here are my favorite books, games, and present ideas for the 2024 holidays.
My favorite books of 2024
Tana French’s The Searcher and The Hunter – murder mysteries involving a Chicago cop who retired to Ireland. These books have well-developed characters, great plot twists, and beautiful writing. I recommend the audiobooks for the amazing Irish accents. Click here for my full review.
The Tenth of December by Geoge Saunders – Saunders plays with words like a concert pianist plays with keys. But this book of short stories is not dry literary fiction. It’s poignant, humorous, and memorable. Click here for my full review.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides – It took me a while to get into the book because I wasn’t a fan of the protagonist, but I’m glad I stuck with it. Michaelides does a terrific job weaving the timelines of this story together. I also appreciated the subtle unreliability of the characters. Click here for more.
Fun board games
Earth by Inside Up Games – this beautiful card-building game has a unique twist – when the active player chooses a major benefit, all other players gain a minor benefit. Players arrange their island, sow plants and develop terrains to attract fauna, and unlock the scoring bonuses of diverse ecosystems.
Downforce by Restoration Games is a great game for the whole family (ages 8 and up) – “Fast-paced and easy to learn . . . Players get their cards, bid for their cars, and the race is off. Betting during the race gives players a chance to back their favorites, even cars owned by other players.”
Lords of Waterdeep – My daughter Jessica isn’t huge a game player, but if I suggest playing either this game or Viticulture, she’s immediately on board! As a Lord of Waterdeep, you recruit adventurers to go on quests, earning rewards and increasing your influence over the city. You can purchase new buildings and help or hinder other lords depending on the cards you play.
We also have the Scoundrels expansion for more strategy and fun.
Pamper yourself this holiday season
While visiting Laurie Scheer (of UW-Madison’s Writer’s Institute fame) in Palm Springs, my friend Celeste Anton and I splurged. We spent several hours at the Sec-He Spa – the #1 spa in the country. After my massage, I relaxed in the cozy lounge chair and listened to soothing sounds in the Serenity Room and I thought, ya know, I could do this at home.
I have wonderful WoodWick candles that crackle like wood fires, a stack of good books, a ColdPlay music list, a delicious bottle of Chateau Ste. Michel Indian Wells Cabernet Sauvignon, and a deep tub.
My older daughter helped spur me on to this idea by sending me a Christmas Advent Calender full of lotions and bath bubbles.
The gift of time
For Christmas this year, I again asked for the gift of time from each of my family members. This includes a Milwaukee Brewers game with my brother-in-law, dinner and a play at the Sunset Playhouse in Elm Grove with my sister, game day and noms with my older daughter, lunch and touring the Edvard Munch museum in Oslo with my younger daughter (the family’s going to Norway next year), a tour of the Lakefront Brewery with my son-in-law, photography lessons with my niece, a hike and picnic at Lion’s Den Gorge Nature Preserve with my nephew, cocktails and candle making at Glassnote Candle Bar with my niece-in-law, and splashing in the lake at Bradford Beach with my grandson.
It’s going to be another amazing year!
What is on your Christmas list this year? Is there a special gift you can’t wait to give?
Come see me tomorrow!
I’m selling books Saturday, December 7, 2024, from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Martha Merrill’s Bookstore on Main Street in Waukesha during the Waukesha Art Crawl. If you’re out and about shopping for the holidays, be sure to stop by!
