Read (and give) local this holiday season
our holiday book recommendations
There are few things as satisfying as curling up with a good book and a cup of cocoa on a cold winter’s day. So if you’re looking for an inspired holiday gift, or just trying to find the next book to get lost in, check out our recommendations for fiction, poetry, nonfiction and even a kid’s book by D.C. area authors.
Over the last couple of years, we’ve had the pleasure of reviewing these books, or interviewing their fascinating authors. So you’ll find links to our reviews and author interviews throughout, as well as a few bonus entries (books we haven’t been able to cover yet but are excited to share with you). Whenever possible we’re sharing links to buy these literary delights from local bookstores (a few of our favorites include Loyalty Bookstores, Politics and Prose, and One More Page) or directly from small publishers.
FICTION
by Carrie Callaghan
Carrie Callaghan’s historical novel, based on the life of pioneering newspaperwoman Milly Bennett, is so rich in detail that the reader is transported to the streets of 1930s Moscow. The frigid cold of the Russian winter is palpable—along with the stark living conditions and the smart parties where expatriates gather to listen to music and talk about socialism.
Read Local Author Editor Norah Vawter’s review.
by Priyanka Champaneri
Priyanka Champeneri’s debut novel opens with the discovery of a mysterious body in the holy Indian city of Kashi, where everyone knows three basic facts: dying in the holy city promises freedom from rebirth, bathing in the Ganges washes away the sins of a lifetime, and dying on Magadha—the far bank—guarantees that you come back as one of the lowest of the low.
Read contributor Lauren Woods’ review.
By Leslie Pietrzyk
Admit This to No One is a witty, sharp, and sometimes scathing collection of linked short stories about insider D.C. politics, power, and complicated relationships. The book centers on a collection of women who don’t necessarily know each other but are all linked by their connections--personal or professional--to one of the most powerful men in Washington.
Read Local Author Editor Norah Vawter’s review.
by Leila Rafei
The Cairo of Leila Rafei’s debut novel is a medley of dust and smog, crowds, and painfully beautiful moments. With sparkling prose and deeply built characters, Rafei tells the story of Egypt’s 2011 revolution from three alternating perspectives. The author grew up in the Washington, D.C. area and lived in Cairo for two years, experiencing the Arab Spring firsthand.
Read contributor Lauren Woods’ review.
Redhead by the Side of the Road
by Anne Tyler
Anne Tyler’s latest novel is slim, almost novella length. Its story is small in the very best sense of the word. There’s no hero or villain, no sweeping plot. Instead, the novel dives deep into the moments that make up a life. No detail is too minor for Tyler, who’s at her best when she’s showing us the beauty in the ordinary, and reminding us how important it is to truly see ourselves.
Read Local Authors Editor Norah Vawter’s review
FOR KIDS
Barris and the Prince of Rappa
by Brandt Ricca (illustrated by Matt Miller)
Barris and the Prince of Rappa is the first book of a new middle-grade children’s book series, written by Brandt Ricca and illustrated by Matt Miller. The Barris Books transport readers from New Orleans to dream worlds. The series will include seven books and is written in the vein of beloved classics such as Harry Potter, Eragon, and Artemis Fowl. The book series emphasizes a love for and appreciation for diversity, as well as offering valuable lessons in adversity.
Read our interview with author Brandt Ricca
NONFICTION
by Molly Ball
Time correspondent Molly Ball’s biography Pelosi tells the story of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, typified by her desire not to waste time and her tenacious focus on results. Pelosi’s approach has remained constant throughout her career, endearing her to some, antagonizing others, and catapulting her to the highest and longest political leadership position of any woman in U.S. history.
POETRY
by Hiram Larew
Hiram Larew's Mud Ajar is a mélange of words that remind the reader of e e cummings word experiments which rocked the world of poetry in the mid-Twentieth Century. Like cummings, Larew's poetry is rooted in morality, and yet these poems do not preach. Instead, they lure the reader into a world where the expected is to be ignored and the unexpected embraced. Larew's poetry is imbued with praise for the ordinary and awe for the sublime. The poems in Mud Ajar will make you feel as well as think.
Read Hiram Larew’s contribution to our Covid Poetry & Art Project. Read contributor Mike Maggio’s interview with Hiram.
by Courtney LeBlanc
Beautiful & Full of Monsters hones in on the themes of domestic violence, violence against women, society’s view of women’s bodies, consent, agency, and what it takes to survive trauma. But the collection ends on a hopeful note, which the author describes as “not all sunshine and rainbows, but a sense of realistic hope, that things can end up okay.”
Read a profile of the author by Local Authors Editor Norah Vawter
A few bonus entries. Here are books we haven’t had the chance to cover yet but are really excited about …
Heir to the Crescent Moon, memoir by Sufiya Abdur-Rahman
One Person Away from You, short fiction by Andrew Bertaina
Felon, poetry collection by Reginald Dwayne Betts
Silent Winds, Dry Sea, novel by Vinod Busjeet
Crooked Hallelujah, novel by Kelli Jo Ford
This is What America Looks Like, The Washington Writers Publishing House Anthology
This is by no means an exhaustive list of recent books published by local authors! Our region has so many amazing writers that we could never hope to cover all the books worth recommending. For more local reading recommendations, follow us on Twitter @DCTRENDING and Instagram @DCTRENDING1. And follow our Local Authors Editor on Twitter @norahvawter, where Norah shares words and works of D.C. area authors every Friday.
And we would love to hear from you! Sound off on Twitter and Instagram about what you’re reading. Let’s start a conversation about D.C. area writing we love to read! Want to suggest a book or author for us to cover? We’d love to hear from you! DM Norah on Twitter @norahvawter. In case you’re wondering—we define local author as someone living in D.C., Maryland, or Northern Virginia, or having strong ties to the area (such as having grown up in the D.C. area).
Happy reading! And however you celebrate, we wish you a wonderful holiday season!