After the 2024 election, I desperately needed a little bit of distraction and a whole lot of community. I posted to my neighborhood list serv that I was starting a book club at our community center and welcomed people to join. Golly gee, did they take me up on the invitation. My book club list, UHills Reads for Pleasure, has 100 members! And since February, we’ve read 18 books. They’ve ranged from the genre-defying Ministry of Time to the widely-read and deservedly-praised James. Here are four of my favorites, perfect for settling into indoors fall weather or holiday gifting. Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy was my favorite book of 2025. It’s atmospheric, weaving together elements of family relationships, environmental harm, mystery and more. The writing is terse and beautiful, and it’s short enough that you can finish it without feeling overwhelmed. Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon is historical fiction based on a true life figure. Set in colonial rural Maine, the book reveals the ways in which women struggled for justice. The book features a happy marriage (a rarity in fiction!) and shows how one woman navigated her role in the community and her role as a mother—long before “work-life balance” was an aspiration put on mothers. Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe sparkles with creative and original characters. The book follows a young, unmarried mother who finds her own path to independence, while challenging expectations and judgment. Set in Orange County, this book is a reminder of all the different paths people take to try for a better life. Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett offers a deeply flawed but lovable protagonist: the grieving, generous P.J. Halliday, struggling with alcoholism and enjoying his lottery winnings. With the barest hint of magic in the form of a prescient cat, the book is a story about found and existing families with characters of every age rendered with insight and humanity. Because I’m in charge, this book group has no BS rules: 1) you must wear a name tag; 2) we don’t chat about anything but books; 3) you can come whether you read the book, listened, got half way through or didn’t even start but are just curious about the book; and 4) you don’t have to come to every meeting. Some people have come once, and a few have never missed a meeting. And that is all okay! It’s a judgment-free zone, which is a rare environment these days. As the political polarization and the fear and fatigue from the Trump administration eat away at our sense of peace, this book group has been such a source of joy and community. Take care of yourselves in the fight, by reading or otherwise!
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