I had so much fun filling out the A-Z Book Tag that I decided to look for one for Thanksgiving. Apparently I did this Thanksgiving Book Tag last year. So I’ll do it again, a Thanksgiving Book Tag 2023 version! Let’s see if I can complete this without repeating too many answers from 2022.

Originally created by Anna’s Book Nook, here are the rules:

• Thank the person who nominated you
• Give credit to the author (Anna’s Book Nook)
• Answer the prompts
• Tag others if you desire!

1) Friends and Family: A Book with Characters that Feel Like Family

Last year I put the whole ACOTAR series here. And I’d do it again, but I’m trying not to repeat answers! Reading about the characters in HAPPY PLACE by Emily Henry sort of felt like family. I think the fact that it takes place in New England, which I visit frequently, made it feel even more so like family.

2) Fallen Leaves: A Book that Fell Flat (didn’t meet your expectations)

Unfortunately that honor goes to LIQUID SNAKES by Stephen Kearse. The premise sounded so unique: a mix of medical fiction, crime, and malfeasance upon a Black community by a careless company. However, I thought it was not executed to my liking. It was difficult to follow and what I got barely matched up with the synopsis.

3) Thanksgiving Dinner: A Book You Want to Read Every Year During This Season

I’m not really a seasonal reader. October was a bit of a fluke in that most of my reads happened to lean more toward the horror genre. I suppose this time of year in the U.S. we often want cozy things. So a cozy book I could reread during this season might be THE MAGICIAN’S DAUGHTER by H.G. Parry. It’s a “wholesome,” for lack of a better word, fantasy that felt fairly cozy and old time-y when I read it.

4) Turkey: A Book With a Bird in It

I read (audiobook) THE HEN WHO DREAMED SHE COULD FLY by Sun-mi Hwang on a whim this year. (I’m always looking for shorter audiobooks and took a chance when I saw this was available at my library.) Fit for any age, this novella captures a hen’s desire to be a mother and find a community. The narrator was also phenomenal.

5) Ham: A Book that Made Your Eyes Glaze Over (Boring)

I hate to say this because I love Arthurian retellings, but THE CLEAVING by Juliet McKenna just didn’t do it for me. It has plenty of information, but I thought it was too dry and used too much “telling” in the writing style. My eyes glazed over quite a few times reading this.

6) Dinner Rolls: A Book that Melted Your Heart and Made You Feel Warm

Sometimes I get nostalgic and that’s what BEYOND THE WAND by Tom Felton did to me.

7) Mashed Potatoes: A Book With a White Cover

Some of these are more cream than white, but close enough! The only one I reviewed out of this lot is NORTH QUEEN by Nicola Tyche.

8) Gravy: A Book You’re not Totally Sure Why You Love, but You Do

I listened to TANQUERAY by Brandon Stanton, which is narrated by Tanqueray. Born Stephanie Johnson, Tanqueray is a stage name. If you’re not familiar, Tanqueray’s story was super popular on Humans of New York (HONY). So much so that she ended up putting together a memoir with Brandon Stanton, who’s behind HONY. It’s sometimes sad, but also raunchy and hilarious.

9) Pumpkin Pie: A Dessert Book That You Love

Am I allowed to say A COURT OF MIST AND FURY? 🙂 While I will forever love that book, FUNNY FEELINGS by Tarah DeWitt is another book that would be a perfect dessert. I don’t typically read friends to lovers, but this one was well done. KISSING KOSHER by Jean Meltzer is another great dessert.

Bonus: Black Friday: The Top 5 Books on Your “I want to buy them” List

Honestly, it’s hard for me to name my top 5 books on my “I want to buy them” list. I preordered a bunch of books a couple of months ago, so I’m pretty set. Maybe if I took a look at upcoming 2024 releases I’d have a better answer. But I haven’t done that, so I don’t have a list.

Feel free to tag yourself if you want to participate in this Thanksgiving Book Tag 2023 edition!