11 Best Thanksgiving Books to Read by the Fire

Imagine: It’s the golden, fading afternoon of November 25. Time to read your Thanksgiving books. The house is warm and the pies are cooling on the counter. The comfortable din of the football game seeps in from the other room. Your fingers still smell like thyme and rosemary after a morning in the kitchen. Tucking a quilt over your lap, you bite into a hot, fresh roll and let your book fall open on your lap.   

Thanksgiving books are books that feel cozy, autumnal, and absorbing enough to provide a temporary escape from family drama. There are a lot of Thanksgiving books for preschoolers, but we need Thanksgiving books for adults too—a rest stop between rabid mashed potato consumption and that perfect post-dinner sleep. On Thanksgiving we cook, we eat, we enter unwisely into arguments. It’’ a beautiful time with way, way too much human interaction. (Which is why we also suggest looking at the best books to gift to your Thanksgiving hostess.)

For those of us who occasionally need breaks from all the hugging and physical eye contact, fall reading is a way to be present without obligation. Thanksgiving is a holiday that is based on a very, very famous story—why not spend the day challenging the narratives we accept and the stories we tell? In this eclectic list you’ll find the best fall books to make you feel more grateful, curious, and cozy. And none of these books will ask you when you’re planning to settle down and have kids. 

And if you still need more distraction, we suggest our guide to the best Thanksgiving movies for families or movies based on books.