Hey friends, can you believe it’s already halfway through November? The season of cozy socks, family dinners, and pumpkin-spiced everything has arrived. While the holidays can get a little hectic, let’s rest a bit. There’s something magical about slowing down for a few quiet moments with a good book. Since Thanksgiving is all about gratitude and connection, these November reads are perfect for the season. These are stories that make you pause and reflect. Maybe even hug your loved ones a little tighter.
Each of these “holiday reads” digs into the heart of what it means. That is to live fully, love deeply, and appreciate the people who shape our world. So grab your favorite blanket and a warm drink, and let’s talk about four Thanksgiving books that feel like comfort food for the soul.
Autumn Book Recommendations
1. Death: Awakening to Life by Christine Contini
(Available from Winterwolf Press)
Death: Awakening to Life by our very own, Christine Contini, is the kind of book that makes you sit back and think about the big picture. After a near-death experience, Christine shares the lessons she learned about what happens after we leave this world. She shares how those insights can help us live with more joy and peace right now. It’s equal parts spiritual, healing, and deeply human.
If November tends to make you reflective, this is the perfect read. Contini’s voice feels like a conversation with an old friend who’s seen beyond the veil and come back with stories worth hearing. It’s a gentle reminder to be grateful for the everyday miracles we often overlook. These are the laughter at the dinner table, the quiet mornings, and the people who make our lives meaningful.
(Learn more about Winterwolf Press at winterwolfpress.com.)
2. Memory Piece by Lisa Ko
Lisa Ko’s Memory Piece follows three friends, Giselle, Jackie, and Ellen, whose lives unfold across the shifting decades of the 1980s through the future. It’s a tender, funny, and moving story about art and friendship. It also tells us the ways our paths weave together, even when time and circumstance try to pull us apart. Ko writes with such heart and clarity that you can’t help but see pieces of your own friendships reflected in hers.
If you’re feeling nostalgic this season, Memory Piece is a lovely choice. It reminds us how the people who walk beside us—through our messes, changes, and small victories—shape who we become. Thanksgiving is often about family, but this novel nudges us to appreciate the chosen family too: the friends who keep showing up, no matter how long it’s been since you’ve talked.
3. All Fours by Miranda July
Miranda July’s All Fours is an honest, funny, and deeply personal story about a woman in her forties who sets out on a road trip and unexpectedly finds herself questioning everything. From identity to desire to what it really means to be content. July’s writing is sharp, strange, and beautifully intimate, the kind that makes you laugh one moment and pause the next.
This is a perfect holiday comfort book, exactly why it belongs here in our November reads. All Fours reminds us that gratitude doesn’t always come from perfection or predictability. Sometimes, it shows up in the messy, uncertain parts of life. These are the ones that make us stop and ask what we truly want. It’s a smart, relatable pick for anyone craving something honest and a little bit daring this season.
Visit mirandajuly.com to explore more of her work.
4. The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy
Angela Flournoy’s The Wilderness spans twenty years in the lives of five Black women bound by friendship, ambition, and shared history. Through their stories, Flournoy explores what it means to come home—to yourself, your community, and the people who truly see you. It’s a rich, layered story about resilience and the quiet power of connection.
This book fits the Thanksgiving season perfectly—it’s about belonging, endurance, and finding light in the mess of life. Flournoy captures the beauty of showing up for one another, even when it’s hard. Reading The Wilderness feels like gathering around a table with people who’ve known you forever, the ones who hold your history and your heart.
Gratitude, Growth, and Good Books
Thanksgiving reminds us that gratitude is both a feeling and a practice. These November reads each offer a different way to embrace that truth, from Christine Contini’s spiritual insights to Lisa Ko’s nostalgic friendships, Miranda July’s self-discovery, and Angela Flournoy’s deep sense of connection.
However you celebrate this season, we hope one of these books finds its way into your hands (and maybe your heart, too).
Which of these November reads will you pick up first? Share your thoughts in the comments or tag us on social media — we’d love to know what stories are keeping you company this season.
P.S.: Want more book inspiration for every season? Subscribe to our newsletter at Winterwolf Press for fresh reads, writing tips, and author features all year round.
