Books to Read Over the Holidays

Opinions collects the work of Roxane Gay, and includes celebrity profiles, advice columns, cultural criticism, and opinion pieces. I have enjoyed Gay’s writing since I first read her essay collection Bad Feminist. But it can be hard to keep up with all of her pieces that have been published in different outlets over a decade. But now, the best of her published writing from across the internet is all in one place! She interviews artists like Janelle Monáe, and writes about the legacy of Chadwick Boseman’s portrayal of Black Panther. She strikes a beautiful balance of vulnerability and relatability, writing essays that have just the right amount of personal touch. This collection is perfect for stolen moments at holiday parties or family dinners.

Somehow, The Creative Act was never on my radar until Read Spotted Newt bookstore owner Mandi Fugate Sheffel told me that it was one of her favorite books of 2023. (You can listen to her other picks on the latest episode of Read Appalachia.) She explained how, as someone who is working on her own memoir (due out of University Press of Kentucky in ‘25), Rubin’s book made her rethink how she viewed creativity and what it looks like in people’s lives. Of course, I immediately went and bought a copy. It’s a beautiful meditation on the creative life, and the chapters are divided in a way that makes it perfect for readers to sit and muse over in those quiet moments between holiday activities.