Tell Us Your Favorite Thanksgiving Food and We'll Tell You What Book to Read

What do turkey and Moby-Dick have in common? Everything. They're big. And weighty. They take a long time. They may induce sleepiness. There are whole parts you might want to skip. And both are firmly part of their respective canons and you clearly respect a classic.

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There is nothing grandiose or fancy about mashed potatoes. Yet you find them on menus of Michelin-star restaurants as often as mom and pop diners. They're as delicious as they are uncomplicated. Laurie Colwin was a novelist who cared deeply about food and cooking. Her collection of food essays, Home Cooking, is conversational, funny, and imbued with her unfussy, charming outlook on food and life. 

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Stuffing relies on a medley of components, textures, and flavors that blend together to create a delectable whole. White Teeth, a modern classic, is not dissimilar. It has a large multicultural cast of characters and hits on identity, race, religion, colonialism, generational trauma, and much more which...sounds heavy. But it is also optimistic and hilarious.

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Was macaroni and cheese on the menu at the Whistle Stop Cafe? We're not sure but it would fit in with the homestyle cooking there. It's the kind of food you make in big batches and share at family and community gatherings where people look out for each other much like the characters in this endearing book.

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The hallmark of this Thanksgiving staple is that it combines two opposing textures: a fried crunchy topping with a creamy, warm base. This pretty well describes Ove whose brittle exterior hides his lonely, good heart—eventually drawn out by the lively family next door. Fans of this casserole will appreciate that Ove's crabbiness prevents the book from being too gooey.

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You weren't born loving brussels sprouts (is anyone?) and you may have even thrown a tantrum over them in your youth, but your tastes evolved and, somewhere along the way, the world stopped boiling these cruciferous nuggets and roasting them instead which opened up a whole new flavor world for you. Which leads us to Steinbeck's masterpiece The Grapes of Wrath. You slogged through it in high school and found it slow, boring, and depressing, but now that your tastes have developed, we think you're ready to appreciate its prose, symbolism and empathy for the displaced. 

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There are two kinds of cranberry sauce people: those who insist it is perfect straight from the can and those who insist on gilding the cranberry with a gussied-up homemade version. And each thinks they're right. This reminds us of a little tale about a man and woman whose ability to see eye-to-eye is blurred by pride from one and prejudice from the other. We feel like Austen's classic will be a healing read for both cranberry camps. 

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Ok, gravy is not the most attractive part of the meal, but this condiment is rich, luxurious, and saucy— much like the world Kevin Kwan describes in Crazy, Rich Asians. Gravy, especially for those of you who put it on everything, is a bit extra and so is this book—in the best way.

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Not the flashiest dish on the holiday table, but who can argue with this yummy and unpretentious choice? The book pick for you is easy: Margaret Wise Brown's classic children's book is simple, comforting, and lovely. (Also, we can tell you are already envisioning a nap.)

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May we also suggest: 10 Things You Might Not Know About Goodnight Moon and Its Creator

Pumpkin pie is indelibly associated with fall. Eating it any other time of the year just feels wrong. So we had to pick a book that has strong autumnal vibes and Donna Tartt's taut, moody psychological thriller fits the bill perfectly. So grab a cup of tea and another slice of pie and immerse yourself in dark academia. 

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Sorry, we couldn't help ourselves! And, this is a terrific book—character-driven, ambitious, vivid, sad, hopeful. 

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