Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and I thought it might be fun to FEAST on a variety of books.
If you missed the theme – Have a tasty Thanksgiving Day meal!
Holidays
Thanksgiving Books and Movies
Check out these books and movies that have the Thanksgiving holiday at their core.
Books:
Nobody’s Fool by Richard Russo
An unlucky man in a deadbeat town in upstate New York, Sully must overcome numerous obstacles–a bum knee, terminal underemployment, and a not-too-helpful group of friends–as he copes with a new problem, his long-estranged son.
An unlucky man in a deadbeat town in upstate New York, Sully must overcome numerous obstacles–a bum knee, terminal underemployment, and a not-too-helpful group of friends–as he copes with a new problem, his long-estranged son.
Weight of Winterby Cathie Pelletier
Dreaming of the history of the Maine town of Mattagash, a 110-year-old woman relives her own life and runs through the history of the town’s assorted residents, beginning with the season’s first snowfall and ending at Thanksgiving.
Cloud Nine by Luanne Rice
Having reopened her bedding shop, Cloud Nine, after recovering from a serious illness, Sarah Talbot rediscovers love when she meets former navy pilot Will Burke aboard a chartered flight while observing the autumn leaves of upstate New York on her way home for Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving Visitor by Truman Capote
Autobiographical story of a boy who recalls his life with an elderly relative in rural Alabama in the 1930s and the lesson she taught him one Thanksgiving Day about dealing with a bully from school.
Autobiographical story of a boy who recalls his life with an elderly relative in rural Alabama in the 1930s and the lesson she taught him one Thanksgiving Day about dealing with a bully from school.
Movies:
Pieces of April. (2003) This is a great little film. In its own way, it highlights the trials and tribulations of holiday gatherings, from trying to make a good impression on your Significant Other’s parents, to making your first big dinner as a young adult. Family outcast April lives in a beat-up apartment in New York’s Lower East Side with her boyfriend, Bobby. In order to spend some time with her dying mother, April invites her conservative suburban family to her place for a Thanksgiving feast. While she frantically tries to complete the meal, the family drives in from Pennsylvania sharing less-than-pleasant opinions about April’s lifestyle. Patricia Clarkson, who plays April’s mother, received an Oscar nomination for this role.
Hannah and her sisters.(1986) One of Woody Allen’s top 10 films, the story is book-ended by Thanksgiving dinners and is a nice remembrance of the Woody and Mia Farrow collaborations. It’s an intimate look at three women and the relationships they have with each other and the men in their lives. Michael Caine received an Oscar for his role as one of the husbands.
Home for the holidays. (1995) A seriously underrated movie directed by Jodie Foster with terrific performances by Holly Hunter, Anne Bancroft, and a Polaroid-snapping Robert Downey Jr. Claudia Larson is a divorced single mom who just lost her job and now has to fly home for the traditional family Thanksgiving in Baltimore. From the plane, she calls for reinforcements–and her brother Tommy makes it down from Boston with a little surprise: a handsome friend named Leo. Between dropping the turkey in their sister’s lap and a few fist fights on the front lawn, Claudia and Tommy recapture their childhood and Claudia and Leo explore the sweet possibility of romance.
Planes, trains, and automobiles. (1987) An uptight businessman (Steve Martin) faces disaster after disaster as he tries to get back home in time for his family’s Thanksgiving dinner, and along the way is joined by an insane traveling salesman (John Candy) that will not leave him alone.
Nobody’s fool.. (1994) Most movies that use Thanksgiving to set up introspective family drama follow a pretty basic formula, and ‘Nobody’s Fool’ doesn’t deviate much from that standard. It does, however, star Paul Newman and feature scenes of him bantering with everyone from Bruce Willis to Jessica Tandy to Philip Seymour Hoffman to Melanie Griffith, making it easily the coolest of the bunch.
Great Holiday Reads
Okay, let’s admit it, the holidays are very stressful. Celebrants scramble through stores looking for the perfect gift knowing that as time gets closer to the holidays supplies dwindle and panic can set in! The staff suggests taking some time for your self and yes, check out a good book to read.
As they say at all the retail spots, we have something for everyone but here, you can have it all for free! Come on in and re-read a classic…when was the last time you read Gift of the Magi by O’Henry? I know that we have all seen the great renditions of Dicken’s classic, A Christmas Carol but everyone should go back and read the original Charles Dickens tale; it is filled with wonderful characters and great ghosts using the backdrop of Victorian London. After reading this story you KNOW what they mean when people say that a person is a great Dickensonian character. You will also discover why Marley’s ghost had a handkerchief tied around his head and honestly, it is rather macabre!
Please, let’s not forget the great children’s classics. Go now and read Dr Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas…he is truly a mean one that Mr. Grinch! Sometimes crying is a great stress buster too. We can help you tear up by suggesting Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Match Girl; the story of a young girl who clearly never caught a break over the holidays. There are many different versions of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore and some have exquisite illustrations. Come in and check them out (literally) and make that story part of your family’s tradition.
So, if reading does not defeat the panic that is building up all around you, you just may want to consider attending our Saturday workshop, Holistic Healing Energy with Jeannie Sullivan . She can help you get your chakras aligned and your energy in balance and that will certainly alleviate your stress.
Whatever you do over the holidays please know that all of us at the Gardiner Public Library wish you great holidays to be spent with great friends and families and, when the year comes to an end, we will welcome in the New Year with some more great titles!
Anne Davis, Library Director