Holiday Reading Suggestions

Curl up this holiday season with our SWF20 faculty, or at least their writing. Here are some recommendations, which will help prepare you to make the most of SWF20. We hope these selections — especially the debut novels — will help to inspire your own writing!

The String Games: Gail Aldwin’s new coming-of-age novel addresses the emotional legacy of a lost sibling, making connections to resilience and overcoming extreme barriers in life. The String Games was longlisted in The People’s Book Prize 2019.

The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published: From The Book Doctors (Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry), this is the definitive guide for aspiring authors wanting to realize their dream of publishing a book.

The Subway Chronicles: Scenes from Life in New York: Jacquelin Cangro edited this collection of 27 essays about the New York City subway system written by well-known straphangers. It’s been featured by many U.S. media outlets.

Good Sweden, Bad Sweden: Paul Rapacioli’s first book draws on more than a decade of news coverage to explain how the polarized story of this unique country is being told in a post-truth world.

first one thing, then the other: Liz Clark Wessel’s most recent chapbook of poetry.

Unicorns of Blossom Wood and Owls of Blossom Wood series: Geared to readers ages 6-8 years, these books by Catherine Coe tell adventurous stories of magical woodland creatures and their friendships.

Please Read This Leaflet Carefully: Written in the first person and following a reverse chronology that subverts the typical illness story, this first novel by Karen Havelin follows a woman in her struggles to live a normal life. It was shortlisted for the Not the Booker Prize by The Guardian in 2019.

Hollow Oaks: This urban fantasy novel by Paddy Kelly takes the reader on a tour of ancient Irish mythology through the fairy realm and Dublin’s underworld.

The Pendulum: This powerful memoir by Julie Lindahl traces her journey to uncover her grandparents’ roles in the Third Reich as she is driven to understand how and why they became members of Hitler’s elite, the SS. It has been critically acclaimed in both the US and Sweden, where it has been a best-selling title.

On Wilder Seas: Nikki Marmery’s debut novel tells the story of Maria, the only woman aboard Francis Drake’s Golden Hind during his circumnavigation voyage in 1577-1580. On Wilder Seas was shortlisted for the Myriad Editions First Drafts Competition 2017 and the Historical Novel Society’s New Novel Award 2018.

Under a Dark Sky: Kidnapped as a child but returned safely, Alice Fine turns her luck into a true-crime pastime — and a search for justice that might cost her everything. This novel by Lori Rader-Day won the 2019 Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original.

Mansboken (The Book of Men — From one guy to another): With this book, Attila Yoldas wants to help change a culture that he often sees preventing men from being the best versions of themselves.

Learn more about the SWF20 faculty on our faculty page.