Because of my Cup o’ Kindness posts in December, I missed my regularly-scheduled Top Five Books post. We are now several weeks past the Winter Solstice, but here I go . . .  bringing you my (belated) fall edition of Top Five Books.

At the end of each season – very near the equinox or solstice – I force myself to choose five books to highlight for you. Only five. Sometimes it’s hard for me to choose just five . . .  because the books I read were all so good. Sometimes, though, it’s a struggle to choose five at all because the season was clunker-heavy – or I was in a reading slump (it happens). I’m happy to report that I ended up reading several notable books over the fall months, and I’m eager to tell you about five of them today. (Writing this post a couple of weeks after my solstice deadline makes things a bit more complicated . . . because I’ve read a few really great books since my self-imposed deadline. They aren’t included in this list, but maybe they’ll make my winter list!)

(Oh. And just for the record . . . these are my Top Five Book in no particular order. I just list ’em; I don’t rank ’em.)

Let’s get started!

First, I’ve got Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten. I thoroughly enjoyed reading (actually . . . listening to Ina read) this delightful memoir filled with Ina’s stories of growing up, falling in love, and building a business. I have long been an Ina fan, and I’ve made many of her recipes over the years – always with great success, so it was a real pleasure to learn more about “what goes on behind the curtain.” And, sure. There are some rather tone-deaf elements to some of her stories (the anecdotes about the challenges of buying – and renovating – the Paris apartment, for example), but . . . that’s usually the case with celebrity memoirs. (I tend to just roll my eyes a little and move on.) This is a fun, well-written memoir — and perfect for fans of Ina’s cookbooks, recipes, and products. I gave this book 4 stars.

I highly recommend listening to the audiobook version of Be Ready When the Luck Happens. Ina-as-narrator is utterly charming; it’s like sitting down and chatting (over a slice of her amazing chocolate cake). And – bonus – the audiobook version includes a pdf with access to all the photos and recipes included in the print version of the book.

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Next, I’ve got The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich. Now, I’m a long-time Louise Erdrich fan. I have read many (so many) of her books over the years, and I just love her storytelling, her messages, and the way she sets a scene. But mostly, I love her characters! She writes into life the most real, hearts-a’beating, minds-a’humming, deeply complex characters of any author I read. And The Mighty Red does not disappoint . . . with a good story, a strong message, a clear sense of place, and a cast of characters who are completely up to the task of telling this tale. That said, The Mighty Red is not my favorite Louise Erdrich novel. (There’s just something about the pacing with this one. I got . . . a bit weary there in the middle.) And yet . . . a not-my-favorite Louise Erdrich novel is still a winner, that’s for sure! I gave this book 4 stars.

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Then, I’ve got North Woods by Daniel Mason . . . which is not only one of my top five books this fall, but one of my top five books for the year. When I was a little girl, I loved The Little House, the Caldecott award-winning storybook by Virginia Lee Burton. The book featured a happy, sweet little house built in the countryside and surrounded by all that nature had to offer. Over the years, the city crept ever closer, eventually surrounding the now-unloved and unhappy little house. In this children’s book, eventually the little house was physically moved back out into the country, refurbished and once again loved. It was a charming children’s tale, and I thought about it quite a lot as I was reading Daniel Mason’s North Woods, a wonderful grown-up and much more historically accurate version of The Little House.

I loved this brilliant collection of interconnected stories – the focus and attention on place, the interaction of the natural, human, and supernatural worlds, and the careful tracking of the comings-and-goings of history – all through the “eyes” of one house on one plot of land in Western Massachusetts. The writing is excellent – varied, creative, inventive. It’s a clever, poignant look at history, family dynamics, the arts, mental health, nature, climate change, apples . . . and the things that haunt us. I was completely enchanted! I gave this book 5 stars.

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Next, I’ve got Oliver Burkeman’s latest, Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts (now there’s a mouthful of a title . . . ). I knew I was going to need to own a personal copy of this book as soon as I gave it a quick flip-through at my local bookstore. Not only would I want to mark it up as I read it, but I knew I’d want to read/refer to it again and again. Like his other books, Meditations for Mortals is written in Burkeman’s usual easy-breezy style. It’s informative, accessible, and never preachy. He’s not selling readers on a particular “system” for efficiency or time management or personal goal setting or the like. Instead, he’s set out brief, easy-to-read chapters designed to help us examine and reflect on our personal priorities given our (unfortunately) limited life spans.

I opted to read the book as a four-week “retreat of the mind,” and found that to be a great approach with this book. The chapters are short enough that I could include the daily “meditation” as part of my regular morning routine, allowing me to easily focus on the topic of the day. Some chapters/”meditations” were much more relevant to me than others, but each one provided valuable “gems” to spur further reflection. I gave this book 5 stars (and I’m nearly finished with my second four-week read) (good thing I bought a copy for my own library).

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Last, I’ve got a re-read  . . . Late Migrations by Margaret Renkl. I just love this book! I could read it over and over again (and, indeed, I probably will). Part memoir, part nature study . . . and all heart, Renkl captures the beauty of the full circle-of-life with this series of personal essays on family history, growing up, growing older, finding love, and suffering loss. She so beautifully captures . . . the ebb and the flow, the beauty, the compassion and the inevitable emptiness of loss. I hold this book close to my heart. I gave this one 5 stars (and I’m sure I will every time I read it).

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How about you?
What books would make it onto YOUR fall Top Five list?

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If you want to see what I’m reading now, or if you’d like to check out my recent reviews on Goodreads, just check out the sidebar on my home page.  You can find me here on Goodreads.

If you’re looking for my previous Top Five lists, you can find them in my Field Notes (just click in from the menu bar at the top or bottom of any page) — or click the link.