10 Heartwarming Post-Holiday Reads

The holidays are just a couple of days away and (not to hurry anyone along or anything) before we all break (HarperCollins Canada is closed from the 24th - January 5th), here are 10 books to read when you've got some down time. Narvan's aptly called these novels "Post-Holiday Heartwarmers" and has created a great top 10 list for you to peruse.

10 Heartwarming Post-Holiday Reads

Once all the presents are unwrapped, the wine bottles recycled, and the good china stashed away, what will you do? Why not pick up a great book? Reawaken your inner romantic with tear-jerking love notes, Jane Austen’s diary entries, and even arsenic chocolate brownies for a shoddy ex-boyfriend. Cuddle up with a comfy blanket on your favourite chair, and get down to the business of turning pages.

I Love You Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle
Denis Cooverman didn't want to give a typical graduation speech, cherishing memories and embracing challenges and crap. So, instead, he stood up in front of his 512 class-mates and their 3,000 relatives and said some-thing really important: "I love you, Beth Cooper." It would have been such a sweet, romantic moment. Except that Beth, the head cheerleader, has only the vaguest idea who Denis is…

Ask Again Later by Jill A. Davis
“Home is a place you can never leave behind.” So writes a young Emily Rhode for a school paper. Sure enough, when her mom falls ill many years later, Emily quickly leaves behind her career, her boyfriend, and all those pesky “where am I going?” questions to be by her mother’s side. And now that she’s back in her childhood bedroom, her past seems even harder to escape.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Young Jacob Jankowski jumps on a passing train and accidentally ends up running away with the circus. Sara Gruen’s international bestseller is a darkly beautiful tale of the world’s less-than-greatest show. Forced into a second-rate circus, Jacob meets the beautiful Marlena, her charismatic but cruel husband August, and the seemingly untrainable title character. Faced with an impossible love and his own need to belong, Jacob is eventually freed by a murderous secret that brings the top tumbling down…

When to Walk by Rebecca Gowers
When Ramble’s husband tells her “I’ve basically had enough,” followed by “I expect there are things about me that you find difficult,” all she can think of is how she hates those 100-watt light bulbs he insists on using. And yet, she is left alone to rebuild her life, complete with a deaf ear, gimpy legs, and borderline anti-social personality. Author Rebecca Gowers studied at both Cambridge and Oxford, so maybe just reading this book will make us smarter. Or at least highly entertained.

The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver
What if you did kiss that handsome old friend? Irina is an American expatriate living in London with her boyfriend Lawrence. To the outside world, their relationship is rock solid and yet all Irina wants is to kiss long-time friend Ramsey. Hinging on a single kiss, this enchanting story depicts alternating futures with two men temperamentally worlds apart yet equally honourable. Picking the better man is neither easy not obvious, but Shriver’s alternate realities appeals to the what-if in us all.

Garden of Venus by Eva Stachniak
The ultimate Cinderella story, with the added excitement of the revenge, betrayal, and sensuousness of late eighteen century court life. The story begins with Countess Sophie Potocka lying on her deathbed in a Berlin palace, a tumour ravaging her body. But how did this daughter of a Greek peasant rise to become a courtesan, courtier, countess and confidante to tsars, queens and kings throughout Europe? Stachniak’s sweeping saga is based on the true life of beloved courtier and countess La Belle Phanariote. It’s a must-read for anyone with a passion for historical fiction.

The Romantic by Barbara Gowdy
“Louise knows how to work the washing machine.” So reads (incorrectly) the note left behind by Louise’s run-away mother. Without clean clothes but with a heart ready to love, Louise quickly falls for Mrs. Richter, the new neighbour, and then for Abel Richter, her enigmatic, nature-loving son. An exploration of love and its all too painful incarnations, this novel has been described as “Gowdy’s best.”

The Ladies’ Lending Library by Janice Kulyk Keefer
A moving story set in Kalyna Beach in the summer of 1963. The ladies in question are a former fashion model in mourning; an elusive gold digger; a sharp-tongued sophisticate; and several angst-ridden adolescents. Keefer’s richly evocative library has something for every reader: the turbulent 60s, culture crash, racy-book trades, innocence lost, and plenty of gossip.

This is How It Happened by Jo Barrett
Madeline devoted four years of her life to boyfriend Carlton -- until he dumps her by e-mail. He used her, he broke her heart, and he even cost her marketing job she loved. Never one to quietly resign, Maddy is now on the warpath: Carlton must die. In come the arsenic brownies, the clumsy hitman, and the plotting advice from her best friends.But can Maddie triumph? And should she?

The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie James
Jane Austen’s characters loved and were loved by many. But who did Jane love? The dashing Mr. Ashford, apparently. Syrie James imagines what it would be like to discover Jane’s memoirs and read the juicy details of her own passionate affair. The imagined inspiration for Sense and Sensibility, these memoirs are irresistible to anyone who likes Jane Austen -- and anyone who likes a great story.