To Be Read : 5 Fall Reads about Family - Top Ten Tuesday

 

Happy Top Ten Tuesday! This week's prompt was to find Books That Give Off Autumn Vibes. And oof, because living in Texas, "fall/autumn vibes" just isn't as much of a thing for me! And I'm kind of salty about it. Some years the leaves change, some they don't, the temperature is totally all over the place, and it just doesn't have a consistent traditional feeling to it. But regardless of the weather or scenery, family in the fall feels consistent. Gearing up for the holidays means lots of time with family, which can be so different from person to person. So, keep reading, because I've compiled a list of books that I absolutely adore that have strong messages about family, enjoy!

A Place For Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza - This book deals with family estrangement but also reading it felt like being wrapped up in a warm cozy family blanket. "A Place for Us" follows an Indian- American Muslim family over decades of their lives - from when parents Rafiq and Layla meet all the way to when their children are grown and beginning their own lives. Their youngest child, Amar, is estranged from them, and through all of the different perspectives and stories, you start to piece together why he is no longer speaking to his family. I really love this book and the way it shows how even with the best of intentions as a parent, mistakes are made and the consequences of those mistakes can be incredibly far-reaching. The character development in this book is amazing, and by the end of the book, you feel like you are a member of the family because you really get inside their relationships and see all of the complexities there!

This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel - This book is the best kind of emotional roller coaster and also features one of my favorite bookish families! "This is How It Always Is" follows parents Rosie and Penn, and their family of five children. At the beginning of the book their youngest child, Claude, begins to express interest in wearing dresses. Claude's parents are supportive of their self-expression, but they also worry. They worry about how best to allow it, how to understand it themselves, and how receptive others will be of their child. What begins as a family secret becomes a whirlwind of unexpected consequences. I absolutely love the way the issues in this book are tackled with humility and grace and it is just such a heartwarming and also important read!

Beartown by Fredrik Backman - As strong a bond as a family has, sometimes those closest to you are the families you make for yourself. "Beartown" was one of my favorite reads in 2018, and if you haven't picked it up yet, you should definitely do it this fall! This book follows a high school hockey team in Sweden, and they're kind of a big deal. Everyone in the town is obsessed with the team and their success. But when one of the star players rapes the daughter of the general manager, the team and town fall apart - but they also come back together. I love the depictions in this book of how close nontraditional families can feel and just how impactful your community is when tragedy strikes. There are many times in this book where a family in a traditional and non-traditional sense conflict with each other and it is just so raw and genuine. "Beartown" is such a complex but also a compulsively readable book. This is a longer and slower read, but it does what it does so well - and that takes time.

Eleanor Oliphant by Gail Honeyman - So what happens when you don't have any sense of family or community you've built around you? This book follows main character Eleanor who lives a very solitary life with few connections.  At the start of the book, we learn that Eleanor is a trauma survivor. She was a foster child as an adolescent. She only communicates with her mother over the phone and their interactions are devastatingly toxic. At work, Eleanor keeps to herself and does not socialize on the weekends. This book was such a powerful read for me, and I think really builds a potent sense of empathy that took me totally off guard in the best way. This book is laugh out loud funny and also pass me the tissues sad on the same page. To me, it showed how much of an impact you can have reaching out to someone who you see without a community. And how, even a small kindness can mean so much to someone missing that connection with others, how cruel the world can be to someone without a community, how palpable that is to us and why we turn away from them, and also why we shouldn't.

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch - Okay, so this one is a little off the beaten path, *but* if like me, you feel like you haven't fully wrapped up your thriller reads, this is a great one to consider! In this book science fiction meets thriller, as the main character, Jason is kidnapped and knocked unconscious, waking to a world that is just like his but also unrecognizable. His wife isn't his wife, his job isn't his job. "Dark Matter" is an exciting thrill ride, and in most ways what you expect from the genre, but Jason's driving force in the book to get his life back is his love for his wife and child. This book was far more emotionally touching than any other thriller I have read recently, and I loved it!

Comment down below and tell me what books you love that feature strong or unique messages about family! Thanks for reading and watching!