Before the holidays hit, the Bookstr team sat down to debate who’d we bring to a scrumptious Thanksgiving dinner. But there were so many options, it was hard to choose just one. We’re now inviting more of our favorite authors for a heartwarming Christmas meal. From fiction authors to memoir writers, we picked the cream of the crop for our holly and jolly dinner.
We truly have an amazing roundtable of authors for Christmas dinner. If you want to see our fantastic picks, keep reading! Hopefully, some of these authors will make it onto your TBR in the new year.
1. Roxane Gay
“I’ve been reading Roxane Gay’s work since my first semester of college. I’ve been enamored with her writing ever since I read Bad Feminist, so it would be an honor to sit next to her during Christmas dinner. One of my favorite books from her is Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body. Her description of the fat experience was unlike anything I’ve read, and her memoir inspired me to become more interested in fat liberation. I’d probably talk to her about how she went about writing such an emotional memoir, and how to amplify fatness in literature. She’s easily become one of my favorite writers with her revolutionary op-ed pieces and creative storytelling.”
— Jenna Sassenrath, Editorial Department
2. Rick Riordan
“I’ve always been a fan of his and I think he’d be a very fun guest to have at the table. I feel like he’d have all kinds of fun stories about Christmas traditions in different countries. Plus, if it’s ever awkward, we could just break the silence by playing Greek Mythology trivia together! Overall though, he just seems like a nice guy who writes really awesome books.”
— Dani Shembesh, Editorial Department
3. William Nack
“The book is a deep look into the journey of the horse, the owners, breeders, grooms, stable hands, exercise riders, jockeys, and everyone involved. I had no idea that many people from different backgrounds and cultures were involved. I want to know what it must have felt like to have been around Secretariat: a horse that everyone was saying could win the Triple Crown of Horse Racing when it had been years since the last Triple Crown winner.
At the 1973 Belmont Stakes- all the emotions and sensations were high when watching Secretariat pull away from all the other horses. He won by a record-breaking 31 lengths, a record that still stands today even though the Triple Crown has been won a few times since Secretariat.”
— Christina Hardesty, Graphics Department
4. Louisa May Alcott
“I’ve always thought of Little Women to be a holiday book. It’s one of my all-time comfort reads during the winter season. It would be ideal to invite Alcott to dinner because, based on her beloved novel, I know she’d be able to tell some heartwarming stories and impart some wisdom about life, love, and family. I’d also like to inquire more into her ancestry, given that her father, Amos Bronson Alcott, was born in my hometown! Growing up with a transcendentalist father, who likely talked at length about philosophy and the human condition, left her with many profound life lessons that I’d love to hear discussed over Christmas dinner.”
— Erin Shea, Editorial Department
5. Clement C. Moore
“I think it would be pretty awesome if we had the creator of such a classic story that involved the legend of Santa Claus. The Night Before Christmas is such a classic for all ages to snuggle up to on a cold wintery night. I would also ask him if he could read it out loud for the dinner guests while we drink hot cocoa and chocolate chip cookies straight from the oven. I used to love Christmas as a child, and just recently, I started to appreciate the holiday again, so it would warm my heart to have the person that added flair to Santa Claus at the dinner table.
— Sierra Jackson, Editorial Department
6. Victoria (V.E.) Schwab
“Schwab was able to craft such a beautiful and unique world in her Shades of Magic series, along with many of her other books, and I am so interested in the way that her mind is able to craft such beautiful narratives. I would love to ask her about where she draws inspiration from and I would also definitely have to ask what she is working on next!”
— Lindsay Johnson, Social Department
7. Dr. Seuss
“After all, what would Christmas dinner be without the creator of one of the most memorable Christmas “villains.” How the Grinch Stole Christmas is one book kids all over the country adore. Getting time to talk about Dr. Seuss’s creative and writing process would surely be a trip.”
— Sam Cosca, Graphics Department
8. M.L. Rio
“I invited her to Thanksgiving dinner and bombarded her with questions about when the sequel to If We Were Villains was going to come out, and we parted ways afterward on sore terms. I’m hoping to invite her to Christmas dinner with no other agenda than to have a nice night with the author who wrote one of my favorite books and to ask her what her favorite books to cozy up with during winter are.”
— Griffyn Tijamo, Graphics Department
9. Kim Liggett
“I never heard of her until a recent bookstore shopping trip where I saw The Grace Year just among every book on the shelf. By some strange force, I took that specific book out and opened it to read the summary, and behold: a paper card with the author’s signature on it. What a find right? Shocked, I grabbed another copy of the book and opened it and no card or signature was there!
It was around $8 too and not among the signed books at the front. As a result, I used it as a bookmark as I read it and after reading that amazing book, I made her one of my top authors I read this year. I definitely would invite her for a Christmas feast so I can tell her all about my secret find and how I felt like it was an early holiday gift for me!”
— Jaiden Cruz, Graphics Department
10. Lana Pecherczyk
“I had never heard of her until I saw this particular book recommendation on Tik Tok. To be honest, my TBR list has grown exponentially because of Tik Tok, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to catch up. But I know I’ll never stop trying. I would love to invite Pecherczyk to Christmas dinner to discuss her post-apocalyptic world that has resulted in the world returning to nature in its purest form. Metal remanence of all kinds is banned in Pecherczyk’s post-apocalyptic world because it interferes with the magic that flourished in the wake of all modern technology destruction.
Despite nature’s flourishing magic and the surviving people, there are still those that would seek to rebuild the technological age, and in doing so, would destroy the world again. Pecherczyk is one of my top favorite authors for the year. I’d invite her for Christmas dinner because of her intriguing post-apocalyptic magical world recreation.”
— Alexanderia Wadsworth, Editorial Department
11. Tommy Orange
“I read There, There this past year and have thought about it ever since I finished the book. It’s a fictional novel containing a multitude of perspectives, but Orange wrote it with a specific goal to bring Indigenous voices to the forefront. I was so inspired by this book, I started a project with my father in which we interviewed dozens of my Indigenous American and Mexican family members to document their unique voices. I’d love to talk to Tommy Orange about his writing process, his experience as a writer of color, and how he navigates the industry.”
— Olive Garcia, Editorial Department
12. Wayne Dyer
“The first time I read a book by the late Wayne Dyer was in 2019. This book unraveled the beauty of existing as a spiritual being living an extraordinary human experience. Dyer’s words renew the spirit and expand the mind. Compassion, kindness, and humility are our greatest sources of power to derive from and share. It would have been amazing to have had a live conversation with Wayne. We would have discussed the joy of creating and living peacefully within oneself.”
— Cori Franco, Editorial Department
Did our picks inspire you to read some unique authors in the new year? We hope so! No matter what time of year it is, we’d always love to have some creative minds sitting with us at the dinner table.
Find our Thanksgiving dinner picks, here!
Interested in more holiday content? Click here!