Megan Tady — “Bluebird Day”
This is the hilarious, heartwarming tale of mother-daughter ski racing champs Claudine and Wylie Potts, who face bumps in their long-estranged relationship when an avalanche in a dreamy Swiss village forces them together. Slalom through the complicated terrain of lost ambition, past mistakes, family secrets, and self-forgiveness.

Megan’s book rec:
“The Undercurrent” by Sarah Sawyer
An overwhelmed new mom tries to solve the disappearance of a young girl, prompting reflections on her own girlhood—and inspiring me to question what I could reclaim from mine. We’re lucky to claim Sawyer as a local; she lives in Easthampton, and teaches English at The Williston Northampton School.

Simon Winchester — “Knowing What We Know: The Transmission of Knowledge from Ancient Wisdom to Modern Magic”
This book follows the millennials-long journey of how knowledge has been acquired, stored, and passed on. In an age in which a world of information is just a cell phone away, it explores the thoughtfulness and wisdom that derives from the human impulse to know things.

Simon’s book rec:
“Cider With Rosie” by Laurie Lee
Still valiantly, but in truth quite pointlessly, I keep trying to recapture the beloved England of my youth. The quotidian details of Cotswold life are nowhere more sweetly and poignantly captured than in Cider with Rosie, a portrait of a beautifully civilized country teetering on the brink of the modern.

Seth Rogovoy — “Within You Without You: Listening to George Harrison”
An ever-growing love and appreciation for Harrison’s music both in and out of The Beatles led Rogovoy to write this book. He explores how Harrison evolved as a songwriter, guitarist, musician, and cultural figure—and how he dealt with the fame thrust upon him for which he was temperamentally wholly unsuited and unprepared.

Seth’s book rec:
“The Third Realm” by Karl Ove Knausgaard
I will read anything by Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgaard, best known for My Struggle, his monumental sextet of novels, but also an adept essayist, critic, and art historian. The Third Realm is the third novel in a new series that finds Knausgaard blending his “autofiction” style with a more expansive, psychological approach.

Lauren Mechling — “The Memo”
This genre-bending time-travel comedy about a woman whose suspicion that she never got the memo turns out to be true—literally! It’s a “Sliding Doors”-esque story that explores Jenny Green’s parallel lives—as a memo-less “loser” and a memo-powered “winner.”

Lauren’s book rec:
“The Most” by Jessica Anthony
This winter I look forward to curling up with Jessica Anthony’s new novel about a 1970’s housewife who takes a long, head-spinning swim in her apartment complex. From what I hear, it’s a brilliantly inventive and poignant portrait of mid-life unraveling. And it’s not even 150 pages—chef’s kiss to that!

Darra Goldstein — “Preserved: Drinks”
Many of the world’s most beloved drinks—coffee, hot chocolate, tea, wine, soda—are products of fermentation. Preserved: Drinks highlights the history of these fundamental beverages while offering recipes for drinks to make at home. You’ll find a world of exciting flavors in Mexican tepache, Salvadoran horchata, Swedish julmust, Russian kvass, and more.

Darra’s book rec:
“How to Say Babylon” by Safiya Sinclair
The Jamaican poet Safiya Sinclair’s memoir is about growing up in a strict Rastafarian family. Sinclair’s life is defined by the dreadlocks she is compelled to wear; when she cuts them off, she’s able to take flight through her poetry and her decision to leave Jamaica.

Dani Shapiro — “Signal Fires”
Three teenagers have been drinking. One of them gets behind the wheel of a car, and, in an instant, everything changes. Each of their lives, and that of Ben Wilf, a young doctor who arrives on the scene, is shattered.

Dani’s book rec:
“Slowing: Discover Wonder, Beauty, and Creativity through Slow Living” by Rachel Schwartzmann
Schwartzmann’s new book is my go-to holiday gift for my very busy friends who are yearning for more time, space, and depth of experience in their lives. It’s a beautiful, soulful, deeply intelligent exploration of how to live well in this noisy, distracting world.