It’s been a busy year—so busy that our to-be-read books are stacking up. With some holiday downtime ahead, here are eight books we’re hoping to read by the fire this holiday season—or even gift to friends and family.

FICTION

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

Winner of the Booker Prize, The Testaments picks up in the Republic of Gilead more than 15 years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale. Those of us who read the first book and/or watched the Hulu series are looking forward to this one.

NONFICTION

Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham

A New York Times Best Book of the Year and a Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of the Year, this story of the “world’s greatest nuclear disaster” is reported to be gripping from the first page to the last.

PERSONAL FINANCE

The White Coat Investor: A Doctor’s Guide to Personal Finance and Investing by James M. Dahle, MD

We hear this book, written as a guide to teach doctors how to invest, is relevant for high net worth individuals in any sector—anyone who is highly educated but untrained in investing, estate planning, or asset protection.

AUDIOBOOK

Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don't Know by Malcom Gladwell

The author of Freakonomics and Outliers and host of the podcast Revisionist History narrates his book about what to keep in mind when interacting with people we don’t know.

CHILDREN’S

Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin

This New York Times bestselling picture book will be fun to read with kids and grandkids this holiday season. Who knew dragons loved chicken tacos? We hear the audiobook is great, too!

MEMOIR

Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Stephanie Land

Featured on practically every book list out there, this journalistic look at the untold stories of people who take care of others’ yards and homes is intriguing.

POETRY

Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky

Amazon describes this collection, a finalist for both the National Book Award for Poetry and the T.S. Eliot Prize, as “an astonishing parable in poems” that asks, “What is silence?”

E-READER

Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living by Shauna Niequist with a forward by Brene Brown

Among Amazon’s “Great on Kindle” reads is this bestselling book filled with hacks to help declutter your life with what Publishers Weekly calls a “satisfying blend of mindfulness, scripture, and self-help.”

We wish you and yours some cozy reading time this holiday season!