This article originally appeared in SixtyandMe.

Turns out, maintaining a 55-pound weight loss – after age 50 – isn’t as easy as one might think.

Especially in December.

Quick backstory: I lost the 55 in my early 40s and have kept them off for 17 years now. I’m 59 as I type.

I love a tasty buzz as much as the next girl, but at the same time I don’t want to drink what are essentially boozy desserts and run screaming from my scale on New Year’s Day.

Having maintained my loss for years now, I have zero interest in gaining and then re-losing the weight all over again. So, behold the alcoholic calories that I rely on throughout November and December.

But First a Few Tips

Go for the Lowest Calorie Drink

When you’d love something to sip during the holidays, consider the lowest calories in the wine world: brut champagne that comes in at 65 to 95 calories for four ounces (half-cup). We’re not talking sweet champagne, our drink is the driest of dry champagnes, so look for the word “brut” on the label.

Of the hard liquors, vodka is just64 calories for one ounce (eighth of a cup).

Do Ruin Your Meal

Don’t dive into even the lowest calorie drinks until you first “Eat Before You Eat.” Remember how your parents always said, “Don’t eat this close to dinner, you’ll ruin your meal!”

Well – sorry, Dad – ruining our meal is exactly the idea for those of us losing and maintaining after age 50. Before the meals where you know you’ll be tempted, eat an apple or banana with a teaspoon of peanut butter, have a half cup of cottage cheese or a small bowl of cereal.

If you’re anything like me, being hungry at a beautiful spread is a surefire way to overeat and over drink.

Limit the Number of Drinks

Decide in advance to keep your drink limit to two. No matter how low the calories, these beautiful drinks add up.

On with the show!

Fun Recipes to Try

Santa Clausmopolitan

Forget for a second that this is the cutest holiday drink ever, it’s also – if done right – seriously low in calories too.

Begin creating your Santa Clausmopolitan by ignoring the recipes that say to rim your glass with a lime wedge and then dip in sanding sugar.

Why? Because sugar is very high in sugar.

But if you’re looking for super-pretty, rim the glass in sugar!!

The Clausmopolitan I drink is created with vodka, low-calorie cranberry juice, a splash of triple sec (high in calories so a dribble is best), fresh lime juice and fresh cranberries.

A Chilly Chocolate Peppermint Patty

This tasty drink is my very own creation. Did you know that you can buy chocolate almond milk and that it’s only about 100 calories for a full cup? (Somebody upstairs loves us.) Add one ounce vodka to your chocolate almond milk, a drop or two of mint extract, and ice. Yum.

The Snowflake Martini

This delish of a drink is absolutely the living end.

Ingredients:

• A little white sanding sugar, for rim (although I only rim when I’m really feeling wild and crazy)
• 1/2 cup ice
• 1.5 oz. white chocolate liqueur (121 calories)
• 2 oz. vanilla vodka (128 calories)
• 1 cup of vanilla almond milk (30 to 60 calories)
• 1 lemon wedge, for rim

Directions:

Rim your glass with the sugar, if you like to go that route. Add in the ice.

Pour in the chocolate liqueur, vodka and milk, and finish by placing the lemon wedge on the glass’ rim.

Delicious, right?!

Hot Boozy Chocolate

Don’t be scared of making your own low calorie hot chocolate – this is totally do-able.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz chocolate almond milk
• 2 tsps cocoa powder
• 1/8 tsp stevia powder or 3-4 drops of liquid stevia
• 1.5 oz vodka or 1 oz rum (64 calories)

Directions:

Heat your almond milk on the stove stirring continuously (burnt milk is not fun). Once heated, add the rest of the ingredients to your hot chocolate.

Finish up with the vodka or rum.

For fun, I squirt a bit of whipped cream on top and add chocolate sprinkles (because I’m five).

And my work here is done!

Boozy Eggnog

My darling grandma – who rarely drank – always said yes to a cup of eggnog laced with bourbon. As I got older, I realized that the quintessential holiday drink held about a gazillion calories per innocent-looking, festive cup.

But then – cue angels singing on high – I stumbled upon the nut-nog market that sent the high calorie eggnogs packing! (These eggnogs are so delish that I have to limit myself to one cup or I’d drink the entire carton. Just sayin’.)

Check out these sweet little numbers:

• I love the Trader Joe’s nog (in the cold section by the yogurts) with its insanely low 50 calories for a half-cup.
• The Blue Diamond Almond milk Nog is also low at 60 calories for a half-cup. (I serve this one to company.)
• The Silk nog’s soymilk comes in at 80 calories.
• The So Delicious coconut milk holiday nog clocks in at 90 calories for a half-cup.

Just add bourbon (100 cals for 1.5 ounces) and a light sprinkle of nutmeg to create a boozy holiday adult drink.

Dirty Snowmen

For dinner I might have a small bowl of brown rice and veggies, followed by this bad boy.

Ingredients (2 servings):

• 1/4 cup melted chocolate, for rim (optional, I forgo)
• 1 cup vanilla almond milk “ice cream” (if you haven’t yet known the pleasure of almond milk “nice cream” prepare to be wowed. (There are 120 calories for a half-cup, but again, this recipe is for two servings).
• 2 cups heated chocolate almond milk (about 100 calories if you buy unsweetened)
• 1/4 cup Baileys Deliciously Light is lower-sugar and lower-calories than the regular Baileys. About 110 calories for two ounces (quarter-cup).
• ½ cup chocolate shavings (again optional, I only do this for guests)

Directions:

Start with rimming your glass with the melted chocolate – if that is your thing. Pour in the almond milk ice cream, heated chocolate almond milk and Baileys drink.

Top off with chocolate shavings – or whipped cream.

Yum-city!

Skinny Girl Cocktails

I should tell you right off the bat that the Skinny Girl drinks come in rich-girl prices. I love the Skinny Girl low calorie margarita, but the brand also offers pina colada, mojito and several other flavors. But the really good news is that other brands have gotten in on the reduced calorie drink game too (like Jose Cuervo). So shop around for the best prices in your area.

The Simple Vodka Soda

Pick your favorite low-calorie soda and add 1.5 ounces of vodka. Bada boom. (Soda’s been getting a bad rap of late which it totally deserves. Turns out soda is not good for us on a bunch of levels which is why I limit my diet soda drinks to once or twice a year.)

The Vodka Martini

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 oz vodka
• 1/2 oz dry vermouth
• 1 dash orange bitters
• Garnish: lemon twist
• For looks, add an olive-skewer

Directions:

Mix all of the liquids and add ice until chilled. Then garnish and voila.

Vodka, vermouth (105 calories for three ounces), and lemon peel.

Bottom Line (No Pun)

Anytime we substitute almond milk and “nice cream,” or reduce the amounts of high caloric liquor, we’re automatically bringing the drink recipe down to a reasonable amount of calories.

When you and I are losing and maintaining after age 50, we have to bring our best creativity to the party!

Hope you’re having a wonderful December All.

♥, Wendy

P.S. Are you new to the Inspired Eater? Welcome!! This blog won’t make much sense until you first read the Aunt Bea post (and you’ll find Aunt Bea on this page to the right under my short bio). On your cell you’ll see it immediately following the first post. After you enter your email address, the Aunt Bea article will be sent to your email’s inbox. If it’s not there, you might check the spam folder. And always feel free to email me at Wendy@TheInspiredEater.com and I’ll get Aunt Bea right to you!

You know the scoop: I’m an Amazon affiliate. If you buy from a link in my post, I’ll receive money, but the arrangement won’t cost you a dime.

I am not an expert, a doctor, a surgeon, a nurse or a nutritionist: the information within TheInspiredEater.com is based solely on my personal experience and is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. ♥

This is how to use the calories: make them into a wreath and hang them on the door!

Pearl One

I’m often asked, “do you stick to smart eating even on vacation (I do), but trips aren’t the only exciting part of our lives. There are many days in the year that can trip us up.

The holiday season can be a bear for lots of us just as much as a vacay. Temptation is everywhere.

Christmas is a particularly tricky month because, unlike Thanksgiving, Christmas-eating goes on all through December.

We need a December playbook.

That is, if you plan to sail into January feeling at the top of your game.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking about an elaborate plan of what you will or won’t eat three Thursdays from now.

No, I mean that every single morning, we draw up a fresh, new plan. If you’re like me you’re thinking, “I have enough to do, I don’t need more, but thanks so much.”

Okay, fair enough.

Slight detour: if your plan is to preserve (maintain) your current weight throughout December, it’s essential that you tell yourself that weight-preservation only happens when we call preserving a part-time job.

Back to our regularly scheduled program.

So, the first thing to do is eagle-eye points in your day that could easily cause trouble. Looking in advance for problem areas in the day means that we can plan smart solutions right at that moment before the problem even begins.

Here’s my plan for tomorrow (normally I’d write up this plan On Saturday morning).

Morning Plan for Saturday: My husband, sons, and I go out one night every December to see the lights and then eat out (usually a high-end pizza dining spot.)

The Potential Problem: Eating pizza won’t help me to preserve my weight or continue embedding my new habits.

My Best Shot: In the old days, I’d be totally triggered to chow slice after slice of pizza with my family culminating in dessert at home (because I’d already “blown-it”). My plan now is to eat well throughout the day; then when we’re looking at the lights (in the car), I’ll eat the apple that I sliced up earlier. If the apple doesn’t take the edge of my appetite, I’ll eat a small yogurt too.

Because I’d foreseen the difficulty in advance, I know to bring my cold-tote with me packed with sliced apple (don’t just grab a whole one, make eating smart easy) and a small yogurt + spoon.

Later, when we sit down to dinner, guess how hungry I am?

Exactly.

The whole idea is that when you order, you decide whether to have two pieces of pizza, or a fancy salad and not your cavewoman.

You guys, eating before you eat + morning planning is the superpower you’ve been looking for to survive December. ♥

Pearl Two

This post partly appeared in a very old post.

Back in the day when food was my entertainment, I’d tell myself, “I’m SO BORED” and with that, I’d raid the kitchen for some “deserved” nothing-to-do-eating.

Today I deal with boredom differently, here’s what I finally figured out:

The feeling of boredom was never meant to signal us to locate and eat handfuls of M&M’s. Feeling bored is a challenge from the best part of ourselves to bring new exciting plans and ideas to life.

And excitement is different for everyone. You might be excited to travel like seeing the castles in Europe, while I want to fulfill a lifelong dream to learn Spanish. A friend might want to hike every waterfall in her state. Someone else is ready to adopt a rescue-dog.

Before I go any further, I have to add an important caveat: I’m not suggesting that if we simply embrace a new passion that the extra pounds will melt off.

But what I am saying is that when you coax your own dream-projects to life you’re establishing a better relationship internally — and feeling good about ourselves is part of a forever weight-loss.

Pearl Three

In Pearl Three we do a deep-dive on James Clear’s book Atomic Habits

James Clear tells us “You should be far more concerned with your current trajectory than with your current results.”

I think Clear is telling us that the future takes care of itself, that our work is in the now, the today, this evening and so forth.

I’ll never stop saying embed the habit, and the scale will follow. (But for December put yourself in preservation-mode). ♥

Pearl Four

Book-Desserts!

Do I have a winner for you today. As I was reading I continually thought, “how do I explain why this book is so good?”

The plot is about a senior citizen nursing home in the Netherlands.

If you loved A Man Called Ove: A Novel, the 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, and Eleanor Elephant is completely Fine then this is your book.

The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen by Hendrik Groen is character-driven and hilarious. The voice of the diarist is cozy and comfy. As his diary unfolds, our guy highlights the various people and funny stories.

I loved it and was sad to see it end, but thankfully the author has written other books. My review: 100 stars. This book paired with its sequel makes an exceptional gift for readers who are tired of awful Nazi, and animals do not get hurt. ♥

Pearl Five

While overeating would be seen by some as an indulgence of self, it is in a fact a profound rejection of self. It is a moment of self-betrayal and self-punishment, and anything but a commitment to one’s own well-being. ♥

Marianne Williamson

Some interesting news: I finally have the book, The Inspired Eater: Fed Up! live on Amazon and I’d love it if you’d take a take a look. A review would be wonderful too.

Have a beautiful weekend!

♥, Wendy

P.S. Are you new to the Inspired Eater? Welcome!! This blog won’t make much sense until you first read the Aunt Bea post (and you’ll find Aunt Bea on this page to the right under my short bio). On your cell you’ll see it immediately following the first post. After you enter your email address, the Aunt Bea article will be sent to your email’s inbox. If it’s not there, you might check the spam folder. And always feel free to email me at Wendy@TheInspiredEater.com and I’ll get Aunt Bea right to you!

You know the scoop: I’m an Amazon affiliate. If you buy from a link in my post, I’ll receive money, but the arrangement won’t cost you a dime.

I am not an expert, a doctor, a surgeon, a nurse or a nutritionist: the information within TheInspiredEater.com is based solely on my personal experience and is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. ♥

There’s more to Christmas then eating every calorie in sight. Start with the fur-kids.

Pearl One

Happy December, Thrivers!

I think this one will be a heavy-lifter. ♥

I was so happy when this thought occurred to me. It really is our brains that will take us to our preferred weight, not the latest, craziest diet.

In the past, I’ve said that attempting to lose weight in November and December is just being mean to yourself. I encouraged you to maintain (I call it “holding”) through the season.

And I’ve added that it’s important to remember that the holidays are only over two or three days, and it shouldn’t be two months of overdoing it.

But!! I came up with something better.

I’m asking myself the strongest question I know of for December’s onslaught of calories.

You know the game “would you rather?”

Here’s what I’ve been asking myself:

“Would I rather eat all the things throughout December, but be completely annoyed with myself come the first of January?

Or would I rather, stick with my smart eating plan now and forgo most of the treats – not all, but most — and be thrilled to wake up on January one feeling awesome!”

Both questions are tough: do you want to “have fun” with the food in December and be sad when you wake in the new year? Or do want to be challenged to stay the couse in December and be thrilled when you wake up in the new year?

Of course, I run with the latter. I’d much rather keep my eating sane in December so that in January I’ll wake up feeling very pleased.

The idea behind this question is that when we see a plate of beautiful homemade fudge we’ll be snapped back to reality that January is — in fact — just around the corner.

Join me: ask yourself this very question at least two times every single day. Go! ♥

Pearl Two

Our Visualization Tool. At a quiet moment this week, crash on your couch, close your eyes, and identify what the difficult moments will be food-wise in the coming week.

When you’re ready, write by pen or laptop how you’ll respond to each food-challenge.

I’ve written often about the importance of planning for get-togethers or parties so that we’re not arriving  famished to the shindig.

But what about dealing with the day-to-day of Christmas-calories?

In my life, the Scarfer starts buying Christmas cookies in October and after Thanksgiving is barely out the door begins to lay out his display every evening on the kitchen counter. (I mean, “thanks Costco!”)

Journal -write what daily challenges will trigger overeating and write how you’ll respond to each difficulty. Ask yourself this question every day and don’t mix up “fun” with fuel-food. ♥

Pearl Three

Digging deeper into Atomic Habits

James Clear tell us in Atomic Habits, “The greatest threat to success is not failure but boredom. We get bored with habits because they stop delighting us. The outcome becomes expected. And as our habits become ordinary, we start derailing our progress to seek novelty.”

I’m so glad that Clear talks a lot about boredom because it’s a powerful force to contend with in our smart eating lives.

Have a long journal “chat” with yourself. Write about boredom and how it affects your life. Ask yourself: how do I handle the daily, normal boredom of the daily that we all deal with.

Over many years I slowly shifted from a food-focus to address almost every emotion including boredom. IF I’m bored food really does look like a little party for the mouth.

Journal-write about boredom and address how you manage it, rather than it managing you. ♥

Pearl Four

Book Dessert!!

I read this week’s dessert selection titled Molokai by Alan Brennert when it first debuted in 2003. The story begins one hundred years ago, when the authorities take a little girl, Rachel, from her family home on Honolulu, and leave her on the island of Molokai (due to an 1866 Hawaiian king decree that those with leprosy would live out their lives on the island without spreading the disease to the main population). We watch Rachel grow up and fall in love. We also see the evolution of the disease, how as time went by thoughts about the diseased changed.

Only problem with this book? Oh, did it make me want to visit Molokai.

Molokai falls under the historical fiction genre, but is packed in historical facts about actual people who lived on Molokai and cared for the people with Hanson’s disease. It’s been twenty years since I read Molokai, and several scenes from the book still run through my mind.

Pairing Molokai with Honolulu (same author) would make an awesome gift. Highly recommended. Five sparkling stars.

If nothing else, check out the two books’ covers. Lush and gorgeous. ♥

Pearl Five

“Don’t settle for average. Bring your best to the moment. Then, whether it fails or succeeds, at least you know you gave all you had.” ♥

Angela Bassett

Happy December 1!! This month can be so beautiful, but tough. It’s okay, we’re up for the challenge!

♥, Wendy

P.S. Are you new to the Inspired Eater? Welcome!! This blog won’t make much sense until you first read the Aunt Bea post (and you’ll find Aunt Bea on this page to the right under my short bio). On your cell you’ll see it immediately following the first post. After you enter your email address, the Aunt Bea article will be sent to your email’s inbox. If it’s not there, you might check the spam folder. And always feel free to email me at Wendy@TheInspiredEater.com and I’ll get Aunt Bea right to you!

You know the scoop: I’m an Amazon affiliate. If you buy from a link in my post, I’ll receive money, but the arrangement won’t cost you a dime.

I am not an expert, a doctor, a surgeon, a nurse or a nutritionist: the information within TheInspiredEater.com is based solely on my personal experience and is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. ♥

Some people are just flat-out hard to buy for, but give them a book on their favorite topic, and watch the explosion of smiles!

I’ve read all of the books below (my dad reviewed the baseball ones ) and given many of these titles to family and friends as gifts. I hope this list gives you some great ideas for the upcoming holidays!

For every woman ages 12 to 104

A Woman of No Importance the Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II by Sonia Purnell left me floored. The author knocks this true story out of the park having researched and written the book in such a way that you can almost feel the Gestapo just steps behind Virginia as she flees France. Review: an incredible read. My top non-fiction favorite of the year.

Miss Benson’s Beetle: A Novel by Rachel Joyce. Don’t go by the book’s cover or title. In Miss Benson, two very different women find adventure while establishing a profound friendship. This absorbing page-turner would make a beautiful holiday gift for a dear friend. I loved this book.

For the baseball lover in your life

Baseball 100 by Joe Posnanski. A life-long baseball fan talks baseball’s Greatest 100 players in history. My review: my baseball-obsessed dad LOVED it. He read that his favorite player — Stan Musial — was ranked 9th and said, “I can live with that.” High praise from my dad. He even asked me to send a copy to his best friend from childhood.

My Dad, Yogi A Memoir of Family and Baseball by Dale Berra. My mom sent me a photo of my dad reading this book. He finished it in two-reads.

For anyone who loves to laugh

Is This Anything? by Jerry Seinfeld. Jerry at his best, but you definitely want to listen to the audio version that Jerry voices. Fun. Nee. (Plus Jerry is the gold-standard in the dad and husband department.)

The Complete Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson. This is an awesome book-set for everyone. I gave a set to each of my sons. And I need my own set now (because I don’t want to accidentally damage theirs). After a rough day, it’s a sheer pleasure to sit back and enjoy the genius of Bill Watterson. My boys loved receding their own set.

I Can’t Make This Up: Life Lessons by Kevin Hart. Maybe he’s your favorite or, like me, maybe you don’t know who Kevin Hart is (“Wasn’t he in Jumanji?“). In his first book, Hart is our hero who battles monsters at every turn and triumphs in the end. While technically a memoir, this is really a motivational-map for success.

How did a kid “from the wrong side of the tracks” become one of the highest paid comedians in the world?! Hart details his life from being an unwanted pregnancy to the death of his mom and a lot more. Six stars out of five.

For the historical fiction loved one

The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance during the Blitz by Erik Larson. Wow. That’s it: just wow. (One cool thing about this book: many of life’s problems seem tiny compared to Churchill’s challenge of ridding the earth of Hitler and his flying monkeys. Erik Larsen is a genius at writing thrilling non-fiction. My review: Masterpiece.

Dead Wake the Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson. Awesome, gripping, unforgettable.

Isaac’s Storm by Erik Larson. About the biggest storm in American history that went down in Galveston, Texas. Written in Larson’s usual riveting style.

For the memoir lover

Simple Dreams: A Musical Memoir by Linda Ronstadt. Like you, I grew up listening to Linda Ronstadt’s music and never gave her much thought; but after reading her memoir, I now understand what a powerhouse Linda was in the rock world. Great read about her life.

Orange is the New Black: My Time in a Women’s Prison by Piper Kerman. I know you’ve seen the show, now read the book and get the first-hand scoop on Piper’s year in prison.

For your hiker

Wild by Cheryl Strayed. Total five-star memoir about a woman who deals with her difficult younger years by hiking the 1,100-Pacific Crest Trail. Alone. If you’ve seen the movie, the book is even better.

For the workout enthusiast (& those who want to be inspired)

These two books paired together would make an awesome gift because the two stories intertwine.

Living with a SEAL — 31 days Training with the Toughest Man on the Planet by Jesse Itzler. This book was written by the guy who married Sara Blakely the Spanx founder. (He founded a bunch of companies too.) They’re both cajillion-aires, but are very salt-of-the-earth people whom you’d love to have as neighbors. The book is funny and smart.

Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins. Goggins is the SEAL member of whom Itzler speaks (I suggest first reading Living with a Seal, before reading Can’t Hurt Me). Awesomeness thy name is David Goggins. His story is stunning.

For the philosopher in your life

The Obstacle is the Way: the Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph by Ryan Holiday. Ryan writes compellingly about how difficulties in life can empower us. This is a don’t-miss.

For the kids (5 to 8 year olds)

The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pop Osborne. This series was the centerpiece of our reading-lives when my two were little. A boy and a girl — Jack and Annie — travel our world’s timeline via their magical tree house. The kids go on adventure everywhere they land and we — the readers — learn so much right along with the pair. Titles include: Dinosaurs Before Dark, Lions at Lunchtime and Pirates Past Noon.

Whether you give each book individually or give as a boxed-set (books 1-28) your little giftee will love these books. (My kids are twenty and still occasionally say, “Yeah, we learned about that in Magic Treehouse).”

School House Rock (30th Year Anniversary). Yep, every song we loved as kids are in this boxed set. A perfect gift for students.

More for the kids (5 to 10 year olds)

The Little House by Laura Ingalls Wilder (volumes 1-9.) Like Tom Sawyer, some stories are beloved by every new generation that comes along. I read the series to my boys twice when they were little. To this day, when someone says, “All’s well that ends well,” I ask, “Who said that?” and they come back with, “Ma!”

For your female friends and family who love to laugh

I highly recommend this series of non-fiction work by Lisa Scottoline. Books one through six are my favorites. Funny, funny lady.

Why My Third Husband will be a Dog by Lisa Scottoline (the first memoir in the series).

Does this Beach Make Me Look Fat also by Sottoline. (her sixth book in the series).

Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster. Such a fun read! This book is Jen’s memoir about how she and her hub pulled through the bad economy. In wonderfully sarcastic writing, Lancaster details what went really wrong, but also what went really right. She started with the perfect life (great job, great husband) to dealing with the hard knocks of no income. Jen is funny, and silly, a little boozy and all around wonderful. Lancaster wrote several funny memoirs after the first: Such a Pretty Fat, I Regret Nothing, My Fair Lazy, Bright Lights: Big Ass. Jen’s memoirs will be particularly appreciated by dog lovers.

For the fiction lovers

Sweet Sweet Revenge LTD: A Novel by Jonas Jonasson. This author is one of my favorites. Sweet Sweet Revenge is a tongue-in cheek story with well-written, lovable characters who make the most of the hilarious situations they find themselves in. If you like to learn as you laugh, this is your book. You’ll learn about other cultures and the art world. This book takes a second to get into, but from there it’s a rollicking ride. Awesome book gift for those love “humorous fiction.”

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. A masterpiece written by a surgeon. Mere coincidence, but I was reading Cutting for Stone while waiting to see a surgeon. As he entered the room he immediately saw what I was reading and said, “that is a great story.”

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. This hilarious book features Eleanor, and the story is told through her eyes. She’s a little different, very literal and very lonely. We see Eleanor get to know an IT guy at her office and this sweet story unfolds from there. I fell in love with Eleanor, and years after first reading the book, still remember certain scene like when her friend takes her to a Starbuck-like place. Funny, funny, funny, but in a kind way. On Amazon, Eleanor has over 200,000 four and a half stars.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. This is this powerhouse writer’s first book that snagged the Pulitzer’s Fiction Runner Up in 2018, and is proof that aliens live among us.

Free Food for Millionaires also by Min Jin Lee. Standing ovation for this author’s second book. This author is on fire. I highly recommend both.

The Humans by Matt Haig. When you first start reading The Humans you might wonder if it’s a non-fiction and then think that maybe it’s sci-fi. It’s neither. It’s a five-star read, infused with a bit of magic, that’ll make you just feel good to be human. The story is about an alien who’s been tasked with visiting Earth to see what humans are all about. The alien inhabits a dad’s body and goes home to “his” family. It’s a fish-out-of-water story and has hilarious moments, but is also touching and wonderful. Makes for a perfect gift.

The Midnight Library. This Haig masterpiece is about a woman who isn’t so thrilled with her life. Nothing’s going her way and she’s ready to bow out. She ends up in a purgatory that takes her down several cool life-threads. If you’ve ever wondered, what if?, this is your read. And Haig outdid himself with the ending.

The One Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson – Funny and phenomenal. Everyone loves this story.

This is Your Life, Harriet Chance! by Jonathan Evison. This read falls under the really-good-fiction-that–immediately-pulls-you-in genre. It’s a thoughtful, seemingly light but a relatively thorny story about 78-year-old Harriet Chance, recently widowed, who goes on an Alaskan cruise. No hilarity ensues. Instead, Harriet begins the process of taking stock of her life, as so many do in the older decades. My review: Easy to read (meaning not a slog, grabs you almost immediately) and absorbing.

The Heart’s Invisible Furies: Novel John Boyne. I just found this new-to-me author this year (2023) and what a find! The Heart’s Invisible Furies could easily be Boyne’s Magnum Opus. Boyne’s writing is funny and poignant. This was my favorite fiction book of the year.

The Echo Chamber by our man, Mr. Boyne. Here the author takes on an entirely different genre. The Echo Chamber is written as a farce and very well done. In fact, the funniest line I’ve ever read in a book came from The Echo Chamber. After dealing with a particularly harrowing situation in his life, The Echo Chamber trounces social media and the whole cancel culture.

If you need more ideas, just shout: Wendy@theInspiredEater.com.

Happy holidays ALL!