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The Book of (Holiday) Awesome

November 23, 2011 by Jennifer

I reviewed Neil Pasricha’s The Book of Awesome when it came out a year and a half ago. It really cracked me up, and most of his musings were just, well — awesome!

When I found out that there was a new book: The Book of (Holiday) Awesome: When the Christmas Lights All Work, Successfully Regifting a Present, Drinking with Grandma — I gladly agreed to a review and a giveaway.

The gold cover is festive, and the thoughts inside are more of the same, but with a holiday theme. And we’re not just talking Christmas, either. The book does start with Christmas, but other December holidays like Kwanzaa and Hanukkah are represented as well. Then Pasricha moves chronologically through the year from New Year’s Eve to Valentine’s Day, remembering even little St. Patrick’s Day, then Easter, summer holidays, and Halloween and Thanksgiving.

At first I wasn’t as wowed by this book as the first, and I think that part of it was that I was used to the awesome — I expected it. But I wonder if there are some better essays buried deeper in. The one about playing board games really cracked me up, and I loved the memories his essays on the Kids’ Table and Halloween costumes stirred.

I recommend that you buy a couple of copies of The Book of (Holiday) Awesome and keep them on-hand for hostess gifts, or put one in your “thinking room” to spruce it up for the holidays. Some of the essays are very short and could easily be finished during a quick trip.

You can leave a comment now to enter to win one. We’ll announce the winner on December 7. Just for fun, tell me what you are most looking forward to eating this Thanksgiving or Christmas.
The giveaway has closed.

  • The winner of The Iron Knight is #13 Megan Earley.

Check out our current giveaways. Subscribe to our feed. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter.

Jennifer Donovan looks forward to eating dressing each year, as well as her twice-yearly taste of pecan pie. She blogs at Snapshot.

Filed Under: Gift Ideas, Home, Humor, Jennifer, Non-Fiction

« What’s on Your Nightstand — Thanksgiving edition
Books on Screen — Thanksgiving Weekend »

Comments

  1. Margaret says

    November 23, 2011 at 12:15 am

    This sounds like the perfect book for this Christmas! Thank you for the giveaway!

    Margaret
    singitm(at)hotmail(dot)com

  2. Liz says

    November 23, 2011 at 2:46 am

    Thank you for the giveaway.

    My favorite Thanksgiving food is left over turkey. When I cooked holiday meals, I looked forward to those post-holiday sandwiches–maybe because there was no more cooking involved!

    Happy Thanksgiving.

  3. Angela E. says

    November 23, 2011 at 7:48 am

    This book sounds fabulous,I am looking forwards to eating some stuffing @ thanksgiving time. Can’t wait cause it’s almost here!

  4. riTa says

    November 23, 2011 at 10:44 am

    I am most looking forward to Thanksgiving food I did not prepare! I conveniently got sick this week and developed pneumonia, so I won’t be hosting the family meal, Chef-son will instead. Thank you, son.
    And thank you for the giveaway. I read little quotes and anecdotes to anyone who will listen, so the book sounds perfect for many of those opportunities.

    • Jennifer says

      December 6, 2011 at 10:15 pm

      RiTa — You’ll be reading lots of quotes!

      Send me your address. You won.

  5. Joy says

    November 23, 2011 at 2:04 pm

    Nanaimo bars 🙂 (love the Book of Awesome!!)

  6. Tammy Gordon says

    November 23, 2011 at 2:35 pm

    Anything! My husband is cooking. 🙂

  7. June says

    November 23, 2011 at 4:26 pm

    I’ll be doing all the cooking this year, should be good.

  8. Cindi says

    November 23, 2011 at 5:28 pm

    I like eating vegetarian dressing/stuffing…
    This book sounds delightful!
    Many thanks, Cindi

  9. debbie says

    November 23, 2011 at 5:51 pm

    I will look forward to the pumpkin pie.
    [email protected]

  10. Mary Preston says

    November 23, 2011 at 7:38 pm

    I’m looking forward to eating EVERYTHING my Mother makes. Especially her Port Wine Trifle.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

  11. Natalia says

    November 23, 2011 at 11:02 pm

    Turkey and pickled beets!

  12. Michelle says

    November 23, 2011 at 11:30 pm

    Thank you for the opportunity to win a copy of this book. I do not own the other versions of his Book of Awesome but saw him interviewed on Canada AM and really enjoyed hearing his story of how the books came to be. My favorite thanksgiving food is the leftover turkey that becomes turkey, lettuce, onion and mayo sandwiches the next day….mmmmm!

  13. Shari says

    November 24, 2011 at 2:37 pm

    That looks like such a fun book! Mashed potatoes are what I love most about the Thanksgiving meal! We don’t really eat a big meal for Christmas, just graze on sweets. 😉

  14. Linda McFarland says

    November 24, 2011 at 7:34 pm

    Love the holidays…and I love cooking all the food and I really enjoy the family get-togetherness and enjoying each others company and thankful for all God’s blessings. I would love to win ‘The Book of Holiday Aweome’ …[email protected]

  15. tennille says

    November 25, 2011 at 7:44 pm

    I look forward to all the christmas baking

  16. Linda Kish says

    November 26, 2011 at 5:49 pm

    I look forward to persimmon cookies!

    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

  17. Beth C says

    November 26, 2011 at 6:35 pm

    I am looking forward to eating sprtiz cookies!

  18. Dianne says

    November 27, 2011 at 9:58 pm

    Thanks for the great hostess gift idea.

  19. Staci A says

    November 28, 2011 at 10:52 pm

    I always look forward to pecan pie!

  20. Chuck says

    December 3, 2011 at 1:16 pm

    My wife would enjoy reading this.

  21. katklaw777 says

    December 4, 2011 at 7:58 am

    My Mom’s white chocolate cranberry pecan cookies…yum!

  22. Melissa P. says

    December 6, 2011 at 12:40 pm

    I could really use this book.

  23. Don says

    December 6, 2011 at 12:58 pm

    I like it when my wife makes the peanut butter cookies with the hershy kiss on top.

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