Some lovely recs to take you into holiday mode

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     December 15, 2023 It's that time again: the release of [our roundup]( of all the books that kept us up at night (in the best of ways) this year. A few weeks ago, a certain paper of record published a [behind-the-scenes peek]( into its process of deciding its 10 "best" books. Editorial staff sweated for months on presentations defending their nominations; then a panel of editors conducted straw polls, looked at entries in relation to one another, and somehow came up with the books they deemed the year's greatest. We do things a little differently at Mother Jones. We ask members of our editorial team to write about the books that meant the most to them—the novels and nonfiction reads that made them feel goosebumps or laugh out loud, or helped them understand the world in a new way. We even let them opine on books that were written in previous years but that had new resonance in 2023. I think you'll agree that [it's a special kind of list](, one that feels personal and connects to our lived experiences and the many topics we write about. I became a parent for the first time this year, and Clint Smith's poetry collection Above Ground was balm for my tired eyes. I loved reading about why senior reporter Stephanie Mencimer plans to gift the book Crossings, which is about roadkill, of all things, to her relatives for Christmas. Senior reporter Kiera Butler stayed up late into the night listening to the audiobook of Pineapple Street, "devouring all the delicious details, plot twists, and coming-of-age revelations." I'm curious about you all. What was your favorite book you read in 2023? Tell us about it [here](. Hopefully, you'll have some time off in the next few weeks to curl up on a couch and sink your teeth into your next favorite book. [Let our humble guide offer some recommendations](. —Maddie Oatman Advertisement [A year with Pema Chodron]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [Mike Johnson’s Dad Sought His Help to Stop a Toxic Burn Pit Close to Home. Johnson Refused.]( “It just blew my mind that he wouldn’t give five minutes of his time to the effort." BY OLIVER LAUGHLAND AND STEPHANIE KIRCHGAESSNER SPONSORED CONTENT BY BANANA REPUBLICARDS LLC   The Trump turkeys and hams got their gooses cooked. For this year’s white elephants and stocking stuffers, we recommend [our decks of cards]( commemorating the 52 yellow Republican senators who acquitted Donald Trump of his first impeachment charges, four indictments and 91 charges ago. Made in America with 100% pure beef. It’s the gift that says, Infamy means forever. [Trending] [How the junk science of hair analysis keeps people behind bars]( BY RENE EBERSOLE   [The 29 books we couldn't stop thinking about in 2023]( MOTHER JONES STAFF   [Invisible gas clouds are warming the poles faster than we predicted]( BY MATT SIMON   Advertisement [A year with Pema Chodron]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [The 29 books we couldn't stop thinking about in 2023]( Nonfiction reads, novels, and poetry collections that kept us up at night. BY MOTHER JONES STAFF [Fiercely Independent] Support from readers allows Mother Jones to do journalism that doesn't just follow the pack. [Donate]( Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Donate Monthly]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755