When Missy Couhig told family and friends she wanted to open an independent bookstore in St. Francisville, they had several questions. Why a bookstore? Why in St. Francisville if you live in New Orleans? Admittedly, Missy did not have the answers. So she called her new shop The Conundrum. Then, when the pandemic shuttered the doors indefinitely, she ran into another, well, conundrum. That’s when she started “Chatting Books Online,” a blog with accompanying Facebook posts of bite-sized book recommendations.

Now, as Couhig heads into year five of what has evolved into a daily Facebook ritual, she has connected readers worldwide with her quaint independent bookstore in historic St. Francisville. There are few things that delight her more than helping someone find their next great read.

The holidays are notoriously busy, but once the gifts have been unwrapped and the kitchen is clean again, a magical opportunity to escape with a good book lies in that quiet lull. But where to start?

Read on to see Couhig’s holiday reading recommendations for the whole family, and follow The Conundrum on Facebook to keep up with “Chatting Books Online.”

1. What I Ate in One Year | By Stanley Tucci

This memoir takes shape through Tucci’s daily food log. “It is like being at an adjacent table while he eats with co-stars at restaurants in Rome during the filming of Conclave and being a fly on the wall when friends (famous and not) come over for dinner,” Couhig says. Between descriptions of his meals and travels, he sandwiches his thoughts on how our memories of “home” often have food at their core.

2. Top Elf | By Caleb Zane Huett

This Christmas-themed novel will delight 8- to 12-year-old readers as much as their parents and grandparents, making it the perfect pick for a multi-night read-along. “I think of it as The Land of the Misfit Toys meets The Hunger Games,” Couhig explains. Set in the North Pole, Santa decides to host the Santa Trials, and the winner will be the one to wear the red suit after he retires.

3. We Solve Murders | By Richard Osman

Murder mysteries for Christmas? Couhig says it’s a more popular trope for holiday reading than many people realize. She calls this new release by the author of the wildly popular Thursday Murder Club series a propulsive page-turner, making it a perfect pick for those looking for a fast-paced escape during naptime or while waiting on the next batch of goodies to finish in the oven.

4. Native Flora of Louisiana | Illustrated by Margaret Stones

Couhig declares this coffee table book “absolutely the most impressive book of Louisiana botanical plants ever published.” This oversized hardcover book printed on archival, acid-free paper is a collector’s item sure to be treasured by gardeners, art collectors, botanists and Louisiana lovers alike. This collection of over 200 watercolor drawings is a gift (for yourself or someone you love) that will be passed on from generation to generation. 

5. Rougarou Magic | By Rachel M. Marsh

Whether the middle schooler in your life is excited about reading during the holiday break or not, the adventures of 12-year-old Feliciana are sure to grab their attention in what Couhig calls “a hug from the bayou.” When her family moves from Louisiana to Boston, Feliciana has trouble making friends and fitting in until her grandmother back in Louisiana sends a giant swamp monster to watch over her.

6. Broken Bayou | By Jennifer Moorhead

Authored by a Louisiana native and LSU alumna, this psychological thriller novel is set in West Feliciana Parish. All 272 pages spin the riveting tale of a child psychologist who travels back to the home where she spent her childhood summers before it is donated to the local historical society. Oh, and her arrival coincides with a drought that reveals what the bayou has kept hidden all these years.

7. Alligators Don’t Like Flowers | Written and illustrated by Shannon Kelley Atwater

This storybook by the author of the regional hit Goodnight Pothole is as gorgeous as it is captivating. Kids and adults alike will fall in love with Angelo, an alligator who enjoys wearing a flower crown and watching birds and butterflies dance above the swamp. Follow along as the creatures of the swamp see the beauty of his kindness and join his colorful swamp parade. 

8. Louisiana Wild | By C.C. Lockwood

The incomparable Louisiana Wild: The Protected and Restored Lands of the Nature Conservancy is the first book Couhig ever sold—a story well worth asking her about. Award-winning photographer C.C. Lockwood toured and captured 60 properties managed by the Nature Conservancy in Louisiana, resulting in the 220 photographs included in this breathtaking coffee table book. From swamps to prairies, his work brings the beauty of Sportsman’s Paradise into focus.