ELEANOR & PARK

I may not be the intended demographic for this very touching YA romance, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying it – especially since Eleanor and Park are 1980s teenagers (like I was) and dig The Smiths and Prefab Sprout (like I did). This book recalls what it’s like to be 16, when the world seems to orbit around your emotions and every feeling is magnified 1000%. The characters’ lovestruck charm and mutual inability to fit in won me over, even if as a 40-something mom, I found myself wanting to plead “make good choices!” at them through the pages. The story had a sweet, quirky John Hughes movie vibe - and I mean that in the best possible way.

In one of the book’s pivotal scenes, an altercation stems from a holiday table with no pumpkin pie. Here’s mine –perfect for November and easy to make - but not an easy photo to snap with little hands waiting to grab a slice!