Is the holiday season getting to you? The hustle, the bustle, the crowds, the shopping... maybe sometimes even your own family members...

Look no further than your local library to find a quick escape. We asked our expert NYPL staff to name some books that make them want to sneak off to the bathroom, lock the door, and disappear into another world during the holidays.

A linguistically rich, sprawling historical saga is my idea of a great escapist read. I recently read Sea of Poppies, the first novel in Amitav Ghosh’s Ibis trilogy, set in north India in the 1830s at the beginning of the Opium Wars. I can’t wait to escape into more picaresque adventure and fascinating historical detail with Ghosh’s colorful characters in River of Smoke and Flood of Fire. —Elizabeth Waters, Mid-Manhattan Library

 

 

 

 

I love stories that are retelling of fairy tales. The way an author keeps the essence of the original story, but twists it in a way that you never thought possible. My current obsession is the series The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. The first book, Cinder, is a retelling of Cinderella, and it grabbed me from the first page. The second, Scarlet is based on Little Red Riding Hood; the third, Cress, is Rapunzel retold; and the final two stories, Fairest and Winter, are loosely based on Snow White. Each story is intricate and ties well with the novel before. You would not think that these characters could flow seamlessly into other stories, but Meyers has created magic. The comfort of the original fairy tales we know and love, with a fantastic twist. —Sandra Farag, Selection Team

 

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin. In an effort to free her family from poverty, brave and impulsive Minli seeks the legendary Old Man of the Moon. This book, reminiscent of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and the Wizard of Oz, is full of gorgeous artwork and traditional Chinese folktales. —Althea Georges, Moshulu

 

 

“Escapist bathroom reading” encompasses just about everything. Gabriel Garcia Marquez had trouble reading Don Quixote until a friend suggested that he keep it next to the toilet and read it while he took care of his “daily needs” (his words). This worked for him. I like to escape with short humorous pieces, which is why I found Craig Boreth’s How to Iron Your Own Damn Shirt to be a perfect choice. Ostensibly a guide for men on how to do household chores, it really is a how-to book that includes many funny “how-not-to-do” scenarios. —Wayne Roylance, Selection Team

 

 

 

In The Humans by Matt Haig, a mathematician makes a huge discovery, and it causes concern among distant aliens who fear humans will rise above their station in the universe. So, of course, they send one of their own to inhabit his body, destroy the proof and anyone who knew about it, and dispose of his wife and teenage son. The alien’s disgust at the human race and the crazy situations that arise while he’s inhabiting the object of his revulsion are pretty hysterical, and you won’t be surprised to learn that the cold and heartless alien gets more heart the more time he spends on Earth. —Emily Pullen, Library Shop

 

 

 

A heavy dose of magical realism is the perfect antidote to stuffy holiday parties, in my opinion. One of my all-time favorites of the genre is Salman Rushdie’s infamous novel, The Satanic Verses. Set primarily in London, this book follows the lives of two very different, yet kind of similar men: one an angel, one a demon, and both actors and Indian expatriates. Though the novel is famous because it got Rushdie into a lot of trouble, it’s truly a wonderful read. The language is breathtaking, the characters are sympathetic, and the story is one that makes this book really difficult to put down. —Nancy Aravecz, Mid-Manhattan

 

 

 

I’m not sure that the term “escapist” automatically comes to mind for The Things We Keep by Sally Hepworth (published in January 2016 and added to our catalog soon; stay tuned!) but I have been enjoying it in between running holiday errands. Fans of Lisa Genova’s writing will enjoy this novel, by the author of The Secrets of Midwives. It’s an unconventional romance wherein a woman in her late 30’s facing early onset Alzheimer’s disease meets (and continues to meet, for the first time, to her) another young resident in his early 40’s whose form of dementia affects his speech and word production. A chef whose world has fallen apart after her husband’s involvement in a Ponzi scheme helps them to navigate the concerns of their families and of the residence where they stay. —Jenny Baum, Jefferson Market

 

I’m a sucker for a Christmas romance, especially a historical one. Go ahead roll your eyes at me, everyone does, but there’s just something magical about people falling in love at Christmastime as the snow gently falls on a British manor house. A favorite has to be A Christmas Promise by Mary Balogh, about a young couple from different classes struggling with their arranged marriage at Christmastime. What I love are all the details of an early Victorian Christmas filled with food, games and the gathering of mistletoe. Guaranteed to put you in a holiday mood. —Anne Rouyer, Mulberry Street

 

Good military science fiction does the trick for me. I just finished On Basilisk Station by David Weber and boy, is it a ripping good read like the old Hornblower books the author seeks to emulate. Having incurred the wrath of the admiralty, Honor Harrington and her cruiser HMS Fearless are sent to the fleet’s backwater but a sinister plot by enemies of Manticore may be in the offing. Get the ebook for free directly from Baen in any e-reader format. —Joshua Soule, Spuyten Duyvil

 

Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!