Thanksreading

While some people are crowding the malls getting early Christmas deals and listening to carols on the radio, I'm looking forward to the nearly forgotten non-commercial holiday closer at hand: Thanksgiving.  Whether you're looking for something on the Internet to help you plan a festive table for a crowd or a warm and fuzzy read just for yourself when you have a moment of peace, there are plenty of different things out there.

For those who are really ambitious (or just pretend to be), take a look at the following websites that can help you with a traditional Thanksgiving dinner:

• Delish  Great for an elegant turkey dinner with all the trimmings.
• Martha Stewart  Hey, it's Martha. 'Nuff said.
• Quick and Easy Thanksgiving Menu  If you want to make something good in a short time.  

Of course, if you have no clue how to cook a turkey but don't want to pick up one cooked by the supermarket, there's always the food experts at Butterball Turkey Talk-Line to help you with your turkey 911 questions.  Just try not to ask them questions like these that make me re-think the notion that there is no such a thing as a stupid question.

If cooking isn't your thing or if you're lucky enough to be going over the river and through the woods to somebody else's house for dinner, maybe you're looking for a good book to snuggle up with.  Try some of these titles to help keep you cozy:

• The DaVinci Code (Dan Brown)  You got caught up in the phenomenon, read the book, and watched the movie.  Maybe it's time to re-live the story or enjoy the heart-pounding thriller for the first time.
• Death Comes for the Archbishop  (Willa Cather)  This book isn't as morbid as it sounds.  If you want a feel-good spiritual book set against the backdrop of 19th century New Mexico as seen through the eyes of a French clergyman, this is it.
• The Four Agreements (Don Miguel Ruiz)  Looking to gain some perspective on yourself and others?  This book explains it all to you in a way that calms your soul.
• Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)  Who doesn't like a Gothic romance every so now and then?  This one is an oldie but a goodie, complete with great plot twists.
• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis)  So what that it's a kids book?  Aren't we all kids at heart?  Experience Narnia again with Lucy and her siblings.

So this Turkey Day, don't worry about those early Black Friday sales and take the time to enjoy the bird.  Slow down with some reading, online or in print. 

Happy Thanksgiving from the perch.