By CHRISTINE LYNCH
“In the winter she curls up around a good book and dreams the cold away.”
Ben Aaronovitch in “Broken Homes”
Each year, New Englanders are fortunate to have four distinct seasons. There are always people who prefer some seasons more than others, but we still must deal with them all. Winter tends to be the one most groused about for its harsh weather and icy roads.
Whatever your age or activity level, cold, blustery days are cozier indoors. There are projects you’ve put off until you have time, and there are always movies or video games. Another pleasant way to spend a wintry night is to lose yourself in a marvelous story. Fiction or a gripping nonfiction account can take you far beyond the snow-frosted windowpanes. Find your comfy spot near a table for your mug of tea (cocoa, toddy?), a reading lamp, maybe a snuggly blanket, then open a book.
But what to read? Here are some ideas from local readers:
Jennifer Vander Pyl, who owns Vital Nutrition with her husband, Bob Vander Pyl, wrote in an email, “Winter reads often have characters and circumstances that stay with you. Something to ponder during those long hibernation months.” After finishing “A Gentleman in Moscow” by Amor Towles, she looks forward to his new “The Lincoln Highway.”
Falmouth resident Ruth Schiffmann commented, “When I hear ‘winter read,’ I always think of Edith Wharton’s ‘Ethan Frome.’ It has that stark winter setting. And it’s one of those books that you can read in a day, but it stays with you for a lifetime.”
A retired Woods Hole Oceanographic Insitution scientist recommended “The Lost Boys of Montauk” by Amanda Fairbanks. Upon finishing that, he sought more nonfiction about shipwrecks, including accounts of the trawler El Faro, which sunk in Hurricane Joaquin. Two books about this are “Into the Raging Sea” by Rachel Slade and “Run the Storm” by George Michelsen Foy. His next pick might be “So Close to Home” by Michael J. Tougias (co-author of “The Finest Hours”) and Alison O’Leary about a U-boat in the Gulf of Mexico during World War II.
Embrace The Cold Or Ignore It
There are readers who purposely pick wintry books during the cold weather. Doing a search for books with the word winter in the title yields enough reading for a hundred winters. For example, Elin Hilderbrand, known for writing about Nantucket’s summer scene, also covers the festive season in her four Winter Street Inn novels. Ali Smith’s novel “Winter,” part of her seasonal quartet cycle, treats readers to a combustible Christmas gathering set in a frosty English countryside manor house. In “Winter Garden” by Kristin Hannah, two sisters discover family secrets bridging back to World War II Leningrad.
Happily for cold weather readers there are countless books about seasonal holidays that occur during the darkest months including, Hanukkah, Las Posadas, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year’s Eve.
Then there’s a different mindset: those who choose books set in warm destinations such as Hawaii, the Caribbean Islands, sun-baked countries or deserts. One harsh winter when Cape Cod had one huge snowfall on top of another, I read the Leaphorn & Chee novels by Tony Hillerman. They provided an inexpensive winter getaway. This year, after reading “The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuctu” by Joshua Hammer, I’m venturing into “Sahara” to enjoy a lengthy desert trek by that well-traveled Python Michael Palin.
One like-minded friend mentioned that she’d be reading Donna Leon’s “My Venice and Other Essays.” She said a friend knew that she’d enjoy learning more about colorful Venice when it’s gray outside.
Winter is an ideal time to delve into a lengthy series. There are plenty that could take months to finish. Pick up the first book in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. This will lure you to the second book, “Dragonfly in Amber,” and so on. You won’t look up until the lawn needs mowing. For readers who can’t get enough of Jamie and Claire Fraser, the ninth book, “Go Tell the Bees that I’m Gone,” was released in November.
Other notable series include the Clifton Chronicles by Jeffrey Archer; the Harry Bosch mysteries by Michael Connelly; Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries by Louise Penny; and several action-packed series by Clive Cussler. Science fiction readers are known to devour the superb series from David and Leigh Eddings, Robert Jordan, Brian Sanderson, Terry Goodkind and (nom de plume) James S.A. Corey.
Sara Hines, co-owner of Eight Cousins Books, was helpful in selecting some winter reads:
“Memoirs of Stockholm Sven” by Nathaniel Ian Miller, is the #1 Indie Next Pick. Set in the Arctic Archipelago in 1916, it features vivid landscapes, wry humor and human connections.
“Lemon, Love and Olive Oil” by Mina Stone is another pick. This artful work entwines the best flavors of Greece with culture, soul and familial love.
“Harlem Shuffle” by New York Times bestselling and Pulitzer Prize winning author Colson Whitehead is set in 1960s Harlem. Readers of his works know the power of his writing and anticipate this next take on the world.
For children, Ms. Hines highlighted “Time for Bed, Old House” by Janet Costa Bates. It is about a child’s first sleepover by Grandpop’s house, where together they find an ideal bedtime routine. A.G. Ford’s illustrations set the cozy scene.
For middle-graders, her pick is “City of Thieves (Battle Dragons #1)” by Alex London. Well-known for his children’s, teens and adult titles, he creates an action-packed world of dragons and humans, as a young rider’s mettle is tested.
“Last Night at the Telegraph Club” by award-winning author Malinda Lo should resonate with young adult readers. San Francisco in the 1950s is the backdrop for this thoughtful coming-of-age and identity tale.
Each year, Eight Cousins partners with other organizations to share the love of books. This year again, their Giving Tree lets patrons provide a book to a child who might not otherwise receive any. Eight Cousins covers 15 percent of the cost, wraps and delivers. For more information, visit www.eightcousins.com/giving-tree-first-library.
Before the days grow darker and winds blow colder, plan to shop at any of our dynamic local bookshops to find your perfect winter reads such as Market Street Bookshop in Mashpee Commons as well as the unique Isaiah Thomas Bookshop in Cotuit. Readers who are familiar with this shop will nod in agreement, and those who haven’t been there owe it to themselves.
There’s also an online way to order books and to support independent book shops through the Bookshop.org site. As more people make purchases online, Bookshop.org is an online book service that exists to help independent bookshops. For winter reading, their selections include “Snowflakes and Cinnamon Swirls at the Winter Wonderland” by Heidi Swain. Reviews of this book claim that it’s perfect Christmas storytelling.
“The Winter’s Child” by Cassandra Parkin is a dark thriller with a mother, a son who’s been missing far too long and a gypsy prediction for Christmas Eve.
“The Sea in Winter” by Christine Day is a tender story about a young Native American searching for joy as she travels back toward her ancestral lands.
So why fight the elements? Grab your book and burrow for a while…