Snuggle up with a book, our favourite winter reads
Snuggle up with a book…
In Korky Paul and Valerie Thomas’ fantastically illustrated children’s book Winnie in Winter, Winnie realises that although summer is nice, winter can be lovely too. Especially if you spend it snuggled up in comfy pjs with a great book and a nice hot cup of tea!
To help you get cosy, we’ve collected our favourite winter reads so put the kettle on and get your hot water bottle, it’s time to curl up and get caught up in an adventure.
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
This is the perfect winter read with swirling snowstorms and icicles tinkling in thick evergreen forests. It’s not the obvious setting for homesteaders to build a new life but that’s what the characters, Jack and Mabel vividly painted and compelling, are seeking to do. One night they build a snow child to represent their dream of having a child of their own but by the next morning, she is gone. The book describes in beautiful and heart-wrenching detail how their experiences with a young girl called Faina changes them in ways they could never have expected.
One Tiny Fault: An Extraordinary Ordinary Life by Abigail Halstead
Abigail Halstead’s book describes her life with cystic fibrosis and is an eye-opening read. It’s fascinating to understand the day to day reality of living with this life-limiting condition. The writing is inspiring and moving whilst maintaining a positive outlook and determination to enjoy life to the full, despite significant challenges. A book that will help you feel the same gratitude and love for life as the author and well worth a read.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Little Women is getting quite a bit of media coverage at the moment because of the most recent film adaptation. But before watching it, make sure you enjoy the book first. It can be described as a “coming of age” story, but that doesn’t quite capture the atmosphere Louisa May Alcot creates or the depth of the characters who inhabit the story. It’s easy to see why this book has been loved so much for so many years. And there’s the added bonus of enjoying the film when you’ve finished.
Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne du Maurier
This is the perfect escapist novel, written in prose that in its rhythm and quality is reminiscent of poetry. Du Maurier is a master at challenging preconceptions and making you think anew and the story of a bored young woman and a notorious pirate meeting and falling in love sweeps you away to a different world.
Six Tudor Queens: Anne Boleyn, a King’s Obsession by Alison Weir
I’m a big fan of Alison Weir’s books. She’s a respected historian and everything in her novels is carefully researched and evidenced. Interestingly, she says it’s been a lot of fun to make history into a story because you have to fill the gaps to paint a life-like picture which helps you to imagine what it was like for the real people who experienced these events. Anne Boleyn is portrayed as intelligent and religious, tragic and over-confident and her story provides a devastating and fascinating read.
The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
This story takes place in Newfoundland so there’s plenty of snow, ice, blizzards, frozen oceans and giant storms. The humans inhabiting in this environment in some ways mirror their world; the villages are insular and populated by people who have lived there for generations. The language is funny and beautiful, and the characters are so well drawn that you live and breathe each moment with them.
Right Ho, Jeeves by PG Wodehouse
Sometimes what you really want on a cold winter’s night is something whimsical and hilariously funny. PG Wodehouse provides that and more in his Jeeves and Wooster books. Well written and easy to read, this book takes you into a world where everything and anything ridiculous could happen and does. But it always works out ok in the end!
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
When you really fancy a good hike in the woods but it’s really a bit too drizzly and cold, join Bill Bryson for a description of his attempt to walk the Appalachian Trail in America. There’s plenty of humour along the way, but also some profound moments. A personal favourite of mine is when he realises that there’s no chance at all that he will actually walk the whole way, and is freed by the realisation so that he can just enjoy each step along the way.
And what am I reading right now? Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression - and the Unexpected Solutions by Johann Hari.
This is quite a controversial book and I was really sceptical when I started out with it. Hari reviews a huge number of studies into the effectiveness of antidepressants and considers a range of possible causes of depression. Whether or not he has really uncovered some of the solutions to the problems of anxiety or depression, this is a thought-provoking read that has made me question how we live and the ways in which we can make the world around us a better, friendlier and more supportive place.
So snuggle down and get tucked in with your favourite book and enjoy this cosy time of year. What are you reading? Let us know on Instagram and Facebook. We’d love to hear your recommendations.
And sleep softly.