Have you checked out Courtney’s latest display on the second floor? This time the theme is “Winter Wonderlands,” and while I haven’t read any of the books she’s picked out, they all look terrific in their own way.
The display got me thinking about “wintry reads.” It’s a lovely turn of phrase, and more importantly, it’s an evocative one, the sort of concept that’s instantly recognizable even if I couldn’t precisely define it. A book that features snow or cold in some capacity, sure, but one that also values warmth; a book that is a very specific kind of cozy, albeit in a way that differs from reader to reader.
The first book that comes to mind for me is The Shining, by Stephen King. (We recently replaced our old copy with the brand new paperback edition, which looks tremendous.) King has other novels set in winter, but The Shining makes the most out of the season, using heavy mountain snows to isolate its three protagonists, forcing them to face off against each other and the spirits bent on destroying them.
Admittedly, this isn’t what most people think of when they think of “cozy.” By now, I’ve read most of King’s novels so many times that I get more nostalgia and comfort out of them than fright. There are other kinds of comfortable, though.
I’m also a sucker for a long novel, and this time of year always has me looking at all the Charles Dickens’ books I haven’t read and wondering if it’s time to take the plunge. Our copy of A Christmas Carol is currently checked out, but Great Expectations is a fine way to experience Dickens without needing to invest a whole month; and for the truly bold, there’s Bleak House, an epic that will likely keep you busy until the spring thaw hits.
