MISC: Winter Reads

Okay, it’s halfway through December and Christmas is only ten days away. How did that happen? I feel like I went to sleep in October and November snuck off while I was in bed. So some people might say it’s a little late to be posting about my winter reads but I live in the North of England and winter seems to linger here into March. Actually winter would eat its way into spring if it could. Some years you have to beat it away with sticks. Anyway, my point is the nights will be long, dark and cold for the next few months and I have the perfect books planned to snuggle up with.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

I bought this book last December when I worked as a Christmas temp at Waterstones. I think it was the last book I bought when I worked there (frankly, I didn’t buy enough) and it’s probably the prettiest books I’ve ever owned. It’s begging to be read next to an open fire. I wanted to save it for winter because the story matches the gloomy winter nights. Reading it in the summer would almost be a disservice. I’m three chapters in already and it’s everything I hoped for. I can’t believe I haven’t read it sooner.

Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D. H. Lawrence

There’s something about the classics that just makes them feel like good winter reads. I’ve wanted to read this since I saw the TV adaption last year. I’ve gushed in an earlier post about how excited I am to read this book and how beautiful the cover is. Lucy McLauchlan’s illustration is perfect and I think the story will heat things up on a cold, winter’s night!

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

I bought Eileen at a Man Booker Prize event in October where four of the shortlisted novelists read extracts from their books and answered questions afterwards. Ottessa Moshfegh’s reading really stood out for me, there was mystery and intrigue in the narrative voice and the way she read the words was lyrical. She was unapologetic about what she writes and why she writes and I liked the way she stood her ground when people asked her difficult questions. One audience member asked if those who didn’t win the prize would look to write a The Girl on the Train-esque book afterwards to stop themselves falling into obscurity. She answered ‘Are you asking if we don’t win are we going to write a successful novel?’ and I thought that’s the author whose book I want to read. I got it signed afterwards which I’m still a bit smug about.