Winter Reading Suggestions
It’s so cold outside; & all I want to do is curl up under a mountain of blankets and read. Do like to read books about warm places when it’s cold outside? Or alternatively, do you like it when your reading world resonates with the forecast and the view from your window? I’m hoping the rest of winter isn’t as brutal as it is today – but in case it is, here are 5 recommendations to get you through the rest of winter as we await the spring thaw. The categories for suggestions all fall into The Paperfruit 2019 Reading Challenge. Stay warm!
Fantastical: Another World, Magic or Invented Reality
Cold Days
by Jim Butcher
(Heads up, if you haven’t started the Dresden Files, start with Storm Front as Cold Days is #14 in the series. If you have audiobook credits burning a hole in your pocket- they are amazing on audio as they are narrated by James Marsters.)
Cold Days is about Harry and the Winter Court. This series is a prime example urban fantasy. Harry is a Wizard and PI. Within the series there are fae, vampires, magical beings, and so much more. Set in Chicago and across 15 novels and several bonus stories and novels. It’s one of my go-to series. Because I’m afraid of divulging spoilers, I’ll include the blurb from goodreads below.
From Goodreads:
You can’t keep a good wizard down – even when he wants to stay that way.
For years, Harry Dresden has been Chicago’s only professional wizard, but a bargain made in desperation with the Queen of Air and Darkness has forced him into a new job: professional killer.
Mab, the mother of wicked faeries, has restored the mostly-dead wizard to health, and dispatches him upon his first mission – to bring death to an immortal. Even as he grapples with the impossible task, Dresden learns of a looming danger to Demonreach, the living island hidden upon Lake Michigan, a place whose true purpose and dark potential have the potential to destroy billions and to land Dresden in the deepest trouble he has ever known – even deeper than being dead. How messed up is that?
Beset by his new enemies and hounded by the old, Dresden has only twenty four hours to reconnect with his old allies, prevent a cataclysm and do the impossible – all while the power he bargained to get – but never meant to keep – lays siege to his very soul.
Magic. It can get a guy killed.
Criminal: True Crime/Mystery and in between
Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Collection
If you want to cozy up for a a whole week – or a weekend; if you are speed reader. You can enjoy all of the Sherlock Holmes whodunit mysteries and a trip back in time. Since the stories vary in length, this might be ideal for reading on your commute or before bed.
Beneficial: Expanding your perspective
Leading at The Edge: Leadership Lessons from the Extraordinary Saga of Shackleton’s Antarctic Expedition
by Dennis N.T. Perkins (Goodreads Author), Margaret P. Holtman, Catherine McCarthy
From Goodreads:
Part adventure story, part leadership guide, this intriguing book examines Shackleton’s legendary Antarctic expedition through the lens of business–to reveal a set of powerful strategies for corporate leaders.
In the chronicles of extraordinary adventures and against-the-odds survival, nothing compares to the story of Sir Ernest Shackleton and his team of South Pole explorers. Stranded in the frozen sea for nearly two years, they endured extreme temperatures, hazardous ice, dwindling food, complete isolation, and perpetual blackness.
Yet, despite the seemingly insurmountable obstacles, the group remained cohesive, congenial, and mercifully alive–a fact that speaks not just to luck but to an unparalleled feat in leadership.
For managers and executives who feel stressed out or stretched thin, these memorable strategies will help bring order to chaos–and success in the face of the most daunting adversity.
Theatrical: Made into a TV Series, Movie or Play
A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1)
Winter is Coming. If you are waiting for the television series to air and conclude, try reading the series the to pass the time. It’s epic and will provide hours of reading pleasure. If you’ve watched the HBO adaptation – you’ll get to see where they have deviated from the text and have a good grasp of the main characters before they get killed off by Martin.
Historical: From the Past
City of Thieves
City of Thieves is historial fiction that takes us to frigid Lenigrad during Nazi occupied Russia. Lev and Koyla, instead of being executed for looting are given the task of securing a dozen eggs to be used in the wedding cake of a Soviet colonel’s daughter. I read this book over ten years ago and I still think of it when I have to run across the street to get some eggs. It’s a memorable journey and beautifully written coming of age narrative.