Photography by Joe McIntyre
There’s no time like January for hunkering down with a book but it’s not all about hiding inside from the winter weather. Here are a few of our suggestions for books that will help you to embrace the winter chill.
The Ice Palace by Tarjei Vessas
In a rural Norwegian community two young girls, Siss and Unn, meet and find they have a connection that neither of them fully understands. When Unn goes missing in the wintry landscape, Siss struggles with her disappearance. A wonderful, wintry story that should be a classic by rights.
A Woman in the Polar Night by Christiane Ritter
A one-of-a-kind memoir from 1934, when the author accompanied her husband to the Arctic island of Spitzbergen for a year. At first she finds the cold and isolation tough but slowly she begins to fall in love with the wildlife and the wild landscape.
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis
A winter classic that you’re never too old to reread. Lose yourself in Narnia, condemned to an eternal winter by the White Witch, and its cast of enchanting characters.
A collection of beautifully crafted short stories by the Finnish creator of the Moomins. Spanning most of the twentieth century, this is a wonderful book to dip in and out of while the snow is falling outside.
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
This Gothic novel opens with a storytelling session on Christmas Eve. The action then moves to follow the story of an unnamed governess, trying to protect her charges from evil supernatural beings in the house they share. Chills for chilly days.
Jack and Mabel are a childless couple living in 1920s Alaska. One day they build a child out of snow and a fairytale encounter begins…
Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg
Set in Copenhagen, this novel follows in flashback Smilla’s relationship with a young boy called Isaiah who is part Greenlandic, as is she. During her own childhood in Greenland she developed an intuitive understanding of the various types of snow, which she used in her adult career as a scientist. Now, in the present day, it will help her to unravel a mystery surrounding Isaiah.
The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse
When Freddie’s car is forced off the road in a snowstorm he takes shelter in a tiny village on the edge of the Pyrenees, where he meets Fabrissa. They spend the night talking of love, loss and mourning but when day breaks… she vanishes. And that’s only the beginning of the mystery.
If you’re looking for more inspiration for winter reading, don’t miss our feature, Fireside Yarns, in our January issue, which is in shops now.
