Good, Better, Best: Winter Books

Hurrah, it's time for the Winter GBB! (What on earth am I going to do for GBB when I run out of seasons?) 

However, I somewhat apologize in advance for this post (or at least the Best section) because I am in the middle of the 10th (of 11.5) week of Fall Quarter, and my brain. is. done. It's all I can do to keep up somewhat of a standard in my academic writing, and when I'm done with that, my brain is bad at wording. I am, quite simply, worded out. So this post (especially the Best section) is a bit shorter than and not quite as articulate as I would like. 

Next week, while I study for finals and do ludicrous amounts of Art 111 homework, Eomer, who is always good at wording, is going to take over, and the week after that, I should be articulate again, so this probably a one-off. I hope. 

Anyway, disclaimers aside, Winter books! Yay! This list was funny to compile, because out of 16 books, only five actually have snow in them, that I can recall. So, it may not match everyone's idea of winter. But in the Pacific Northwest where I live, header picture not withstanding, winter is rain and gloom, not snow, and my book selections reflect that. I hope you enjoy!

Good

Skating Shoes by Noel Streatford
We'll start this off with a book that I really loved when I was younger, and still return to on occasion. It's about two young skater friends, one of whom has been training since she was a baby, and one who started skating to gain back her strength after an illness. It has strong themes of following one's own dreams; but also shining where one is good, and recognizing where one is weaker. And all the characters are wonderful! And so are the side plots. And I'm astonished at how well Streatford can describe skating!  It's set in Britain, which is an added bonus! I don't think most of it is set in winter, but a lot of it is at the ice rink, so...same difference, haha.

The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
This was maybe the first series of chapter books I read? I can't remember the beginning-to-read period of my life very well, so my recollection of that changes...but while it was an excellent starter for a new reader, it's also one that I still enjoy reading. (And it's the start of a series!) The characters are incredibly vivid, from a hyperbolizing bard whose harp breaks when he lies, to a princess who is incredibly sassy in her use in strange metaphors, and the relationships between them are consequently very fun to read, and somewhat snarly at times. It's short; but not boring or flat--the plot is well-thought-out, albeit more compact than many contemporary plots. Oh, and as to why it's a winter book? Yeah, it's one of the 'gloomy winter' books. :)

Nick of Time by Ted Bell
So, it's a WWII MG-ish spy novel. But with time travel. Yes, really. It's amazing. The MC is the son of one of Winston Churchill's spies on the channel islands, watching for German U-boat activity. But then, in addition to the U-boats that are spotted...there's also a mysterious pair of pirates! And could maybe the recluse in the island's castle be involved? But it's more than just an adventure novel, because there's also butlers and little girls who get along famously, encounters with historical heroes, and other excellent things. I would definitely recommend this book to any WWII book fans...but also anyone who has an adolescent boy somewhere in their lives. XD 

Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
This is the imagined diary of a young teenager living in the Middle Ages, and it is a hoot! (But it is also bleak, thus why it's in my winter books list...) The MC is very much dissatisfied with her life, and metaphorically beating her wings against her cage...but through the course of the book, she sort-of-kind-of learns to "be Birdy", as the book would say. I love how the entries vary in length, like they do in a real diary, not like in the books that are "diaries", yet have exactly evenly spaced chapters. :) It's a very earthy, not at all idealized, picture of the Middle Ages--there are several entries just about fleas, for instance. Her relationship with the sacred is interesting and sometimes not my favorite, but that too is characteristic of the Middle Ages. Overall, very realistic and enjoyable. 

Spiderweb for Two by Elizabeth Enright
The other books in this MG series (starting with The Saturdays) are also very enjoyable, but I like this one best. I have always been partial to "puzzle" books, where characters are going from clue to clue, and this is one of my favorites. The two main characters (who are kids whose kid-ness is not focused on--the best kind) are missing their three older siblings, who have gone away to school, until they are distracted by a mysterious clue in the mail, which leads them on several fabulous adventures through the autumn, winter, and spring. I really love the clues, but I also love the relationships, and the adventures that the MCs get up to! (I think my favorite is the graveyards one...)

Better

The Greenglass House by Kate Milford
I am ashamed to say that I didn't love this book the first time around, mostly because of the twist at the end. But after rereading...after rereading, it became one of my most favorite MG novels of all time. Because there's a completely aesthetic winter-y smuggler's inn! And stories! And mysterious people, and strange happenings, but in the middle is just an adopted son who wants to know where he belongs. Amazing! Puzzly! Very "classic" winter-y and aesthetic! And very slightly spooky! A cozy read for a winter night!

Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare 
Yeah, it's not all that winter-y, although it's set during the Twelve Days of Christmas, and is very bleak, so it still counts. This is probably my favorite ever Shakespeare play (although Julius Caesar is a close second) because seriously, what is not to love? Fantastic side characters and twin hilarity, but at the same time deep themes...love, loss, and confusion, but very relatable to the human condition. And of course, beautiful writing ("Conceal me what I am and be my aid for such disguise as haply shall become the form of my intent: I'll serve this duke")

A Time to Speak by Nadine Brandes
Nadine Brandes is one of my favorite modern authors (my favorite authors ever are almost all dead) and my favorite books of hers have so far been the Out of Time series. Because seriously, what is not to love about a beautifully plotted (well, pantsed, technically, but the plot is beautiful) Christian trilogy set in a dystopian world that actually seems fairly realistic? There is nothing not to love, guys. A Time to Speak is the second book in the trilogy, and part of it actually takes place in the Antarctic, so...yes, very wintery. 

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
It is my sad opinion that Jessica Day George's writing has deteriorated. But. BUT. This trilogy (along with the first book of the Tuesdays at the Castle series and Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow) was her peak, and it was gorgeous, guys. Beautiful relationships, fully fleshed-out characters, clever magic systems, and strange old ladies who knit to keep people safe. (Yes, really.) There's a sort-of version of the Catholic Church in it, and the emissaries from its head are not portrayed well at all, but the parish priests are, and I love that, as well as the importance of faith to the people. It's a retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, but rather than "explaining" the original tale (which it sort of does) or "expanding" or "reimagining" the original tale, it fleshes it out. It give the soldier motivations, it gives the princesses motivations, it gives reasons for things, but all very much in the spirit of the original tale. And since Twelve Dancing Princesses was, I believe, the first fairytale I ever heard, I love that. It is one of my bleak winter books, but one of its beauties is the mirroring of the weather to the mood of the kingdom (to some degree). I would recommend the whole series! 

The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald
I have only recently rediscovered my absolute love for this book. It was one that my grandma brought with her when she and my grandpa came to visit when I was...six or seven? And she read aloud from it to me for an hour a day! Reader, it was a highlight in my young reading life. George MacDonald was a big influence on Lewis (and possible Tolkien as well, now that I think about it), and one can tell why. He's a master of is-this-allegory-or-isn't-it hidden in a gripping fairytale. This story begins with a morning that's so wet that Princess Irene cannot go outside (hello, winter!) and this event leads to a cascade of consequences that drives the whole book...sort of. But there's a brave lad! A clever princess! Sub-human-but-smart-and-rather-horrible goblins! Would definitely recommend to any reader, but also as a family readaloud book. 

Best

The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien
Tolkien is the best, so I'm not sure why I took so long to decide to read The Silmarillion? Because it was excellent. I'm probably saying this too much, but yes, this is another of the bleak-winter books; at least, many of the stories and sections are rather bleak, since it tells the story of the fall from grace of the elves, and the slow deterioration of Middle Earth long before the War of the Ring. But. But. I still loved it! There is such sublimity in many of the stories, and it's a bit like a literature sampler: apparently Tolkien was trying to write in as many myth-styles from around the world as possible, and it shows. The variation is super enjoyable, but of course, my favorite parts were the creation, the story of Beren and Luthien, and that of Turin Turambar. :)

A Wrinkle in Time series by Madeleine L'Engle
Madeleine L'Engle is one of my favorite authors of all time, joining the ranks along with Tolkien, Lewis, and Megan Whalen Turner. The books in her Wrinkle In Time series are almost all set in winter, which is why it's on this list; but they are so much more than just 'winter books'. She calls them her 'Kairos' books, meaning they are sort of time-travely, but not exactly...more space-time travely. (Argh, you can tell I'm worded-out because of school, I'm not explaining this very well!) But they're about beauty and loyalty and love, and they have this beautiful moody aesthetic to them that I absolutely love. 

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis 
The classic-est classic-winter book! The aesthetic of this book is 100% on point for most people's idea of winter. But even independent of that, THIS BOOK IS THE BEST because LEWIS IS AWESOME, and if for some strange, strange reason you haven't read this one, you definitely should. 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Definitely a bleak-winter book--just try to tell me that the moors make you think of any other season but winter. In any case, this is such a good classic. Perhaps not a "fun" classic, but unique and good, and one of my favorite books I've had to read for school. Because love! And good choices! And strange gothic twists! And related awesomeness. Eomer recently had to read it for school as well, which was a lot of fun for Legolas and I, who both really like it, since of course, he is an adolescent boy. :)

Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay
I have screamed about this book before in another GBB (HERE), but it is worth screaming about again. It definitely fits my idea of winter, in that the setting is rather bleak (New York City, you know) but the story itself is beautiful and perfect and I LOVE IT SO MUCH. 

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Yes, a scifi book makes me think of winter. Maybe it's the bleakness? Or the coldness of space? But you guys, this book. This book is the bomb. Because it's about a boy who is the hope of humanity--but he doesn't know it. It's about talented kids who are kids. It's about child soldiers, but ones who only play-fight. It's about life, and forgiveness, and Orson Scott Card knows how people work, and it's a thing of beauty, and a joy forever. And also, the instructors are a mood. You should read it! Even if you don't like scifi! 

How many of these have you read? Is your idea of winter gloomy-winter like me, or snowy-winter? Have you gotten worded-out from school yet? Do you have any suggestions for GBBs I should do after I run out of seasons?