Winter Reading

Winter makes me want to stay inside and read my days away under layers of blankets and dogs. Here are some books that have kept my brain warm.

1. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte.

You possibly read this one in high school, maybe college. Or, if you’re like me, you found it in the sale section of Barnes & Noble back in 1997 and proceeded to devour it cover to cover. No? Just me?

A bildungsroman of an orphan, mistreated and strong-willed. After suffering years of abuse at the hands of her cousin and aunt, Jane is sent to an awful boarding school, where love is scare and discipline overflows. It’s here where she meets a dear friend and learns some important life lessons.

But, quite frankly, no one cares about this part. It’s sad. It’s depressing. It’s even graphically written. I tend to skim this section now.

Where we love to see Jane is at Thornfield Hall, working as a governess. In a large, English estate, Jane falls for employer, Mr. Rochester. But Mr. Rochester has secrets – secrets that make Jane flee Thornfield Hall and Mr. Rochester.

Will she make it on her own? Where will she go? Will her family assist? Is her relationship with Mr. Rochester really over?

Read this if: you enjoy watching Disney movies – not these new CGI ones. Classically, hand drawn cartoon versions. With princes. 

Bonus: if you have an e-reader, you can probably download this book for free!

2. Special Topics in Calamity Physics, by Marah Pessl.

Thanks to an extremely slow day of work, and a dedication to checking the New York Times online daily, I stumbled on a book review for this book. I loved the review, so took on the chapter preview – yes, while at work. After work, I headed straight to the book store to buy it.

Years later, I found the book on CD at a flea market; some of the best $5 I’ve spent on a thing in my life.

Another bildungsroman (...I’m seeing a theme here...) about a girl living with her father, a university professor. Her mother died years ago and she has traveled with her dad from university to university, finally settling down for her senior year of high school.

This is where our story begins. There’s a teacher who is just a little too close to her students. The students she is too close to. Boys. Girls. Classes. All the while, meticulous footnotes cover the pages.

To tell you anything more would render you spoiled. It’s a dense read, even slow at times, but the writing and story are so tight it’s difficult to criticize.

Read this if: you love research and/or you want to re-live that senior year of high school, but this time with the cool kids.

3.  Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling.

You know the stories. You’ve probably seen the movies. Stop rolling your eyes. This isn’t like you’re friend saying that you should buy the new Miley Cyrus album because even though it’s just terrible, it’s good. No. This sh*t right here, good sh*t.

And when you’re done, come talk to me when you need to acknowledge your secret desire to send your unborn child to Hogwarts, based on an owl-delivered acceptance letter with Diagon Alley supply list included. We can flying-carpool.

Read this if: you want to be one of those people who after the movie gets to snidely say, ”The book was better.”

4. Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn.

Why I bought this book, I don’t remember. Why my brain was f***ed by this book I will never forget.

During the search for his missing wife, we learn a lot about the husband. Or at least, we thought we were learning about him. We thought we understand. We invested care into that relationship. What Flynn does to your brain hurts. And not totally in a good way.

Read this if: you’ve ever been married, in a relationship, thought about relationships, or hope to have a relationship. You should know what each of you is capable of. You just should know.

5.  Under the Tuscan Sun, by Frances Meyer.

It’s fall/winter. Is there really a better time to dream of living in Tuscany?

Where the movie told the love story of Frances and Bramasole, the book focuses more on Frances and Tuscany. These appear to be different Franceses, in my opinion. And I might like the Hollywood version better, honestly. Blame it on Diane Lane - she's amazing! But I like like the book a lot and will go back and read it again just to visit Tuscany.

Read this if: you want to be one of those people who after the movie gets to triumphantly say, “The movie is better.”