Catherine’s Winter Reading List 2014
PHOTO: Bonnie Barton.
It’s raining, it’s pouring… I didn’t realize until a couple weeks ago when the first rain of the season hit San Francisco just how much I love rainstorms. With cold air and longer nights, it’s the perfect weather for curling up with a good book. This season’s picks are a little deeper, a bit more emotional but, like my fall picks, will probably strike a chord. Brew your hot beverage of choice (I go with hot cocoa or apple cider), switch on your holiday lights, snuggle with your most-loved blanket, and get ready to revel in some reading.
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Although the book was published in 2003 and the film debuted in 2009, there’s randomly been some buzz about it this year in my circles. I finally picked it up from the library and am about a third in. You’ll fall in love with the characters and immerse yourself in a delightfully complicated out-of-order string of events that makes you wonder if your destiny really is pre-determined.
The Illusion of Separateness by Simon Van Booy
The Illusion of Separateness is the most recent addition to my ever-growing “To Read” list. My friend who recommended it essentially encouraged me to drop everything and read this next. It tells the “story of how one man’s act of mercy during World War II changed the lives of a group of strangers, and how they each eventually discover the truth of their connection.” We can all use a reminder about how compassion can have a ripple effect in these trying times.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
This classic has been on my list for years. As the youngest of three sisters (with a cousin who basically is our fourth sister), the March sisters are a romantic idea close to my heart. Believe it or not: I still haven’t read the whole book cover to cover. Now is the time for sisterly love!
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
A tale of a book lover in 1939 Nazi Germany, winter might be the only time I can get myself in the mood for a novel like The Book Thief. I am most fascinated by the history of the Holocaust, so I can’t wait to finally dive into this one—a holiday gift from my last roommate.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
Just reading the description of this novel makes me want to hole up at a cabin in Tahoe for a week to immerse. The Elegance of the Hedgehog is the story of two unassuming characters—Paloma, a twelve-year-old genius who plans to end her life on her next birthday, and Renée, the concierge at a Parisian apartment building inhabited by the wealthy— who meet when a Japanese man arrives.
Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder by Arianna Huffington
Gifted to me by a dear friend who works at The Huffington Post, Thrive is high on my list to read before the new year. Born from Arianna Huffington’s own burnout, she offers a challenge to redefine success for everyone. With the changing tide, refocus on self-growth, and holidays with the family, get on board with the Third Metric and start 2015 with a better picture of how real success looks.
IQ84 by Haruki Murakami
A trusted friend swears by anything Murakami. He published his latest this past summer, but if you’re a Murakami newbie like me start with IQ84. “A love story, a mystery, a fantasy, a novel of self-discovery, a dystopia to rival George Orwell’s “… After a whopping 925 pages, you’ll feel as accomplished as when Oprah’s Book Club finished Anna Karenina, sans the emotional drain.
What books are you reading this winter?
Catherine Abalos is founder and editor of The Single Diaries.
