Winter 2019 is Coming: Read These Books
Down Under in Australia, the days are getting shorter, the nights colder, and there is a June long weekend within reach. So for those of us needing a bit more action now that we’ve finished up the last season of Game of Thrones, or those others who dream of snuggling up to some of those (ahem) ‘larger’ books that weren’t quite beach reading material, then here are some suggestions.
In the spirit of the White Walker, I thought I’d pull together some Winter Tomes of length, darkness and saga filled intensity that you may find match these darker months.
Forget about rom-com, novellas or short and quirky, these are novels that require a few more hours of investment, and more than a few cups of hot chocolate or red wine. But don’t fear, there are books for everyone here, and all will derive intense enjoyment!
As with previous lists of mine, most of these were read sometime in the last 5 years, and for those who know my personal goal of reading as many ‘Non US White Male Authored’ releases as possible, you’ll be interested to note that most of the authors are female, and span 5 countries across Europe, Africa and Australia.
For those of you in sun and beach filled climates, or others who are escaping to the tropics, you may want to switch this list out for my 2019 Holiday Reads which are more suited to cocktails and dreams.
#1: Commonwealth — Ann Patchett (Female, USA)
Published: 2016
Pages: 322
Why read?: Ann Patchett is the American, non-Sci Fi version of Margaret Atwood. Meaning that she just writes damn good books. I first got hooked on her via ‘Bel Canto’ — and then when this one came along, I was in. Going by the dust cover won’t do much for you (family drama, an affair, set somewhere in Southern California), but these are great characters, a dense plot and just everything that an excellent book should be.
Winter Saga Factor: Low. While this story spans 50 years, across six kids and two families, it’s generally less on the bitter, more on the sweet, and at just over 300 pages, won’t require too much brain function to enjoy.
Best Winter Setting: For those determined to get the last few rays of light in the sunchair and a cup of freshly brewed coffee.
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#2 The Good People — Hannah Kent (Female, Australia)
Published: 2016
Pages: 384
Why read?: Because you’ve already read Kent’s cold and dark Burial Rights set in the heart of a Northern Icelandic Winter and you’re ready to dive into her second novel? This time set in Ireland in 1825, this equally cold and dark novel follows Nóra Leahy, who after already suffering the death of daughter and husband, now must deal with her grandson; a boy who cannot walk or talk, and screams all during the night. The crux comes when the local women begin to suspect that he is a changeling, a child taken by the fairies known commonly as the Good People. Good huh?
Winter Saga Factor: Medium to Low. While the time span in this novel is less than a year, the gloomy setting of Ireland, amongst the poor and superstitious is much better suited to the sunless days of mid-Winter than to a beachside setting.
Best Winter Setting: Hot mead by a fireplace, potentially eating potatoes and a nip of whisky.
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#3 Kinto — Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi (Female, Uganda)
Published: 2014
Pages: 442
Why read?: When else would you have the chance to read what has been hailed by some as the “great Ugandan novel”? Aside from that, this multi-narrated story tells of a curse that has run through many generations of a Ugandan family.
Winter Saga Factor: Medium. Less Winter and more Saga — spanning from the 18th Century through to 2004, this spans over 6 generations, many families and one big fat curse.
Best Winter Setting: There’s a fair bit of concentration needed here, so lock up the kids, turn off the TV, and stay in the safety of a reading room with steaming cups of tea.
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#5 The Clock Maker’s Daughter — Kate Morton (Female, Australia)
Published: 2018
Pages: 485
Why read?: A ghost story set in the Birchwood Manor on the Thames. A murder, generations of a family and a mystery all wrapped up in one. Did I mention that the whole thing is narrated by the Ghost? Such a complex mix of plot, time, characters and twisty turns - how on earth Morton kept track of time and people is beyond me!
Winter Saga Factor: High. A murder mystery spanning 150 years starting from1862, with multiple characters that seem to bleed through the chapters and are complexly woven throughout this story where past and present meet, pause and then rush by.
Best Winter Setting: Obviously an abandoned manor in England, or the reading room in a gothic cathedral. If those aren’t available, a holiday house in the woods where the trees crack and creak, and things go thump in the night.
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#6 Pachinko — Min Jin Lee (Female, South Korea)
Published: 2017
Pages: 496
Why read?: Because I haven’t met a person yet who hasn’t loved this book. Bonus reason — you’ve probably read less than three books from a South Korean author, so perfect chance to notch up another.
An epic tale that follows a Korean family who eventually migrates to Japan, it captures the perfect balance between family drama and an historical take on 20th century Korea and Japan. It also features the quirky gambling game Pachinko.
Winter Saga Factor: High. Not only does this family saga span 80 years between 1910 and 1989, it covers a couple of World Wars as well as the Japanese occupation of Korea. Lee is also very skilled as an author, creating complex characters across multiple generations and family groups.
Best Winter Setting: Crack open the sake, warm up with some kimchi and take in this drama which I could potentially call the Thorn Birds of Korea.
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#7 A Gentleman in Moscow — Amor Towles (Male, USA)
Published: 2016
Pages: 496
Why read?: For starters, Barak Obama called this one of his top reads of 2017. This is an epic novel about the Count Alexander Roztov who is placed under house arrest in 1922, accused on writing a counter-revolutionary poem.
But rather than a bleak novel of imprisonment, it’s an almost heart warming story of this charming guest (prisoner) who behaves like the perfect gentleman, never complaining, yet always entertaining the many guests in the hotel. There is an encounter, and friendship, with a particular young girl that makes this novel so wonderful.
Winter Saga Factor: Medium to high. Starting in 1922 and working through the aftermath of WW1, the duration of WW2 and almost the entire 1950s, it’s a lengthy, captivating novel set in the confines of a hotel while some of the worlds greatest events collide outside. Being that it’s Russian (and with their own bleak winters) this is much more suited to colder climates, rugged up indoors.
Best Winter Setting If not in a Russian Hotel, then any aristocratic setting will do. Take your wine in a goblet, your tea every afternoon, and retire to the sitting room to consume this gorgeous Russian saga.
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#8 The Bone Clocks — David Mitchell (Male, USA)
Published: 2014
Pages: 624
Why read?: David Mitchell has written some of my highest rated reads of the last 10 years, including Cloud Atlas and The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet.
With the Bone Clocks, it’s not only a current favourite, but was long-listed for the 2014 Man Booker Prize, called one of the best novels of 2014 by Stephen King, and in 2015, won the World Fantasy Award.
Plot-wise, the book is structured in six sections, all loosely revolving around Holly Sykes, her gift of the invisible eye and a war between two immortal factions. You’re already interested, huh!?
Winter Saga Factor: High. With the story spanning from 1984–2043, The Bone Clocks doesn't just cover 60+ years, it also reaches the furthest into the future from any on this list. Starting with a 15 year old Holly, and ending with a much older protagonist hunkering down on Ireland’s west coast as the world lurches towards environmental apocalypse and the global socio-economic order disintegrates, it’s a fairly epic read.
Best Winter Setting: This one can be read anywhere — it’s just that good. Perfect for those who want to tackle a big read while a week away during the colder holiday breaks.
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#9 A Brief History of Seven Killings — Marlon James (Male, Jamaica)
Published: 2014
Pages: 688
Why read?: Anyone who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s would have had at least one Bob Marley track on rotation.
This book is an impressive read that is anchored around the attempted assassination of Marley, setting it against the chaos of Jamaica and the involvement of the CIA at the time.
Be warned though, the narrative structure is complex and often confusing, with an impressive cast of over 70 characters whose voices weave in and out, often in the local dialect. But hang on for the ride as James is a talented narrator who will hold your hand and ensure you get to the end with a good understanding of what just happened. Just trust him.
Winter Saga Factor: High. This one has everything — the CIA, an assassination, BOB MARLEY, nearly 100 characters, over 600 pages — and all written in a choppy Jamaican patois. A week bunkered down to get through this is called for.
Best Winter Setting: Obviously Jamaica. Other than that, anywhere you can concentrate, put on some reggae and enjoy the ride.
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#10 A Little Life — Hanya Yanagihara (Female, USA)
Published: 2015
Pages: 720
Why read?: Brace yourself. There’s probably actually more reasons not to read this one — except that it’s so gripping.
Based around the friendship of four men, it develops into a traumatic saga, mostly centred around the fragile Jude. If you had to sum it up, Jon Michaud in the New Yorker said it best “it’s brilliant but it can also drive you mad, consume you and take over your life.”
Winter Saga Factor: Very High. Not a light summer read this is one to bury you in darkness and cold.
Best Winter Setting: Funny story. I read this book a few years back when I was on a beach holiday in Thailand. “Great reviews! Huge Books — perfect for summer”. How wrong I was. This is definitely for the darkest time in winter, with the cold in your bones and depression leaping out to get you from the corners of your wasteland of a room.
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Thanks for making it to the bottom — I hope at least one of these has made it onto your TBR pile. If you’re looking for more, you might also want to check out:
