Winter is a perfect time to reflect on life, think back to the time when we fell in love for the first time, travelled to the country of our dreams, and dwell on our mistakes. And what can be a better company for these activities than a good book?
This is my list of books I’d spend a winter evening with a mug of hot spicy tea, reminiscing about the past, dreaming about the future, and feeling grateful for the present.
“The Ice Widow” by Anne M. Smith-Nochasak
“Humans are the ones who construct love with walls around it”
“The Ice Widow” is a multi-layered portrayal of the paths we take in life. Just like people in real life, fictional characters in this story don’t always make it right. They stumble and fall. They see and do indecent, ugly things. They suffer. And they die. But also, like every one of us, if they don’t drive themselves down the precipice, they continue looking for an anchor. And for some, the sun rays sneaking through between the branches of the tree tops show them the way. Not necessarily to a perfect happily-ever-after with all the ingredients served neatly on a plate. But always to a sanctuary, designed especially for them. Simply because they have carved its walls themselves – by living.
“The Life and Love (Attempts) of Kitty Cook” by Helen Aitchison
Kitty has a perfect life. She has a job she loves and is good at. She has fantastic friends and caring, supportive parents. But then, one brick falls out of the wall of her structured and mainly satisfying life. Determined to fix it, Kitty embarks on a journey that promises adventure and excitement. Although she knows that even on a pleasure cruise you can encounter a storm, Kitty can’t imagine what awaits her.
Kitty has just broken up with her boyfriend of many years. While trying to adjust to life alone, with an empty chair at the dinner table and a similarly empty bed, Kitty decides to give online dating a try. I thoroughly enjoyed living through the challenging time of exploring the online dating maze together with Kitty. She is someone you’d love to be friends with in real life.
It’s a lovely story that left a warm feeling after I turned the last page.
“To Catch a Feather” by R.A. Hutchins
The story of Kate and Cal is the quintessence of what a romantic story should be and what it should give the reader in abundance. Hope, sympathy, some tears, and, of course, happiness.
The book tells a story of two people, who had their share of grief and struggle in life, but who dare to hope beyond hope that something beautiful is possible for them too.
I loved the setting – majestic, but not always friendly coast of Scotland. In my imagination, I walked the cobbled streets and rocky shores together with the characters of the book.
“Finding Home” by Juliette Caron
At first glance, everything is simple. Two people fall in love. They find out they cannot be together. She is a schoolgirl; he is her teacher. After going through an obstacle line (you can read about it in book one “Gone Away Girl”) they finally can explore their love. Of course, it turns out that everything is not that simple.
It was fascinating to read about how far a misunderstanding and miscommunication can lead two people who are madly in love with each other.
This book’s characters make rushed decisions, hurt each other, and because of it suffer themselves. This book reminded me how difficult it is at times to be young when, on one hand, your whole life is ahead of you, while, on the other, you don’t necessarily know what to do with it.
Read full reviews of these and other books by amazingly talented authors on my blog:
Eve's Book Diary 
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