My Favorite Late-Winter Reads

In most parts of the Midwest, February can be a dreary and tiresome month. There have been snowfalls, maybe an ice storm, and a long string of days that are cloudy, cold, windy, or all of the above. During the last half/third of winter, before it's possible to get outside for long stretches of time and enjoy the spring, one activity to bolster our spirits is--you guessed it--reading!

But are there any particular books to read that will be the most helpful in getting us through the un-romantic portion of winter? Yes . . . and they're not just novels. Come along for a tour of my favorite recommendations for the working mom of (a) young child(ren), gathered from the last couple of years. I'll wrap up with some tips on how to actually get through the books, when things get difficult.

BOOKS ABOUT WINTER

During winter, sometimes we need a little authorial sympathy, in the form of wintry scenes that the book is either centered around or appreciates in passing. There's a lot of beauty in winter. However, depending on where you live, by the halfway point you may feel like telling winter to take a hike! As a matter of fact, we got our third or fourth snowstorm yesterday, which looks lovely but also cold and presently un-drivable as I write this paragraph.

I feel like Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol hits both sides of the appreciation-fatigue coin. The very title romanticizes the (early) winter holiday of Christmas. As the book progresses, though, we see the conscience and memory of Scrooge reminding him of human suffering that comes from a combination of cold, poverty, and illness. For historical context, Dickens wrote in the Victorian era, immediately after the Enlightenment--when a massive shift had occurred in human thinking about morality.

If you've read my blog for more than a few weeks, you know that Louisa May Alcott's Little Women is a favorite book of mine for all seasons, but especially winter. Alcott and Dickens were contemporaries. Like Dickens, Alcott struck a balance between the beauty of winter (ice skating, setting up a wartime homemade Christmas) and its challenges (a hungry family headed by a widow). Overall, the book comes across as more level-headed than the feel-good storyline of A Christmas Carol.

You may be in a place where both of those picks are too hard for your brain. That's okay! If that's the case, consider Dr. Seuss's (Theodore Geisel) How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Seuss's picture book is fun to read aloud or silently. It's centered on Christmas, and contains illustrations that can be glanced at or pored over, depending on how long your available reading times are in a given day. With a toddler, that can be a minute at a time, or less.

Side comment: Why is the song "In the Deep Midwinter" written to refer to Christmas (the 5th day of the 3-month season)?

BOOKS FOR YOUR BRAIN

In this category--because winter is no time to allow the brain to get mushy--I've also put 3 picks for reading, in descending order of difficulty. Disclaimer: I haven't yet read the first pick yet. I do hope to start it before winter ends, but am ramping up to it due to a more active child these days combined with a semester that is ramping up: Plato's Dialogues. At the recommendation of my Bibliovore, I am reading a selection of 12-13 of the dialogues, in a logical (not chronological) order. I anticipate there will be a couple of posts about the material, so stay tuned!

For a more contemporary, but still theological and relatively challenging, big book, consider Horton's The Portable Seminary. I found this one surprisingly accessible, with the page layout and use of white space being particularly helpful. This book purports to provide a master's level education in just under 800 pages.

If your interest is more in the history and theory of how people learn in cultural context, check out Neil Postman's The End of Education. "End" in this case does not mean "termination," but "goal" (Greek telos, the root word of teleology). Not surprisingly, there's a lot more philosophy in this book than I expected when first reading it in 2018. As a 200-page paperback, it's much easier to get through during a single winter than either of my previous reading picks in this section.

FICTION PICKS

Ever since I was a child, I had the desire to read the very longest classic books. While I did not succeed until after adolescence, one winter-related novel that attracted my attention (which I ended up finally reading in 2010) was Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. Set in Victorian-era Russia, this novel deals with topics not for the faint of heart. While I don't recall details of the plot, I do recall immense satisfaction at finishing it, and I hope you will too.

My second fiction recommendation is actually a series of seven books. Not surprisingly, it is C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia (link to a summary of only the first book to whet your appetite). Thinking back, I think I have read this series at least once every 3-5 years, because it's just that good. And the appreciation for Lewis's style of writing, his integration of various philosophical ideas, and the quality of his storyline increase with each successive read. I have it on record that these books can be enjoyed by people over 75 years old, down to under 5 years old. If you haven't read any of the books, you're missing out. Here they are in order of the events described, with publication order in parentheses.

• The Magician's Nephew (#6, 1955)
• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (#1, 1950)
• The Horse and His Boy (#5, 1954)
• Prince Caspian (#2, 1951)
• The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (#3, 1952)
• The Silver Chair (#4, 1953)
• The Last Battle (#7, 1956)

Finally, my third fiction pick-in-progress is Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. When I first read this in college, I didn't appreciate the writing style and characteristic sarcasm, and mainly read it because several friends in my friend group were (and still are) avid Austen fans. This time around, I read chapter 22 out loud to Child yesterday and gave myself a stitch from trying not to laugh out loud throughout. Austen's other novels also provide moral and historical commentary on post-Enlightenment England, so reading this "fun" novel doubles as learning about philosophy, morality, and history, if you so desire.

NONFICTION PICKS

For a long time, in this realm of nonfiction books I have harbored a desire to get more into history. As of right now, sadly, I haven't achieved that goal. So, my 3 winter reading recommendations for nonfiction are of a theological/philosophical/theoretical bent.

First up is one I read a number of years ago and would like to reread at some point. Harry Blamires' The Christian Mind and perhaps its sequel The Post-Christian Mind. Blamires wrote both books during a relatively recent (late 1900s) time of anti-intellectualism within the church, which is unfortunately alive and well in many places. In both books, he describes the orientation each Christian, lay or pastoral, should have toward knowledge, reason, and their implications for faith and morality.

Second is a longer textbook of sorts, Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview by Christian apologist-philosophers J. P. Moreland and William Lane Craig. I read through some chapters much more easily than others. Like Blamires' books, but at a deeper level, this text expands on the various ways in which it is reasonable for Christians to think coherently about science, history, logic, mathematics, and other areas.

Finally, Susan Cain's Quiet. While my Myers-Briggs personality type has changed over the years, my introversion has not. I thrive on a lot of solitary or one-on-one time to recharge. Cain's book helped me understand the science and sociology behind introversion, including strengths, weaknesses, and the fact that one out of every three people you know is probably an introvert.

READ-ALOUDS

At last, I'm at the part of the post where moms of very-littles (think birth-6 years) can most relate. In the spirit of Charlotte Mason, I've picked my favorite read-aloud books that combine good-quality illustrations, simple text for younger ears, and a "living book" quality that won't drive you nuts from ceaseless re-reading. As a side note, if you have a baby in the house right now, don't feel that you *have* to read only board ("bored" 😁) books. Littles' auditory comprehension is almost always far ahead of their verbal expression.

From longest to shortest, here are my top three read-aloud book ideas. Kenneth Grahame's 1908 children's novel The Wind in the Willows has long been one of my favorites. Similar to Brian Jacques' 22-book Redwall series, which came later, this book follows talking animals' ordinary yet extraordinary adventures. As children grow to be able to read these books for themselves, there is plenty of food for the imagination.

Next is another series, Stan and Jan Berenstain's The Berenstain Bears (the original 1970s series). If you haven't read them, go find one and do so! That's all I will say about this one.

Third is Child's current favorite. Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar. In this whole post, this one is the only board book. The biggest draw for me is the combination of natural language and realistic pictures. For Child, pages are fun to turn and holes are fun to poke fingers into. So far, the greatest number of times I've read this in one sitting is 7. Haven't gotten sick of it yet.

FOR THE MAMA

This last section, mama, is for you especially, to nurture your spirit. 

An expected book in this section, for me, is Larry Christensen's The Christian Family. Given the plethora of books written around the same topic around the same time, it is worth your time to read this book slowly, with a grain of salt. As Lewis advised, take a teacher-about-God with you when you read biblical material, whether Scripture itself or someone writing about Scripture.

An even more expected book, here, is C. S. Lewis's Mere Christianity. Similar to Blamires' books on how Christians ought to think, this book's subject material is the core set of Christian beliefs. Lewis does write from an Anglican (Church of England) perspective. I placed Mere Christianity in this section because the writing style is more accessible and chapters a little shorter, for those mothering days when fewer brain cells are functioning.

An unexpected treasure, which I think I may have picked up in a college library discard pile, is Tim Hansel's When I relax, I feel guilty. If you know me in real life, you can appreciate with a giggle (or snicker, it's okay!) how precisely this book applies to me. Everyone needs rest; this book is a fresh take on the feelings related to necessary rest.

HOW TO READ WHEN READING IS HARD

Now that I've whetted your appetite for late-winter reads, how on earth do you get through them? Here are some tips from Modern Mrs. Darcy and The Art of Manliness.

• Read according to the mood you're in--this is one of the biggest reasons I keep a pile of books in progress. I'm not always going to feel like reading only Wheelock's Latin, every night, until it's done. (On that front, I am languishing at the end of chapter 1.)
• Arrange your physical environment, including mood lighting and a favorite beverage--I'm putting some finishing touches on my new reading corner and will show you what it looks like in action when it's ready!
• Put the phone elsewhere. Working on this one...
• Get some physical activity first--this has been shown to enhance neuroplasticity (the brain's ability to change in response to stimuli) and other aspects of cognition.
• Try something completely different than what you're used to reading. The brain likes novelty and pays more attention to it.
• Use goal-setting theory to make a non-time-bound plan ("just finish the book" without setting a specific time limit).
• Appreciate and use the short fragments of time throughout your day. Do you only have time to read 3 paragraphs? Do at least that much!
• Take notes, doodle, diagram, and otherwise interact with the text.
• If possible, use (1) a visually appealing book edition and (2) handy reference materials for unfamiliar vocabulary.
• If you're on a roll, remind yourself of that to preserve the momentum.

I hope you've found some inspiration in this post, for encouraging yourself through your personal reading, this winter. What favorites do you have in each category? Feel free to share them below in the comments!