Today I’m sharing a few books I loved this winter.
I have to admit that my reading year has been off to a slow start! Tyler and I have both been working so much in the evenings the last few months–it’s a “grind” type of season, I suppose. So instead of reading a book a week, it’s more like a book every two weeks.
And even though some of those books were total duds (I hate then I get on a bad streak!!), I do have a handful of great reads I wanted to share today.
Recent Reads: Winter 2024
The Whalebone Theatre – Joanna Quinn
“War might depend on people who don’t flinch, but humanity rather relies on those who do.“
I read The Whalebone Theatre over the vast expanse known as the week between Christmas and New Year’s, and it was the perfect cozy winter read. This novel follows Cristabel Seagrave, a brave and quirky orphan living on the English coast. As a child, Cristobel opens a community theater with her step siblings, using the bones of a whale that had washed up on the shore near their property. Later, she goes on to join the war effort in Nazi-occupied France. I think the book could have been about 25% shorter and delivered the same results, but if you’re into WWII or a moody English coastal setting with a loveable narrator, this is worth putting on your list.
Sorrow and Bliss – Meg Mason
“Ideally, Martha, you want to figure out the reason why you keep burning your own house down.”
This book is so special, almost too special, to the point where I hesitate to even mention it publicly for fear that no one will “get it.” LOL. The book is about a woman named Martha who, following her 40th birthday, realizes that she’s made a complete and utter mess of her life. Over the course of the book, Martha reflects on her now-defunct marriage and her splintered relationships with her parents and sister and, little by little, begins to pick up the pieces. I adored this book–the message, the writing, and, most of all, Martha’s point of view (she’s an HSP and I felt so, so seen).
This was the very first book Ann Patchett recommended at the event we went to last fall– she said this was the book she recommended to every single person who needed a pick-me-up book during COVID. This book is so important, and I have absolutely no doubt that this will make my “best of 2024” list.
Foster – Claire Keegan
“Do you know what the women have a gift for?’ ‘What?’ ‘Eventualities. A good woman can look far down the line and smell what’s coming before a man even gets a sniff of it.”
Foster by Claire Keegan is a breathtaking novella set in rural Ireland. A young girl from a large, impoverished family is sent to live in a foster home one summer. The story illustrates how the relationship between the girl and her foster parents progresses over their months together. I had a lump in my throat the entire time I was reading this. This is the perfect thing to read when you don’t have time to take on a monster novel but still want to experience stunning literature. One of the author’s other novellas Small Things Like These was one of the best books I read in 2023.
The Good Sister – Sally Hepworth
“Sisterly relationships are so strange in this way. The way I can be mad at Rose but still want to please her. Be terrified of her and also want to run to her. Hate her and love her, both at the same time. Maybe when it comes to sisters, boundaries are always a little bit blurry. Blurred boundaries, I think, are what sisters do best.”
Sally Hepworth writes these kind-of cozy domestic thrillers based in Australia that are spell-binding, witty, and not too graphic. She strikes a great balance, and I always fall madly in love with at least one of her characters. If you’ve enjoyed anything by Liane Moriarty, put Sally Hepworth on your list too.
Anyway, the one I read this winter was called The Good Sister, and I really enjoyed it. The story bounces back and forth between the points of view of twin sisters Fern and Rose. Fern works in a library and has a very structured, regimented life that helps her deal with her sensory processing difficulties. Rose is an interior decorator and has always considered herself to be Fern’s caretaker and advocate. When Fern realizes that Rose is devastated about being unable to get pregnant, she takes matters into her own hands. I don’t want to spoil anything else, but it’s a good one.
Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess – Dr. Caroline Leaf
“The brain is never the same because it changes with every experience you have, every moment of every day—and you control this with your unique thinking, feeling, and choosing. You use your mind to use your brain. You are the architect of your brain.”
I am SO into this book. I’d heard Dr. Leaf on podcasts here and there, but this is my first time taking a deep dive into her neurocycle method of “cleaning up” the brain. In this book, Dr. Leaf talks about the science of neuroplasticity and how we have the power to rewrite our own neural pathways. She argues (with some really cool data to back it up) that following her five-step neurocycle method of rewriting our thoughts can lead to a significant decrease in anxiety, stress, and toxic thinking. Where do I sign? I’m still working through many of the concepts on my own and have a few chapters to get through still, but I definitely recommend this one. One thing to note: this book is VERY scientific and, for me, has required the same concentration a text book would, lol.
Looking for more book recs? Check out my list of the best books I read in 2023 or head to my bookshelf where you’ll find a list of mood-based book recs and the link to what I’m currently reading.
