Welcome to the Winter Reading Circle: Tales for a Winter Night, part of the winter season Random Magic Winterlong tour.
Find some nice and cozy – or dark and spooky reads perfect for wintertime, on this fun blog hop.
Tinasbookreviews is stop #2 on the tour and here are my picks for great winter reading.......
Winter Reads
All synopsis taken from Goodreads
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Paperback, 225 pages
Published by Penguin Classics (first published 1818)
Book Synopsis
The epic battle between man and monster reaches its greatest pitch in the famous story of Frankenstein. In trying to create life, the young student Victor Frankenstein unleashes forces beyond his control, setting into motion a long and tragic chain of events that brings Victor himself to the very brink. How he tries to destroy his creation, as it destroys everything Victor loves, is a powerful story of love, friendship and horror.
**Frankenstein is a dark read,one that tells the eternal battle between man and God and ultimately mans desire to be God. Reading this story in the dead of winter at nighttime by a roaring fire would defiantly give you the full effect.
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Paperback, 838 pages
Published by Penguin Classics (first published August 1st 1873)
Book Synopsis
A magnificent drama of vengeance, infidelity, and retribution, Anna Karenina portrays the moving story of people whose emotions conflict with the dominant social mores of their time. Sensual, rebellious Anna falls deeply and passionately in love with the handsome Count Vronsky. When she refuses to conduct the discreet affair that her cold, ambitious husband (and Russian high society) would condone, she is doomed. Set against the tragic love of Anna and Vronsky, the plight of the melancholy nobleman Konstantine Levin unfolds. In doubt about the meaning of life, haunted by thoughts of suicide, Levin's struggles echo Tolstoy's own spiritual crisis. But Anna's inner turmoil mirrors the own emotional imprisonment and mental disintegration of a woman who dares to transgress the strictures of a patriarchal world....In Anna Karenina Leo Tolstoy brought to perfection the novel of social realism and created a masterpiece that bared the Russian soul.
**Tolstoy was a Russian writer, when I think of Russia I think of winter and severe cold. Anna Karenina is an epic story, one laced with political drama, romance and the struggle of ones soul. Tolstoy's story's are deep and multi layered, not the sparkly romances we all tend to love, but intense thought provoking characters......winter is the perfect time to tackle a Tolstoy.
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Published June 16th 2005 by Penguin (first published 1866)
Book Synopsis
The poverty-stricken Raskolnikov, a talented student, devises a theory about extraordinary men being above the law, since in their brilliance they think “new thoughts” and so contribute to society. He then sets out to prove his theory by murdering a vile, cynical old pawnbroker and her sister.
The act brings Raskolnikov into contact with his own buried conscience and with two characters — the deeply religious Sonia, who has endured great suffering, and Porfiry, the intelligent and discerning official who is charged with investigating the murder — both of whom compel Raskolnikov to feel the split in his nature. Dostoevsky provides readers with a suspenseful, penetrating psychological analysis that goes beyond the crime — which in the course of the novel demands drastic punishment — to reveal something about the human condition: The more we intellectualize, the more imprisoned we become.
** Another Russian writer who tackles some very deep questions, its interesting to see Dostoyevskys reflections in this novel (research his life, its depressing) Ive only made it half way with this novel because its long, intense and very deep. A gloomy week and dark nights will help set the mood for Crime and Punishment.
Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
Hardcover, 394 pages
Published February 2nd 2010 by St. Martin's Press
Book Synopsis
Meredith and Nina Whitson are as different as sisters can be. One stayed at home to raise her children and manage the family apple orchard: the other followed a dream and traveled the world to become a famous photojournalist. But when their beloved father falls ill, Meredith and Nina find themselves together again, standing alongside their cold, disapproving mother, Anya, who even now, offers no comfort to her daughters. As children, the only connection between them was the Russian fairy tale Anya sometimes told the girls at night. On his deathbed, their father extracts a promise from the women in his life: the fairy tale will be told one last time - and all the way to the end. Thus begins an unexpected journey into the truth of Anya's life in war-torn Leningrad, more than five decades ago. Alternating between the past and present, Meredith and Nina will finally hear the singular, harrowing story of their mother's life, and what they learn is a secret so terrible and terrifying that it will shake the very foundation of their family and change who they believe they are.
** I must have a thing with Russia and wintertime.......Anya tells her story in present day America but reflects back to a time so dreadful it will make your skin crawl. The vivid tale of cold and gloom seep off the pages in this horrific story of a winter in Russia, where Stalin is in power, the food is gone and heat is a craving beyond anyones grasp.
Blue Aspen by Tenaya Jayne
Paperback, 260 pages
Published August 31st 2009 by iUniverse.com
Book Synopsis
When seventeen-year-old Dulcee Elders' mother embarks on a road trip from their home in California, Dulcee knows something odd is about to happen. Her suspicions are confirmed when they arrive at Uncle Jack's house outside of Durango, Colorado. Without another word, Dulcee's mother is gone, and Dulcee faces life with her reclusive and wealthy uncle in a looming rural mansion.
Dulcee has suffered from insomnia ever since her father died more than ten years ago. But once at home at Uncle Jack's, inexplicably Dulcee now can sleep; sleep brings not only strange and intricate dreams, but a dream lover. For now, Vincent Sands is only the silhouette of a man, but when Uncle Jack leaves town for business, Dulcee's dream world and reality collide. Once she is alone, the silhouette is no longer content to remain only in her dreams. When Dulcee is asleep, Vincent can give her anything she wants, even the ability to talk to her dead father. Inevitably, Vincent must leave when Uncle Jack returns. Dulcee experiences the high price of loving Vincent-an addiction rivaling that of any hard-core drug. Desperate to bridge the gap between them, Dulcee faces a crucial decision that carries irreversible consequences.
** I had the pleasure of reading this story last winter and it was chillingly fantastic. The dark cold of winter literally sucks you in and has you seeking warm socks and a thick blanket. I cant recommend this book enough for anyone looking for a dark, winter read.
Next Stop on the Tour: Rhiannon at The Diary of a Bookworm.
Thanks for stopping by and for more great selections check out the six blogs on the reading circle here. Also the lovely Sasha Soren author of Random Magic is offering a giveaway of her book, you can enter at the official Random Magic Tour Page.
PS...Need a great winter Kindle read...try Random Magic.......
3. Shutter Island- WOW- ok another Leonardo movie (is this guy the best actor or what) this was so twisty and mysterious. I didn't figure anything out until its big reveal....and for me, that's what makes a movie experience the best, when you travel the road with the character and get all tied up in the drama without figuring things out.
9. Stuff Christians Like by Jonathon Acuff- Can you say pee my pants funny. I actually just read this a few weeks ago and haven't even had chance to review it....but I can tell you after reading this (alot of it out loud to my husband) I felt like I had done a hundred sit ups from laughing so hard. Acuff does a hilarious job of making fun of Christian culture and the funny things we do, think and feel. Nothing harming of course just straight up fun and underneath the humor some actual serious questions to ask yourself.
