Winter reading
stay warm with a book (or several), plus the best hot chocolate you can make
When Bea was littler, she often slept under a pile of books. Her bed (now Harriet’s) was lofted, with a canopy, and when we tucked her in were often kind of shocked by how many books she had piled at her feet, stuffed along the sides, and sometimes literally on top of her. With frigid temperatures all across the country, we guess that’s one way to stay warm! Or, try cozying up today with a cup of the best hot chocolate (recipe below), a blanket, and one of these excellent books, recommended highly by us.
Harriet’s recs:
Too-small Tola and the Three Fine Girls by Atinuke. We started this series after reading Atinuke’s wonderful Anna Hibiscus—in contrast to the sheltered Anna, who lives in a beautiful family compound, Tola lives in a “rundown block of apartments in the megacity of Lagos.” Unlike Anna, who lives with her parents and many cousins and aunties and uncles, Tola has only a brother, a sister, and a grandmother. All of Atinuke’s work is wonderfully written (she is a storyteller, see below), and distinctly unsentimental. Harriet says, “I like that Tola never gives up at all and she does all this hard work for her family.”
Here is Atinuke reading from the first Tola book:
The Puppets of Spelhorst by Kate DiCamillo: This fairy tale, about a collection of puppets living “in a story together,” was a present from our dear friend Cat. Harriet says, “It’s very funny and beautiful. I really like that the wolf is like, ‘my teeth are razor-sharp!’ and the boy says ‘we’re tired of hearing about your teeth!’”
The Secret World of Plants. “This book is so pretty! My mom brought it to me and Bea. There’s a big variety of funguses and plants out there and this book will teach you about them.”
from Bea:
Ripley’s Believe it or Not: I got this book from Nana and Grandpa for Christmas. It’s got all of these weird and fun facts, with categories from unusual animals to interviews with exceptional people. There’s everything from a woman who does free solo aerial stunts at stomach-churning heights, to a cow born with three eyes. Want to see a picture of a four-legged baby chick, or a four-eared cat named Midas? You totally should because they’re adorable! I think this book would make a great gift for any kid—I couldn’t stop reading it!
Mexikid by Pedro Martín: This is a great graphic novel about a boy named Pedro—it feels especially real because it’s actually based on the author’s experiences, and it’s fun for right now because it feels like going on a trip. Pedro, his many siblings, and his parents travel in an RV to Mexico to pick up Pedro’s grandfather and drive him back to where they live in America, because he’s getting too old to live alone. Pedro’s grandfather doesn’t want to leave his belongings and livestock behind, but the family helps him overcome his reluctance. While they’re in Mexico, the family has a lot of fun experiences, and some sad ones too. It’s a very funny book with lifelike, vibrant illustrations.
The Windeby Puzzle by Lois Lowry: I’m reading this book with my mom. It’s about the Windeby bog body, the amazingly well-preserved body of a thirteen-year girl from the Germanic tribes around 100 AD. The book blends really interesting research with Lois Lowry’s imagined life of Estrild, which is what she names the girl. It’s an exciting, unique story because it takes place soooo long ago.
from Richard:
Robert Louis Stevenson, "Songs of Travel and Other Verses" (1908). Stevenson's poetry isn't read much these days, I assume due to its occasional melodrama and his fame in other genres. But there are some good poems in this book, especially in the title sequence. Elsewhere, his poems about Polynesia (Stevenson lived in Samoa for the last five years of his life) express an affection and respect for its people greatly removed from the casual racism towards brown people found in Kipling and other British contemporaries.
from Belle:
Lately my before-bed read is a long nineteenth century novel. Last semester it was Middlemarch, and this semester I’m reading Moby-Dick. I’m sure I’ve started this book a few times and never finished it, but how did I put it down? Ishmael’s first-person voice is so particular and vivid and winning. Our bedroom stays kind of chilly, so I read the book on my kindle, under the covers. Melville writes that an underheated room is the best way to sleep, actually: “to have nothing but the blanket between you and your snugness and the cold of the outer air. Then there you lie like the one warm spark in the heart of an arctic crystal.”
I also loved Natural History by Andrea Barrett, a collection of linked stories about a family of women scientists and teachers (which fans of Ship Fever will recognize), spanning in time from the Civil War to the present day. It was great to read before the semester started, reminding me how I like to teach, with an emphasis on firsthand experience and field study.
And last weekend, Bea and I had the good fortune to hear Jill McCorkle read from her masterful story collection Old Crimes. It was so crowded at McIntyre’s that we sat on the floor, but it was still a perfect experience. After all, there’s nothing better or cozier than being read to! Unless… you’re being read to with a mug of this hot chocolate warming your hands?
A few more steps than regular old sugar-and-cocoa-and-milk but totally worth it:
Hot Chocolate (from The Gift of Southern Cooking by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock) :
Ingredients:
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup boiling warer
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 ounces chopped dark chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 tsp vanilla
4-5 cups milk, warmed
Mix cocoa, sugar, and salt in a heavy nonreactive saucepan.
Whisk in boiling water, simmer for 3 minutes.
Whisk in heavy cream, bring back to simmer, then turn off the heat.
Add the chopped chocolate and whisk until melted. Add vanilla, then heated milk. Cover, and let it sit for five minutes.
Enjoy! Harriet and Bea recommend marshmallows or whipped cream on top. Or hold back some of the chocolate base (before adding the milk) and drizzle on top of ice cream.
How are you staying warm, Frog Troublers? Any new or old books to recommend?
i always love your book reviews and recommendations! Lucky are Bea and Harriet’s teachers! Book reports were the bane of my existence when i was in school!
once when giving an oral book report i twisted all the buttons off of my sweater bc i was so nervous about reporting on a book i hadn’t read! i died 1000 deaths but
“lived to tell the tale!”
Thank you Harriet, Bea, Belle & Richard for taking the time again to write up and share descriptions of books you are enjoying! I always open the library request window somewhere through the process of reading the reviews, and then I remember not to close it, because I always click back a few times to request a couple more! Enjoy the cold, dark, homey reading days!