Book Recommendations For Fall/Winter
Read this for some half-remembered science facts that I didn't bother to look up.
Fall has come. According to every precept set down before us, the combined knowledge of humankind, and the predictions of all our philosophers, poets, and weather prognosticators, this means winter will soon follow. Fall, and winter, as many of us know, often means cooler temperatures. The Earth, as is its wont, has a bit of a tilt in its axis of rotation. This means that at times the Northern Hemisphere is closer to the sun and at times the Southern Hemisphere takes on that role. Hence the extreme temperature differences between summer and winter months. While I won’t be the one to fault the Earth for this lack of a true one-hundred-and-eighty-degree rotation, it does mean that a lot of people around where I live will remain inside more in the coming months. More so than they, hopefully, already have been. This combination of the cold and staying indoors means that people will be looking for things to do. Some of them may even turn to Dang Dude, What the Heck? for suggestions. And fear not, I will provide those suggestions. Suggestions in the form of a list of ten wonderful books to read during the fall and winter. You can read more, hell, you can read less. But you should read some. I’m sure you’ll like at least one of these.
Archangel – Sharon Shinn
Some people may consider this a “slight” or “light” novel. It’s not full of grand ideas about morality, it’s not seven hundred pages long, and I don’t think it sold that well. You shouldn’t listen to people who think those things about books. Archangel, a wonderful novel, imagines a world controlled by angels. Angels who participate in massive world-wide religious ceremonies and report to a ship that sits above them in the sky. A wonderful read for when you’re looking to pass the time between the various pumpkin-spiced things you’ll consumer over the next few months.
The Sleepwalkers – Christopher Clark
World War One. A big topic that most of us learn about a couple of times in high school, maybe once in college, and then forget. You know the Germans played a role, but that they hadn’t become Nazis yet. Clark’s book, considered one of the most influential and well-regarded books on WWI, recounts the events leading up to World War One. And surprise of all surprises he doesn’t blame the Germans for it. In detail that informs but doesn’t overwhelm, and in a master craftsman’s prose he shows that WWI, even after the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, did not have to happen. For Clark, WWI was entirely preventable, and occurred because bad decisions compounded upon each other over and over until world leaders felt like they had no other options. A fascinating look at a defining event of the 20th century.
Dreyfus – Ruth Harris
In the early 20th century nothing could beat Dreyfus Affair for scintillating gossip. A scandal that rocked France and the rest of the world with it. Rarely do historical books about populaar characters such as this get one-word titles, but Harris’ monograph earns it. In fantastic prose and vivid detail, she recounts how Alfred Dreyfus’ treason trial came to stand for the future of France and the Western world in many people’s minds. Tangents into the history of spiritualism and religious pilgrimage serve to flesh out the world of turn-of-the-century France and Europe. There wasn’t a single person in France who didn’t know about the Jewish Dreyfus and his supposed leaking of military secrets. A must-read.
The Cusanus Game – Wolfgang Jeschke
An odd little book, The Cusanus Game was originally written in German and translated into English after its success there. Without giving too much away, this work follows a biologist who is trying to save the seeds of various plants in order to preserve them. In her journey to save these seeds she encounters a mysterious institute and several interesting characters. A high-concept novel that also deeply cares about its characters this is a wonderfully weird read. Filled with lush description and more than a few jokes, don’t ignore this work.
The Historian – Elizabeth Kostova
Who doesn’t want to read about historians! Elizabeth Kostova manages to make one of the world’s most boring professions – I can say that, I am one – wildly exciting. I don’t want to ruin any of the mystery, but I’ll just say that Kostov is a good enough writer to make a man reading through some old documents a gripping experience. This book single-handedly made me want to visit Budapest. A big book that will keep you glued in your seat for those drizzly fifty-degree days.
Gideon The Ninth – Tamsyn Muir
Everyone and their damn mom recommends this book. One of the hottest sci-fiction works to come out in recent memory, Gideon The Ninth – mostly – lives up to the hype. A sci-fiction work featuring a lesbian necromancer, Muir weaves a fun story of deception, intrigue, and even a little bit of love. The humor, which most of the praise focuses on, can be a little much at times with Muir occasionally overextending just a little bit for the sake of a joke. Muir hits more than misses though so its not a big problem. An incredibly fun read on almost every level, certainly not to be missed. Will probably be made into a TV show at some point so read it now for the bragging rights.
The Body Library – Jeff Noon
This is a wild novel. It takes place in a city where stories are everything, and someone is poisoning the words. A mix of body horror, detective thriller, and reflection on the power of the written word, The Body Library demands to be read. An imaginative world populated with characters you grow to love, at its heart this is a very melancholy work, which makes it perfect for the fall/winter. If anything, it’ll leave you slightly bewildered and confused, something I find exciting in a novel.
Peasant Pasts – Vinayak Chaturvedi
If you’re interested in a history book that takes a turn mid-way through, then this is the book for you. It starts out as a more traditional history of pre-Partition Indian-British relations but then takes a completely different tack once the author actually travels to India to find the places the book covers. Not a traditional history by any means, this book challenges some popular views on Gandhi and questions how historians use sources and memory in their work. For all that it’s highly readable and moves very quick.
The Complete Calvin and Hobbes – Bill Watterson
I mean duh. If you don’t know about Calvin and Hobbes, I don’t even know what else to say here. Check that shit out. One of the five good comic strips to ever exist. And Watterson had the sense to quit it before it got bad. We stan a king.
The Dark Tower – Stephen King
I guess it’s currently hack to like Stephen King. He is, as many white guy authors his age are, problematic. Unlike TERF-queen JK Rowling however, he isn’t totally cancelled. Also, unlike unrepentant shit-head JK Rowling he can write a hell of sentence. The Dark Tower is the first book in The Dark Tower series. A series of books far better than Harry Potter ever was. While the series gets a little bloated under the weight of its own mythos near the end, this work moves along at a breakneck pace. Following the gunslinger Roland Deschain as he chases The Man in Black across the desert, King’s prose is taut and electric. Even if you don’t read the rest of the books in the series this one works well as a stand-alonenovel. One of the best things King has ever written.
Read at least one of these books. And venmo me .50 cents if you like it. It’s the least you can do.