Rachel Recommends: What to Read and Watch This Winter

Posted on January 20, 2023

by Rachel S

Winter is the ideal time to hibernate with a blanket, a good book (and a decent pair of readers for those born before 1983). Eschew all exercise resolutions and fly your Hygge flag. Here are some things that I enjoy for this season of 5 p.m. sunsets.

An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena

eBook | eAudiobook

Guests are snowed in at a remote B&B and wouldn’t you know it? People get murdered. Surprisingly NOT set in a quaint English village, Lapena’s book will give you the chills of winter and the thrills of a whodunit.

Less is Lost by Andrew Sean Greer

eBook | eAudiobook

Have you missed Arthur Less? Our protagonist in (Pulitzer Prize winning) Less (strongly suggested you read or re-read prior to taking on this sequel) from 2017 returns in this book which is just as beautifully written and endearing.

We find our hero traipsing across the United States in a rickety travel van on one of many professional missions encountering people we might refer to as “characters,” and seeking solace, debt relief and the one he loves.

Walter Had a Best Friend by Deborah Underwood

A picture book that speaks to the melancholy of drifting apart from a close friend. It happens to all of us at some point and it’s not always mutual (as experienced by the eponymous character). Life changes and friends move on, but fortunately, new ones are just around the corner.

As Cooked on TikTok by Emily Stephenson

eBook

My teenager believes that anything you need to learn how to do can be found on YouTube or TikTok and that includes complicated recipes. To his point, this book exists. Not a TikTok user myself, I didn’t realize there were people posting actual cooking demonstrations on this platform.

This is a fun little book for the print crowd that includes recipes I might even consider making like: breakfast croissant paninis, tofu tacos, mini Basque cheesecakes, and bourbon/peach/ginger Arnold Palmers.

How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz

eBook | eAudiobook

Have you ever had a conversation with someone and throughout the entire interaction all you could think was “what a hot mess?” Anyone in customer service or who has that one particular friend can certainly relate. That experience is a lot like reading this juicy novel told as a one-sided interview. We care, worry and root for Cara as her story unravels.

 

kanopy

Kanopy

If your winter couch time requires more than just books as mine does, and if your favorite season is Awards Season, Kanopy is your ideal tool for catching up on films you may have missed.

Rachel Recommended award winners/nominees like Parasite, Moonlight, The New World, Mrs. Brown, The Florida Project, A Fish Called Wanda, Chinatown, I, Tonya, Another Round, and A Man Called Ove are available for streaming right now

 

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