Embracing Winter

It seemed appropriate to sit down with British food writer Nigel Slater's wonderful new book "The Christmas Chronicles" on a cold November day. The temperatures had finally dropped and we just turned back the clocks. The days are gradually drawing in as they make their steady march towards the winter's solstice and the holidays are right around the corner. Nigel Slater was exactly what I needed to complete the picture. He has mastered the fine art of cultivating coziness. Just listen to the opening lines and you will know what I mean:

"I loved the crackle of winter. The snap of dry twigs underfoot, boots crunching on frozen grass, a fire spitting in the hearth, ice thawing on the pond, the sound of unwrapping a Christmas present from its paper. The innate crispness of the season appeals to me, like newly fallen snow, frosted hedges, the first fresh page of a diary. Yes, there is softness in the cold months, too, the voluminous jumpers and woolly hats, the steam rising from soup served in a deep bowl, the light from a single candle and the much-loved scarf that would feel like a burden at any other time of the year."

Nigel Slater loves winter. I love it as well. In Los Angeles we have very different winters from the ones he grew up with in England. And very different winters from the ones I grew up with in New England. There's something nostalgic about his evocation of winter in this book that appeals to everyone I think. Even if you didn't lived through those winters they are the winters of our imagination. So many classic films like "A Wonderful Life" and books like "A Christmas Carol" draw us into their winter scenes. I will now have to add Nigel's new book to  my winter/holiday collection. Because it is so much more than a cookbook. Like some of my favorite authors, he paints the most delicious scenes of escaping into a cozy interior on a frigid day:

"You hang up your coat, tug off your boots and light the fire. You will probably put the kettle on or pour yourself a drink. Not so much as a way to get warm, more to welcome yourself home. Home means more to us in cold weather. Making ourselves comfortable is a duty. Making friends and family comfortable is an art. 
'Come in.' Two short words, heavy with meaning. Step out of the big, bad, wet world and into my home. You'll be safe here, toasty and well fed. 'Come in.' They are two of the loveliest words to say and hear."

He writes of the foods of winter which he calls "The food of fairy tales":

"Gingerbread biscuits with icing like melting snow, steaming glasses of wine, savoury puddings of bread and cheese and a goose with golden skin and a puddle of apple sauce. There are stews of game birds with twigs of thyme and rosemary; fish soups the colour of rust and baked apples frothing at the brim. Winter is the time for marzipan-filled stollen, thick with powdered sugar, pork chops as thick as a plank, and rings of Cumberland sausage sweet with dates and bacon."

He captures some of our most beloved holiday traditions such as looking at Christmas windows at our favorite department store:

"To see Fortnum & Mason's Christmas windows is to step into the pages of a book of fairy tales. Each year they glisten and sparkle, like the frost on a topiary garden, a scene of wonder and delight. The designs are cluttered in the loveliest sense, like looking into a kaleidoscope."

His chapters have the most delicious titles. Here are just a few:

Panettone, a love story
A Christmas list and a fig tart
Frost fairs and braised brisket
A tale of two polentas
Decorating the tree and a lamb roast
The prospect of soup

And we can't forget the recipes. Don't these sound delicious?

Pork Chops, spinach polenta; Apricot and tomato chutney; Bread pudding with ham, Comte and Tallegio; Orange and poppy seed stollen; Banana cardamom cake; Dark chocolate spice cake; Mulled wine

If you are looking for a book to help you get in the holiday spirit look no further than Nigel Slater's "The Christmas Chronicles." Filled with recipes, fables and quick fireside suppers, it will be your trusty companion from November to February. It is filled with so many good ideas for how to make our homes a cozy and welcoming place for the holidays. Happy reading!

Happy Holidays!

The holiday weekend is coming up and I have been rushing around buying gifts, wrapping paper, greeting cards, ingredients for cookies, and food for our Christmas celebration on Sunday. The tree is decorated and the house looks festive but I've hardly taken a moment to enjoy them.

Today I decided to wrap presents and finish my Christmas cards which was a very good idea as I was home most of the afternoon and got into the Christmas spirit. One of the reasons my mood was so merry was that I did it all to the accompaniment of a very charming podcast. Miranda Mills and Sophie Butler are best friends who live in England and the creators of "Tea and Tattle," a podcast "for the discerning woman" that covers topics ranging from "fashion to books to well-being and everything in between." Their current podcast is called "Christmas Traditions" in which they talk about their favorite holiday traditions and read passages from books that remind them of those traditions. Their choices include "Anne of Green Gables" by Lucy Maud Montgomery, "Christmas Pudding" by Nancy Mitford, and several others. I found myself smiling the whole time as I was reminded of being young and feeling the magic of Christmas. If you need some Christmas spirit I highly recommend this delightful podcast. Go here to listen.

The co- hosts of the podcast ask us to think about our favorite holiday traditions and books that remind us of those traditions. One of my favorite Christmas traditions is baking for my family and friends -- cookies, gingerbread, coffeecakes -- and all the delicious smells that waft through the kitchen and the house. A book that reminds me of this tradition is "A Christmas Memory" by Truman Capote. In that book a young boy remembers making fruitcakes with a beloved elderly relative every year and sending them to friends and strangers alike. It is a heartwarming and poignant story that always makes me a little weepy. I'm very grateful to Miranda and Sophie for encouraging me to think about this topic and reminding me of the power of memory and great books to add layers of meaning to the holidays.

I hope you are enjoying the build-up to the big holiday weekend and that you get to celebrate with family and friends. Wishing you all the merriest of holidays and a happy and healthy New Year!

Last Minute Christmas Gifts

If you are looking for a last minute Christmas gift, books are always a great idea. Unwrapping a book on Christmas morning and flipping through it during the day is a treasured tradition in our house. If I'm lucky there will be a few to open and that stack is a beguiling sight in the days to come. Which one will I read first? The quiet weeks after Christmas always allow for some good reading time. And settling in with a good book on a cold winter afternoon or night is one of the best things about this time of the year. Here are some books that have caught my eye recently. I hope this list will give you a few suggestions for last minute Christmas gifts. They are guaranteed to while away a cozy winter night in front of the fireplace.

The Bronte Cabinet by Deborah Lutz

The Bronte sisters are endlessly fascinating and now there is a new book to add to the vast scholarship on the topic. "The Bronte Cabinet" is an intimate portrait of the sisters' lives based on the objects they possessed. This is such a good idea. After visiting many of my favorite writer's houses, I feel that I know them better after seeing their possessions. Victorian scholar Deborah Lutz looks at the complex lives of the Brontes through the things they wore, stitched, wrote on, and inscribed. The first chapter is called "Tiny Books." For the passionate Bronte reader, this would be a wonderful addition to a collection.

Circling the Sun by Paula McLain

In "The Paris Wife" Paula McClain brought to life not only the tempestuous marriage of Ernest and Hadley Hemingway but also the heady days of Paris in the twenties. Now she is back with another historical novel, "Circling The Sun." It is about Beryl Markham, the record-breaking aviator caught up in a passionate love triangle with safari hunter Denis Finch Hatton and Karen Blixen, who as Isak Dinesen wrote the classic memoir "Out of Africa." I've already started this and love it.

The Dream Lover by Elizabeth Berg

This historical novel is about the life of the nineteenth-century writer George Sand. She started out as Aurore Dupin but changed her name after leaving her husband and starting her career as a writer. She had a passionate love affair with Frederic Chopin and defied the conventions of the day. Her friends and lovers included Gustave Flaubert, Franz Liszt, and Victor Hugo. Paris in the nineteenth century is vividly evoked in this book as it tells the story of the loves, passions, and fierce struggles of this fascinating woman.

1606: William Shakespeare and the Year of Lear by James Shapiro

It's hard to imagine how Shakespeare at the age of 42 wrote three iconic masterpieces in one year: "King Lear," "Macbeth," and "Antony and Cleopatra." That kind of creativity is awe-inspiring. James Shapiro takes a close look at the political and social turmoil of Britain in the year 1606 that contributed to the creation of these three incredible plays. I can't wait to read this one!

Nancy Mitford: The Complete Novels

For many people, Nancy Mitford is the ultimate comic novelist. This collected set of her sparkling, astute and hilarious novels would be the perfect gift for a friend who loves British humor. Mitford pokes fun at British aristocrats and their eccentric ways and evokes a long ago vanished time. These books are lough-out-loud funny. What a treasure to have all the novels together in one collected set.

M Train by Patti Smith

After the success of "Just Kids," Patti Smith has written another book. She describes this one as "a road map to my life." She tells the story of the odyssey of her career through the prism of the cafes and haunts she has worked in around the world. This book is a non-linear meditation on topics that have been important to her over the years: books, art, travel, the artist's craft and artistic creation. For your friends who loved her first book, this would be a wonderful gift.

The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante

"The Story of the Lost Child" is the final installment of the four Neapolitan novels by Elena Ferrante. I read the first book in the series, "My Brilliant Friend," and was impressed by this powerful story. It tells of a friendship between two women that seems unbreakable despite the most difficult odds. This fascinating tale of growing up in the working class of Naples in the 1950's amidst poverty, danger and violence also deals with the serious challenges of being a woman in that environment. The essence of these books seems to be the mysterious chemistry that holds these two women together as friends. The latest installment to the series has received great reviews.

Everybody Rise by Stephanie Clifford

This book is being called a modern day "House of Mirth." A first novel by Stephanie Clifford, it is about the young and wealthy in New York City. The story follows Evelyn Beegan, a middle class millennial from Maryland, whose great aspiration is to work her way into young Manhattan's elite society. It takes its title from the last line of Stephen Sondheim's song "The Ladies Who Lunch." From everything I've read, this book promises to be a funny and sharply observed story about old money in New York.

At Home in the Garden by Carolyne Roehm

This gorgeous coffee table book by Carolyne Roehm is about the gardens at her historic Connecticut home, Weatherstone. I have seen this one and it is impressive, in size and beauty! All of Roehm's books are filled with inspiration for home decor, entertaining and lifestyle. This would be a great gift for the garden lover in your life.

Garden Inspirations by Charlotte Moss                         

Another book about gardens, this one is by celebrated interior designer Charlotte Moss. She writes about the garden as her inspiration for interiors, entertaining and good living. The garden is her muse and this book shows the many ways it has influenced her life. Another beautiful book for your gardening friends.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Did you know that "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" turned 150 this year? On the occasion of this milestone birthday, Anna Bond of Rifle Paper Company has illustrated a beautiful new edition for Puffin Books. This charming book would be a treasure in anybody's library as well as a wonderful gift for the young person in your life.

A Book a Month from Persephone Books

The endpapers for the Persephone Books edition of "London War Notes" by Mollie Panter-Downes

Image via here

And finally if you really want to give a bountiful gift to a book lover, send them a year's worth of books from Persephone Books. Have you visited their charming bookshop in London? It is filled with lovely gray books whose gorgeous endpapers are derived from the pattern of a textile tied to the year the book was originally published. Persephone Books publishes out-of-print titles mostly by mid-twentieth century women writers. Authors include Katherine Mansfield, Monica Dickens, Julia Strachey, Enid Bagnold, Winifred Holtby, and E.M. Delafield. One of my favorite Persephone books is "Diary of a Provinical Lady" by E.M. Delafield. For your Anglophile friend who can't get enough of British novels set in the early 20th-century, give a year of books from Persephone Books. Go here to learn more.

Wishing you the happiest of holidays and a great year of reading in 2016!