Tis the Season: Wintry Reads for Adults

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Arment, Ainsley

Create new holiday traditions your family will treasure. When autumn rolls around, what could be better than gathering your family and making memories together? Ainsley Arment and the Wild + Free community have curated a festive selection of holiday-themed crafts, activities, recipes, and new traditions that parents and children will enjoy, such as: Pumpkin-Beeswax Harvest Candles ; Storybook Ornaments ; Holiday Crowns ; Homemade Wrapping Paper ; Arroz con Leche ; and more!

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Au, Jessica

A mother and daughter travel from abroad to meet in Tokyo: they walk along the canals through the autumn evenings, escape the typhoon rains, share meals in small cafes and restaurants, and visit galleries to see some of the city's most radical modern art. All the while, they talk: about the weather, horoscopes, clothes, and objects, about family, distance, and memory. But uncertainties abound. Who is really speaking here-is it only the daughter? And what is the real reason behind this elliptical, perhaps even spectral journey? At once a careful reckoning and an elegy, Cold Enough for Snow questions whether any of us speak a common language, which dimensions can contain love, and what claim we have to truly know another's inner world. 

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Collins, Bridget, Imogen Hermes Gowar, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Andrew Michael Hurley, Jess Kidd, Elizabeth Macneal, Natasha Pulley, and Laura Purcell

Long before Charles Dickens and Henry James popularized the tradition of supernatural horror, the shadowy nights of winter have been a time for people to gather together by the flicker of candlelight and experience the intoxicating thrill of a spooky tale. Now eight bestselling, award-winning authors--all of them master storytellers of the sinister and the macabre--bring the tradition to vivid life in a spellbinding new collection of original spine-tingling tales. Taking you from the frosty fens of the English countryside, to the snow-covered grounds of a haunted estate, to a bustling London Christmas market, these mesmerizing stories will capture your imagination and serve as your indispensable companion to cold, dark nights. So curl up, light a candle, and fall under the ghostly spell of winters past . . . 

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Cunningham, Michael

Michael Cunningham's luminous novel begins with a vision. It's November 2004. Barrett Meeks, having lost love yet again, is walking through Central Park when he is inspired to look up at the sky; there he sees a pale, translucent light that seems to regard him in a distinctly godlike way. Barrett doesn't believe in visions -- or in God -- but he can't deny what he's seen.

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Danvers, Holly

A glowing wood stove, a cozy log cabin, and shelves full of books are all Rain Wilmot needs to ride out the Wisconsin winter, now that she's made her family's Lofty Pines library her year-round home. But the warm-hearted librarian's blood runs cold when a local man, Wallace Benson, is found dead during the annual Ice Fishing Jamboree. After Benson's body is found in his ice shanty, Rain recalls that she recently saw the victim in her library, borrowing a few cookbooks to prepare for the fishing tournament's communal "chili dump." She later finds the same books returned to the library's drop box with an enigmatic not from Benson to Rain. As Rain seeks to understand the message, the prim suspect becomes Rain's friend Nick, who was the last person to see Wallace alive and who returned to the jamboree with a nasty cut on his hand. The knife found in his tackle box only makes Nick's troubles worse. but Rain keeps fishing for other suspects. Was the killer Danny, who lost his arm to a logging accident involving Wallace? Or Danny's bitter father, whose dreams of retirement were dashed by his son's accident? With the help of her friends Julia and Jace, Rain sets out to hook the real culprit and clear Nick's name. But can her sleuthing skills protect her from a killer who'd like to take her out of circulation?

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Davis, Jassy

Crackling fires, the crunch of autumn leaves, toasty mittens, and frosted windows...From mulled wine to festive spritzes, hot toddies to fireside tipples, Winter Warmers offers 60 cosy cocktails for autumn and winter. Settle into an armchair by the fire and sip boozy treats of the season, including a Pumpkin Spice Espresso Martini, Hot Buttered Maple Bacon Bourbon, Peppermint Patty, Festive Cranberry Punch, 3-Booze Egg Nog, the BEST mulled wine, and much more.

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Delaney, Emily

With a chapter for Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall, you'll learn to make nearly 50 creative, delicious boards that capitalize on the flavors and festivities of the season. Complete with suggested flavor and beverage pairings, styling tips, ingredient profiles, and more, Around the Board is your guide to year-round entertaining.

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Dixon, Ruby

The international publishing phenomenon Ice Planet Barbarians, now in a special print edition! Fall in love with the out-of-this-world romance between Georgie Carruthers, a human woman, and Vektal, an alien from another planet, in this expanded edition with bonus materials and an exclusive epilogue-in print only! You'd think being abducted by aliens would be the worst thing that could happen to me. And you'd be wrong. Because now the aliens are having ship trouble, and they've left their cargo of human women-including me-on an ice planet. We're not equipped for life in this desolate winter wasteland. Since I'm the unofficial leader, I head out into the snow to look for help. I find help all right. A big blue horned alien introduces himself in a rather... startling way. Vektal says that I'm his mate, his chosen female-and that the reason his chest is purring is because of my presence. He'll help me and my people survive, but this poses a new problem. If Vektal helps us survive, I'm not sure he's going to want to let me go.

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Galvan, Liz Marie

Whether you want to create a cozy winter wonderland in your living room, a blooming summertime welcome on your deck, or an autumn refuge by your fireplace, Liz Marie Galvan's Cozy White Cottage Seasons gives you the inspiring photos, DIY ideas, and fun recipes you need to feel at home on any budget and in every season. DIY interior designer and popular blogger Liz Marie Galvan helps you create space to snuggle up, stretch out, or kick back at home so you can focus on what matters most during the holidays and every day. Following the popularity of Cozy White Cottage, Cozy White Cottage Seasons is a beautiful, full-color photography holiday lifestyle book with easy-to-do, practical tips to make your home a cozy haven from New Year's to the following Christmas. Here you'll discover how to: Create cozy celebrations, traditions, and memories indoors and out; Repurpose furniture and decor for every season; Cultivate your flare for vintage, modern, farmhouse, or a unique style all your own; Design a hot cocoa bar and make other seasonally cozy recipes; and more.

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Greer, Helena

A witty, glittering rom-com about finding the courage to face your past and learning what it truly means to return home, perfect for fans of Jenny Bayliss and Alexandra Bellefleur. Artist Miriam Blum has her decoupaged glitter ducks perfectly lined up. Only for one phone call to bring her whole life all crashing down. Her beloved and eccentric great-aunt has just died-leaving her part-owner of the only Jewish-owned Christmas tree farm in the country. Facing the family Miriam abandoned terrifies her. But facing the farm's unbelievably sexy zaftig manager is another complication entirely... Noelle Northwood is horrified that the first woman she's been attracted to in years is the same careless virago whose absence devastated the people Noelle considers family. She hates, even more, the thought of working alongside Miriam to save Carrigan's Christmas Tree Farmland. Only Miriam decides to give working at the farm a trial run, and Noelle must find a way to keep the peace-and their undeniable chemistry at bay. At least until the end of the holiday season. But when the ghosts of the past endanger the farmland, both Miriam and Noelle will need to put aside their misconceptions... and discover if what they've been looking for has been right in front of them all along.

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Hanel, Marnie

When the going gets chilly and daylight is in short supply, the cozy cabin is the place to be. And here is the ultimate companion for cozier, comfier cold-weather cooking from the IACP Award-winning duo of Marnie Hanel and Jen Stevenson. The Cozy Cabin Cookbook is here to make cabin or lodge cooking just as magical as the scenery outdoors and transport readers to a snow-globe world filled with Fair Isle sweaters, sled rides, and wood-burning fires. Whether you're in need of satisfying snack to get through a day of hibernation, planning a menu for a snowed-in dinner party, or searching for a hearty breakfast before a long day of skiing, sledding, or ice-skating, The Cozy Cabin Cookbook is filled with inspiring and effortlessly cookable recipes. Readers can try the Snowbound Stromboli with Arrabbiata (a grown-up version of the Hot Pocket), Brown Butter Brussels Sprouts with Parsnips and Apples alongside Brrrisket with Parsley and Pomegranate Seeds, or Roasted Kabocha Squash Soup with Bacon and Chives.

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Janovsky, Timothy

Young, rich, and thoroughly spoiled, Matthew has no intention of being shipped off to some small town in New England to stay with his grandmother for Christmas...or to play nice with the attractive young man he meets there. Find a little "Joy to the World"? Not today, Santa. But when the two are forced to work together to make a charity gala go off without a hitch, Matthew may find the home he's been missing all along.

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Kasischke, Laura

On a snowy Christmas morning, Holly Judge awakens, the fragments of a nightmare--something she must write down--floating on the edge of her consciousness. Something followed them from Russia. On another Christmas morning thirteen years ago, she and her husband Eric were in Siberia to meet the sweet, dark-haired Rapunzel they desperately wanted. How they laughed at the nurses of Pokrovka Orphanage #2 with their garlic and their superstitions, and ignored their gentle warnings. After all, their fairy princess Tatiana--baby Tatty--was perfect. As the snow falls, enveloping the world in its white silence, Holly senses that something is not right, has not been right in the years since they brought their daughter--now a dangerously beautiful, petulant, sometimes erratic teenager--home. There is something evil inside this house. Inside themselves. How else to explain the accidents, the seemingly random and banal misfortunes. Trixie, the cat. The growth on Eric's hand. Sally the hen, their favorite, how the other chickens turned on her. The housekeeper, that ice, a bad fall. The CDs scratched, every one. But Holly must not think of these things. She and Tatiana are all alone. Eric is stuck on the roads and none of their guests will be able to make it through the snow. With each passing hour, the blizzard rages and Tatiana's mood darkens, her behavior becoming increasingly disturbing and frightening. Until, in every mother's worst nightmare, Holly finds she no longer recognizes her daughter.

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Kolven, Jane

Sometimes it takes everything going wrong to make you see how right things are. Dana Gottfried is a stressed-out Jewish lesbian who's just quit her job and wants to get home to see her grandmother. When her car breaks down in Indiana on Christmas Eve, Dana is stranded--until she's rescued by Charlie, a pig farmer who doesn't identify as male or female. Although they come from different worlds, Dana is intrigued by Charlie's sense of humor and kindness. Despite her better judgment, Dana says yes when Charlie offers a ride. But the journey home is paved with detours. From car accidents to scheming ex-girlfriends to a snowy and deserted Chicago Loop, everything that could go wrong on their road trip does, but it leads Dana on a path of self-discovery that just might end in love.

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Laitinen, Niina

Niina Laitinen is one of the most popular knitting designers in Scandinavia.This stunning collection of sock designs is inspired by the four seasons. Each of the 20 gorgeous patterns is accompanied by a beautiful description of the Finnish countryside that evokes the spirit of the Nordic seasons. The designs feature elements of nature in the shape of leaf patterns and beautiful lace and cable textures, to gorgeous colourwork featuring a geisha, a butterfly and heart patterns. They are knitted with the changing moods of the seasons in mind and include lightweight ankle-length designs for spring and summer, and heavier knee-length patterns for the colder winter weather. All the patterns have detailed charts to follow and range in difficulty from easy to more complex designs suitable for more advanced knitters.

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Lapierre, Corinne

Sew 20 stunning felt decorations - perfect for adding some festive charm to your home or for giving as gorgeous handmade gifts. Best-selling author Corinne Lapierre brings you 20 fantastic new festive designs! Create decorations to hang on your tree, ornaments to decorate your table and mantelpiece, and cards, gift bags and tags to send to loved ones. Including snowflakes, robins, stockings, snowmen, angels and more, there's something for everyone! Create gorgeous family heirlooms that you will look forward to seeing year after year. All the projects are simple to make, all the necessary templates are provided in the book and the stitches are clearly explained before you start.

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Lemire, Jeff

Milliken and Mae have never left The Trench--it's all they've ever known. They were born in The Trench, and they'll die there, just like all their people do. The two girls, eight and eleven, are a part of The Trenchfolk, a sprawling settlement of people living inside the massive ice walls of a vast, seemingly endless frozen trench carved into the surface of an otherwise icy wasteland. The Trenchfolk survive in this hostile world by following The Three Testaments of The Trench.

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Lipp, Jordan L.

Colorado is, without fear of exaggeration, world-famous for its skiing. And rightfully so. With some of the most legendary ski resorts in the world - Aspen, Breckenridge, Steamboat, Telluride, and Vail, to name only a few - as well as great backcountry skiing, and with its famed dry powder, few places on Earth can compare to the volume and quality of Colorado skiing. But snow is the result of weather. And, as every person knows, weather can be unpredictable. Whether you live in the Centennial State and ski every day, or you are planning a once in a lifetime ski trip to Colorado, the quality of the skiing on any given day will be dependent upon the snow and weather. The goal of this book is to provide you with a road map on the best ideas about when and where to ski in our great state and how to find and ski as much powder as possible. 

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Lodinsky, Heather

Enter a stitching world of new shapes and new possibilities with over 150 unique knitted and crocheted block shapes, beautifully presented in a tempting directory of different shapes, motifs and textures. Create stunning blankets, afghans and throws with these flexible blocks, and discover pretty little joining blocks and edging ideas. Choose from simple hearts and flowers to swirls, shells, snowflakes and much more. Heather Lodinsky's geometric, circular and irregular shapes come with a mix-and-match suggestion for how the block shapes might be combined. There are patterns and charts at the back of the book and practical advice on planning and executing your own designs. With clear, easy-to-follow instructions and diagrams, and functional ideas incorporating the blocks in scarves, bags and afghans, have fun exploring the many design possibilities in the projects section.

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May, Katherine

An intimate, revelatory book exploring the ways we can care for and repair ourselves when life knocks us down. Sometimes you slip through the cracks: unforeseen circumstances like an abrupt illness, the death of a loved one, a break up, or a job loss can derail a life. These periods of dislocation can be lonely and unexpected. For May, her husband fell ill, her son stopped attending school, and her own medical issues led her to leave a demanding job. Wintering explores how she not only endured this painful time, but embraced the singular opportunities it offered. A moving personal narrative shot through with lessons from literature, mythology, and the natural world, May's story offers instruction on the transformative power of rest and retreat. Illumination emerges from many sources: solstice celebrations and dormice hibernation, C.S. Lewis and Sylvia Plath, swimming in icy waters and sailing Arctic seas. Ultimately Wintering invites us to change how we relate to our own fallow times. May models an active acceptance of sadness and finds nourishment in deep retreat, joy in the hushed beauty of winter, and encouragement in understanding life as cyclical, not linear. A secular mystic, May forms a guiding philosophy for transforming the hardships that arise before the ushering in of a new season.

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Meltzer, Jean

When her publisher insists that she write a Hanukkah romance, Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt, a Jewish woman with a secret career as a Christmas romance novelist, unexpectedly finds inspiration when she encounters a childhood acquaintance at the Matzah Ball, a Jewish music celebration on the last night of Hanukkah.

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Morrison, Scott

The legacy of the greatest hockey series ever played, fifty years later, with stories from the players that shed new light on those incredible games and the era. "Cournoyer has it on that wing. Here's a shot. Henderson made a wild stab for it and fell. Here's another shot. Right in front...they score! Henderson has scored for Canada!" These immortal words, spoken to hockey fans around the world by the legendary broadcaster Foster Hewitt, capture the final-seconds goal scored by Paul Henderson that won the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union. Hockey fans know the moment well, but the story of those amazing eight games has never been fully told--until now. The series was the first of its kind, and one of the most dramatic and impactful sport showdowns in history. 

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O'Donnell, Paraic

London, 1893: high up in a house on a dark, snowy night, a lone seamstress stands by a window. So begins the swirling, serpentine world of Paraic O'Donnell's Victorian-inspired mystery, the story of a city cloaked in shadow, but burning with questions: why does the seamstress jump from the window? Why is a cryptic message stitched into her skin? And how is she connected to a rash of missing girls, all of whom seem to have disappeared under similar circumstances? On the case is Inspector Cutter, a detective as sharp and committed to his work as he is wryly hilarious. Gideon Bliss, a Cambridge dropout in love with one of the missing girls, stumbles into a role as Cutter's sidekick. And clever young journalist Octavia Hillingdon sees the case as a chance to tell a story that matters-despite her employer's preference that she stick to a women's society column. As Inspector Cutter peels back the mystery layer by layer, he leads them all, at last, to the secrets that lie hidden at the house on Vesper Sands.

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Rees, Cathy

A practical, accessible, and lushly photographed guide to making your garden a place of beauty and inspiration during the winter months as well as throughout the year.

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Rutland, Julia Dowling

This holiday season, rather than just watching merry festivities on-screen, bring the feast to your own home using The Christmas Movie Cookbook with over 65 scrumptious recipes inspired by the scenes from your favorite Christmas films!

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Sekine, Yumiko

From Yumiko Sekine, creator of the internationally celebrated lifestyle brand Fog Linen Work, comes this elegant guide to cultivating a beautiful, joyful home. In these pages, readers will discover lovely rituals and simple techniques based on Japanese practices for decorating, organizing, preparing food, entertaining, and more. From the kitchen to the bedroom and every space between, here are tips for transforming a home to greet each season-choosing the right sheets and linens for summer, arranging and displaying fresh flowers in spring, taking warm herbal baths in the cool days of autumn, and draping blankets and layering rugs to cozy up a space for winter. Brimming with hundreds of photographs showcasing lovely interiors alongside simple-to-follow tips to elevate any space, this book is an invitation to create a home that nourishes, rejuvenates, and inspires-all year long.

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Shore, Debbie

Sew your own winter wonderland with just half a yard of fabric! Debbie has chosen her favorite winter designs from her much-loved Half Yard™ series, including five brand-new projects for you to sink your needles into. Whether you're decorating the house for the holidays, looking for crafts to keep the little ones occupied or searching for gift inspiration, you'll find a gorgeous collection of items to make: from classics such as stockings, advent calendars and fabric baubles to snugly slippers,gorgeous gift bags and cheeky Christmas gnomes! Each item requires no more than half a yard of outer fabric, plus all the necessary hardware, trimmings and lining. As always, every project features Debbie's friendly, easy-to-follow instructions and a beautiful photograph of the finished make.

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Stewart, George R.

A violent storm sweeps through California, taking on a life of her own. Making her way from the Pacific Coast, she gains momentum as she approaches the Sierra and transforms into a blizzard of great strength, covering mountain ranges and roads with twenty feet of snow. Originally published in 1941, Storm is a rare combination of fiction and science by a master storyteller, drawing upon a deep knowledge of geography, meteorology, and human nature.

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Stewart, Tenae

The natural world is composed of complex, intersecting, and overlapping cycles. We experience these cycles as the passing of the seasons, moon phases, and twelve constellations of astrology. Working with natural magick is an excellent way to ground the energy of the cosmos in our real, practical experience of the world. In The Modern Witch's Guide to Natural Magick, cottage witch Tenae Stewart shares her knowledge of natural magick to celebrate and channel the energy of life's seasons. This magickal guide offers sixty recipes and rituals for connecting with nature and explores how devoting time and energy to these practices can benefit your daily life. Elements of natural magick practices explored in The Modern Witch's Guide to Natural Magick include: The basics of blending teas and oils for relaxation and celebration; The metaphysical and magickal properties of common plants; Natural recipes and rituals to celebrate and channel the energy of each season. Incorporating these natural practices into your lifestyle through a morning cup of tea or evening anointing oil can be quick, easy, seasonal, and magickal. Confidently embrace nature's cycles with a little help from The Modern Witch's Guide to Natural Magick.

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Weiden, David Heska Wanbli

Virgil Wounded Horse is the local enforcer on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. When justice is denied by the American legal system or the tribal council, Virgil is hired to deliver his own punishment, the kind that's hard to forget. But when heroin makes its way into the reservation and finds Virgil's nephew, his vigilantism suddenly becomes personal. He enlists the help of his ex-girlfriend and sets out to learn where the drugs are coming from, and how to make them stop. They follow a lead to Denver and find that drug cartels are rapidly expanding and forming new and terrifying alliances. And back on the reservation, a new tribal council initiative raises uncomfortable questions about money and power. As Virgil starts to link the pieces together, he must face his own demons and reclaim his Native identity. He realizes that being a Native American in the twenty-first century comes at an incredible cost.

Summaries provided by DPL's catalog unless otherwise noted. Click on each title to view more information.