3 thrilling reads to curl up with this winter
The Next Chapter columnist Alicia Cox Thomson shares some winter reads
Canadian writer and editor Alicia Cox Thomson loves reading about winter to get her through the frosty weather — and there's a certain type of wintry read that really gets her invested.
"I want to read something with a little bit more depth, something I could sink into and be cozy with," she told Ali Hassan.
From avalanches to post-apocalyptic thrillers, Thomson shares her favourite snowbound stories.
Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
In Moon of the Crusted Snow, a northern Anishinaabe community loses power just as winter arrives, burying roads and creating panic as the food supply slowly runs out. Newcomers begin to arrive on the reserve, escaping a nearby crisis, and tension builds as disease begins taking lives. As chaos takes hold, a small group turns to the land and Anishinaabe tradition to start rebuilding and restoring harmony.
Waubgeshig Rice is an Anishinaabe author, journalist and radio host originally from Wasauksing First Nation. He is also the author of Legacy and Midnight Sweatlodge. He is the former host of CBC Radio's Up North.
Alicia Cox Thomson says: "It's gripping even though it's also kind of slowly happening. It's not a long book, so I find that he writes sparingly, but with such energy that it's really enthralling. I read it in one fell swoop."
Last Winter by Carrie Mac
When Ruby survives an avalanche that kills her father and peers on a school overnight trip, she is left devastated and is determined to find him herself. Meanwhile, for her mother, who has bipolar and is reckoning with her own grief, her brazen trek back into the snow might push her to the breaking point.
Carrie Mac is the author of contemporary novels for teens, speculative YA, literary short fiction and creative nonfiction. Her accolades include a BC Book Prize and Arthur Ellis Award. She holds an MFA from the University of British Columbia's School of Creative Writing and is a mentor at Simon Fraser University's Writer's Studio. Mac was the winner of the 2015 CBC Nonfiction Prize for if you have a good seal, the chest will rise. She also made the 2017 CBC Short Story Prize longlist for The Third Bad Thing.
Alicia Cox Thomson says: "Last Winter is an emotional, heart-wrenching read."
The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz
Just when Alex is about to give up on her literary dreams, she gets an invitation to a month-long writing retreat at the house of feminist horror writer Roza Vallo. The writers, including her ex-best friend, Wren, are all tasked with writing an entire novel from scratch — and the best one will win a publishing deal. But when bad things start happening, including the disappearance of one of the other writers in a snowstorm, Alex will have to find out the sinister truth before time runs out.
Julia Bartz is a Brooklyn-based author, therapist and creative coach. The Writing Retreat is her debut novel.
Alicia Cox Thomson says: "This is one of my favourite thrillers of 2023 and I always describe it as delightfully bonkers."
Comments have been edited for length and clarity.
