Author: Ellen Zielinski Whitfield

Cheers! Drink and book pairings to celebrate national cocktail day

National Cocktail Day is March 24 — also coincidentally my birthday, so double cheers! I’ll be cozying up with one of these drink + book combos to celebrate!

Summer Club by Katherine Dean Mazerov 

Normally, politics, parent drama, drunken soirees, snarkiness and sex-capades reign at Meadow Glen Swim and Tennis club where Lydia Phillips presides as president. Now, a strange car following the club manager, a break-in at Lydia’s home and a shocking discovery on the club grounds have this stay-at-home mom dusting off her newspaper-reporting skills to unravel the mystery. When a body surfaces in the river, Lydia’s life gets a whole lot more complicated — and dangerous.

Pairing: A frozen margarita, perfect for a hot summer day

 

Viral BS by Dr. Seema Yasmin

In Viral BS, journalist, doctor, professor, and CDC-trained disease detective Seema Yasmin, driven by a need to set the record straight, dissects some of the most widely circulating medical myths and pseudoscience. Exploring how epidemics of misinformation can spread faster than microbes, Dr. Yasmin asks why bad science is sometimes more believable and contagious than the facts.

Pairing: A gin and tonic, once used for medicinal purposes

 

The Authors of This Dream by Seth Mullins

Brandon Chane’s life is spinning out of control. After an altercation outside a performance venue nearly proves fatal, he’s feeling at the mercy of dark forces threatening to tear his life apart. Even as a gifted poet and musician, his efforts to channel pain, frustration, and thwarted love into his music may not be enough to save him.

Pairing: The Rock ‘n’ Rolla is self-explanatory.

 

Rethink God by Nadiez Bahi

Sherif and Christian are two strangers whose paths cross by nothing more than serendipity. For their different reasons, they become companions on a journey trying to find an answer for the big question “Does God Exist?”

Pairing: Nectar of the Gods will help you ponder the big questions in life.

 

Murmuration by Sid Balman Jr.

Charlie Christmas, Ademar Zarkan, and Prometheus Stone are the best of America—united by war, scarred by displacement, and resolute in the face of the troubles that rip the nation apart over three decades. Christmas, a Somali translator with a split personality, and Zarkan, a Muslim sharpshooter who defies gender and religious constraints to graduate from West Point, are first brought together by Stone, a lapsed Jew and an Army captain, amidst war and famine in East Africa. Their ensuing journey — which takes them from the mean streets of Mogadishu to the high desert of West Texas, from the barren plains of Indian country to the rolling hills of Minnesota — is at turns tragic and uplifting.

Pairing: A Texas Sunrise mocktail (alcohol is illegal in Somalia) that hails back to Sid’s home

 

Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica S. Olson

In this gender-swapped, feminist version of “The Phantom of the Opera,” Isda does not exist. At least not beyond the opulent walls of the opera house.

Cast into a well at birth for being one of the magical few who can manipulate memories when people sing, she was saved by Cyril, the opera house’s owner. Since that day, he has given her sanctuary from the murderous world outside. All he asks in return is that she use her power to keep ticket sales high — and that she stay out of sight. For if anyone discovers she survived, Isda and Cyril would pay with their lives.

Pairing: A Death in the Afternoon — an unforgettable cocktail for this unforgettable tale

 

Wings of Ebony by J. Elle

“Wonder Woman” meets “The Hate U Give” in a “Black Panther” world in this New York Times-bestselling YA fantasy about a Black teen from Houston who discovers she has magic powers — and learns how powerfully strong and resilient she truly is. Savor this moving story of Black girl magic with a glass of Black Magic Sangria–this cocktail even matches Wings of Ebony’s gorgeous cover! 

Pairing: A Black Magic Sangria matches the the enchanting cover perfectly.

 

The Magician by Kathleen Shoop 

It begins when narrator Patryk Rusek’s great-grandson Owen pulls up to Patryk’s nursing home, and discovers Patryk reading from his chronicle of the town of Donora to half the nursing home’s employees and residents. Flashback to Donora, 1920: Mary Musial is expecting again, and she and Lukasz Musial are hoping for a boy after four daughters. When Stanislaw Franciszek Musial is born, Mary hopes it will bring Lukasz joy, whose American Dream is rapidly fading. The story of Stan inspires Owen’s lifelong dream of being a pro baseball player despite his family’s wishes for his future. Everyone close to Stan has different goals in mind for him, but are they what Stan wants? Will insecurities and the people close to them lead them both to make choices too late, and decades apart from each other, or will they choose to follow their dreams after all?

Paring: The Sidecar is a perfect fit for the 1920s aesthetic. 

 

Among the Beautiful Beasts by Lori McMullen

Set in 1920s Miami, Lori McMullen’s historical fiction novel reveals the remarkable untold story of Marjory Stoneman Douglas– the woman who saved the Everglades. After running away from her husband – a swindler thirty years her senior – and entering into an all-consuming affair, Marjory finds herself drained by the demanding men seeking control over her life. She finds solace in the natural world – wild and free as she longs to be. So, when the Everglades are threatened with irreparable damage, Marjory knows she must speak up, or one of the greatest wonders of the world will be lost.

Pairing: A Matcha Mint Julep has a very earthy vibe. 

 

Closer to Fine by Jodi S. Rosenfeld

One of the warmest, most relatable new adult novels of the year, Jodi S. Rosenfeld’s “Closer to Fine” follows Rachel, a 20-something psych student who knows the human brain but struggles to understand her own anxiety. When a progressive female rabbi shakes up her community — and a new love interest, Liz, shakes up Rachel’s world — Rachel finds herself caught between the person she is and the woman she wants to be.

Pairing: The Sazerac has evolved and changed over time.

 

Denied by Mary Keliikoa

The second book in the gripping, award-nominated PI Kelly Pruett mystery series, “Denied” follows Kelly as a seemingly straightforward missing persons case quickly leads to hidden gambling debts, a severed finger, and an explosive message from the mafia. With a strong and relatable female lead, off-the-charts tension, and breathtaking twists, Mary Keliikoa’s action-packed story is one you won’t want to miss!

Pairing: A Reposado Old Fashioned is a feminine twist on a noir classic. 

 

Rea and the Blood of the Nectar by Payal Doshi

It all begins on the night Rea turns twelve. After a big fight with her twin brother Rohan on their birthday, Rea’s life in the small village of Darjeeling, India, gets turned on its head. It’s four in the morning and Rohan is nowhere to be found. Unwilling to give up on her brother, Rea and her friend Leela meet Mishti Daadi, a wrinkly old fortune-teller whose powers of divination set them off on a thrilling and secret quest. In the shade of night, they portal to an otherworldly realm and travel to Astranthia, a land full of magic and whimsy. Rea must solve clues that lead to Rohan, find a way to rescue him and save Astranthia from a potentially deadly fate.

Pairing: A mango fizz mocktail will be fun for the kids and make them feel adventurous.

 

The Reincarnationist Papers by D. Eric Maikranz

After an arson job gone wrong, Evan is confronted by a mysterious woman, Poppy, who recognizes him for what he is because she also remembers multiple lives — except that she is much older, remembering seven complete lives.  But there is something else Poppy must share with Evan — she is a member of a secret society of similar individuals who remember sequential past lives and reincarnate life after life.  These 28 people created a secret society called the Cognomina centuries ago so that they could associate with each other from one lifetime to another.  They are, in effect, near immortals — compiling experiences and skills over diverse lifetimes into near superhuman abilities that they have used to drive human history toward their own agenda on a longer timeline. 

Pairing: You should be able to find a good negroni no matter where your lives take you.

 

One Must Tell the Bees by J. Lawrence Matthews

It begins in 1918 in the English countryside  where the world’s greatest detective has retired to tend his bees and write his memoirs — memoirs that reveal the full story of his journey to America, first as a junior chemist at the DuPont gunpowder works in Wilmington, then as a companion for young Tad Lincoln on what turns out to be the evening of President Lincoln’s assassination — and finally as an unsung participant in the electrifying manhunt for the assassin, John Wilkes Booth.

Pairing: The Bee’s Knees is a prohibition-inspired cocktail incorporating honey. 

 

Tools of A Thief by D. Hale Rambo

How do you stop being a thief? Zizy assumed quitting her job, stealing from her boss, and flitting magically across the continent was one way to give it a go. Getting in and out of sticky situations is typically Zizy’s specialty. A little spellwork here, a pinch of deception there, and she’s home free. Quick-fingered, fast-talking, and charming the gnome knows traveling across a shattered continent won’t be easy. Still, she has the skills to keep herself from getting killed.

Pairing: Pink champagne punch is fizzy and fun, with a rosy hue.

A couple of us on the Books Forward team are obsessed with WandaVision, and we put together a list of some books to check out if you also can’t stop watching! Most of these books are fairly dark, so keep that in mind if you plan to pick one up.

1. The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin and Peter Straub – An idyllic neighborhood hides a terrible secret. Sound familiar?
2. Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben – Maya catches a glimpse of her husband playing with her daughter on their nanny cam, but he had been murdered weeks ago. 
3. When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole – This thriller about gentrification is imbued with dread and quickly turns into a horror story.
4. Fledgling by Octavia Butler – A young girl has no memory of her past, but starts to realize she has inhuman and startling abilities.
5. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch – Jason is abducted and wakes up in a new, alternate version of his life. If you love WandaVision for the twists, this is the book for you.
6. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty – Big, brittle smiles cover up a lot of secrets in this seemingly perfect community filled with tight-lipped housewives.
7. Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng – On the surface, Lydia leads a perfect life, but when her body is found in a lake, her family must explore what she had been keeping inside.  
8. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – A tough, smart heroine and a story that gets weirder and weirder as she digs deeper.
9. The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi – Vivek’s death at the beginning of the book leads to an exploration of grief, identity and family.
10. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn – Camille heads to stay with her family in the town where she grew up after a stay at a psychiatric facility, only to find that they have gotten more stifling, more secretive and more dangerous.

March is national foreign language month, and to mark the occasion, our team put together a list of books in translation that we’ve loved or are looking forward to. These are books that were originally published in a language other than English.

“Love in the Time of Cholera” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
I’ve owned a copy of Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Márquez for years, but I’ve yet to crack it open. I’m hoping to tackle a few unread books from my home library this year, including this one! So many people have raved about this novel, so I’m excited to finally dive in.

– Angelle Barbazon, lead publicist

“Woman at Point Zero” by Nawal El Saadawi
Originally published in Arabic in the 1970s, this book centers on Firdaus, a woman whose entire life was marked by abuse at the hands of the powerful. Imprisoned in Cairo as an adult, she recounts her life story from childhood to the present day. Her heartbreaking tale reflects the true stories of countless women who face a combination of sexism and class-based oppression.

“The Emissary” by Yoko Tawada
This slim dystopian science fiction novel takes place in Japan, which has cut itself off from the rest of the world following a nation-wide disaster. The book centers on a child, Mumei, who lives with his grandfather. Mumei is part of a generation of children born with a series of medical problems who rely on their comparatively spry grandparents for assistance. Despite the dystopian nature of the plot, Tawada’s tale is full of bright spots and lighthearted moments.
– Jackie Karneth, publicist

“In the Miso Soup,” by Ryu Murakami
My library happened to have it sitting featured on a shelf, so I picked it up on a whim a couple years ago. The novel follows Kenji, a young Japanese sex tour guide who accompanies his new client, a creepy American named Frank, for three nights among Tokyo’s nightlife. Reading this book was at times like a fever dream. Equal parts horrifying and intriguing, I often had to go back and check that what I had just read was really happening. When I finished it, I truly didn’t know if I could even say I liked the book. But I find myself remembering scenes from it randomly, thinking about conversations the characters had, and how the story ultimately took hold of me. A completely different kind of thriller than those I’m used to reading, this book is gruesome: Besides the grizzly murders that take place, it makes us analyze our own worst behaviors and the steps we’ll take to avoid being alone.

“A Man Called Ove,” by Fredrick Backman
This was my first Backman novel, and it still sits with me and is one of my favorite books I’ve ever read. The book follows Ove, a cranky old man who adheres tightly to routine and socializes with no one. When new neighbors moving in start to interfere with Ove’s carefully laid out plans, we begin to see just how broken and alone this grouch really is after losing the love of his life, Sonja. Backman has a way of writing that is effortlessly beautiful without being pretentious. On more than one occasion, I had to stop and take a deep breath after reading the way he so accurately describes feelings like love and heartache.

– Jenn Vance, social media coordinator and publicist

“The Flowers of Evil” by Charles Baudelaire
I remember first reading Charles Baudelaire’s poetry collection, “Les fleurs du mal,” in my college World Poetry class, and it quickly become one of my favorite collections that I read that year. Indulgent, decadent, erotic, romantic, and angst-ridden, the collection is a Poe-esque angst fest and everything you would hope to get from a mid-19th century Parisian poet and laudanum addict. If poetry titles like “Madrigal of Sorrow,” “The Serpent’s Tooth,” and “Vampire” appeal to you, then grab this volume and a glass of red wine, light some candles, and get ready to swoon on your chaise lounge.

– Chelsea Apple, content coordinator

“Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead” by Olga Tokarczuk
I’ve seen so much buzz around this book in the past year or so, and every time I see mention of it, I think to myself “oooo I need to read that soon!” and then I get distracted. But it has everything that I like in a book — an award-winning literary mystery — and it’s set in Poland, where I have roots. So I’m going to get to it soon. I promise.

“The Memory Police” by Yoko Ogawa
This is another book that I’ve been excited about for a while, but I haven’t read it yet because frankly it sounds a little scary and I am a wuss. It involves an Orwellian police force who disappear things and people and is a reflection on memory and loss.

– Ellen Whitfield, senior publicist

“Bottled Goods” by Sophie van Llewyn
I received an ARC of this one a few months back and I devoured it quickly. This concise novel takes place in Romania, a country I know little to nothing about, during the 1970’s. An intimate portrait of a perspective far from my own, I cherished each page of this succinct novel.

– Elysse Wagner, publicist and campaign strategist

To celebrate Black History Month, we asked some of our favorite bookstagrammers to recommend books you should be reading all year round, not just in February! Give them a follow, and then pick up one of these books — there’s something for everyone on this list!

1. Katherine (@foreverabookseller) recommends: Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant. “Happily Ever Afters is for every Black girl that’s felt like she would never find love because she had been told by the world for years that she wasn’t good enough. I can tell you that you are good enough, and I know that by the time that you’re done reading this romantic, funny, kind, loving, and smart debut young adult novel, you’ll believe it too.”
2. Brittany (@bnjreads) recommends: Snapped by Alexa Martin. “On my account you will see a mix of everything, from feel good rom-coms to explorations of trauma — I read it all! My most anticipated read of 2020 also happened to be my favorite (don’t you love it when that happens)! Snapped by Alexa Martin is my recommendation! Alexa Martin always finds a way to weave together football, social issues, true sisterhood and all the steam you need in her books and just like the other books in the Playbook Series, (Intercepted, Fumbled and Blitzed), Snapped delivered it all!”
3. Aixa (@thatgoodgoodbook) says: “I recommend Four Hundred Souls, edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha Blain out on February 2 from One World Books. It’s the perfect alchemy of art and history written by some of the most insightful thought leaders and writers (artists) in America. Readers will go back to the future.”
4. Nicola (@bookedupandbusy) recommends: Born A Crime by Trevor Noah. “I loved this book because not only is it educational and enlightening about Trevor growing up post-apartheid in South Africa, it is filled with super funny and charismatic stories. A well-written and genius memoir.”
5. Shakara (@booksnbrownsugar) recommends: Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson. “My top recommendation for any reader or non-reader is Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson. It’s an easy read that’s packed with the right amount of suspense to keep the pages turning from beginning to end while also sparking the reality of missing children, gentrification, and abuse. A good book should move you, and this novel does just that!”
6. Bailey (@paperinkstars) recommends: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn. “Legendborn, a debut YA fantasy, is the book I wish I had growing up, the book I’m beyond happy to have grace my shelves now, and the book I would recommend to anyone. It’s a beautiful and impactful exploration of grief, PTSD, intergenerational trauma, racism, and so much more. Legendborn is definitely worth the read!”
7. Shani (@_shaniakilah) recommends: How To Love A Jamaican by Alexia Arthurs. “Such a wonderful collection, exploring stories from Jamaica and its diaspora in a lyrical and authentic way. Absolutely beautiful and unforgettable!”
8. Rachelle (@raethereviewer) recommends: Early Departures by Justin A. Reynolds. “It’s a wonderful exploration of friendship, grief, and moving forward. It also tackles issues of toxic masculinity in the Black community.”
9. Toya (@contemporarily_yours) recommends: When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk. “When You Were Everything is a beautifully written and heartbreaking story that explores the topics of friendships, love, loyalty, and how our expectations can be flawed. It’s a story that reminds us that not all friendships last forever and that sometimes friends grow apart, leaving us to pick up the pieces and figuring out how to continue on without someone you thought would be around forever.”
10. Suzie (@asbthebookworm) says: “For my book recommendation, I’m going to go with a favourite read from 2020, which is Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Dr. Yusef Salaam. It’s an incredible and deeply moving YA novel in verse that at its core is about finding light even in the darkest of places and holding on to that light. It’s also about the power of art and the importance of the written and spoken word. A phenomenal story that will stay with you long after you’ve read the last page.”
11. Shawntaye (@shawntaye1) recommends: The Toni Morrison Book Club by Juda Bennett, Winnifred Brown-Glaude, Cassandra Jackson, and Piper Kendrix Williams. “In this nonfiction book, four friends — who are also educators — examine themes in Toni Morrison novels and then connect those themes to their own lives and injustices in the Black community. Reading this book, I felt like part of their intimate circle and wanted to reread the novels with them. This book is evidence that Morrison and her work will always be relevant.”
12. Zae (@whittyreads) recommends: Take A Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert. “Last year was a difficult year in many different ways for people. However, that book brought me so much joy and I think it’s a book that everyone should read. If you need to smile or laugh this book is the perfect pick me up.”
13. Toya (@thereadingchemist) recommends: Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas. “Angie Thomas delivers a raw and unflinching account of Maverick Carter’s life before he was the wise and down to earth dad in The Hate U Give. Concrete Rose will make you uncomfortable and question your biases when it comes to topics such as gangs, teenage pregnancy, and incarceration, but this story is a must read when it comes to understanding the youth that is so often ignored and/or beat down by society.”
14. Lizz (@readingismyfirstlove) recommends: A More Perfect Union by Tammye Huf. “This romance between a Black slave woman and an Irish immigrant, based on the author’s ancestors’ own story, will make you feel deeply for things that didn’t happen to you: to cry at fictional misery, grieve an imaginary loss and cherish moments of a make-believe forbidden love. Along with the touching romance and theme of courage through strife, this book is a tear-jerker. Full review on Bad Form.”
15. Hawa (@hawa.reads) recommends: They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib. “I love this book because of the way that the author connects music to his personal experiences. For Hanif Abdurraqib to have such a way with words, I think this essay collection is pretty underrated. I’ll read anything he writes!”
16. Kayla (@honeybuttergal) recommends: Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi. “Transcendent Kingdom is a book about many things — depression, science, the opioid epidemic, absentee parents, wrestling with one’s faith, life in the American South as an immigrant and racial minority. Each topic warrants a closer look in their own right, but where some books might tackle them all and feel bloated, Gyasi is able to strip each of these topics down to their most salient points in a way that is both breathtaking and haunting.”
17. Latoya (@jamaicangirlreads) recommends: Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams. “I loved this book! I saw my younger self on every page and I connected personally with the story and characters. This is a middle grade book that is so relevant for our young girls especially at a time like this. The writing flows easily for the targeted audience and I can see so many young girls relating to Genesis’ story of learning to love and accept herself, manage family complexities, colorism and belonging. I’ll probably re-read this book many times and it will always be on my most recommended list.”
18. Vivi (@culturedmarketer.reads) says: “I would recommend Afropean, a travel memoir by UK broadcaster, photographer and journalist Johny Pitts who journeys in search of Black Europe. A lot of the history discussed was personal to me, having been born in DR Congo, a country which suffered atrocities under Belgium’s colonial rule, and raised in Europe. Pitts’ visits to a gentrified Matongé and to Tervuren, the disgraced Royal Museum for Central Africa in Belgium brought back memories. It made me reflect on Sri Lankan novelist Ambalavaner Sivababdan’s words, as referenced in the book, ‘We are here because you were there.’”
19. Mikhaila (@mikhailareads) recommends: Black Card by Chris L.Terry. “Black Card is a satire on the black experience. The narrator is a mixed race guy in a punk rock band. I enjoyed this book because it’s reminiscent of living while black, and left me thinking about the painstaking task of being black in America. Terry’s story is reality bending, hilarious, and a unique perspective on blackness.”
20. CoCo (@coco_chasing_adventures) says: “My choice for a book to get you through quarantine is Take A Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert. This novel follows the spunky and colorful Dani Brown —  an ambitious, witchy,  PhD candidate studying feminist theories. Dani charges her crystals in a full moon (word to Beyoncé), is body and sex positive, and puts her career first. Still, orgasms are elusive and as a result, she has taken to asking the Gods to send her the perfect sneaky link up. In walks the big, strong and cuddly Zafir Ansari. He’s a former rugby player and reads romance novels (swoon!) This book meets all my criteria for a romance novel: fierce protagonist, snarky humor and Black girl magic. Out of everything, it’s the STEAM for me. Curvy bodies, spontaneous romps and satisfying endings will have you  reaching for every book written by Talia Hibbert.”
21. Marlowe (@lowelowe_bythebook) says: “For those that are fans of speculative fiction and fantasy, I will forever recommend The FIfth Season by N.K. Jemisin.  The world-building is phenomenal, with some of the most compelling characters I’ve ever read.  What I love most about this book is the way the author addresses issues that very much pertain to our society without using euphemisms or ever stepping out of the fantasy world she has created.  You are dropped into a world and left to figure it out until she decides to let you in on the secret everyone else knows by pushing you off a cliff.  I don’t exaggerate when I say this book (and the series) changed my life and I envy anyone that gets to read it for the first time.”
22. Kim (@kimbookwyrm) recommends: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn. “This Arthurian retelling mixed with heavy doses of Black [Girl] Magic and grief, is the story I’ve waited for. It’s definitely one of my top reads of 2020!”
23. Brittany (@_britt_lit) recommends: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. “I love this book because it puts black history in the context that spans over several decades by highlighting different stories of fictional people. Even though it’s fictional, the history is true. I never knew I could learn so much about black history from reading a novel. It really opened my eyes to the power of fiction.”
24. Lauren (@thedopelibrarian) recommends: Black Girl Unlimited by Echo Brown. “It’s difficult to sum the magic of this book up into a couple of sentences. This book is a magical memoir about the power that rests in each of us. We do not have to be overcome by the circumstances of life, you do not have to go at life alone, but you can tap into a space resting beneath the surface and live a life of wonder. This is a transformative book. You will not read this book and remain the same person. You will feel powerful.”
25. Amanda (@crownofstories) recommends: With The Fire on High By Elizabeth Acevedo. “It was the first time reading a book where I felt intimately connected to a character. The way Elizabeth touched on Emoni’s fears of not being a fully formed person because her mother was dead and wasn’t able to show her how to be apart of the world were some of the same fears I had as a teenager and as a young woman. The discussion on blackness in the Latin community is also something I’ve found myself speaking about at length with my family.”

Happy Appreciate A Dragon Day! Yes, that’s another one of those weird made up holidays, but also I love books with dragons, and I’m not going to NOT share about them if given the chance. Some just have appearances of dragons, and the dragons are main characters in others, but if you also have a love for these large scaly beasts, be sure to check out some of the books on this list! Here are 10 I’ve read and enjoyed:

1. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein – However you pronounce his name, Smaug’s greed and treasure hoarding (classic dragon) sets off one of the greatest adventure stories ever written.
2. Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri – One of my daughter’s favorite picture books, and one I don’t mind reading over and over. It’s also guaranteed to make you want tacos!
3. Blazewrath Games by Amparo Ortiz – Honestly, who doesn’t want to compete in a tournament where you and a dragon compete for glory?
4. Priory of the Orange Tree by Samatha Shannon – This epic fantasy tome has a bonus of having good dragons (no wings, water-based) vs. bad dragons (fiery, can fly).
5. The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter – Truthfully, there were a lot fewer dragons than I expected in this book, but they were central to the plot and interwoven beautifully.
6. How to Train Your Dragon – A cute early reader series that’s been turned into a great movie series as well. I’m hoping this book will eventually lead my kiddo to liking dragons as much as I do!
7. A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan – The perfect combination of historical fiction and fantasy. The book is written from the perspective of a journal by the world’s leading expert on dragons, who just happens to be a woman (gasp)!
8. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis – The dragon in this book plays a relatively small part, but it’s integral to a central character’s growth.
9. The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill – This book flips the script: instead of the dragon being large and overwhelming, he is perfectly tiny, and a wonderful addition to a lovely cast of characters.
10. Highfire by Eoin Colfer – Take it from me, if there was (is?) a dragon living in the swamps of Louisiana, this is exactly what he’d be like: surly, frequently inebriated, but with a heart of gold.

Did we miss any of your dragon favorites? Let me know at ellen@booksforward.com!

Now that Christmas is past, it might seem like seasonal reading is over, but there are lots of great books set in cold climates or during the winter months that don’t have to do with the holidays. Cozy up with a blanket and candle and dive into one of these great reads to embrace the chill.

1. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
   Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart — he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season’s first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone–but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees. This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side, skims lightly across the snow, and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel struggle to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they come to love her as their own daughter. But in this beautiful, violent place things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform all of them.
2. The Snowman by Jo Nesbo
   In Oslo, the first snow hit. Jonas gets up in the morning and finds out his mother’s gone. There’s only one clue left – the pink scarf he gave her for Christmas. He’s got a snowman on his neck. The previous night, he unexpectedly appeared in the backyard, and his black eyes stared straight into the house. The case is being handled by Inspector Harry Hole, who recently received a mysterious letter with the signature Snowman. The situation gets even more tangled when Harry discovers that this model is repeating itself – eleven women have been lost in the last ten years, always on the very day the first snow hit. The investigation is all the more difficult for Harry to relate to his new colleague, but also to his beloved Rachel. The Snowman case brings him to the brink of madness. Brilliantly plotted characters and graduating suspense guarantee a thrilling story that only the master of contemporary thrillers Jo Nesbo can write.
3. The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
   Seamlessly blending classic horror and a dramatic narrative with sharp social commentary, The Only Good Indians follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. Tracked by an entity bent on revenge, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.
4. A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny
   Welcome to winter in Three Pines, a picturesque village in Quebec, where the villagers are preparing for a traditional country Christmas, and someone is preparing for murder. No one liked CC de Poitiers. Not her quiet husband, not her spineless lover, not her pathetic daughter—and certainly none of the residents of Three Pines. CC de Poitiers managed to alienate everyone, right up until the moment of her death. When Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, of the Sûreté du Québec, is called to investigate, he quickly realizes he’s dealing with someone quite extraordinary. CC de Poitiers was electrocuted in the middle of a frozen lake, in front of the entire village, as she watched the annual curling tournament. And yet no one saw anything. Who could have been insane enough to try such a macabre method of murder—or brilliant enough to succeed?
5. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
   At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn’t mind—she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse’s fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil. After Vasilisa’s mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa’s new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows. And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa’s stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent. As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed—this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse’s most frightening tales.
6. Beartown by Fredrik Backman
   People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys. Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected. Beartown explores the hopes that bring a small community together, the secrets that tear it apart, and the courage it takes for an individual to go against the grain. In this story of a small forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world.
7. Snow Falling on Cedars by David Gutterrson
   Gripping, tragic, and densely atmospheric—a masterpiece of suspense San Piedro Island, north of Puget Sound, is a place so isolated that no one who lives there can afford to make enemies. But in 1954 a local fisherman is found suspiciously drowned, and a Japanese American named Kabuo Miyamoto is charged with his murder. In the course of the ensuing trial, it becomes clear that what is at stake is more than a man’s guilt. For on San Pedro, memories of a charmed love affair between a white boy and the Japanese girl who grew up to become Kabuo’s wife; memories of land desired, paid for, and lost. Above all, San Piedro is haunted by the memory of what happened to its Japanese residents during World War II, when an entire community was sent into exile while its neighbors watched.
8. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
   So begins the story of Susie Salmon, who is adjusting to her new home in heaven, a place that is not at all what she expected, even as she is watching life on earth continue without her — her friends trading rumors about her disappearance, her killer trying to cover his tracks, her grief-stricken family unraveling. Out of unspeakable tragedy and loss, The Lovely Bones succeeds, miraculously, in building a tale filled with hope, humor, suspense, even joy.
9. Smilla’s Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg
   She thinks more highly of snow and ice than she does of love.  She lives in a world of numbers, science and memories–a dark, exotic stranger in a strange land.  And now Smilla Jaspersen is convinced she has uncovered a shattering crime… It happened in the Copenhagen snow.  A six-year-old boy, a Greenlander like Smilla, fell to his death from the top of his apartment building.  While the boy’s body is still warm, the police pronounce his death an accident.  But Smilla knows her young neighbor didn’t fall from the roof on his own.  Soon she is following a path of clues as clear to her as footsteps in the snow.  For her dead neighbor, and for herself, she must embark on a harrowing journey of lies, revelation and violence that will take her back to the world of ice and snow from which she comes, where an explosive secret waits beneath the ice….
10. Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
    With winter looming, a small northern Anishinaabe community goes dark. Cut off, people become passive and confused. Panic builds as the food supply dwindles. While the band council and a pocket of community members struggle to maintain order, an unexpected visitor arrives, escaping the crumbling society to the south. Soon after, others follow. The community leadership loses its grip on power as the visitors manipulate the tired and hungry to take control of the reserve. Tensions rise and, as the months pass, so does the death toll due to sickness and despair. Frustrated by the building chaos, a group of young friends and their families turn to the land and Anishinaabe tradition in hopes of helping their community thrive again. Guided through the chaos by an unlikely leader named Evan Whitesky, they endeavor to restore order while grappling with a grave decision.
11. Raven Black by Ann Cleeves
    Raven Black begins on New Year’s Eve with a lonely outcast named Magnus Tait, who stays home waiting for visitors who never come. But the next morning the body of a murdered teenage girl is discovered nearby, and suspicion falls on Magnus. Inspector Jimmy Perez enters an investigative maze that leads deeper into the past of the Shetland Islands than anyone wants to go.
12. Peace Like A River by Leif Enger
    Once in a great while, we encounter a novel in our voluminous reading that begs to be read aloud. Leif Enger’s debut, Peace Like a River, is one such work. His richly evocative novel, narrated by an asthmatic 11-year-old named Reuben Land, is the story of Reuben’s unusual family and their journey across the frozen Badlands of the Dakotas in search of his fugitive older brother. Charged with the murder of two locals who terrorized their family, Davy has fled, understanding that the scales of justice will not weigh in his favor. But Reuben, his father, Jeremiah—a man of faith so deep he has been known to produce miracles—and Reuben’s little sister, Swede, follow closely behind the fleeing Davy.
13. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe  by C.S. Lewis
    Narnia…the land beyond the wardrobe door, a secret place frozen in eternal winter, a magical country waiting to be set free. Lucy is the first to find the secret of the wardrobe in the professor’s mysterious old house. At first her brothers and sister don’t believe her when she tells of her visit to the land of Narnia. But soon Edmund, then Peter and Susan step through the wardrobe themselves. In Narnia they find a country buried under the evil enchantment of the White Witch. When they meet the Lion Aslan, they realize they’ve been called to a great adventure and bravely join the battle to free Narnia from the Witch’s sinister spell.
14. In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende
    In the Midst of Winter begins with a minor traffic accident—which becomes the catalyst for an unexpected and moving love story between two people who thought they were deep into the winter of their lives. Richard Bowmaster—a 60-year-old human rights scholar—hits the car of Evelyn Ortega—a young, undocumented immigrant from Guatemala—in the middle of a snowstorm in Brooklyn. What at first seems just a small inconvenience takes an unforeseen and far more serious turn when Evelyn turns up at the professor’s house seeking help. At a loss, the professor asks his tenant Lucia Maraz—a 62-year-old lecturer from Chile—for her advice. These three very different people are brought together in a mesmerizing story that moves from present-day Brooklyn to Guatemala in the recent past to 1970s Chile and Brazil, sparking the beginning of a long overdue love story between Richard and Lucia. Exploring the timely issues of human rights and the plight of immigrants and refugees, the book recalls Allende’s landmark novel The House of the Spirits in the way it embraces the cause of “humanity, and it does so with passion, humor, and wisdom that transcend politics” (Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post). In the Midst of Winter will stay with you long after you turn the final page.
15. The Terror by Dan Simmons
    The men on board HMS Terror have every expectation of triumph. As part of the 1845 Franklin Expedition, the first steam-powered vessels ever to search for the legendary Northwest Passage, they are as scientifically supported an enterprise as has ever set forth. As they enter a second summer in the Arctic Circle without a thaw, though, they are stranded in a nightmarish landscape of encroaching ice and darkness. Endlessly cold, with diminishing rations, 126 men fight to survive with poisonous food, a dwindling supply of coal, and ships buckling in the grip of crushing ice. But their real enemy is far more terrifying. There is something out there in the frigid darkness: an unseen predator stalking their ship, a monstrous terror constantly clawing to get in. When the expedition’s leader, Sir John Franklin, meets a terrible death, Captain Francis Crozier takes command and leads his surviving crewmen on a last, desperate attempt to flee south across the ice. With them travels an Inuit woman who cannot speak and who may be the key to survival, or the harbinger of their deaths. But as another winter approaches, as scurvy and starvation grow more terrible, and as the terror on the ice stalks them southward, Crozier and his men begin to fear that there is no escape.
16. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
    Alaska, 1974. Unpredictable. Unforgiving. Untamed. For a family in crisis, the ultimate test of survival. Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam war a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: he will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier. Thirteen-year-old Leni, a girl coming of age in a tumultuous time, caught in the riptide of her parents’ passionate, stormy relationship, dares to hope that a new land will lead to a better future for her family. She is desperate for a place to belong. Her mother, Cora, will do anything and go anywhere for the man she loves, even if it means following him into the unknown. At first, Alaska seems to be the answer to their prayers. In a wild, remote corner of the state, they find a fiercely independent community of strong men and even stronger women. The long, sunlit days and the generosity of the locals make up for the Allbrights’ lack of preparation and dwindling resources. But as winter approaches and darkness descends on Alaska, Ernt’s fragile mental state deteriorates and the family begins to fracture. Soon the perils outside pale in comparison to threats from within. In their small cabin, covered in snow, blanketed in eighteen hours of night, Leni and her mother learn the terrible truth: they are on their own. In the wild, there is no one to save them but themselves.
17. The Shining by Stephen King
    Jack Torrance’s new job at the Overlook Hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, he’ll have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his writing. But as the harsh winter weather sets in, the idyllic location feels ever more remote…and more sinister. And the only one to notice the strange and terrible forces gathering around the Overlook is Danny Torrance, a uniquely gifted five-year-old.
18. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
    A groundbreaking work of science fiction, The Left Hand of Darkness tells the story of a lone human emissary to Winter, an alien world whose inhabitants can choose – and change – their gender. His goal is to facilitate Winter’s inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization. But to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own views and those of the completely dissimilar culture that he encounters. Embracing the aspects of psychology, society, and human emotion on an alien world, The Left Hand of Darkness stands as a landmark achievement in the annals of intellectual science fiction.
19. Wolf Winter by Cecilia Ekbäck
    Swedish Lapland, 1717. Maija, her husband Paavo and her daughters Frederika and Dorotea arrive from their native Finland, hoping to forget the traumas of their past and put down new roots in this harsh but beautiful land. Above them looms Blackåsen, a mountain whose foreboding presence looms over the valley and whose dark history seems to haunt the lives of those who live in its shadow. While herding the family’s goats on the mountain, Frederika happens upon the mutilated body of one of their neighbors, Eriksson. The death is dismissed as a wolf attack, but Maija feels certain that the wounds could only have been inflicted by another man. Compelled to investigate despite her neighbors’ strange disinterest in the death and the fate of Eriksson’s widow, Maija is drawn into the dark history of tragedies and betrayals that have taken place on Blackåsen. Young Frederika finds herself pulled towards the mountain as well, feeling something none of the adults around her seem to notice. As the seasons change, and the “wolf winter,” the harshest winter in memory, descends upon the settlers, Paavo travels to find work, and Maija finds herself struggling for her family’s survival in this land of winter-long darkness. As the snow gathers, the settlers’ secrets are increasingly laid bare. Scarce resources and the never-ending darkness force them to come together, but Maija, not knowing who to trust and who may betray her, is determined to find the answers for herself. Soon, Maija discovers the true cost of survival under the mountain, and what it will take to make it to spring.
20. The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
    With these mysterious words, Will Stanton discovers on his 11th birthday that he is no mere boy. He is the Sign-Seeker, last of the immortal Old Ones, destined to battle the powers of evil that trouble the land. His task is monumental: he must find and guard the six great Signs of the Light, which, when joined, will create a force strong enough to match and perhaps overcome that of the Dark. Embarking on this endeavor is dangerous as well as deeply rewarding; Will must work within a continuum of time and space much broader than he ever imagined.