New(ish) Books to Ward Off the Cold

We’ve all noticed the sudden drop in temperature, and lets be honest, no matter how prepared you are for the chill, you’re dreading those long winter nights.  Have no fear, here are some book recommendations that'll go perfectly with a mug of hot cocoa and fuzzy socks, sure to keep you busy after you’ve finished that Econ homework (*cough cough* finished binge-watching Friends on Netflix).  

Yes Please (2014) by Amy Poehler

Everyone’s favorite sitcom government official (if you haven’t already cried over the upcoming series finale of Parks and Rec., you have no soul) has finally come out with an autobiography. Sweet, sentimental, humorous, and of course, very real, Poehler’s novel serves up life lessons like Allison serves hot cookie bar (consistently, delectably, and without complaints). Said Quaintrelle staff member Claire Glubiak, “because I like to read every quirky female comedian’s memoir, Amy Poehler’s book was obviously on my Christmas wish list, and it has not disappointed. I was a little surprised by the depth of some of her wisdom, which might be due to her recent divorce. But all in all it made for an intelligent and funny winter break read.”

Gone Girl (2012) by Gillian Flynn

Raise your hand if you watched David Fincher’s nail-biter of an adaptation over winter break. Keep your hand up if you sat on the edge of your seat and swore you’d never, never marry Rosamund Pike (she deserves an Oscar nomination at the very least). The movie is based on Gillian Flynn’s best selling novel, which is equally as intense and electrifying.  Relive Nick and Amy Dunne’s turbulent relationship all over again, this time in book form, and see why Flynn’s crime thriller has been so critically acclaimed. 

All the Light We Cannot See (2014) by Anthony Doerr

All the Light We Cannot See tells the parallel (intersecting?) stories of Marie-Laure, a blind French girl, and Werner, a German orphan with a penchant for rebuilding radios during the WWII era.  Moving and masterfully written, Doerr second novel is a tour de force, to be read by anyone with a love of historical fiction. As the #2 book on amazon.com’s reading list for 2014, as well as one of The New York Times Book Review’s top ten books for the past year, it is a gem not to be missed. “Wildly suspenseful, structurally daring, rich in detail and soul, Doerr’s new novel is that novel, the one you savor, and ponder, and happily lose sleep over, then go around urging all your friends to read—now,” said JR Moehringer, author of The Tender Bar.  Its a definite page turner, and one that might warm your heart on these cold winter evenings. 

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage (2014) by Haruki Murakami (translation from the Japanese by Philip Gabriel) 
Magical realist Haruki Murakami's most recent endeavor is the tale of Tsukuru Tazaki, the only one of his friends without a color in his surname. A kind of ‘growing-up story,’ the novel following Tsukuru Tazaki as he relives his trying journey from adolescences into adulthood. Easily one of the best international authors of his generation, Murakami's aptitude for realism is made clear in Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage.  It is beautiful and brilliantly written, a timeless piece dealing with the universal themes of alienation and passion.