5 Wonderful Winter Reads To Curl Up With

Be sure and carve out some time for yourself (and not just carving up that roast turkey) this holiday season. Plan for some me-time with a good book and a glass or mug of whatever warms your spirits. Cozy socks and a cashmere blanket optional, but highly recommended. —Catherine Dunwoody

Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts by Margaret Atwood

The long-awaited autobiography from one of Canada’s greatest authors is a winner of Globe and Mail’s Best Book of the Year plus New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Ms. Atwood lays out her interesting past and how pivotal life moments steered the way as inspiration for many of her best written works. Think of this as a peek behind the curtain, an intimate look into one of our country’s most interesting minds.

The Art of Bob Mackie by Frank Vlastnik and Laura Ross

If you loved the recent Saturday Night Live promo of Ariana Grande wearing a tri-colour vintage iconic gown once worn by Carol Burnett, you’ll want to take this deep dive pictorial into the mastery of fashion designer Bob Mackie. Dressing Cher, Liza, Pink, Ru Paul and Elton in the most glamorous, over the top manner worthy of these legends was Mr. Mackie’s calling card. The book is rich with his stories, sketches and photos across his sixty-year career.

Wacky Chicks by Simon Doonan

Dry British humour from the man who once called the shots at Barneys New York as Creative Director. If you’ve not read any of Doonan’s work, start here and rest assured you’ll be reading the rest of his many books as fast as you can consume them. All that fancy fashion career, and yet he is no snob when it comes to the women he admires. He cheers on the rough-around-the-edges gal, who is just plain fun, fab and most definitely eccentric. His muses? Amy Sedaris, Warhol muse Brigid Berlin, the woman who taught Madonna to Vogue and so many more.

The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins

Time for a personal growth book, as we nudge closer to the new year? With over 7 million copies sold, and a bestseller on every list out there, seems everyone is reading more of Mel. With her chatty, down-to-earth approach Robbins is neither preachy nor toxically positive. Instead, she gets her message across that most of us struggle with trying to control situations that frankly are out of our control. Rather than ruminate on repeat we learn how to ‘let them’ in this guide.

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

Fiction that blends history with ancient fables in a book you must force yourself to put down, Wecker’s debut novel is set in turn of the century immigrant New York. When Chava, a golem made of clay meets Ahmad, a Syrian jinni (genie) their fate seems destined and difficult. Storytelling so vivid you ‘see’ it as a movie while you read. PS the sequel is excellent too.