“It smells so good, please can we have some now?” says the September baby. You both sit outdoors in a straggly sun, toasty as you cup your hands around your steaming soup bowls.

“Give me a book, Mama,” says the September baby. You go upstairs and come down with two—The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See for her and The Golden Road by William Dalrymple for me. You haven’t read The Tea Girl yet, but you think the September baby will like it. Earlier you read Lisa See’s The Island of Sea Women, a fabulous historical novel about Korean women divers and now you want to read more of See’s stories. As for Dalrymple, his prose is always compelling. Today, you marvel at his chapter on the Nalanda library, on how he creates character and drama through Xuanzang, the rebellious monk.

You spread out on a mattress on the lawn—the daughter, the dog, and you—immersed in your books. You feel the mountain sun on your back, and as you read a drowsiness comes over you. This is the magic of reading: absorbing the sensations of the tickly grass and the warm sun even as you travel back in time to the tale of a travelling monk, the story filling the spaces in your soul.

Winter reading feels different—cozy and contemplative. You reach for non-fiction and slower stories. Besides The Golden Road, you are reading Elizabeth and her German Garden by Elizabeth von Arnim. Earlier this year, you enjoyed her The Enchanted April, a gently snarky novel about women escaping dreary England for an Italian castle. You loved Von Arnim's sympathetic treatment of her female characters and her use of the healing power of a beautiful landscape.

Elizabeth and her German Garden takes you back to the beauty of landscapes, moving from the Italian countryside to a German country estate. Here Elizabeth treats you to a semi-autobiographical account of a year in her garden. There are lyrical descriptions of daisies, dandelions, and snowy firs and also snarky asides on the pompousness of men and the dreariness of domestic duties. Elizabeth adores her books, garden, three daughters, and solitude. She calls her husband the “Man of Wrath” and nicknames her children April, May, and June babies—prompting you to do the same with your September born baby.

Sitting in your garden, watching autumn leaves give way to the bare branches of winter, you savour this simply written book. Elizabeth reminds you of your mother—both women feel suffocated by domestic obligations, cherish their books, gardens, and solitude, and both are married to men of wrath.

There’s much more to say about winter reading. For now I’ll leave you with a must-read-Wintering by Katherine May. This book explores winter, literally, from Scandinavian traditions to dormouse hibernation, and also in the metaphorical sense, drawing lessons from the natural world. Use the short days and cold nights of winter to retreat into quiet, restorative activities, says May. So I will take my cue from the climate - slowing down in sync with the season, spending time to reflect and most of all savouring hours in bed with my books.

What about you dear Reader - what are your winter reading rituals ? And what books would you recommend for winter ?

Sonya Dutta Choudhury is a Mumbai-based journalist and the founder of Sonya’s Book Box, a bespoke book service. Each week, she brings you specially curated books to give you an immersive understanding of people and places. If you have any reading recommendations or suggestions, write to her at sonyasbookbox@gmail.com

The views expressed are personal.

Books referred to in this edition of Book Box

Julie and Julia by Julie Powell

The Golden Road by William Dalrymple

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

Elizabeth and her German Garden by Elizabeth von Arnim

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim

Wintering by Katherine May.

Sonya's Book Box

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