Wintertime Reading

January 26, 2012

Although winter is certainly not my favorite season, I look forward to it for one reason. When it is cold and snowy, I am forced to stay in and pursue my favorite pleasure of reading. Each fall I plan which book I will save to read during the winter when I have time to really sit and enjoy. 

The book I have chosen for this winter is New York by Edward Rutherfurd. This book is a saga written in the style of Michener. It begins with a tiny Indian fishing village on the forested island of Mannahata as Dutch traders arrive from across the ocean. The story is told through tales of families, rich and poor, black and white, and native-born and immigrant. The cast of characters' fates rise and fall with the city’s misfortunes. We see the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the Gilded Age, World War II, and end with the attacks on the World Trade Center. It is the story of how, in four centuries, New York became the envy of the world, the Big Apple. It is a mix of battle, romance, family struggles and personal triumphs. 

When the cold weather of winter becomes the warmer weather of spring, I’ll be ready to return to my lighter reading. In the meantime, I will be found with my nose buried deeply in New York. 

Jean Ann G.
Lone Jack Branch