I'm always glad I had the idea for Flashlight Worthy and some days I'm especially glad. Today's one of those days.
This afternoon a woman named Tammy wrote me and suggested I recommend a book called "The History of the Snowman." This happens every day: someone suggesting a book that may be excellent, but for which I have no context, no list appropriate for the book.
Well, I took a look and oh, boy, it's a great book; I had to find a home for it. But where? Well, I recalled a book all about making snow forts, and decided I'd create a list of books with the word "snow" in the title. Okay, I had two books. Where to get the rest?
Twitter to the rescue! With just a few (extremely) short messages blasted into cyberspace I received a flood of excellent suggestions (within minutes!) from dozens of strangers from around the... well, I don't really know where they're from.
Who cares? They were tremendously helpful. Ain't technology grand? Enjoy the list.
P.S. Only now as I finish this description do I remember that I have an entire list dedicated to the "biography" of individual "things" like snowmen. I guess I've officially reached the point where my brain is fully saturated with lists.
by Norbert E. Yankielun
How are the ice blocks of igloos so perfectly formed and fitted and able, it's been said, to withstand the weight of a polar bear? How can you determine if the fresh snow that's fallen outside your front door is as good to make a slab shelter with as a snowman? What is a slab shelter, anyway? For that matter, what are drift caves, spruce traps, snow block walls, and bivy bag shelters, and how would you go about building them, whether for winter fun or protection from the weather? Read this instructive, whimsical, illustrated book and learn.
by Peter Hoeg
Marlow Ockfen from Billings, MT says:
Hoeg creates cold and loneliness with his prose. This book makes one FEEL that they must follow Smilla through her obsessive search for a boy's killer through Denmark and Greenland. This is the most beautiful writing style I have ever seen applied to the thriller genre.
by Diana Gabaldon
The continuing saga of 18th-century Scotsman Jamie Fraser and his 20th-century wife, Claire.
Yep. That's right. 18th century. 20th century. Curious?
by Lisa See
Shannon Turlington from Books Worth Reading says:
This novel is an unflinching, sometimes brutal portrayal of life for women in 19th century China. It's also the story of a friendship between women that must have been very rare in such a time. The novel depicts the mysterious ritual of foot-binding and the little-known tradition of women's "secret writing," called nu shu, and so opens the hidden world of these women. Yet despite all the restrictions on their lives — and despite their human flaws — these women survived and created intimate lifelong relationships with one another. Clearly, there's more than enough fodder for any book club to discuss and debate.
by David Guterson
Diane from Wisconsin says:
Until I read this book, I was not as aware of Japanese internment during WWII and through the story of children growing and learning about this I was made more aware of the situation. Also, I appreciated the writing, the story telling, and for me the title also describes the way the story falls from the sky, building and building.
by Peter Matthiessen
Annie Bahringer from WI says:
This is a journey of the soul without having to go anywhere. It started out as a quest to find and photograph the elusive snow leopard, but after the author's wife passes away he finds real peace in his life, and discovers what his future holds with his young son. It sent shivers down my spine; I was chilled by the connection I had with the author who was unknowingly looking for the same things as me. Some day I'll get there, retrace his steps, and perhaps find a path of my own.
by Robert Frost, illustrated by Susan Jeffers
Gayle Carline from Placentia, CA says:
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening is my favorite poem. The mood of quiet evening and snowfall as a blank canvas, the poet considers what he might do if he didn't have "promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep." Beautiful, hopeful, yet poignant and melancholy.
by Neal Stephenson
Tristan Colson says:
I think this is destined to be a classic. You'll think differently about pizza delivery after this.
by Raymond Briggs
BunRab/Kelly from Baltimore, MD says:
This is a very funny book, and there's way more information about snowmen around than you would think. Lots of illustrations, especially of the Victorian era, but my favorite is a painting of a 1500s snowball fight.
by Ezra Jack Keats
Heather Lawrence says:
A little boy has a fun day playing in the snow, and even tries to keep a snowball in his coat pocket inside! A strikingly beautiful 1963 Caldecott Medal winner.
Just so you know, at least a dozen more books were suggested; many of them were good books. But the name of the site is Flashlight Worthy so I ruthlessly culled the list to include only the very best.
Flashlight Worthy
Recommending books so good, they'll keep you up past your bedtime. more...
Stay in Touch
Newest book lists
President Obama's Favorite Books of 2017
Books for an Adventurous Childhood
Visiting Venice Through (Mostly) Fiction
Childhood Remembered: Books Of Indelible Childhood Memories
Novels on Art, Artists and Art World Shenanigans
Picture Books with Fun (and Sometimes Friendly) Monsters
Robert Rodi’s Favorite Books About Italy
Fractured Novels that Mirror the Uncertainty of Everyday Life