Elin Hilderbrand's Winter Street series

 "The holidays wouldn't be complete without a little family dysfunction, and Hilderbrand writes it well."―Library Journal

After a rather rough November, I was searching for a light read for the busy Christmas season, something that would cause smiles and laughter rather than an overstimulated brain.  One of my Goodreads' friends had just finished Elin Hilderbrand's four book Winter Street series.  Having read several of Hilderbrand's popular Nantucket beach reads, I grabbed at this idea with gusto!   I pursued multiple libraries online to gather all four in my grubby little hands, so as not to delay the anticipated month-long reading fest!

And the author did not disappoint, these were exactly the type of reads that I desired as my calendar filled with concerts, special luncheons, and preparation for out of town guests.  

Book One,"Winter Street", gave me pause to ponder my initial enthusiasm because the dysfunctional Quinn family had decided quirks which I felt were mostly due to immature and impulsive decisions. This rash behavior began in chapter one with the patriarch and Winter Street Inn owner, Kelley Quinn. The reader is immediately thrust into the fray as the rest of the main characters are introduced: his current wife, his previous wife, four adult children with various spouses/partners and children...all of which contribute to the chaos of that first Christmas which the author so thoroughly details.  Many reviewers complained that the first novel in this series ended abruptly, and had I not been prepared with the entire series; I may have been one of those disgruntled readers.  But diving in to "Winter Stroll" gave me the great satisfaction of putting together the missing threads that had been left dangling.  The same was true of picking up the third book, "Winter Storms", which had originally been cast as the final in a trilogy.  But Hilderbrand was asked by her editor to consider a fourth book, "Winter Solstice", the sequel to the sequel!  And it was such a satisfying ending, putting to rights all of the misfortunes and mishaps that had upended the Quinn family over the four years of Christmases at Winter Inn.

As February's dull skies roll across Michigan, what types of books feed your soul?  Picking up this Hilderbrand series might be the best solution for the doldrums.  If February brings contemplation and reflection, stories by authors such as Leif Erickson or William Kent Krueger, are more descriptive in both setting and characters.  If real life inspiration is needed, biographies or memoirs could be just the ticket.  Quian Julie Wang's "Beautiful Country", Michelle Obama's "Becoming", Cicely Tyson's "Just as I Am", or Philip Yancey's "Where the Light Fell" all contain messages of resilience and hope.

Whether it be light reading that is needed or weightier topics explored, books open avenues to stimulate and refresh...a necessity for a Michigan winter.