Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme started by @Lauren’s Page Turners but is currently hosted by Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog. This meme is quite easy to follow – just randomly pick a book from your to-be-read list and explain why you want to read it. It is that simple.

This week’s book:

The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller

Blurb from Goodreads

December 1962, a small village near Bristol.

Eric and Irene and Bill and Rita. Two young couples living next to each other, the first in a beautiful cottage – suitable for a newly appointed local doctor – the second in a rundown, perennially under-heated farm. Despite their apparent differences, the two women (both pregnant) strike an easy friendship – a connection that comes as a respite from the surprising tediousness of married life, with its unfulfilled expectations, growing resentments and the ghosts of a recent past.

But as one of the coldest winters on record grips England in a never-ending frost and as the country is enveloped in a thick, soft, unmoving layer of snow, the two couples find themselves cut off from the rest of the world. And without the small distractions of everyday existence, suddenly old tensions and shocking new discoveries threaten to change the course of their lives forever.

A masterful, page-turning examination of the minutiae of life, The Land in Winter is a masterclass in storytelling – proof yet again that Andrew Miller is one of Britain’s most dazzling chroniclers of the human heart.

Why I Want To Read It

Happy Monday, everyone! I know—not many people get excited about Mondays (though I’m sure a few are out there). I, too, am not exactly a fan. Still, we push forward. After all, we’ve got to start somewhere, and Monday marks that starting point. It’s a chance to work on our goals; ironically, the start is often the hardest part. I hope everyone had a restful weekend and is ready for the week ahead. The weather here in the Philippines has been unpredictable. After a couple of damp weeks, accentuated by a supertyphoon, the stifling Manila heat is back. Evenings, however, still bring the occasional downpour. I hope everyone is doing well—mentally, emotionally, and physically—and that we all make it through (or survive) the workweek.

Time really does fly. Just like that, we’re only a couple of weeks away from welcoming a new year. The eleventh month of the year is breezing past us. It seems like only yesterday when we welcomed 2025. Now, 2026 is just over the horizon. Despite the uncertainties the future holds, time keeps pressing forward—regardless of our readiness. While the future remains shrouded in uncertainty, there’s still much to look forward to. I hope everything goes well for everyone in the remainder of the year. May the rest of the year be kind to us all and shower us with blessings, positivity, healing, and growth. I hope good news and kindness come knocking on your doors in the coming weeks. May you be rewarded for all the hard work you’ve put in this year. Wishing you continued success and happiness.

With the start of a new week also comes a new reading adventure. Monday also means a fresh Goodreads Monday update. My venture into the vast landscape of American literature—and, by extension, African literature—is in full swing. This is in line with my goal of completing all my reading challenges and goals this year. The remaining books from these challenges were written by American and African writers. However, my current read, Nobel Laureate in Literature Gabriel García Márquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold, is not part of any of these challenges. This is my eighth book by the Colombian writer, making him join Kazuo Ishiguro as my most-read Nobel Laureate in Literature. While this is a deviation from my current literary journey, it still fits in somehow. I am currently on a Nobel Prize in Literature reading binge. Anyway, the diversity of my ongoing reading journey makes it all the more interesting.

Anyway, back to what this weekly meme is about. Up until this year, I had not heard of British writer Andrew Miller. Had it not been for the Booker Prize, I would not have encountered him. You see, his latest novel, The Land in Winter (2024), was nominated for the prestigious literary prize. The novel made it all the way to the shortlist; it fell short as David Szalay’s Flesh was ultimately announced the winner. Imagine my surprise when I learned that Miller is a highly heralded writer. His works have been recognized across the world, with his 1997 novel Ingenious Pain awarded the 1999 International Dublin Literary Prize. Meanwhile, Oxygen (2001) was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2001, and Pure (2011) was shortlisted for the 2013 International Dublin Literary Award. How was it possible for me to miss him? I guess there are simply too many good books out there, and I have yet to encounter many of them.

The Land in Winter further piqued my interest when some literary pundits ranked it high among the possible Booker Prize winners. While it fell short, the book has caught my attention. For one, it is a work of historical fiction, which is right up my alley. Further, the story is set during the Big Freeze of 1963, one of the coldest winters on record in the United Kingdom. The story, I learned, also opens with a tragedy. Apart from the book itself, what compels me to read it is the prospect of exploring a new body of work. I always look forward to discovering a new author. How about you, fellow readers? How was your Monday? What books have you recently added to your reading list? Drop your thoughts in the comments. For now—happy Monday, and as always, happy reading!