Speed reads for the winter chill

04 December 2025, The Tablet

If you can remember a time when the great winter festivals were family affairs, untouched by corporate greed and the intrusive power of television, then you will enjoy Val McDermid’s Winter (Hodder Press, £16.99; Tablet price £15.29).

The Breath of the Gods (William Collins, £25; Tablet price £22.50) is Simon Winchester’s fascinating account of winds, and mankind’s attempts to harness their power. Beginning with the prehistoric Polynesians, whose incredible voyages colonised the vast Pacific, he takes us through the golden age of sail up to our modern desire to replace fossil fuels with air and sunshine.

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