Jana (Reviews From the Stacks) hosts a monthly event called Spell the Month with Books in which you spell the name of the month with book titles that fit the monthly theme. For April 2023, the theme is a free choice, so I'm going with "weather" in honor of the typical April showers. It took some doing to stick to my preference of using books I own, but here they are!
A -- At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald
P -- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
R-- Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
I -- Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Eric Larson
L -- Love Songs by Sara Teasdale
P -- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
R-- Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
I -- Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Eric Larson
L -- Love Songs by Sara Teasdale
At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald (1871)
MacDonald has long been a favorite author; his fantasy influenced C.S. Lewis and for understandable reasons. I've only read this one once, some years ago, but the feeling of cold and windy bleakness has stayed with me -- as well as the beauty of the story.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (1813)
That one particular rainy day is an important event in the lives of both Jane and Elizabeth, so this classic was an easy choice. It's not my favorite Austen, but it's still a five-star read, and one I would recommend for those new to her novels.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (1938)
I don't want to spoil this five-star haunting, gothic tale for anyone who hasn't read it so I'll only say that if it weren't for that storm. . . . This modern gothic tale is easy to read, beautifully written, and ever so memorable.
Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson (1999)
Though I have read and enjoyed two others from Larson, I have not read Isaac's Storm. However, since it's subtitled "A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History", it seemed a pretty obvious choice for a list about memorable weather! Larson writes nonfiction that is accessible, intriguing, and enjoyable; I highly recommend both The Devil in the White City and In the Garden of Beasts.
Love Songs by Sara Teasdale (1917)
This Pulitzer Prize winning volume of poetry is filled with weather imagery, in addition to the evocative lyric poems so typical of her breathtaking talent.
