“I just finished reading ‘Winter Solstice’ by the British romance novelist Rosamunde Pilcher. I am sad to have ended it, as I loved the characters, the wonderful Scottish setting, and the peacefully meandering storyline. The book features five marginally connected characters who find themselves sharing an estate in the north of Scotland as the Christmas holidays approach. They slowly develop deep friendships as each person encounters their own particular challenges and the other four rally to support them. Pilcher excellently develops the characters and presents vivid descriptions of the surrounding countryside, the lovely small villages and the oddball characters populating them.

“I’ve only recently discovered Pilcher. I am a devoted follower of another British romance novelist, Marcia Willett, and have read all but a few of her 20 or so novels. Her writing is similar to Pilcher’s, and I’ve often compared the feeling I have reading her books to enjoying a warm summer afternoon, sitting on a veranda with a gentle breeze providing cool relief. I’d read somewhere that Willett’s stories were similar to Pilcher’s, so I decided to give her a try. I read Pilcher’s ‘September’ a couple of months ago and enjoyed it thoroughly. The one I just finished I thought was even better, one of the best books I’ve ever read.” — JIM KANAK, Wells

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What are you reading?

Mainers, please email to tell us about the book on your bedside table right now. In a few sentences, describe the book and be sure to tell us what drew you to it as the pandemic – and its ripple effects – recede (at least we hope so). Was it a need to escape, a need to dig deeper? Something else? Send your pick to pgrodinsky@pressherald.com, and we may use it as a future Bedside Table.