With her new book, Scottish author Val McDermid wants to “charm you into winter”

NPR's Book of the Day

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Arts, Books

4.2 • 671 Ratings

🗓️ 13 January 2026

⏱️ 9 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We are in the thick of winter in the U.S. Days are short, nights are long, and in much of the country, it’s crisp and cold outside. A new book by the Scottish author Val McDermid makes the case for the season’s beauty – despite its challenges. Winter: The Story of a Season is a work of creative nonfiction that explores seasonal traditions and McDermid’s personal memories. In today’s episode, the author joins NPR’s Daniel Estrin for a conversation that touches on McDermid’s crime novels, the difficulty of winter for unhoused people, and the tradition of a “Burns Supper.”

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's Empire's Book of the Day.
0:03.6	I'm Andrew Limbong.
0:05.4	We are in the complete pits of winter.
0:08.3	As early as four in the afternoon, I can already look through the window of my office and
0:13.4	see the sun start to go down.
0:15.7	There is, I suppose, some romance to the season, some beauty.
0:19.4	Val McDermott's book, Winter, The Story of a Season, is all about finding that beauty to the season, some beauty. Val McDermott's book, Winter, The Story of a Season,
0:21.9	is all about finding that beauty to the season. In this interview with Amper's Daniel Estrin,
0:27.0	she goes into some of her favorite winter traditions, and not to spoil it, but she does
0:32.1	break out into song for a bit. That's ahead. This message comes from Wise, the app for international people using money around the globe.
0:40.6	You can send, spend, and receive in up to 40 currencies with only a few simple taps.
0:45.9	Be smart, get Wise. Download the Wise app today or visit Wise.com. Tees and Cs apply.
0:53.5	The Scottish author Val McDermid is best known for her crime writing, a world of brutal murders and dark alleyways.
1:01.9	But contrast that with her latest book, where, among other things, she meditates on the nature of soup.
1:08.3	I believe the world is divided in two, she writes, those who think soup is a
1:13.4	meal and those who are wrong. Winter, the story of a season, is her ode to memories of winter's
1:20.2	past and a heartfelt appreciation of all the season has to offer. I like the contrast with being
1:26.0	out in the outside where it's crisp and cold
1:28.3	and you come indoors and it's all warm and lovely and you can sit down with a good book and a good
1:32.6	fire and a wee glass of whiskey. That's what's not like about that. Well, I must confess I am a
1:38.7	winter grinch. Did you write this book for people like me? Well, I'm kind of hoping it charms you into winter as well.
1:45.8	One of the great things I think about winter is it's full of interesting festivals.
	...

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