You remember winters like this.

Short, cloudy days, long stormy nights, both perfect for curling up with a warm blanket and reading until it’s time for bed — and then reading there, too. So this winter, why not cuddle with one of these great unique history books…?

For readers who love to compare life a century ago versus now, “1932: FDR, Hoover, and the Dawn of a New America” by Scott Martelle (Citadel Press, $28.00) will be just the ticket. The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl both cloaked America in hard times and in the midst of it, two men — both Presidents — had different ideas on how to fix things. Readers who enjoy mixing history in their politics will want this book.

Want to take your history back a little farther? Then look for “God Save Benedict Arnold: The True Story of America’s Most Hated Man” by Jack Kelly (St. Martin’s Press, $29.00). Sure, Arnold was a traitor and a snake but, says Kelly, he was a hero before that. This book doesn’t try to erase that which made Arnold a symbol of backstabbing and turncoating, but readers will still be very surprised at what they’ll learn.

Historians know that America’s never had a monarchy but in “Flight of the WASP: The Rise, Fall, and Future of America’s Original Ruling Class” by Michael Gross (Atlantic Monthly Press, $30), you’ll read about very elite Americans who heavily influenced politics, economics, society, racial attitudes, and religion decades ago. The more things change, the more they stay the same? Maybe — and you gotta read this book to understand why.

For the history lover or women’s history reader who also craves a bit of romance, look for “Between Two Worlds: Jewish War Brides After the Holocaust” by Robin Judd (The University of North Carolina Press, $29.95). It’s a book about survival, but also of hope and recovery, love and determination, and if you’ve read or watched anything about the Holocaust, you need to add this important book to your list.

Another Women’s History book to look for is “Boardinghouse Women: How Southern Keepers, Cooks, Nurses, Widows, and Runaways Shaped Modern America” by Elizabeth S.D. Engelhardt (The University of North Carolina Press, $27.95). Here, you’ll read about women who changed the way we eat, vacation, and live away from home, but with a little innovation, business, racism, and independence rolled into this story.

And finally, how about the history of fashion? Try “Pockets: An Intimate History of How We Keep Things Close” by Hannah Carlson (Algonquin Books, $35). Men’s clothing has them. Women’s clothing, not always. We stuff ’em with our hands, tissues, wallets, phones, and breath mints. We can’t live without pockets but what do they mean? Find out here, in a book that won’t quite fit in your…

And if these great books aren’t enough to satisfy your craving for little-known history, be sure to ask your favorite bookseller or librarian for help. They’ll put you in touch with a whole winter’s full of memorable books.

History Books Winter 2023 by various authors
c.2023, various publishers
$27.95-$35.00
various page counts