I picked up Isak Dinesen's "Winter's Tales" forgetting that Dinesen was actually Baroness Karen Blixen and that originally I had wanted to read "Out of Africa", so what I thought this book was and what it ended up being were completely different things.
Her stories have a nostalgic/mythological ring to them (think: "that's so Nordic") that probably could have come off as heavy and pretentious if written poorly. Unlike other short story collections I've read, I found myself having to take a day's break or more between stories, mostly from lack of time, but also because there was such a satisfied complete feeling after each gem of a tale that it felt wrong to move on too quickly. Sometimes you just want to savor the aftertaste. Simple writing, simple stories, so many feels -- it's rare that a book makes me tear up, but it happened.
Personal faves: "Sorrow-Acre," "The Sailor-Boy's Tale," and "Peter and Rosa"
No quotes or dissection for this one. Best experienced with a cup of hot chocolate on a cold night.
