KLCC is getting cozy with wintertime, thanks to good books, music, and winter events and activities. Here is what KLCC reporters, hosts and staff are looking forward to this winter season.
Love Cross: Bend WinterFest
Bend WinterFest takes place February 13-15.
Zac Ziegler: "It's my first winter here, so I'm looking forward to checking out the cross-country skiing trails at Willamette Pass."
Brooke Bumgardner: In Search of a Revival by The Olympians is set to release on February 13, 2026, and I've pre-ordered a copy!
The Olympians get people moving with their brass, funk, jazzy sound. "When I listen to their music, I feel like I'm in a montage scene from a 1970s film."
Now, let's get to some books!
Love Cross: Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See
Jason Brown: Geek Love by Katherine Dunne (1989)
While it's a real struggle to keep them up, like lots of folks I tend to start off a new year embracing good habits, and I consider making time for books to be one of the best habits one can have.
Recently I've permitted myself the genuine pleasure of re-reading books, and right now I'm deeply interested in reading Oregon authors, so on January 1st I dug out my copy of Geek Love and quickly realized it might well be the best thing I've ever read.
It centers on the Binewski family, who own and operate a traveling carnival. The patriarch, inspired by a stroll through the International Rose Test Garden in Portland, wonders if it's possible to breed new varieties of people as a rosarian would with roses.
After experiments with drugs and radiation the Binewskis become the most unusual family. "Freaks" to those who pay admission for a gander. Their story is told by Olympia, a daughter who is chronicling their lives for the sake of her own daughter. Dunn's language is beautiful and dense, with an unflinching focus toward uncomfortable details. She reveals, through their flaws and desires, just how unmistakably human the characters within these pages are.
Ronnel Curry: Mona's Eyes by Thomas Schlesser
Rachael McDonald: The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits
Listen to Maureen Corrigan's book review:
Barbara Dellenback: Rebel with a Clause by Ellen Jovin
Listen to Scott Simon's 2022 interview with Jovin: