NPR’s Book of the Day — Episode Summary

Episode Title: With her new book, Scottish author Val McDermid wants to “charm you into winter”
Air Date: January 13, 2026
Host: Daniel Estrin (interview), with introduction by Andrew Limbong
Guest: Val McDermid, author of Winter: The Story of a Season

Episode Overview

This cozy episode features celebrated Scottish crime writer Val McDermid, who discusses her pivot from tales of dark intrigue to a warm meditation on the winter season in her new book, Winter: The Story of a Season. The conversation explores the seasonal delights and traditions of a Scottish winter, the creative energy found in cold months, and the deeper realities and hardships winter brings for the less fortunate. McDermid also shares personal anecdotes, favorite customs, and even bursts into song, inviting listeners to find beauty and comfort in winter’s embrace.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. A New Kind of Book from a Crime Writer

• The episode sets the stage by noting McDermid's reputation for crime fiction and contrasting it with her latest book, an ode to winter’s “romance and beauty.”
• The book meditates on simple pleasures, such as soup:
  • Quote (McDermid, 01:10): “I believe the world is divided in two... those who think soup is a meal and those who are wrong.”

2. The Allure and Inspiration of Winter

• McDermid describes the seasonal contrast between harsh outdoor cold and cozy indoor warmth which inspires her creatively and personally:
  • Quote (McDermid, 01:40): “I like the contrast with being out in the outside, where it’s crisp and cold and you come indoors and it’s all warm and lovely and you can sit down with a good book and a good fire, a wee glass of whisky. What’s not to like about that?”
• She addresses the possibility of winning over self-declared “winter Grinches,” saying the book is written to “charm you into winter.” (02:00)

3. Winter as Muse — and Crime Scene

• McDermid discusses her creative process and how the winter landscape stirs the imagination:
  • Describes her writing room, “with two windows, both with vistas of trees... the first frost produced crunching underfoot…” (02:17)
  • The quiet eeriness—shadowy figures in a nature reserve—triggers story ideas for her crime novels.
• McDermid jokes about the classic trope of the dog walker discovering a body, admitting this is why she doesn’t have a dog:
  • Quote (McDermid, 03:33): “One of the reasons why I don’t have a dog.”

4. Winter’s Hardships and Social Conscience

• The conversation shifts to the hardships many experience in winter.
  • McDermid shares a formative memory from student days: volunteering with the Cyrenians, a homelessness charity in Oxford, serving soup and hearing stories from unhoused individuals.
  • Quote (McDermid, 04:27): “It makes me angry and it makes me sad that we’re so busy enjoying our lives that we don’t think about the people who are condemned to living on the streets.”

5. Celebrating Scottish Winter Traditions

• McDermid speaks fondly of Hogmanay (Scottish New Year):
  • Describes “sentimental” family gatherings where everyone shares a song, story, or poem, and the community comes together at the village harbor for fireworks and festivities.
  • Quote (McDermid, 05:42): “It’s a time for friendship and companionship and a reminder of what pulls communities together.”

6. Burns Night and Songs of the Season

• Discussion turns to Robert Burns, Scotland’s national bard, and the Burns Supper tradition:
  • Describes traditional dishes (cock-a-leekie soup, haggis, neeps and tatties) and rituals (whisky gravy, readings, and toasts).
  • Explains the famous phrase from “Tam o’ Shanter”: “Well done, Cutty Sark” means “well done, lassie in the short petticoat.” (06:58)
• McDermid sings a verse of “Green Grow the Rashes O,” a favorite Burns song:
  • Quote/Singing (McDermid, 07:08): “There’s not but care on every hand and every hour that passes O / what signifies the life O man and twerena for the lasses O / green grow the rushes, O...”

7. Community, Language, and Joy

• She reflects on the communal joy of Scottish singing traditions:
  • Mentions unfamiliar but melodious songs, comparing them to “listening to things in a foreign language,” but the rhythms and tunes draw people in. (07:51)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I believe the world is divided in two, those who think soup is a meal and those who are wrong.”
  —Val McDermid, (01:10)
• “I like the contrast with being out in the outside... and you can sit down with a good book and a good fire, a wee glass of whisky. What’s not to like about that?”
  —Val McDermid, (01:40)
• “I’m kind of hoping it charms you into winter as well. One of the great things I think about winter is it’s full of interesting festivals... everybody has something to celebrate.”
  —Val McDermid, (01:58)
• “When you know a place quite well, you see something peculiar... what is that pile of leaves doing there? That wasn’t here the last time I came through? Should I investigate? No, I think I’ll just go home now.”
  —Val McDermid, (03:07)
• “It makes me angry and it makes me sad that we’re so busy enjoying our lives that we don’t think about the people who are condemned to living on the streets.”
  —Val McDermid, (04:36)
• [Sings] “Green grow the rushes, O, green grow the rushes O, the sweetest hours that ere I spent were spent among the lasses O...”
  —Val McDermid, (07:08)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:10 — Soup, warmth, and sensory pleasures of winter
• 02:17–03:33 — Writing, inspiration, and the dark edge of winter nights
• 04:00–04:45 — Social conscience: winter’s challenges for the homeless
• 04:54–05:41 — Scottish family traditions at Hogmanay
• 05:42–07:03 — Robert Burns’ legacy, Burns Supper customs, and translation of “Cutty Sark”
• 07:08–07:51 — McDermid sings “Green Grow the Rashes O” and the power of Scottish communal song

Tone & Language

The episode is filled with McDermid’s warmth, wit, and affection for her roots. The conversation comfortably moves from humor and nostalgia to poignant observations about social issues, all woven together with charm and vivid description—a genuine “charm into winter.”

This episode is a cozy, candid invitation to see winter not as a season of gloom, but as one rich in story, tradition, and community—especially in Scotland, when accompanied by songs, friends, and (perhaps) a bowl of soup and a glass of whisky.