The Hornets’ top ten books for winter
These wondrous books will keep you entertained throughout winter break!
These are some of the best books to get you in the winter mood, so grab your warm blanket and hot chocolate for some cozy reading. Graphic made in Canva by Hailey Valdivia.
The air is crisp and cold, meaning that winter is here and with it comes the holiday season. Here are ten book recommendations that will get you through the chilly months.
“The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” by C. S. Lewis
It would be a crime if I didn’t put “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” on here. It is the quintessential book for the winter and holiday seasons. Siblings Edmund, Peter, Susan and Lucy discover a doorway in their cupboard to a magical world called Narnia. The siblings soon discover that a war is raging in Narnia and they get enlisted to try and help save the world.
This book is a quick read and jumps right into the action and magic. Narnia is where you will want to spend all your time by the final page. Filled with magic and wonder, this is the perfect book to spend your nights reading.
“The BFG” by Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl is one of the best children’s authors simply because he gives you a glimpse of the real world and then shows something magical underneath it. “The BFG ” follows an orphan girl named Sophie as she is whisked away by a Giant and has the adventure of a lifetime.
I loved this book as a child and still love it to this day. It is such a cozy book that deals with family and togetherness that always reminds me of the holidays.
“New Year’s Kiss” by Lee Matthews
“New Year’s Kiss” is set in a ski resort in Vermont where two sisters stay in a resort owned by their grandmother. The protagonist, Tess, meets a boy named Christopher in the lobby one day and decides to get outside her comfort zone as she tries to accomplish everything on her bucket list before the New Year.
Yes, this book is as cheesy as it sounds, but the story encompasses the feeling of the holiday season in a book. “New Year’s Kiss” is cute, heartwarming and the perfect book to read if you want to get into the holiday spirit.
“The Blackwater Lightship” by Colm Tolbien
“The Blackwater Lightship” follows Declan, a young man dying of AIDS, and his fractured family who slowly start coming together and repairing their broken bonds.
This story is timeless and profound as you will laugh and cry as you read about an examination of families and how they can hurt and heal. This book is good for the holiday season as it makes you think about your family and relationships.
“Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy
“Anna Karenina” is a big book and is considered the best of the best for Russian classics. The novel follows Anna Karenina and several other characters through love affairs and relationships, weaving two stories into one.
Tolstoy creates characters that feel like real-life people and captures the changing seasons of one’s life and the months of the year.
“Anna Karenina” is a novel that encapsulates grief, love and family. The story is a big journey but it is one worth taking. It is the perfect book for the winter because it describes the imagery of snow and howling winds so beautifully and the book’s themes make it a perfect cozy read.
“Emma” by Jane Austen
If “Pride and Prejudice” is your favorite Jane Austen novel, you just haven’t read “Emma” yet.
The story follows Emma Woodhouse as she tries to play matchmaker to those in her village while claiming she will never get married herself. Emma is spoiled, witty, and beautiful butdoesn’t see the danger of meddling in others’ lives. She should be unlikable, but she isn’t because she feels so naturaland you can’t help but empathize with her.
“Emma” is timeless and effervescent, Austen’s humor still holds up today, which is why it is a perfect winter read. The book takes over a year to unfold, and goes through the cold months and Christmas.
Selected Poems of Robert Frost
Robert Frost is one of my favorite poets and I think this is the best selection of his work. Each poem is beautiful and has vivid descriptions of nature, telling a story through his imagery alone.
Many of the selected poems in this book have to do with winter, snow and being with nature, which makes it the perfect book to read during the cold months. The poems are cozy and comforting.
“Murder on the Orient Express” by Agatha Christie
“Murder on the Orient Express” is one of Agatha Christie’s most famous books, and for a good reason. Detective Hercule Poirot is on a stopped train at night due to a snowstorm, but, when morning hits, a passenger is found murdered. Poirot must find the killer before they strike again.
This book is such a fun read because you will never guess who the killer is. The vivid imagery of snow and winter will have you wanting to bundle up and is perfect to partner with a hot cup of tea.
“Snow” by Orhan Pamuk
“Snow” follows Ka, a poet, and journalist who lives in Germany in political exile, as he returns to his hometown Kars, Turkey. He is sent to investigate the suicides of young Muslim women for a German newspaper. There is another reason for Ka to go to Kars, as he reconnects with his friend from college and starts to fall in love with her.
The element of snow plays such a crucial role in the story that you can’t escape it in the book — the plot thickens as the snow does in the story. It is a captivating narrative told through the images of winter and snowfall.
The story is darker than the rest of the books on this list but it is a perfect read to make you look at snow in a different light.
“Misery” by Stephen King
Writer Paul Sheldon is captured by his biggest fan and is forced to write the perfect book for her. “Misery” captures the horror of winter and the isolation it can bring. This horror story is one of Stephen King’s books that has no supernatural elements and makes it all the more frightening.
This book is for horror fans out there. Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean you can’t still get a good scare.
There you have it. Get your fuzzy blanket and a hot drink of choice and enjoy the holiday season by reading (hopefully one of these ten)!
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