December 4, 2021

By Kylie Mesmer

Illustration by Ava Horton

Winter is coming, bringing with it a month-long break and festive spirits. If you live in an area visited by Jack Frost during these coming months, then you will most likely find yourself bundled up indoors while the world outside your window turns into a frigid winter wonderland. 

Snuggling up with a good book is one of the best ways to spend time stuck indoors or to beat back those winter blues. 

Fantasy

“The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis:

Content Warning: This novel contains suicide, violence and animal violence/death.

Winter is commonly linked to childhood memories of baking cookies, playing in the snow and visiting loved ones, making it the perfect time to crack open a beloved childhood classic. Lewis’ 1950 fantasy is a beloved edition to libraries everywhere, woven with all of the magic that comes with winter.

The first book in the “The Chronicles of Narnia” series follows four siblings: Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie during World War II in the English countryside. After Lucy discovers that a wardrobe in the home is a doorway to a magical winter land called Narnia, their lives change forever as they embark on a journey filled with magic, witches and, of course, a talking lion.

“The Night Circus” by Erin Morgenstern:

Content Warning: This novel contains parental abuse.

“The Night Circus” is a cozy, whimsical fantasy that will whisk you off to the world of a magical circus, where, beneath all of the glitz and glamour, darkness lurks. Morgenstern’s expertly-crafted debut novel has become a beloved piece of modern literature and embeds itself in the hearts of readers everywhere, and has been translated into 37 languages.

“The Night Circus” follows a competition between magicians Marco Alisdair and Celia Bowen. When the two bring their magical competition to Le Cirque des Rêves, they begin a hauntingly beautiful fairy tale. 

“The Bear and the Nightingale” by Katherine Arden:

Content Warning: This novel contains child marriage and sexual assault.

Arden’s 2017 debut is the epitome of a magical, snowy story, steeped in rich Russian folklore. The first installment in the “Winternight” trilogy, “The Bear and the Nightingale” has received positive reviews from critics and readers alike and was nominated for two Goodreads Choice awards. 

The book introduces readers to Vasilia, or Vasya, a young girl with the ability to communicate with mythical creatures. When her father marries a cruel woman, Vasya finds it increasingly difficult to contain her abilities. What results is an intricately written fairytale set in a fantasy medieval Russia. 

Horror

“The Shining” by Stephen King:

Content Warning: This novel contains domestic abuse, violence and references to alcoholism.

While King may be commonly associated with Halloween, his novel “The Shining” is a perfect horror read for the winter months. The 1980 film adaptation is an iconic movie but the novel tells a very different story. 

“The Shining” follows Jack Torrance, his wife Wendy and son Danny after Jack takes a job as an off-season caretaker at the Overlook Hotel in the Colorado mountains. However, the Overlook has a dark history that plagues the family, especially Danny, who has a peculiar gift. When the family is snowed in, cabin fever and the evil within the hotel begin to set in.

Mystery

“Murder on the Orient Express” by Agatha Christie:

Content Warning: This novel contains references to the murder of a child.

Christie’s novels provide perfect mysteries for readers with a passion for detective work, and “Murder on the Orient Express” is one of her most famous pieces. Readers that are snowed in can share the sentiment with the characters who find themselves stuck in a train with a murderer during a blizzard. 

The synopsis is what the title promises: twelve passengers aboard an elegant train, the Orient Express, are entangled in a whodunit scheme after a fellow passenger is murdered, leaving them all as suspects.  

Historical Fiction

“Salt to the Sea” by Ruta Sepetys:

Content Warning: This book deals heavily with sexual assault.

Sepetys’ historical fiction novel, set in World War II, is not as light-hearted as the other recommendations, but the story it tells is important. Taking place in the frozen landscape of Eastern Prussia, this novel embodies the darker side of winter.

“Salt to the Sea” tells the true story of the sinking of the MV “Wilhelm Gustloff” in January 1945. The novel follows the perspectives of four different characters who find their lives connected when they board the doomed ship.

Classics

“Wuthering Heights” by Emily Brontë:

Content Warning: This novel contains child abuse, chronic illness and emotional/physical abuse.

Winter break is a great time to catch up on some classics, and the works of the Brontë sisters are some of the most beloved. Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel blends Romanticism and Gothic literary movements, making it perfect for a winter read.

The Earnshaws and Lintons are two wealthy gentry families living on the moors of West Yorkshire. However, Earnshaw’s eccentric adopted son, Heathcliff, provides all sorts of trouble and turmoil for the families, especially when he seeks revenge on the Lintons’ daughter Catherine.

“A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens:

No winter book recommendations list would be complete without this festive classic. Written in 1843, the novella was a response to the poverty and harsh labor inflicting England at the time. To this day, the story is full of important messages such as generosity and compassion.

“A Christmas Carol” follows the iconic main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, a mean man that hates Christmas. Over the course of one Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by three ghosts that show him Christmases of the past, present and future in an attempt to redeem him.

Hopefully these recommendations will bring a little bit more enjoyment to the upcoming winter break. Whether you’re picking up a fantasy, horror or an old classic, reading is one of the best ways to ring in the most wonderful time of the year.

Edited by Lucy Valeski | lvaleski@themaneater.com