Everyone wants to be cozy inside when it’s cold outside, and what better way to do that than by reading some winter-themed books? Here are five book recommendations if you’ve been wanting to do more reading in the New Year, or if you’re bored and just want to pick up a good book.
- Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan is perfect for you if you prefer short books. It is historical fiction and set in a small Irish town at Christmas and follows a coal merchant who, when making a delivery to a local convent, discovers the horrible treatment that the girls are facing while living there. He has to grapple with this issue, deciding whether he should act on his findings, or just stay silent and let it continue. This book provides substantive content without requiring readers to commit a lot of time.
- Trapped by Michael Northrop is a YA survival novel that follows a group of high school students who are stuck at school after their parents can’t come pick them up during a blizzard. At first it doesn’t seem so bad, but slowly things get worse as the electricity and heat go off, leaving them alone in the school building with no way out and no one coming to help them. This novel is also very short and a pretty easy read. It will have readers on the edge of their seat, not knowing what the outcome will be for the students.
- Beartown by Frederick Backman follows a small town that isn’t doing well and needs something to bring it back to its former glory. The town’s hopes rest on its ice hockey team, which has a chance to make it to the finals and bring the town into prominence again. However, when a teenage girl is assaulted by one of the members of the team, things quickly unravel and the consequences ripple far beyond imagination. This book comes with trigger warnings and is not a light read, but it deals with important issues and is extremely well-written. It forces readers to confront contemporary societal issues, while pulling them completely into the story as if it were real.
- One Way or Another by Kara McDowell is a perfect light romance. It follows a girl who struggles with severe anxiety and is always spiraling into thoughts of what could go wrong if she doesn’t make the right decision. Over winter break, she is faced with picking between two amazing holiday vacations and the choice is agonizing to her. One day, she slips and hits her head, and is suddenly able to see both options play out in her future. Through the experience, she learns to let go of her anxiety and allow herself to have more fun. This book is a fun, refreshing rom-com.
5.The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey follows Alaskan homesteaders who are struggling against a bitter winter. Their marriage is slowly breaking apart under the weight of their struggles and it doesn’t seem like they will make it through. On the first snowfall of the season, they decide to build a child out of snow. The next day, the snow child is gone, but they see a young girl running through the woods. Soon, they begin to connect with the girl and care for her as their own daughter, and she changes their lives forever. This book is a cozy read for a cold winter season.
