It’s the most wonderful time of the year… for reading. In the spirit of the season, I’ve put together a list of my favourite, most atmospheric Winter reads.
Settle down by the fire with a cup of cocoa and a cosy book, perfect for a cold wintry evening.
READ MORE: 8 Best Classics for Beginners in the Genre
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
This series is both the ultimate comfort read and the perfect setting for the winter time. Dive into a snowy world of classic magical realism and wonderful adventures.
Make sure to read the books (yes, there are 7, and they’re all brilliant) if you love the film.
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“Journeys to the end of the world, fantastic creatures, and epic battles between good and evilβwhat more could any reader ask for in one book? The book that has it all isΒ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, written in 1949 by Clive Staples Lewis. But Lewis did not stop there. Six more books followed, and together they became known asΒ The Chronicles of Narnia.“
Show More“Journeys to the end of the world, fantastic creatures, and epic battles between good and evilβwhat more could any reader ask for in one book? The book that has it all isΒ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, written in 1949 by Clive Staples Lewis. But Lewis did not stop there. Six more books followed, and together they became known asΒ The Chronicles of Narnia.
For the past fifty years,Β The Chronicles of NarniaΒ have transcended the fantasy genre to become part of the canon of classic literature. Each of the seven books is a masterpiece, drawing the reader into a land where magic meets reality, and the result is a fictional world whose scope has fascinated generations.
This edition presents all seven booksβunabridgedβin one impressive volume. The books are presented here in chronlogical order, each chapter graced with an illustration by the original artist, Pauline Baynes. Deceptively simple and direct,Β The Chronicles of NarniaΒ continue to captivate fans with adventures, characters, and truths that speak to readers of all ages, even fifty years after they were first published.“
Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle
This is one of my favourite reads for getting in the Christmas spirit. Set from 3 perspectives, this book of intertwining stories is beautifully atmospheric and full of festive cheer (and romance and laughter).
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“A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one small town into a romantic haven, the kind you see only in movies. Well, kinda. After all, a cold and wet hike from a stranded train through the middle of nowhere would not normally end with a delicious kiss from a charming stranger.“
Show More“A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one small town into a romantic haven, the kind you see only in movies. Well, kinda. After all, a cold and wet hike from a stranded train through the middle of nowhere would not normally end with a delicious kiss from a charming stranger. And no one would think that a trip to the Waffle House through four feet of snow would lead to love with an old friend. Or that the way back to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks. Thanks to three of todayβs bestselling teen authorsβJohn Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracleβthe magic of the holidays shines on these hilarious and charming interconnected tales of love, romance, and breathtaking kisses.“
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The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
The Bear and the Nightingale is #1 on my list for Winter reads this year! I’ve heard it’s so atmospheric and I can’t wait to read it this month.
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“At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn’t mindβshe spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse’s fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil.“
Show More“At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn’t mindβshe spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse’s fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil.
After Vasilisa’s mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa’s new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.
And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa’s stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent.
As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealedβthis, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse’s most frightening tales.“
A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig
This is one of my favourite books to get in the christmassy spirit.
It’s a lovely middle grade story (although definitely suitable for all ages) and I believe it’s coming out as a film soon.
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“You are about to read the true story of Father Christmas.
It is a story that proves that nothing is impossible.
If you are one of those people who believe that some things are impossible, you should put this book down right away. It is most certainly not for you.
Because this book is FULL of impossible things.”
“You are about to read the true story of Father Christmas.
It is a story that proves that nothing is impossible.
If you are one of those people who believe that some things are impossible, you should put this book down right away. It is most certainly not for you.
Because this book is FULL of impossible things.
Are you still reading?
Good.
Then let us begin . . .
A Boy Called Christmas is a tale of adventure, snow, kidnapping, elves, more snow, and an eleven-year-old boy called Nikolas, who isn’t afraid to believe in magic.“
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
If you’re looking for a heavier, more thought-provoking read this winter, this is the book for you. Written from the point of view of a blind girl during World War II, it includes striking and hopeful themes.
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“From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, the stunningly beautiful instantΒ New York TimesΒ bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.“
Show More“From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, the stunningly beautiful instantΒ New York TimesΒ bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.
Marie-Laure lives in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where her father works. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laureβs reclusive great uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museumβs most valuable and dangerous jewel.
In a mining town in Germany, Werner Pfennig, an orphan, grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find that brings them news and stories from places they have never seen or imagined. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments and is enlisted to use his talent to track down the resistance. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another.“
Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
With the 2nd series of his Dark Materials coming out on Iplayer right now, how could you not delve back into this exciting (and snowy) series?
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“When Lyra’s friend Roger disappears, she and her dΓ¦mon, Pantalaimon, determine to find him.
The ensuing quest leads them to the bleak splendour of the North, where armoured bears rule the ice and witch-queens fly through the frozen skies – and where a team of scientists is conducting experiments too horrible to be spoken about.”
“When Lyra’s friend Roger disappears, she and her dΓ¦mon, Pantalaimon, determine to find him.
The ensuing quest leads them to the bleak splendour of the North, where armoured bears rule the ice and witch-queens fly through the frozen skies – and where a team of scientists is conducting experiments too horrible to be spoken about.
Lyra overcomes these strange terrors, only to find something yet more perilous waiting for her – something with consequences which may even reachΒ beyondΒ the Northern Lights…“
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
I don’t know about you, but for me, the winter months are always the perfect time to cosy up with an old classic and go on an adventure.
I love the Lord of the Rings trilogy and I always find myself coming back to it when I need a little comfort in the Winter months.
Amazon | Book Despository | Goodreads
“One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell by chance into the hands of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins.“
“One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell by chance into the hands of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins.
From Sauron’s fastness in the Dark Tower of Mordor, his power spread far and wide. Sauron gathered all the Great Rings to him, but always he searched for the One Ring that would complete his dominion.
When Bilbo reached his eleventy-first birthday he disappeared, bequeathing to his young cousin Frodo the Ruling Ring and a perilous quest: to journey across Middle-earth, deep into the shadow of the Dark Lord, and destroy the Ring by casting it into the Cracks of Doom.
The Lord of the Rings tells of the great quest undertaken by Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring: Gandalf the Wizard; the hobbits Merry, Pippin, and Sam; Gimli the Dwarf; Legolas the Elf; Boromir of Gondor; and a tall, mysterious stranger called Strider.“
Do you have any Fall reads that you love? Are you going to try out any of these? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below or you can contact me directly on any of my social medias.
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