As snowflakes fill the sky and the world turns into a winter wonderland, there is no better feeling than changing into warm pajamas and huddling under a mountain of blankets. Students indulge in a variety of hobbies, and one fitting for an evening by the fireplace is a heartwarming winter read. However, when you’re already snuggled in for the evening, the last thing you’d want to do is waste time identifying a book only to read the back cover before dozing off. Here are some suggestions from the community to get your winter reading started.
School librarian recommendations
“[Cozy books are] really whatever’s comforting to you as a reader,” librarian Liz Liebman said. “For some people, that might be rereading one of their favorite books from when they were younger for that nostalgia factor. I think one of the essential things about a cozy read is just that it’s a little more low-stakes. There’s no violence or big surprises. It’s a little more predictable.It’s more gentle. It’s more about the relationships between characters. Sometimes that’s romance for people, or it can be friendship.”
Liebman personally recommends the young adult fantasy story “The House in the Cerulean Sea” by T.J. Klune. This heartwarming novel follows Linus Baker, a caseworker tasked to investigate a remote, magical orphanage and determine if six ‘dangerous’ children pose a threat to the world. An unlikely romance blooms with Arthur Parnassus, the charming caretaker of the orphans, and Linus must decide between his new family and professional integrity.
“It’s a fantasy book, but I think even people who don’t necessarily consider themselves fantasy readers would like it,” Liebman said. “It’s sort of that whole found family kind of situation. I always think of it as a warm-cup-of-tea kind of book.”
Liebman also recommends the fall-themed young adult romance “Falling Like Leaves” by Misty Wilson. The book features high school senior Ellis returning to her childhood small town of Bramble Falls, where her aunt drags her into helping plan the town’s annual month-long Falling Leaves Festival. Conflict arises when Ellis must learn to balance career expectations set by her father, break the tension between herself and childhood friend Cooper Barnett, on top of festival preparations. If you enjoy second chances, complex family dynamics and forging your own path, this might just be the book for you.
Student recommendations
Snow settles on the streets of a quiet Russian village in a way that can only be fitting for a young couple: a moment filled with hopeless romance. “White Nights” by Fyodor Dostoevsky is the perfect read for those who don’t shy away from the darker side of love and raw emotion. Dostoevsky captures the melancholic feeling of the winter season in such a figurative manner that one would almost think of it as another character in the narrative. The story revolves around a lonely dreamer who falls in love with a woman over four sleepless nights.
For those seeking that fairytale happy ending might gravitate towards Catherine Walsh’s “Holiday Romance” is a well-loved read This love story follows two friends living in Chicago, unable to make their annual trip to Ireland due to a snowstorm. Walsh uses the classic ‘she hates Christmas, he loves everything about it’ storyline, a trope that never seems to lose its charm. The story unfolds on a road trip adventure as they try to find their way home, carrying the characters from planes to taxis to even a kayak. As readers watch the couple bounce from place to place, they are left to wonder if they will ever make it home.
