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Five Cozy Books You Should Read This Winter

Updated on October 30, 2011

Winter is here! As you stock up on hot cocoa mix and start planning for the holidays, consider stashing away a few of these cozy books! They're the perfect escape when your family starts to get on your nerves--just slip away from the turkey, cranberry sauce, and bickering, grab a blanket, a mug of something warm, and read one of these!

1. The Shining

You've probably seen Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation of this Stephen King novel, but if you've never read the novel, you're missing out. It is genuinely scary--remember the Friends episode when Joey hides his copy in the freezer? I won't detail all the creepiness--the dead lady in the bathtub and the wasps are a few highlights. What you might not realize, though, is that before things get truly horrifying, the setting is, well, cozy. The hotel's beautiful hallways, the abundance of free time, the fully-stocked kitchen, it all feels like the most awesome snow day ever. That is until Jack tries to kill his entire family. But this doesn't happen until the end. So enjoy the many pages of coziness that come before, and hey, if, at the height of the holiday season, you reach Jack's eventual unraveling, you might have a tiny twinge of empathy!

2. The Harry Potter Series

Ok, this isn't one book, but seven. However, I think J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series is one of winter's coziest reads. The snow, the butterbeer, the common room's roaring fire, pumpkin juice, ghosts, chocolate frogs, and pepper imps--I could go on forever. I think the first few books are coziest of all. The last books become a bit darker. If you've already read them, read them again--not to find out what happens to Harry, but to savor the wizarding world's coziness. When you're done, gather family and friends to watch the films, and cook up some butterbeer (see the the link below).

3. Moby Dick

Yes, I'm suggesting you read that book you had to read in high school. But when you read Moby Dick for fun (and not to figure out the meaning behind Ahab's quest) the book becomes completely cozy. Read it in bed on a cold night with a mug of hot tea, and you'll start to imagine that you're tucked away in a wood paneled cabin on the Pequod, sailing far into an isolated and tumultuous sea.

4. The Long Winter

No matter how cold you might feel this winter, chances are you're much better off than Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family during the South Dakota winter of 1880. Book number six in the Little House series describes the hardships the Wilder family faces when their homestead is cut off from the train during a particularly hard winter. Starving and struggling to keep warm (the Wilder girls even wake up one morning to find their beds covered in snow), the family and community come together to make it through. This book will make you appreciate that you can buy tomatoes at the grocery in January and heat your house to 78 degrees if you so choose.

5. The Lost City of Z

This last book is for those of you who hate the cold and spend winter dreaming about swimming pools and salted margaritas. It's a nonfiction account of David Grann 's quest to find out what happened to Peter Fawcet, a 1920s explorer who set out to find the mythical "City of Z." Filled with the sticky heat of the Amazon jungle and plenty of creepy crawly things (ever heard of the Candiru?), this book will fully transport you. Ditch the cocoa--pour yourself a glass of tropical punch (maybe add a splash of rum?), and allow yourself to forget about that Christmas shopping you have to finish or Great Aunt Millie's impending arrival. Also, check out the upcoming film version staring Brad Pitt.

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    • krazikat profile image

      Ophelia Madden 5 years ago from Pacific Northwest

      Great suggestions!!!! I love anything Stephen King...and the other mentions are good as well! Thanks for the hub!

    • rabecker profile image

      rabecker 5 years ago

      Great list of books to pass the winter with.

    • hush4444 profile image

      hush4444 5 years ago from Hawaii

      Fun hub and great ideas for books to get you through the winter!
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